Los Angles – Angry Chicano parents and children from Marianna Avenue Elementary School protested, April 4, a proposal to place a KIPP charter school on their campus. Parents at Marianna asked Centro CSO to help organize this protest with the parents in leadership. The protest and march started in front of Marianna with loud and furious chants, “What do we want? Public schools, no charters!”

Energized families proceeded via sidewalk on First Street to the office of KIPP charter school’s office in East Los Angeles. Joining the protest and march were teachers from Marianna and other members of the United Teachers of Los Angeles, who brought posters and added to the chanting.

Karla Gonzalez, a parent leader, spoke out and compared charter schools to a plague, urging parents who were present to continue fighting to defend public education. There the parents sent a delegation to the KIPP administration, demanding “No charter co-location” at Marianna.

Eloisa Galindo, a mother of children in local schools, has been fighting for a long time to promote public education and full funding. She stated that charter schools take money and students away from public schools, causing funding and enrollment problems.

Long time Chicano leader Carlos Montes said that federal Education Secretary DeVos has never attended or worked at a public school and is an advocate of vouchers and charter schools as part of the attacks by right-wing Republicans on public education. Montes also denounced Trump’s ICE raids and detentions that are primarily targeting the Chicano communities in the Southwest. He invited protesters to join the May Day march in Boyle Heights.

Marianna Elementary School teacher Richard Barrios spoke during the protest to express solidarity with the parents and calling for unity and support and promotion of public education.

The parents are angry with this charter proposal and see it as an attack on local public schooling and as part of the privatization invasion efforts in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Unified School District has seen the growth of charters, especially in the mainly immigrant communities of East LA. Parents have plans to continue this campaign to stop the charter invasion. Charters are private nonprofits that take public school money and facilities. They started proliferating after the former Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of Education – dominated then by corporate interests – passed a motion to open the door for charters.

Monica Garcia, the current LAUSD board member in East LA voted for and supports this charter school plague, which has led to a budget short fall and decline in public schools’ enrollment. Charter schools are part of the neoliberal agenda pushing privatization of government services.

#LosAnglesCA #PoorPeoplesMovements #StudentMovement #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #EducationForAll

For the walkout, Tampa Bay SDS demands: “National SDS demands #EducationForAll: free tuition and equal access to education for Black, Chicano, Latino and specifically undocumented students. We demand sanctuary campuses everywhere, the preservation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and an end to deportations.”

The second protest is being organized by Tampa Anti-War Committee at the Sam Gibbons Federal Courthouse in Downtown Tampa, at 6 p.m. The protest is to “Fight Trump’s Agenda” and the racist, sexist, anti-LGBTQIA and anti-worker movement that he represents; to stop the attacks on immigrants and refugees; and to demand President-elect Trump end U.S. wars abroad.

The Tampa Anti-War Committee will hold a General Body Meeting on Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. to discuss how to move forward organizing under a Trump presidency.

Tampa Bay SDS and Tampa Anti-War Committee can both be found on Facebook. For more information, please message their Facebook pages.

#TampaFL #AntiwarMovement #StudentMovement #US #PeoplesStruggles #StudentsForADemocraticSocietySDS #Elections #2016Elections #TampaAntiWarCommittee

Since early 2016, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) has been at the forefront of protests to stop Trump. Chapters and affiliates led protests from coast to coast, even helping to completely shut down his speaking event in Chicago. This summer, we attended and spoke at the March on the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. From the beginning, SDS has said that Trump’s agenda of bigotry, misogyny, anti-immigrant, and Islamophobic attacks should not go unopposed.

Upon his election win, Clinton officially remarked that “We owe Trump an open mind”. The same rich politicians and corporate media pundits who told us that Trump could be defeated at the ballot box have offered no real solutions for how to stop his policy measures. Like in 2008, these politicians backed by Wall Street, bankers, and billionaires have proposed that we compromise, but SDS calls for students to mobilize.

We call upon students and all people to channel their anger into organizing, so we can defend our communities, and build sustainable movements independent of the political establishment that provides both Trump and Hillary as viable candidates.

On Inauguration Day, Jan 20th, SDS will hold a national student walkout, in alliance with many other student groups. We will disrupt operations on campuses everywhere. Whether it’s against segregation, deportation, or war, history shows that the fight for an education system based on peace, equality, and justice has always been spearheaded by students and youth, and never by the White House.

