Tallahassee, FL – On October 20, students at Florida State University, led by FSU Students for a Democratic Society (FSU SDS) gathered to counter-protest an on campus appearance by conservative mouthpiece Charlie Kirk. Kirk is the founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a national organization that peddles racist, homophobic, alt-right talking points on college campuses.

FSU College Democrats President Alexis Dorman states, “Charlie Kirk has resorted to indoctrinating young people with made-up information that benefits himself,” and “Charlie Kirk is a Trump pawn without a single original idea.”

This is not the first time Kirk has made an appearance at FSU. In in 2020, right before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, TPUSA hosted Kirk’s Tallahassee stop of his “Culture War” tour. In response, student groups like FSUSDS, FSU College Democrats, FSU Generation Action, and more formed a coalition called FSUnite Against Kirk. In 2020, the FSU student government paid TPUSA more than $3400 in tuition dollars to fund Kirk’s appearance.

Two days before Kirk’s October 20 appearance, FSUSDS was made aware of a “situation report” created to point police repression in their direction. SDS responded with a statement announcing that “by hosting far right racists and homophobes, the university itself has created an unsafe situation. If FSU is scared of possible hate crimes and physical conflict committed by the followers of fascists, then they should stop inviting fascists on our campus!”

About 25 students joined FSUSDS outside of TPUSA’s event on October 20 to protest Kirk’s second appearance at Florida State. Some chants included “FSU let’s make it clear, Charlie Kirk’s not welcome here!”, “This is what democracy looks like!” and “Bigotry has got to go!” The right-wingers tried to out-chant protesters for about an hour to no avail.

“TPUSA has no support in the community,” stated FSUSDS’s Vice President Alex Carson. “They are funded by billionaires and come from out of town to rile up racist and homophobic sentiments. FSU willingly hosts them and shows they will prioritize platforming racist influencers. SDS is the complete opposite, we are run entirely by our members and have no big-money backing. All our support comes from the community.”

Other student organizations joining the protest included the Graduate Assistants United, FSU College Democrats, Students for Justice in Palestine, Student Farmworker Alliance, Planned Parenthood Generation Action, and VegFSU.

Despite repeated and persistent heckling by Kirk’s quite scant supporters in attendance, students remained firm in their protest.

#TallahasseeFL #StudentsForADemocraticSocietySDS #FloridaStateUniversityFSU

Graduate assistants play an essential role at the university, including teaching undergraduate courses and running labs, all while being students themselves.

Speakers highlighted the situation of international GAs, who pay higher fees compared to domestic students, higher health insurance costs relative to their income, and have increased difficulties finding and paying for housing. Many international students have to take up jobs in on-campus food service if the university does not offer them GA position, where they face discrimination from management.

“GAs here at FSU have to pick between groceries and gas to get back and forth to school. GAs here have to pick between going to the doctor and paying their light bill. How am I supposed to succeed in a place where GAs aren’t protected, nor are they fought for?” asked Savoya Simone Joyner, a second year research assistant at FSU.

Although the minimum stipend for GAs has increased in recent years thanks to bargaining efforts, it still lags behind that of competing universities. GAU recently surveyed faculty members on the importance of graduate assistant pay, and the majority of faculty members reported that they felt their departments are unable to recruit and retain qualified GAs with the current stipend amount.

GAU plans to continue the struggle for graduate assistants’ rights through solidarity and collective action, and will be sending out a survey in preparation for the next bargaining session.

#TallahasseeFL #FloridaStateUniversityFSU

Clive, Utah is home to a “near-surface” commercial facility that accepts radioactive waste from sites all over the country.

As for low-level radioactive waste, there is no clear definition as to what this is. There is no upper limit or lower limit of the radioactivity associated with this term.

The Tallahassee site had accepted low-level radioactive waste for burial from 1958 to 1964.

As for the Tallahassee site, high energy gamma radiation from material too dangerous to be shipped to Utah was also detected in the burial site. This material remained at FSU reportedly to be disposed of by other means that have not been specified.

It is common practice for powerful institutions such as FSU to degrade poor or minority communities with contaminants that would never be placed in wealthy white communities.

Such environmental racism is nothing new. The result can be disastrous on the health and wellbeing of these communities.

