College Station, TX – Students at Texas A&M University gathered in a silent sit-in on January 28 for improved COVID-19 policies on campus. The coalition, consisting of individuals and organizations such as Grad Aggies for Worker Safety (GAWS), Feminism4Aggies and TAMU Students for a Democratic Society, organized the protest in solidarity with the students of the University of North Texas, who were also calling for improved COVID-19 policies at universities across Texas.

Participating students held signs with demands, statements about the TAMU student who died of COVID-19 complications, and a QR code linked to the coalition’s petition in the Academic Plaza, a highly trafficked courtyard in the center of the campus.

The coalition’s demands are increasing mandatory testing on campus, an online option for classes, and better housing accommodations for students that test positive for COVID-19. Currently, TAMU does not require any testing for students, including when students return to campus from breaks or when they have close contact with someone who is known to have the virus. Professors are not required to have an online option for their classes, either live or as a recording, forcing students to expose themselves to large groups of students daily as well as incentivizing students who contract the virus to attend classes while contagious. Students who test positive are given no assistance from the university with safe, isolated living spaces, and are expected to move into hotel rooms off campus with no financial support or to remain housed in their dormitory or apartment. This jeopardizes any roommates an infected student has, as well as those who may share a public bathroom with a contagious student.

Over 25,000 people have signed the coalition’s petition for stricter COVID-19 protocols, but TAMU continues to relax their policies.

#CollegeStationTX #PeoplesStruggles #COVID19 #TAMUStudentsForADemocraticSociety

College Station, TX – On September 16, Students for a Democratic Society at Texas A&M University held a protest against the continued presence of a Confederate statue on their campus, racial profiling in the surrounding community, and how TAMU continually fails to meet the needs of Black students on campus.

Roughly 60 students, faculty and community members demonstrated in front of the Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue, calling for it to be taken down. Protesters chanted, “Hey, ho, ho, Sully Ross has got to go!”

Amorae’ Shamberger, from the organization Round Table Talks, spoke about her experiences as an African American Aggie, and how the university does not provide an inclusive atmosphere for oppressed nationality students, saying, “Sully is a representation of A&M saying that they don’t care how he’s a symbol of oppression for students of color, they have the audacity to say put a penny on him, he is love. I’m pretty sure we can all say he don't represent an inch of love. Sully being removed would be the first step of A&M taking initiative in saying they will not tolerate racism and any symbol of racism here.”

A representative from the Black Graduate Student Association at TAMU called out the both the Bryan and College Station police departments for continued instances of racial profiling. They expressed that though we may be having these conversations on topics of racial injustice, we are not seeing change met in our policing institutions, demanding that “the police need to stop racial profiling,” that “it has been [proven] that people of color are still getting pulled over based on racial profiling.”

SDS organizer Mia Ogolo spoke on the atrocities committed by Lawrence Sullivan Ross, detailing the heinous actions performed by him from his time as a Texan Ranger to his time in the Confederacy as a general. His crimes included the killings Black Union soldiers who had surrendered to him during the Civil War. Ogolo stated that Ross “personally participated in the disenfranchisement and plunder of Black progress. Even after the Civil War, he was a traitor to America and to democracy, circumventing federal efforts to uplift and educate newly freed African Americans.”

Dr. Michael Alvard, SDS advisor and professor of anthropology at A&M, echoed student sentiments and emphasized the power students have to achieve change.

Ogolo presented the SDS’s list of demands, principal of which was the relocation of the statue to the university library’s archives. They also called for a shift to community control of police, and a decrease in funding to police departments, with a reallocation of these funds to social programs, education and infrastructure.

The protest concluded with an opportunity for students to step up and share their stories, which affirmed the student discontent with their administration. This event was only one step in a much longer campaign to shift the culture of Texas A&M University to one of diversity, inclusion and equality.

#CollegeStationTX #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #Antiracism #SDSTAMU

College Station, TX – White supremacist Richard Spencer was meet by more than 1000 protesters when he came to Texas A&M University, Dec. 6. He was not invited by the university, but rented the space to hold his event. While the university claimed it was “concerned,” it made no effort to cancel the event and provided very tight security for him.

The protest began with a few hundred students, but quickly grew into over 1000. Students were very angry that the university was allowing this racist to use their facilities. Some students also attended Spencer’s event and tried to disrupt it, but were confronted by a fascist and escorted out of the building by the police.

The protest began outside with speeches and students chanting “No Spencer, no KKK, no racist USA,” and “No platform for fascists!” After about an hour, one of the student leaders called upon the students to enter the building and shut down Spencer's event.

The students marched into the building chanting “Power to the power,” and holding clenched fists. As they marched to the room where Spencer was speaking on the second floor, over 50 riot police in full gear showed up to defend the door. The police created a blockade and started pushing protesters back. They hit protesters with their batons, and one woman who was struck fainted.

The protesters locked arms and tried to push through the swarm of riot police, chanting “Cops and Klan go hand in hand,” and “Who do you protect, who do you serve?”

Bryan X, a student at Texas Southern University and a Black Panther, gave a speech saying, “It is obvious which side of white supremacy the blue line stands for. They defend white supremacists like Richard Spencer so that he can spread his message of hate, while hitting us over the heads with batons. We must stand united and resist these pigs!”

The cops tried to break up the crowd, but they continued to resist. After about 20 minutes, the police started charging and came in from all corners and surrounded the protesters. They arrested two people who got caught in the police cage. They forced everyone out of the building and all sides were surrounded by a mass of riot police in full gear, cops on horseback, as well as university police.

The students continued to protest outside, when a small group of Nazis showed up. The hundreds of students that were still in attendance rushed over shouting, “Nazis go home!” and “Hey hey, ho ho, these Nazis have got to go!” They surrounded the Nazis, and the police attempted to interfere. The crowd was too large for the cops to get in, and the students forced the Nazis off campus.

Michael Leone, a member of Students for a Democratic Society and student at the University of Houston, said, “The counter-protest was enormously successful. Many students have been woken up by the alarm bells of the fascist surge and now, because we came together as a community to display solidarity and resistance to this imminent threat. Many students who yesterday were passively supportive are today actively engaged.”

David Smith of Houston Socialist Movement said, “The demonstration against Richard Spencer at Texas A&M University was historic. The action was massive, diverse and expressly anti-fascist. It was wonderful to see activists and students unite in militant opposition to any platform for neo-Nazis.”

Amy Zachmeyer of the Democratic Socialists of America said, “I congratulate all of the protesters from last night's anti-fascist event on making their voices heard and choosing to fight oppression and hatred. People who have never been politically active before are waking up to realize that in these times they must pick a side, and they are choosing diversity over divisiveness. It was also clear that the fight against fascism has already begun, and is going to be led by a united left.”

The protest was organized by the Houston Socialist Movement, Students for a Democratic Society, Democratic Socialists of America, FIEL, LITE, and the Latin American Organization for Immigrant Rights.

#CollegeStationTX #Antiracism #Antifascism #RichardSpencer