While we anticipate continued attacks on undocumented youth, we’ve already seen more deportations in the last eight years under President Obama than we’ve ever seen in US history. SDS has protested to end them every step of the way.

SDS will continue to fight for #EducationForAll and #LegalizationForAll. We will be joining the fight to establish sanctuary campuses everywhere.

We demand free tuition and equal access to education for Black, Chicano, Latino and specifically undocumented students. We demand sanctuary campuses everywhere, the preservation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and an end to deportations.

Demands:

1. Free tuition! Accessibility at all public institutions.
2. Affirmative action, the end of racist testing, and quotas for admissions of African-American, Chicano, Latino, Asian, and students from other oppressed groups who are underrepresented at our institutions.
3. Equal access to education for undocumented students, from tuition equity to financial aid.
4. Non-cooperation with Immigration Customs Enforcement agents.
5. Protection of students’ information from law enforcement agencies, including residency status, religious affiliation, and other information from educational records protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
6. Federal protection for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, regardless of any Supreme Court ruling.

Moreover, we demand a just and fair education system on the basis of a just and fair society: no more wars, no US intervention, no police crimes, and no deportations. We will continue to mobilize until a fair and just society is won.

• Stop Trump!
• Sanctuary for All!
• Legalization For All!
• Education for All!

#UnitedStates #ImmigrantRights #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #SDS #PeoplesStruggles #DonaldTrump #inauguration

On Sept. 27, 25 students rallied and marched on the University of Utah campus demanding “Education for all!”

The U of U Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) is fighting for state-funded scholarships for undocumented people. It is part of a national SDS campaign that demands increased enrollment of Black and Latino students, equal access to education for undocumented students, and free tuition for all public universities.

In 2009, the Utah Legislature passed Senate Bill 81, which restricts undocumented students’ access to state-funded scholarships. Many students rely on these scholarships to attend college and gain a higher education. By not allowing undocumented people access to these scholarships, it is much more difficult to pay tuition. It restricts these individuals right to receive an education and advance in life.

The rally was the second local action for the campaign. Students marched from the Marriott Library to President’s Circle chanting, “When undocumented students are under attack what do we do? Stand up! Fight back!”

“My parents came to the U.S. just two weeks before I was born. Although I am a legal citizen of the U.S., would I not be the same person if I had been born two weeks earlier? Does the arbitrary timing and place of birth change me as a person? I don’t need a piece of paper to tell me I have a right to an education and undocumented students shouldn’t either!” said Shirley Reyes of SDS.

Students at the University of Utah are determined to build the struggle on campus and fight for equal access to state-funded scholarships for undocumented people.

#SaltLakeCityUT #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #SDS #PeoplesStruggles #Utah #EducationForAll #SLC

Salt Lake City, UT – Thirty students joined Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Utah Marriott Library Plaza on Aug. 30. Utah SDS is demanding state-funded scholarships for undocumented students as part of the national SDS campaign “Education for all!”

In Utah, Senate Bill 81, that passed in 2009, bars undocumented students from applying for state-funded scholarships. One of these, the Regents Scholarship, is a merit-based scholarship with three award levels. The most prestigious award grants $1250 each semester for up to four semesters. This scholarship covers roughly a third of a full time student’s tuition at the University of Utah. This amount can be crucial for a student’s ability to afford school.

SDS at the University of Utah is demanding that the Regents scholarship, as well as other scholarships, be available to undocumented students. Most undocumented students attended high school in Utah prior to applying to college.

“We believe education is a right. That is why all over the country, SDS is fighting for affirmative action, protection of LGBTQ students, and here in Utah we are fighting to kill Senate Bill 81,” said Sean Taylor with Students for a Democratic Society.

“Our local SDS chapter intends on fighting for undocumented people’s access to education by mobilizing on campus, as well as up at capitol hill. We feel that we must address blatantly racist and unjust legislation and policies through organizing,” said Megan Barnhurst of SDS.

Students chanted, “Education not deportation!” and “Money for jobs and education! Not for war and occupation!” Hundreds of students stopped to watch and listen on their way to their next class. Some joined the rally and were eager to learn more about SDS and the campaign at the information table.

The rally ended with a Trump piñata bash and information about upcoming SDS meetings and how to get involved.

