WW News Service Digest #271
1) Penn State occupation: Black Caucus wins demands
by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
2) From Penn State to Camp Mumia
by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
3) Elite Harvard yields to worker/student solidarity
by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
-------------------------
Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the May 17, 2001
issue of Workers World newspaper
-------------------------
PENN STATE OCCUPATION:
BLACK CAUCUS WINS DEMANDS WITH BROAD STUDENT SUPPORT
By Kaaren Terpack
University Park, Pa.
No one at Penn State expected a movement to occur of such
historical importance this spring. The eight-day occupation
of the HUB-Robeson student union building that took place on
the University Park campus was a reaction to recent racist
threats as well as diversity issues that had surfaced over
the school year.
By May 2, the university administration had agreed to most
of the Black students' demands. "The mood here is unity,
exuber ance, togetherness, accomplishment and struggle,"
Black Caucus Vice President-elect Takkeem Morgan said as the
students ended their occupation on May 4.
Since October, Black student leaders, a member of the Penn
State Board of Trustees, football players and their parents
have been receiving racist email and death threats. In
addition, Penn State has been under fire by the Black Caucus
for not meeting diversity initiatives required by law. For
months, the Black Caucus has been doing research on the
Framework to Foster Diversity plan. It found that Penn State
has let its African and African American Studies program
fall behind those at the other Big Ten schools.
On April 20 another letter arrived with a death threat,
along with a bomb threat against graduation ceremonies and
mention of a dead Black male's body that could be found in a
nearby area. Because the university refused to take this and
earlier threats seriously, students carried out a silent
protest by running on the field and linking arms together
before the highly publicized Blue and White football game on
April 21. The university responded by arresting the 26 Black
Caucus members.
The word was now out to the community that something
sinister was going on. Black Caucus members held meetings
over the next two days to discuss how the university had
failed the entire community, especially minority students,
and was not protecting the students' lives.
In response, the university administration called a "March
against Hate," but the students, led by the Black Caucus,
refused to march until answers and solutions could be
discussed about the recent issues.
After hearing an obviously rehearsed speech by Penn State
President Graham Spanier, Black Caucus President LaKeisha
Wolf cried to Spanier in front of the crowd of thousands
that her life was in danger. Spanier simply walked away.
This was the beginning of the movement that would last over
a week.
FROM ANGER TO OCCUPATION
Starting at Old Main, the administration building, and
moving to the HUB-Robeson building, students of all races
stood together in solidarity with the Black Caucus and
demanded that the administration address the problems at
Penn State that they had been raising for months.
The students vowed that they would not move from the
building until the needs of the Black students were met.
These demands included more core faculty in the AAAS
department, a mandatory diversity class for every student, a
2-percent budget control by the Vice-Provost of Educational
Equity, a board to watch over the diversity issues in the
school system, and amnesty for the 26 students arrested at
the Blue and White game.
That night, sleeping bags were brought in and a community
began to form. By the second night, especially after little
progress was made in negotiations between administration and
students, the students formed committees for food, press,
health and morale for what was dubbed "The Village" in the
HUB-Robeson center. No one was going anywhere.
The solidarity with the Black Caucus was overwhelming.
Members of dozens of Penn State organizations camped out in
support of the Black students' demands and against racism.
Negotiations went up and down. National press coverage and
pressure enforced by students, parents, alumni and concerned
community members turned up the heat on the administration.
To add urgency to the situation, three bodies were found
during the occupation--of two Black males and one Black
female. All were found within several miles of Penn State
and its campuses, and all were homicides.
Many students on campus had been unaware of the real issues.
The truth was spread as much as possible through
informational flyers, emails, chalk messages all over campus
sidewalks and word of mouth.
This information campaign had to fight against university
administration and press reports minimizing the importance
of the incidents and demonizing the students as "rioters."
The solidarity between the many different racial and ethnic
groups was a beautiful thing. Even the university eventually
realized that "The Village" meant business and would not
give up or be torn apart.
For eight days during the week before finals, students lived
together and studied together. Finally, on May 2, a contract
was signed in which the university agreed to negotiate the
students' demands.
The issues of safety were and still are a concern, since
many students feel unsafe on campus. A bomb threat during
graduation is still possible. Security will be stepped up
for graduation but some are worried it won't be enough.
Black Caucus members are already planning new actions during
the fall semester to make sure the struggle is not
forgotten.
Kaaren Terpack is an activist member of Students and Youth
Against Racism at Penn State. She was a participant in the
Penn State Village.