Why were residents in the nearby Black communities of Callan, off of Pottsdammer Street, and Providence, off of Levy Avenue, not notified of this shipment via two tractor trailer trucks that took place on July 22, 2021?

Why was this radioactive waste deposited in a “near-surface” disposal site where it will continue to be dangerous for hundreds of thousands of years?

Why did FSU choose a Tallahassee site near two Black residential communities as a destination for its radioactive waste?

A second site in the Apalachicola National Forest, three-and-a-half miles away from residents in the Fort Braden community has contaminated the ground water. This site received low-level nuclear waste from 1967 to 1979.

Contaminants at this site in the ground water include 1,4 dioxane, radium 226, radium 228, xylenes, aluminum, cesium-137, lead-210, lead 212, lead-214 and tritium.

The Screening Level Risk Assessment determined ,“There are unacceptable risks to human health at the site from high concentrations of these contaminants.”

This contradicts FSU Vice President for Research Gary Ostrander who reportedly told Tallahassee Democrat reporter Byron Dobson, “there has been no human exposure or elevated risks to human or ecosystem health associated with site conditions.”

As for human health, it is abundantly clear that Black citizens in Leon County have a higher risk of dying from cancer than their white counterparts. In 2020 for every 100 white people who died from cancer in Leon County, 136 Black people died.

Shouldn't public health and FSU officials at least ask “Why?”

Questions remain. How much radioactive dirt remains at the Tallahassee site? What was the source of the gamma radiation that was too dangerous to ship from Tallahassee to Utah? Where is it now? What did FSU do with it?

Have the people potentially exposed to the radiation generated by FSU been monitored on a continuing basis for cancer? If not, why not?

Was any kind of cancer surveillance plan put in place for the benefit of the residents in Callen, Providence, or the residents approximately three miles to the north of the contaminated groundwater in the Apalachicola National Forest? This is near the Fort Braden community in Leon County.

Finally, what is the evidence that the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) was ever implemented? This Act mandates the following: Inform the public of the environmental issues associated with the site; involve the public in the decision-making process that will affect them; involve the public in the responses under consideration to remedy these issues, and inform the public of the progress being made to implement the remedy.

It is clear from these requirements that FSU has not complied with this Act.

It therefore raises the question as to whether FSU's behavior has been illegal in regard to their contamination of the groundwater, their subsequent behavior and their total disregard for the wellbeing of the residents who may have been adversely affected.

#TallahasseeFlorida #TallahasseeFL #EnvironmentalJustice #FloridaStateUniversityFSU #environmentalRacism #RadioactiveWaste

Over a decade has passed since Florida’s agricultural fields were considered a “ground zero” for modern slavery. Now, Florida tomato farms in the Fair Food Program are leading examples of what is possible through worker organizing. And all of this started in Immokalee, where a group of farmworkers began fighting for better wages and working conditions in the 1990s. Before this group, called the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, created the Fair Food program, abuse and violence were rampant. Farmworkers rarely had access to bathrooms, clean water, or shade whilst working under the scorching Florida sun. In the best of cases, they were paid sub-poverty wages and evaded threats, harassment, assault or wage theft. The worst cases, though, include sexual assault and modern slavery.

Created in 2011 as a unique partnership between food retailers, farmers and farmworkers, the Fair Food Program has changed Florida’s agriculture industry and limited abuses. It is so effective a program because it was created by and for farmworkers themselves. And it is not limited to Florida. The protections and freedoms guaranteed under the Fair Food Program cover farmworkers across the east coast, and its model of worker-driven social responsibility is making waves throughout the global supply chain as workers reclaim their power and demand better.

Wendy’s, though, stands alone as the last of the five major fast food companies to reject participation in the Fair Food Program. The corporation has relocated their tomato purchasing multiple times to evade the program, once sourcing tomatoes from farms in Mexico that were exposed for forcing adult and even child workers to endure subhuman conditions often without pay. Since then, they have released misleading information about the tomato industry such as claims that greenhouses have “inherent benefits of safe, indoor working conditions.” In fact, one of the certification standards upon which the company relies (SA8000) was also held by a Pakistani textile factory in which 262 workers were killed in a fire.

Farmworkers know that neither greenhouses nor the corporation’s toothless code of conduct protect them against sexual violence and abuse. In contrast, the Fair Food Program is the “gold standard” of social responsibility programs, as confirmed by a recent independent study of 40 leading initiatives which found that the program represents “the only existing model with the proven potential to afford protection for the most vulnerable and lowest-wage workers in global supply chains.”