Theresa Nielson of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization concluded, “The struggle for ‘Education for all!’ is not something symbolic. It can truly improve the lives of people and is part of the greater struggle for the liberation of oppressed people.”

#SaltLakeCityUT #PeoplesStruggles #Utah #EducationForAll #AltLakeCity

San Francisco, CA – On Feb. 25 hundreds of students began rallying at San Francisco State University (SFSU) to defend the first and only College of Ethnic Studies (COES) in the U.S. Due to underfunding by politicians and administrators, ethnic studies is threatened with budget cuts that may close the college.

Under pressure, the University President Leslie Wong agreed to meet on Feb. 25 with SFSU students in an open forum to discuss the planned cuts. Originally the meeting was supposed to take place in a room inside the college, but due to student response, a bigger space was needed.

Hundreds of students marched from the College of Ethnic Studies towards the Seven Hills Conference Center, until they packed the building from inside to outside. Protesters met with President Wong, Provost Sue Rosser and some of the president’s cabinet with a list of ten demands to sustain and advance the College. The demands included a restoration of all pre-2007 funding, resources for faculty within the COES, a mandatory ethnic studies course for all SFSU students, and a performance review of Provost Rosser.

When the students finished the meeting on their terms, they marched out to the Malcolm X Plaza chanting, “Rise up my students! Rise up!” and “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! The budget cuts have got to go!”

Veteran activists of the 1968 Third World Student Strike that created COES gave speeches, as students representing the General Union of Palestinian Students, League of Filipino Students, Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlan (MEChA) and Student Kouncil of Intertribal Nations also participated.

The Third World Liberation Front led the 1968-69 strike, which was the longest campus strike in U.S. history. Not only did the student-led strike win the first and only College of Ethnic Studies in the U.S., it inspired the establishment of ethnic studies classes and programs at other universities throughout the country.

“The fight for Ethnic Studies is a continuation of San Francisco State’s revolutionary legacy from the Third World Liberation Front,” said Jordan Ilagan of the League of Filipino Students. “As students of SF State, it is our duty to fight for relevant, pro-people education. We should not end our actions after meeting with President Wong but continue to organize and mobilize.” Ilagen added, “We know very well that we cannot rely on the powers that be to genuinely uphold the interests of the students.”

A member of General Union of Palestinian Students said “We gave President Wong the deadline of answering our demands by the end of Black History month, Monday, Feb. 29, at 5:00 p.m. in which he responded with a letter that completely dismissed our demands. We also asked he email it to the entire student body, which he failed to do as well. He instead posted it on his website.”

President Wong’s letter stated that cuts will not occur to the College of Ethnic Studies, and promised to allot $200,000 more to the College, a temporary fix. Students mobilized on March 16 in the Quad near Malcolm X Plaza to call on the SFSU administration to once and for all agree to the demands of advancing Ethnic Studies.

The proposed cuts of 40% of the College of Ethnic Studies budget represent the systemic gutting of COES resources at SFSU over the last decade, and across campuses in the U.S. more broadly. Since the recession, ethnic studies on many campuses, such as San Jose University, are targeted for cuts.

Funding for public education is being cut and social services are increasingly privatized. On the other side, funding for wars and the militarization of police, as well as government subsidies for corporations are escalating.

Chrisley Carpio, speaking for Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) said, “Instead of cutting classes, especially ethnic studies courses, foreign languages, and humanities, and instead of hiking up tuition, university administrators should ‘Chop from the Top.’ We are part of a growing student movement that wants to end the lavish bonuses and record-high salaries. Instead of cutting public education and scholarships, SDS tells politicians to stop increasing funding to U.S. wars and border militarization. We want a democratic society that starts prioritizing social spending and education. SDS says fund education, not U.S. military occupations.”

In opposition to a Supreme Court case out of Texas attacking Affirmative Action, National SDS began organizing to defend affirmative action and calling for increased enrollment of African American students and faculty. With the Education for All Campaign, SDS won equal access to college for undocumented students in Florida who were being forced to pay out-of-state tuition rates.

SDS is continuing the Education for All Campaign again with new demands to stop education cutbacks, for free tuition, to cancel student debt, and to make education accessible for working-class and African American, Chicano, Puerto Rican and other oppressed peoples.

#SanFranciscoCA #PeoplesStruggles #Antiracism #EthnicStudies #EducationForAll