Students sit-in to save Black institute
'We won't go to the back of the bus'
By Maureen
Skehan
Boston
Armed with bullhorns, steadfast determination, community
solidarity and a powerful knowledge of history, Black students
at Northeastern University have been standing firm in their
protest.
Since April 12, they have held fast to their round-the-clock
occupation to defend what is rightfully theirs: the John D.
O'Bryant African American Institute.
And these activists are continuing their sit-in as of May
16.
This month-long protest began in response to Northeastern
President Richard M. Freeland's master plan to tear down the
institute. Razing the building would pave the way for a major
land grab to further expand Northeastern's multi-billion-dollar
corporate complex and rake in record profits.
Founded more than 30 years ago at the height of the
civil-rights movement, the institute has been a home, a comfort
and an invaluable community resource to thousands of Black
students and the broader communities of color in Lower Roxbury
and Boston.
Today, the developers and bankers are salivating over the
prime real estate the institute sits on. But it has remained a
freestanding building, with its own unique identity and
history. Keeping it where it is and ensuring it remains
freestanding is a key demand of the students.
Siaffa Golafaie, a 19-year-old sophomore, said: "What they
want to do is just plain insulting. Once it's in another
building, the institute might be just a plaque over a
door."
Hundreds rallied May 9 in front of the Institute. Ibiere
Seck, president of Northeastern's Black Student Association,
said: "I came here to study all the way from Seattle, Wash. The
institute has been my home for three years now. This building
is what gives us our identity."
She continued, "There is no reason that we should be
fighting for our building on a school day. This has been
extremely stressful and extremely unnecessary. We need to make
sure that the future of this building will not be in jeopardy
10 years from now. This is absolutely necessary."
This struggle came to a head May 10 when the president of
the university arrogantly announced his decision: Despite the
weeks of meetings, community testimony and the ongoing student
sit-in, the historic African American Institute on Leon Street
would be leveled.
The students responded with outrage. They chased Freeland,
who refused to address the crowd, as he made a dash out the
back door and ran to a get-away car.
Students then took their rally to the streets of Boston,
carrying a huge banner that read "We won't go to the back of
the bus!" A photo of this banner was featured on the front page
of the Boston Globe.
They blocked traffic on Huntington Avenue, one of Boston's
busiest thoroughfares, for over an hour at the height of the
rush hour. Then they marched back and continued their rally, on
home turf at the institute, until well past 10 p.m.
'Your struggle is our struggle'
The plan to demolish the nucleus of Black student life on
campus was the final assault.
Other ingredients made the pot boil.
For example, Black student enrollment declined from 7.5
percent of the student body in 1995 to 6 percent in 2000.
Chronic economic neglect of the institute over an eight-year
period saw not one penny added to its budget.
A climate of increased isolation and racist attacks against
students of color has also fueled the students' determination
to fight on.
And they have received tremendous community-based
support.
Speakers at rallies included African American Boston City
Councilmember Chuck Turner.
Bob Traynham--a Boston school-bus driver, former Black
Panther and leader of the Boston International Action
Center--spoke to students at the May 10 rally.
He told the activists: "Your struggle is our struggle. It is
the same fight Black students and teachers are fighting at
Roxbury Community College just down the street. It's time to
revive the level of struggle we had back in the 1960s."
At the same rally, Northeastern youth heard students and
workers fresh from the 21-day sit-in at Harvard University to
demand a living wage for the lowest-paid workers at the world's
wealthiest university.
Ellis Reid, another key leader of the occupation, explained:
"Freeland is trying to erase the Black face off this campus.
We're dealing with straight institutionalized racism and we're
not going to take it anymore.
"Last year the university made over $150 billion. We want to
see resources put towards respecting and valuing African
American students, which this university does not."
Referring to the broader national and international
implications of this campus-based struggle, Justin Brown, a
fierce leader of the occupation, concluded: "Northeastern is
supposed to be an institution of higher learning, not a
corporation. It's supposed to be a university, not a bank.
"Our struggle is tied in with the fight against police
brutality and violence all over the world. This is a microcosm
of what's happening globally."
To send a message of solidarity to these activists, readers
can call (617) 373-4614 or e-mail: WDS_AFAMI@yahoo.com.
To tell President Freeland to respect the students' demands,
call (617) 373-2101.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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