By refusing to join the Fair Food Program, Wendy’s provides a market for farms with no reputable mechanisms to prevent abuses like wage theft, sexual assault and even modern slavery.

Organizing alongside Immokalee farmworkers, students at Florida State University hope to use their power to escalate pressure for the corporation to take responsibility for workers in its supply chain. And they are not alone – other universities in Florida and across the country have passed similar student government resolutions demanding that Wendy’s join the Fair Food Program and that their universities stop doing business with them until then.

The Student/Farmworker Alliance at Florida State was thrilled when the student senate passed their resolution 13-0-4 after months of organizing, but said also, “It was really disappointing to hear one of the senators object to passing the resolution unanimously because of its ‘political content.’ Everything in this world is political, but there should be nothing controversial about the people who put food on our tables and in our dining halls having a say about the conditions under which they pick that food.”

In solidarity with farmworkers and workers around the world, the chapter plans to build on the success of this resolution and continue organizing FSU students to fight back.

#TallahasseeFL #ImmigrantRights #FloridaStateUniversityFSU #Farmworkers

“Florida State University wants GAs basically to come to work, be overworked, underpaid and just die on their own dime and do nothing about it. There are a lot of things on this campus that are impacting GA safety in particular,” said Jordan Lenchitz, grievance officer for GAU. Lenchitz went on to explain how COVID-19 threatened both teachers’ livelihoods and ability to financially support themselves. “We’re here today to let the university know that we’re not going to go quietly, and we’re not going to die and pay for our own funerals, because they don’t pay us enough for that anyway.”

Organizing chair for GAU, Jordan Scott, elaborated on the conditions FSU students and faculty have been facing. “With the majority of graduate workers making between $16,000 and $25,000 annually, we cannot afford to subsidize Florida State University’s response, or lack thereof to the crisis.” He said they wanted to unite other organizations on FSU’s campus to fight for better conditions within the pandemic.

“We are currently building relationships with different student organizations including but not limited to Students for a Democratic Society and an array of international students’ organizations on campus, and the staff and faculty unions. The best thing that anyone can do is show up to the impact bargaining. Our first impact bargaining meeting. There will be a hybrid option. The best way to hear about any updates is by following us on social media Twitter @fsu_gau, Facebook facebook.com/fsugau/ or on Instagram at fsugau.”

Some of GAU’s demands include workplace modifications for disabled workers, compensation for in-patient medical costs, and paid sick leave when a graduate worker is exposed to COVID-19.

GAU members say they will keep fighting for a successful bargaining and to hold FSU accountable for its role in allowing the COVID-19 pandemic to spread.

Jordan Lenchitz also criticized FSU for attempting to hold in-person meetings for their negotiations when several members from GAU had contracted COVID-19. He urged people to come support them at their bargaining meeting. “People are welcome to come and get involved. FSU’s entire team is six people, and so, if we can bring out 50 people, we can outnumber them nine to one.”

#TallahasseeFL #PeoplesStruggles #PublicSectorUnions #GraduateAssistantsUnionGAU #FloridaStateUniversityFSU #TeachersUnions #COVID19

“Florida State University wants GAs basically to come to work, be overworked, underpaid and just die on their own dime and do nothing about it. There are a lot of things on this campus that are impacting GA safety in particular,” said Jordan Lenchitz, grievance officer for GAU. Lenchitz went on to explain how COVID-19 threatened both teachers’ livelihoods and ability to financially support themselves. “We’re here today to let the university know that we’re not going to go quietly, and we’re not going to die and pay for our own funerals, because they don’t pay us enough for that anyway.”

Organizing chair for GAU, Jordan Scott, elaborated on the conditions FSU students and faculty have been facing. “With the majority of graduate workers making between $16,000 and $25,000 annually, we cannot afford to subsidize Florida State University’s response, or lack thereof to the crisis.” He said they wanted to unite other organizations on FSU’s campus to fight for better conditions within the pandemic.