- END -
(Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to
copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but
changing it is not allowed. For more information contact
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From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: lauantai 12. toukokuu 2001 11:17
Subject: [WW] From Penn State to Camp Mumia
-------------------------
Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the May 17, 2001
issue of Workers World newspaper
-------------------------
FROM PENN STATE TO CAMP MUMIA
As a long-time supporter of Mumia Abu-Jamal's valiant and
determined fight for his life and freedom, I whole-heartedly
endorse your organizing activities on behalf of Mumia.
I condemn the decision by the Philadelphia Police Department
to deny citizens their constitutional rights to assemble,
educate, protest, to resist undemocratic and racist
practices in this society.
The Black Caucus, a Penn State student organization, has
been embroiled in its own struggle against racism. Black
Caucus leaders and other individuals have been targeted with
vicious death threats in our struggle for equality. And we
have learned many lessons in our struggle.
We have learned that we can never remain silent on matters
of racism and injustice.
We have learned that our struggle for fair treatment is the
same struggle of other underrepresented groups here at Penn
State--Latinos, Asian Americans and women. We have been
heartened by the support of these groups and by all fair-
minded students--white, Black and all shades between.
And in the words of Frederick Douglass, whom Mumia Abu-Jamal
is so fond of quoting, we have learned "That power concedes
nothing without a demand."
We support your cause in every way.
Takkeem Morgan
Vice President, Black Caucus
- END -
(Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to
copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but
changing it is not allowed. For more information contact
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org)
From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: lauantai 12. toukokuu 2001 11:18
Subject: [WW] Elite Harvard yields to worker/student solidarity
-------------------------
Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the May 17, 2001
issue of Workers World newspaper
-------------------------
AFTER 21-DAY OCCUPATION:
ELITE HARVARD YIELDS TO WORKER/STUDENT SOLIDARITY
By Leslie Feinberg
After 21 days of occupying Harvard President Neil L.
Rudenstine's office, students emerged on May 8 to the roar
of drumbeats, cheers, whistles and applause of more than
1,000 workers, students, faculty and community supporters.
The protest is a militant chapter in an already three-year-
long campaign by students to win a living wage--$10.25 an
hour plus benefits--for Harvard's most impoverished
employees.
The bold student occupation at Harvard--the General Motors
of academia--captured the attention of the university, the
city and the country. It recalled the militant sit-down
strikes of the 1930s. And the Tent City set up by supporters
outside Mass Hall brought back memories of the encampments
of the unemployed in the same struggle era.
The 21-day Harvard student protest--believed to be the
longest building occupation in the university's history--
wrested concessions from the bosses of this corporate
empire.
University officials finally agreed to establish a committee
of three union workers, four students, 10 faculty and two
senior administrators to re-examine university wage
policies.
A statement from the Living Wage Campaign, issued as the
protesters left the building, noted that: "Before the sit-in
began, the university had fully rejected living wages and
had stated that it regarded the issue of poverty wages on
campus as closed."
Harvard also agreed that until the committee reaches its
conclusions, the university will stop outsourcing custodial
and dining work to outside subcontractors.
The university heads also agreed to early renegotiations of
the contract covering some 650 unionized custodial workers.
A resulting agreement could mean a wage increase for these
very poorly paid workers retroactive to May 1.
And according to the May 9 New York Times, Harvard agreed to
reexamine its health insurance co-payment for hundreds of
its lowest-paid workers.
SOLIDARITY FOREVER!
Who made up the student protesters inside the building?
On Day 17, occupier Jane Martin leaned out a Mass Hall
window to tell Workers World, "It's a cool group of people.
The gender dynamic is really good. People come from
different backgrounds, different class backgrounds, ethnic
backgrounds, a lot of sexual diversity."
Al Cho, co-chair of the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender
and Supporters Alliance, said the occupiers included "A good
mix of Asians and South Asians and a lot of them queer."
About half the Harvard occupiers were Jewish students. And
Latino and Black students took part in the overall protest.
At the May 8 rally to welcome the student protesters,
supporters pumped the air with clenched fists as Ed Childs--
chief shop steward of Local 26 HERE--told them, "We are a
family here. We have redefined family--Black, Latino, Asian,
white, students, workers, faculty, immigrants, women and
men, gay, straight and trans. There are 87 languages in my
union.
"You have awakened a sleeping giant. And it goes beyond this
campus." Referring to the growing mobilization to protest in
Washington, D.C., on Sept. 29, Childs concluded, "Let's tell
Bush in the White House that we are coming for you."
