Chapel Hill, NC – Chants of, “Out of Iraq, out of our schools!” rose above the noise of afternoon traffic as protesters marched to Chapel Hill’s new Army Career Center on Wednesday, Nov. 15. Led by UNC-Chapel Hill’s chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, the group of about 50 marchers was joined by another several dozen protesters at the recruiting station. Demonstrators held a rally and a press conference condemning the war against Iraq and the predatory tactics of military recruiters.
for Honoring Black and Puerto Rican Liberation Heroes
New York, NY – The New York Police Department is on the defensive because of mass outrage over the police’s murder of Sean Bell. Bell, a 23-year old unarmed African American man was killed by the NYPD in a hail of 50 bullets Nov. 25 a few hours before he was going to be married. His murder has sparked large protests against racist police brutality.
Greensboro, NC – Students from colleges across North Carolina rallied Feb. 2 against a recent hate crime committed against three Palestinian students at Guilford College. The regional protest was organized by the University of North Carolina at Asheville Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) chapter and UNC-Chapel Hill Solidarity with Palestine through Education and Action at Carolina (SPEAC). UNC-Chapel Hill SDS helped to mobilize students for the demonstration.
Detroit, MI – The new Students for a Democratic Society has just completed its second annual National Convention in Detroit. The convention, held on the campus of Wayne State University, spanned from July 27-30 and drew over 150 student and youth activists from around the United States.
Tuscaloosa, AL – Across the country, students held rallies in solidarity with the Jena 6. At the University of Alabama, over 100 students, faculty and staff gathered on the library steps, Sept. 20, the day after the massive rally Jena, Louisiana, demanding justice. The protest, organized by the Social Work Association for Cultural Awareness, the University of Alabama chapter of Students for a Democratic Society and the NAACP. The NAACP chartered a bus of students to attended the rally in Jena, which is being reported as the largest civil rights march in years, with crowd estimates around 20,000.
Champaign-Urbana, IL – A protest by University of Illinois students shut down a meeting of the Board of Trustees in November. Chanting, “No excuses, no delay, ban the chief today,” 35 students stood up with signs after the Board refused to vote to get rid of the school mascot, ‘Chief Illiniwek.’ 50 more people were chanting from the hall, because the Board refused to move their meeting to a larger room to accommodate the public.
February 20, 3:30 a.m. – Under a banner that read, “The Whole World is Watching,” fifty-four students, workers and concerned community members slept in the office of University of Wisconsin Chancellor, David Ward. They occupied the chief administrator's office to protest university links to sweatshop labor. The peaceful scene was shattered by the approach of over 60 police dressed in riot gear, with billy clubs at their side and tear gas rifles ready.
Asheville, NC – Around 25 student activists and organizers from seven cities throughout the southeast came to Asheville, North Carolina, April 4, for a conference called “The Crisis of Imperialism and Building a Revolutionary Movement.” This regional student conference was hosted by Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
_Colombian Trade Unionists Deaths Will Not Be Ignored, Pollution in India Will Not Continue _
Chicago, IL – Students boycotting Coca-Cola have won another victory. At Chicago’s DePaul University on July 7, university administrators from across the U.S. agreed to an independent investigation of the murder of nine Colombian trade unionists who worked at Coca-Cola.
Asheville, NC – Demonstrations were held in Asheville, North Carolina and neighboring Hendersonville Oct. 12 against recent raids by ICE, the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. ICE recently raided Mills Manufacturing, a military contractor that produces parachutes for the Army. Over 50 workers were detained in the raid. Many of these workers have families and strong ties to the community.
Milwaukee, WI – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) demonstrated outside a Bank of America office in downtown here, Dec. 9, in an afternoon show of support for the United Electrical Local 1110 Chicago workers.
Los Angeles, CA – Chanting, “What do we want? Legalization! When do we want it? Now!” a group of over 200 University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) students and community members gathered outside of a campus lecture hall where Carl Braun, executive director of the California Minutemen Civil Defense Corps was scheduled to speak, Feb. 6.
Iowa City, IA – March 27, students marched on the house of the University of Iowa's President to protest the use of sweatshop labor used to make clothing with the U of I logo. They demanded the University drop out of corporate-backed Fair Labor Association (FLA), and join the pro-labor Worker's Rights Consortium.
Madison, WI – “Businesses that rely on sweatshop labor are not welcome in our community,” said Bob Hemauer, UW-Madison student and member of the Student Labor Action Coalition (SLAC). “And The Gap is one of the worst!” Hemauer shared his views during a May 5 protest at the opening of The Gap's newest store on downtown Madison's State Street.
Madison, WI – Students scored a major victory in February, when a five-day sit-in at the administration building forced UW Chancellor David Ward to meet demands for the University to take a stronger position against sweatshop labor. At issue is the UW role in negotiating a Code of Conduct with 150 other universities and the Collegiate Licensing Company that seeks to ensure that college apparel is not made under sweatshop conditions.
Asheville, NC – Recruiters from the U.S. Army thought they could sneak past University of North Carolina-Asheville (UNCA) progressives and radicals to recruit for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Right away, the local Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) chapter was notified and several others mobilized to block their access to potential recruits outside the dining hall on the UNCA campus. Around a dozen students jumped into place holding anti-war and anti-recruitment signs. They were able to shut down the recruitment booth within an hour.
Chicago, IL – While the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) continued its assault on neighboring communities and minority students, the Minority Student Coalition (MSC) organized to oppose the University actions. A rally on October 21, and a teach-in on November 17, challenged racist UIC policies, and empowered students to reject the bogus claims of the administration.
Madison, WI – On December 10th, more than 40 students, union members, and church activists held a candlelight vigil and leafleted a local Wal-Mart. This action was part of a national day of action against Wal-Mart called by the National Labor Committee. Protesters demanded Wal-Mart release the list of factories where its apparel is manufactured.
Chapel Hill, NC – On April 23, about 100 students gathered for the second time in two weeks to oppose white supremacists organizing on the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s campus. Just one week after the racist Tom Tancredo was driven off campus by turbulent protests, the Youth for Western Civilization (YWC), a white supremacist organization, brought former Virginia congressman Virgil Goode to speak about affirmative action and immigration.