“We are currently building relationships with different student organizations including but not

limited to Students for a Democratic Society and an array of international students’ organizations on campus, and the staff and faculty unions. The best thing that anyone can do is show up to the impact bargaining. Our first impact bargaining meeting. There will be a hybrid option. The best way to hear about any updates is by following us on social media Twitter @fsu_gau, Facebook facebook.com/fsugau/ or on Instagram at fsugau.”

Some of GAU’s demands include workplace modifications for disabled workers, compensation for in-patient medical costs, and paid sick leave when a graduate worker is exposed to COVID-19.

GAU members say they will keep fighting for a successful bargaining and to hold FSU accountable for its role in allowing the COVID-19 pandemic to spread.

Jordan Lenchitz also criticized FSU for attempting to hold in-person meetings for their negotiations when several members from GAU had contracted COVID-19. He urged people to come support them at their bargaining meeting. “People are welcome to come and get involved. FSU’s entire team is six people, and so, if we can bring out 50 people, we can outnumber them nine to one.”

#TallahasseeFL #PeoplesStruggles #PublicSectorUnions #GraduateAssistantsUnionGAU #FloridaStateUniversityFSU #TeachersUnions #FSUGAU

Tallahassee, FL – On February 2, around 80 Florida State University (FSU) students, representing FSU Against Aramark, FSU Students for a Democratic Society, FSUDems, and JStreet, marched across campus from Strozier Library to Dirac Library protesting Starbucks working conditions and standing in solidarity with Aramark workers on campus.

Aramark, a multibillion-dollar corporation, is known for consistently underpaying its workers at universities around the country. The protest, spearheaded by FSU Against Aramark, was the culmination of a three-day boycott of all campus Starbucks locations. The essence of this struggle is that, while campus Starbucks workers are expected to perform like corporate Starbucks workers, they are given none of the same benefits. Campus Starbucks are not owned by Starbucks themselves – instead Aramark pays Starbucks for the branding and recipes, meaning there are discrepancies in benefits between the two types of stores.

“Starbucks corporate committed to $15 an hour this summer. Why does Aramark refuse to do the same for employees at FSU?” asked Marci Lofaso, one of the main organizers of FSU Against Aramark.

This is not an issue unique to campus Starbucks locations. All of the campus food service workers are employed by Aramark and are victims of the same insufficient pay. “It is time we as a student body say no to [Aramark’s] reign!” demanded Evan Livingston, another organizer with FSU Against Aramark.

FSU Against Aramark is demanding that campus Starbucks workers be treated equally with corporate Starbucks workers. This means instituting a $15 minimum wage; sick pay for COVID-19; two weeks of formal training, and providing KN95 masks to all workers. All of these benefits would put campus Starbucks workers in line with their corporate coworkers.

The Aramark CEO makes $27 million a year, putting their CEO-to-worker pay ratio at 1712:1 (five times higher than the national average). While these demands are for Starbucks specifically, FSU Against Aramark believes all campus workers deserve increased wages and sufficient COVID protections.

Accounts from Aramark workers on campus clearly demonstrate the need for change. One worker detailed how Aramark underpaid them for “months” and said possibilities of backpay were “impossible and unattainable.” Another worker told how they were injured “by a tomato slicer” and “bled everywhere in the kitchen for around 30 minutes.” Since there was no manager on duty, the worker had to reach out to another Aramark branch to administer first aid and relieve their shift. Finally, an additional account detailed how campus Starbucks refused to hire them because of their disability, possibly violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by not trying to accommodate the worker. According to the corporate Starbucks website, “Partners with disabilities find a welcoming community at Starbucks,” but that seemingly does not apply to stores on FSU’s campus.

These are just some of the accounts of the conditions FSU campus workers are going through. Solidarity between students and workers is essential, especially for growing the labor movement post-graduation.

Campus workers “need our solidarity so that they can stand up and fight back,” Lofaso asserted.

FSU Students for a Democratic Society is dedicated to building the labor movement both on campus and in the community.

Dare to struggle, Dare to win!

#FloridaStateUniversity #FloridaStateUniversityFSU #Starbucks #FSUAgainstAramark

The rally was part of the National Day to Demand Affirmative Action called by the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). This national day of action was created in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to take a second look at the Fisher v. University of Texas case, which deals with the legality of the affirmative action program used in the University of Texas system. The previous ruling, which favored the university, did not challenge the legality of affirmative action. If the court changes its decision, it will affect the fate of affirmative action programs in colleges and universities nationwide. The end of affirmative action programs will severely hurt African American students’ ability to be admitted to colleges and universities.