Speakers were cheered when they expressed solidarity with
Black Northeastern students who are involved in their own
occupation because administrators threatened to take away
their campus building.
Several days before the Harvard occupation ended, Workers
World asked Aaron Bentley about the power of the living wage
campaign as he leaned out the window of Mass Hall.
He said, "I think this really is an emerging movement with a
real capability to transform public consciousness about
economic justice and racial justice and some real bonds
between students and workers and labor unions in general in
a way that will be a force to be reckoned with."
The widespread solidarity movement ignited by the bodacious
takeover bears out the truth of what Bentley stated.
Ashwini Sukthankar, a second-year law student, was inside
the occupation for the first week. She told Workers World
that when the students first burst into the administration
building for the takeover they brought just a little food
with them, assuming police would quickly eject them.
But when the occupation continued, she was impressed with
how quickly the faculty organized themselves to support it.
"Three hundred faculty members signed letters supporting the
sit-in within 48 hours."
One sign of the wide net this struggle cast could be gauged
by a poster hanging on the building next to Mass Hall:
"String theorists for a living wage!"
Support signs were plastered on all the nearby buildings and
hanging from trees in Harvard Yard. The groups in support of
the living wage campaign for Harvard's 1,000 or so poorest-
paid workers included some of the following:
Muslims, Spanish-speaking students, Black Student
Association, Fuerza Latina, Society of Arab students,
Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters Alliance,
African students, Lesbian Avengers, Korean students, Tufts
Queer Women, International students, medical students, Queer
Queens, Harvard artists, Graduate music students, Harvard
Square homeless shelter, Walton high school students,
Brandeis Leftist League, Activist Resource Center and
Weathervane magazine.
The student takeover won enthusiastic support from campus
janitors, clerical and technical workers, parents, faculty
members, alumni/ae and all the campus unions.
During the sit-in, protesters told Workers World how
thrilled they were on the first night when hundreds of
militant dining hall workers chanting in thunderous support
of the students delivered pizzas for their first real meal.
Ed Childs told Workers World that when the food workers made
their first delivery, they told police stationed outside
Mass Hall, "Our job is to feed the students and that's what
we're here to do. This food is going through the door or
through the windows--which will it be?"
>From that day forward, deliveries of all meals for student
protesters got inside without delay.
Support from outside the campus included community leaders,
anti-globalization activists, religious groups, local and
national politicians, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, NAACP, Julian
Bond, the rock group Rage Against the Machine, actors and
writers.
Many area unionists joined the campaign. The Massachusetts
AFL-CIO passed a resolution supporting the students, donated
money and sent representatives to the rallies.
On April 30 a labor rally of over 2,000 in front of
Massachusetts Hall featured AFL-CIO President John Sweeney,
Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka and Executive Vice
President Linda Chavez-Thompson.
On May 7, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka was
accorded the honor of opening the door of Massachusetts
Hall. As student protesters emerged into the sunlight for
the first time in 482 hours, Trumka saluted their efforts.
"The students were willing to take a stand and took on a
powerful university whose endowment is bigger than the Gross
National Product of most of the countries of the world,"
said Trumka. "The workers who cut the grass, clean the
offices and cook the food now have a chance to move out of
poverty."
The official statement issued by the Harvard Living Wage
Campaign stated, "In the last 21 days, the Harvard Living
Wage Campaign has won tremendous victories, building a
community-wide affirmation of the living wage principle.
"The university-wide committee process with worker and
student participation, the commitments about collective
bargaining with SEIU Local 254 and HERE Local 26, the
possibility of back pay for Harvard's custodians and the
moratorium on outsourcing promise substantive gains for
workers at Harvard.
"The students, faculty, alumni, clergy, area citizens and
workers of all backgrounds who make up our campaign are
united in overwhelming support for a living wage for all
workers at Harvard, and for each other as vital members of
our community."
The statement concluded, "Today we are taking important
first steps towards a time when no worker at Harvard needs
to work 80 hours a week, when no worker at Harvard cannot
spend time with his or her kids, and when no worker at
Harvard needs to worry about basic health care or paying the
rent."
As student protesters left their occupation, vowing to
continue their struggle, supporters handed each a rose. But
these students are fighting to win bread, as well as roses,
for the most exploited and downtrodden.
Includes reports from Rachel Nasca.
- END -
(Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to
copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but
changing it is not allowed. For more information contact
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org)