Regina Joseph, an organizer with SDS, opened the event with a brief explanation of the court case. She put forward three demands for the FSU administration: reinstate affirmative action, stop legacy preferences, and drop SAT/ACT testing requirements for admissions. Legacy preferences allow the children of wealthy and privileged graduates to attend the university, with the hope that generous donations will follow.

“The very foundation of this university needs to change. We're going to make that difference, and we're going to be organized, and we're going to increase Black enrollment, because we have the people, and we have the research and the knowledge to actually do what we need to do,” said Joseph.

Others spoke about issues faced by African American students nationwide as well as the struggles of African American students at Florida State. At FSU the freshman class consists of 7% African American students, compared to 12.8% in 1999. At the same time the rates of high school graduation for African American students is steadily increasing.

“I was very shocked to see it drop so dramatically,” said FSU student Roderick Pearson, “When I first enrolled here I thought it would be more diverse than what it is now.”

Protesters also directly addressed FSU administrators who were observing the rally alongside the police. They demanded that the FSU administration end discrimination against African American students. The rally concluded with a call to action for students to get organized and to help continue the fight against racism on campus.

“Right now on campus we have one major task, we need to get organized,” said Zachary Schultz, an organizer with SDS, “You can see the group of people gathered here today. It isn’t enough, we need to get organized.”

Afterwards the students marched across campus chanting, “Black education matters” and “When Black students are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!” They passed out pamphlets with information about the racist admissions policies at FSU and the dropping rates of African American enrollment.

#TallahasseeFL #PeoplesStruggles #AntiRacism #AffirmativeAction #FloridaStateUniversityFSU

The presentation started with a brief look at class exploitation, the basis of capitalism. The fundamental reality is that workers create wealth through hard labor and toil, yet the bosses are the ones who take home the profits. Around the world, the working class struggles for basic survival.

“ You can see this today in the U.S. where the working class is working harder, yet they have seen their wages plummet while the 1% minority takes home the wealth,” commented an attendee from Students for a Democratic Society.

Other basic ideas, such as the concept of class struggle, in which the interests of the owning class and the interests of those who work for the owning class are diametrically opposed, were also covered.

The presentation then transitioned into a historical overview of the struggle for socialism that took place in the 19th and 20th centuries. During the 19th century, in the heat of the industrial revolution, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote the famous Communist Manifesto, outlining the basic ideas of communism.

In the beginning of the 20th century, when Western imperialist countries were seeking to expand their power and profits in World War I, the Russian people tired of their oppressive conditions under the czar. The people overthrew the monarch’s rule and later created a socialist country led by Lenin and the Bolsheviks. This was first time in history that working class and everyday people took power. As the Russian revolution struggled to end war and starvation, all were eventually guaranteed employment, housing, health care and education and were able to put food on the table. Great gains were made for oppressed nationalities and women. Racism and anti-Semitism were punishable by law and women made great advances towards full equality, leaping ahead of the imperialist countries.

After World War II, imperialism around the world took a huge hit. Colonized nations in Asia were slowly gaining their independence and throwing out the foreign exploiters. In China, after a victorious fight against the Japanese imperialists, the Chinese Communist Party under the leadership of Mao Zedong again showed the world how working-class power can be established in alliance with the peasantry and other class forces. China went through many social changes. Practices like foot binding, a tradition harmful to girls and women, were outlawed. Students and intellectuals fused their lives with the working class and farmers in the countryside. The Communist Party of China developed the economy into the powerhouse that China is today.

“Though many gains were made, we must analyze both the positives and the errors that were made during this time and figure out how we can establish socialism today in the U.S.,” said Regina Joseph, a member of the Dream Defenders.

The presenters wrapped up the short course by going over current struggles against capitalism, including in Asia, where revolutionary forces in the Philippines, India, Nepal and other countries are all fighting to end oppression and inequality in their lands.

In the U.S., the Freedom Road Socialist Organization seeks to organize for revolution through uniting the working class and oppressed nationalities in a strategic alliance to overthrow the rule of Wall Street and its government. We will need a new revolutionary party, a communist party, using the ideas of Marxism-Leninism to forge this strategic alliance, to lead the people’s movements and win power.

#TallahasseeFL #StudentMovement #FloridaStateUniversityFSU #Socialism #TallahasseeFRSO #CenterForParticipantEducation #MarxismLeninism

The bad legislation went away when Florida Speaker of the House Will Weatherford introduced a compromise. It calls for funding a study into the viability of the joint engineering college. This then passes the buck to the Florida Board of Governors in March 2015. They have final decision on the future of the joint and historical partnership.

Florida State Senator John Thrasher, the campaign co-chair for Governor Rick Scott’s re-election campaign, originally proposed splitting the engineering college. Thrasher attempted to cover his tracks by claiming the discussion would not have taken place if he had not proposed a budget amendment to fund the split.

“Thrasher is a notorious anti-worker and anti-higher education bully, who this session, due to the FAMU and FSU students working together, didn’t get what he wanted,” said Michael Sampson, organizer with the Dream Defenders. “He can try and sum this up any way he wants but he lost this go around and those who wanted to prevent the FAMU-FSU School of Engineering from being split this year were successful.”

Thrasher is rumored to be a finalist for the FSU presidential search. Many view his proposal to split the FAMU-FSU School of Engineering as a power grab by elite FSU interests at the expense of FAMU. This is currently one of the few partnerships between a mostly white university and a historically Black university. Neither FAMU nor FSU administrative leadership were even notified of the possibility of a split of its engineering program before it happened. New FAMU President, Elmira Mangum, said that FAMU by itself didn’t have the means to sustain its own engineering program at current rates of funding from the state legislature.

Florida State University is a predominantly white education institution that continues to grow, often at the expense of the neighboring African-American communities. This move by Thrasher to split away from a joint venture with the Florida A&M University was a move that angered many of Tallahassee’s African americans. Engineering students from the National Society of Black Engineers spoke out with Dream Defenders against the attempted injustice.

“I think that it was a great step,” said FSU Engineering student and former vice-president of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Samuel Ichite. “It’s great to know that the logical step was taken as a result of different people stepping up and standing for what was right. It should never be left up to politicians to determine the fate of our education.”

Tallahassee Dream Defenders, working with organizations like NSBE and the FAMU Student Government Association and other FAMU student leaders, organized to prevent Thrasher’s power play from being successful. However, student activists know they have a long way to go to make sure the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering is protected in the future.

“This is a short-term win but we need to keep organizing over the summer and throughout next year to prevent them from attempting to split it again,” said Melanie Andrade, president of the FAMU chapter of Dream Defenders. “We need to make sure we are researching whatever they are proposing and targeting whoever needs to be targeted in order to make sure the FAMU-FSU School of Engineering stays the way it is.”

#TallahasseeFL #AfricanAmerican #FloridaStateUniversityFSU #Antiracism #FAMU

The sit-in began at 9:00 a.m. on July 16, with at least 25 students sleeping in the governor’s office every night. The action was called in response to the acquittal in the George Zimmerman trial. Protesters demanded to meet with Governor Scott and push for a special legislative session. Dream Defenders demands that the governor push for an end to racial profiling, the repeal of mandatory minimum sentencing laws that place African-American and Latino youth in prison and the repeal of the Stand Your Ground law. Protesters are calling for a package of laws from the governor and the legislature called the Trayvon Martin Act.

“It’s my first time doing an overnight sit-in,” said Florida State University Dream Defender President Brian Marshall. “Having Rick Scott agree to meet with us is a victory, but we’re disappointed he didn’t agree to our demands. We’re going to continue protesting him and the criminal injustice system that let Trayvon’s killer off the hook.”

The meeting with Scott comes after the governor dodged protesters for two days, spending time in New York and then in Pensacola and Tampa, far from his Tallahassee office. On July 18, protesters in Tampa crashed the event Scott spoke at, demanding he meet with the occupiers in his office in Tallahassee.

On the night of July 13, protesters in Sanford, Florida rallied outside of the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center to demand justice for Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old Black youth murdered by George Zimmerman in February 2012. When the nearly all-white jury found Zimmerman not guilty, protesters issued a call for nationwide protests. That call was answered, with mass militant demonstrations in Los Angeles, New York City, Milwaukee, Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis, North Carolina, Tampa, Gainesville and Miami, among others.

In Tallahassee, a midnight march protesting the verdict stormed the steps of the Florida capitol building. Organized by Florida State University Dream Defenders, the protest drew more than 300 people, mostly African-Americans, from the campus and the community.

Since Dream Defenders launched its occupation of Scott’s office, other organizations have joined their demonstration. The newly formed Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society marched from the nearby All Saints Café to reinforce the occupation and groups like the NAACP and the Big Bend Labor Chapter have helped provide refreshments and blankets. Hip hop media magnate Russell Simmons endorsed the action, and importantly, the FSU student body President Rosie Contreras publicly announced her support for the FSU chapter of Dream Defenders.

For more info, see: http://www.fightbacknews.org/2013/7/16/build-fight-get-justice-trayvon-martin

#TallahasseeFL #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #GovernorRickScott #FloridaStateUniversityFSU #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #DreamDefenders #InjusticeSystem

Tallahassee, FL – On Sept. 28, more than 50 students from Florida State University (FSU) came together to rally against proposed 15% tuition hikes and continued cuts to education.

The student protest, organized by the FSU Progress Coalition, marched to the FSU president’s office where administration officials and University Police awaited them, blocking their entry to the administration building. However, refusing to be turned away, the students’ resilience forced a meeting outside with the FSU President Eric Barron. The students demanded that President Barron attend a public forum with students and stand publicly with them against the Florida state legislature’s education cuts.

The students’ demands were met as Barron agreed to a public forum with students where he would address projected tuition hikes and education cuts, all while taking questions and concerns from students.

Student leaders then presented Barron with 1400 petition signatures, collected by members of the Progress Coalition, reflecting FSU student opposition to the 15% tuition hikes. Barron promised to stand with students against state-initiated education cuts.

“Regular students from all inclinations are very upset with higher tuition and continued education cuts,” said Tallahassee student activist and Progress Coalition member Michael Sampson. “Continued tuition hikes will create a situation where only the privileged minority can receive a college education, hurting many working families and students. Students must unite against these attacks on their ability to get an affordable and quality education.”

Students at FSU are expected to see their tuition rise a projected 60% over the next four years.

“The hypocrisy comes when tuition is raised while President Barron receives a 10% pay raise this year and new pricey construction projects are being built on campus”, said Sampson. “Why are students taking the brunt of cuts to higher education? How can you talk of raising students’ tuition while simultaneously receiving a pay raise or allow the construction of these massive buildings?”

Just a few weeks ago, the FSU Board of Trustees approved a 10% raise for Barron as well as the beginning of a new state-of-the art $15 million athletic facility. All while FSU’s private endowment stands at $450 million. Given these facts, Barron will face an increasingly angry student body.

“As students, we feel as though this issue is more than just an education issue but a moral and social justice issue,” said Tallahassee activist and protest attendee Melanie Zardoya. “This is about institutional transparency and holding higher-level administration and politicians accountable to the needs of the students and their families.”

That accountability from school administrators is missing on campuses resonated with many students during the FSU education rights rally. Members of FSU Progress Coalition hope that President Barron will live by his promise of standing with students against education cuts, and by the appearance of the rally that took place last Sept. 28, the FSU students will hold their administration accountable.

FSU Progress Coalition was formed on the campus of Florida State University in the spring of 2011 as a union of student groups fighting for education rights. For information on how to get involved or information on FSU Progress Coalition, contact fsu.progresscoalition@gmail.com, on Facebook at FSU Progress Coalition, and on Twitter @FSUprogress.

#TallahasseeFL #BudgetCuts #FloridaStateUniversityFSU #tuitionHikes #FSUProgressCoalition

Gainesville, FL – Este otoño, grupos estudiantiles en Tallahassee, Pensacola, Gainesville, Tampa, y Orlando están haciendo mucho activismo y están ganando sus demandas, mientras que las clases se resumieron sólo hace unas semanas.

En agosto, muchas ramas nuevas del grupo Estudiantes por una Sociedad Democrática (Students for a Democratic Society – SDS) se formaron. La Universidad del Florida del Sur (USF) ahora tiene una nueva rama, SDS de Tampa Bay. Su primera reunión tuvo más de 30 estudantes que quieren luchar contra el intento de la administración de subir el precio de su educación.

Un grupo de estudiantes afro-americanos, Uhuru, se formó en la Universidad Florida State (FSU) para llevar la lucha contra cortes económicos a las universidades en Tallahassee. Están dedicados a combatir el racismo y formar solidaridad en la comunidad de los jóvenes afroamericanos. Uhuru en el FSU es en buen amigo de SDS a nivel nacional.

Una de los áreas más afectadas por la crisis económica, la llamada “Florida Panhandle” tiene estudiantes que ahora quieren organizar una nueva rama de SDS en Pensacola, con 25 estudiantes en su primera reunión. Los estudiantes también quieren combatir los recortes económicos con el grupo ¡Lucha y Resiste!–Florida (Fight Back–Florida) que tiene 14 ramas en la Florida.

SDS en el UCF en Orlando ha ganado muchas cosas también con su periódico, Sonidos de una Sociedad Democratica (Sounds of a Democratic Society).

SDS de Gainesville empezó el año escolar con una reunión a la que asistieron más de 50 estudiantes. Los estudiantes quieren combatiar el aumento de 15% en el precio de su educación.

Gainesville SDS recientemente ganó dos de sus campañas prolongadas.

Primero, despidieron al policía racista que le disparó al estudiante Kofi Adu-Brempong el año pasado en marzo 2010. El policía le disparó en la cara a Kofi, pero él no fue despedido por eso sino que por ser malo con un hombre blanco.

SDS de Gainesville también paró el Block Tuition, un plan hecho por la administración de la Universidad de la Florida con la que cobraria a los estudiantes por clases que no iban a cursar.

También, se han formado ramas de SDS en el campus de USF en St. Petersburg y en Miami. Los estudiantes en la Florida están liderando sus movimientos en formas creativas y ciertamente será emocionante ver lo que son capaces de cumplir este año. Pronto anunciarán sus planes para protestar en la Convención Republicana Nacional en Tampa.

#GainesvilleFL #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #GainesvilleAreaStudentsForADemocraticSocietySDS #FloridaStateUniversityFSU

Tampa, FL – All across Florida this fall, student activists in are off to an amazing start. Groups in Tallahassee, Pensacola, Gainesville, Tampa and Orlando have blasted onto the scene with activism and victories, although universities and colleges started 2011-2012 classes only weeks ago.

August saw the rise of several new Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) chapters and affiliates in various cities across Florida. The University of South Florida (USF) is now home to Tampa Bay SDS, whose first meeting ended up channeling the anger of over 30 students into concrete ways to fight tuition hikes on their campus. Tampa Bay SDS is also preparing for the upcoming March on the Republican National Convention happening next year.

Along with more traditional approaches to student activism, some students in Florida have decided to try experimental approaches. The newly formed Uhuru at Florida State University (FSU) is taking the fight against state budget cuts into the midst of Black and Brown students across Tallahassee’s various college campus. Their level of dedication to fighting racism and establishing a strong sense of nation-hood in the minds of young oppressed nationalities is remarkable. Uhuru at FSU has affiliated with SDS on a national level, drawing benefits from a large network of enthusiastic supporters, but retaining its autonomy on a local level.

Often referred to as the “Third World of America,” the Florida Panhandle saw students organize a new SDS chapter with a strong emphasis on fighting state budget cuts and participating in the Fight Back! Florida coalition to end cuts, a coalition which has chapters in 14 cities across the state.

SDS at the University of Central Florida in Orlando is also making strides in their community through their excellent self-published magazine, Sounds of a Democratic Society.

Last but not least, Gainesville Area SDS has become a major center for student activism in the United States, kicking the year off with a strategic planning meeting attended by over 50 students. Recently, the students shifted their focus to fighting the 15% tuition increase that recently rocked their school, with high hopes for repealing the increase. Incredibly, Gainesville Area SDS recently won two of their protracted campaigns – seeing that the racist police officer who shot Kofi Adu-Brempong in last year's March police brutality case finally get fired for good, and defeating the Block Tuition plan crafted by their administration which threatened to charge students for classes they weren't taking – administrators which have recently announced an end to Block Tuition as per the demands of Gainesville Area SDS.

Students in Florida are already leading their movements in creative ways and it will certainly be exciting to see what they are able to accomplish this year.

#TampaFL #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #GainesvilleAreaStudentsForADemocraticSocietySDS #FloridaStateUniversityFSU