Students for a Democratic Society stands in solidarity with the Chicago Teachers’ Union (CTU) strike. We denounce the attacks on public education, in Chicago as well as nation-wide, which have made this strike necessary. CTU began its strike on September 10th, 2012 with demands that include providing students with access to social services, such as nurses and social workers, decreasing class size, and fair contracts and methods of teacher evaluation. Meanwhile, Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel has called for the closure of as many as 120 public schools and replacing them with at least 60 charter schools, which are run by for profit institutions.
We, as members of Students for a Democratic Society, have historically called for quality education as a societal right, not an economic privilege. We have condemned the business model that has degraded universities and community colleges across the country. We see the attacks on public schools as stemming from the same forces that are attacking our campuses and these forces privilege business interests and the interests of the one percent over those of the masses. We believe CTU coming together and standing up to those forces is a historic, important struggle. We demand the following:
· Methods of teacher evaluation that foster critical thinking and will not reduce students to test scores.
· A halt to charter school expansions and closing public schools.
· An end to denying funds and resources to lower income communities.
We unite with the CTU members who are bravely standing up for accessible education and demanding better for their students. We urge other students and young activists to also stand in solidarity and to further the fight against the privatization of education.
For too long the United States and allied forces have been fighting an imperialist war in Afghanistan. Today, most children born in the United States the year of the invasion of Afghanistan are beginning 5th grade. The murder of countless Afghan people in this imperialist war is a crime against humanity. The amount of resources that have been expended to crush Afghanistan, one of the poorest nations in the world, is truly staggering.. Students for a Democratic Society demand the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghan soil.
The U.S. is entering its 11th year of war crimes in Afghanistan while the majority of the world cries out for an end to this unjust war and the atrocities that follow. At a time when our government tells us there is no money for basic human needs such as housing, healthcare and education, this same government continues to spend trillions of dollars on perilous, tyrannical efforts such as this this outrageous attack on the nation of Afghanistan. We have seen that the appetite for war among the powerful in America has yet to be satisfied. For years, many in Washington and Wall Street have funded countless efforts to convince the American people that a war with Iran is inevitable. More recently, efforts have ramped up to justify an invasion of Syria. We cannot allow these outrageously unjustifiable wars to come to pass.
The atrocities that the US government has perpetrated against the people of Afghanistan are tragic and infuriating. We cannot be silent while our government continues to pillage and exploit other countries. We cannot allow our government to kill tens of thousands more. It is time to for a new plan - a People's plan - spending our society’s resources on our own needs, such as education, employment, and other necessities many Americans today find nearly impossible to obtain. The monumental waste of resources allocated for these wars MUST COME TO AN END.
On the week of October 7th, people in cities across the nation will be protesting and educating about the war on Afghanistan and the pending invasions of Iran and Syria - Students for a Democratic Society is calling on students and youth to do the same. Find local actions, mobilize people on your campus to flyer or do teach-ins about ending all wars. Now is the time, to stand up to imperial waste and show the people of Afghanistan and the world that WE stand with them.
Let us know what you're doing for the week of October 7th. Email students4demo...@gmail.com or comment on this post!
REGISTER HERE: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LR97WDP
WORKSHOP REGISTRATION: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9QVPH2Y
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/events/423410731050310/
Beginning on October 27th, 2012, Students for a Democratic Society will be hosting our annual national convention in Gainesville, FL. We want to spread the word far and wide so that SDSers across the nation and progressive students can begin making plans to attend this exciting and important convention the weekend of October 27th & 28th.
OTHER INFO:
For Gainesville and other FL chapters of SDS, a lot of logistics and money go into making sure that people are housed and fed. If your in a chapter and have the ability to bring food for either yourselves or non-perishables that can feed approximately 150 people, please indicate that on the registration form! This will help us cut costs and and will allow us to focus more on making this convention a success!
The national convention has consistently been a space that youth and students throughout the country gather to share progressive ideologies, ideas for action, and methods of organizing. We have done this in the past through plenaries, inviting speakers and hosting a variety of workshops taught by and for SDSers and other progressive youth. Workshop topics have included everything from how to make a flyer, how to run successful campaigns on your campus, and Mud-Stenciling. These skill shares are a part of what makes our conventions memorable and our movements stronger.
While we do have limited space for what we can accomplish over the weekend of the convention, we encourage everyone to submit workshop proposals that they might be willing to teach. You can do this on the registration form below.
Lastly, this year we are really encouraging all chapters to fundraise locally to contribute to their own methods of transportation. While SDS on a national level has some money we are asking local chapters to attempt to cover most of their own expenses. Hosting a hang out or a party with a $5 cover at the door is an easy way for friends and supporters to invest in your activities. Sending letters to supportive faculty or staff on your campuses that ask for a donation is another easy way to raise money for your chapter. Need other ideas? Email us at students4ademocraticsociety...@gmail.com or start a thread on the SDS facebook page.
Register Here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LR97WDP
Workshop Registration: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9QVPH2Y
If you are planning to come to the convention, please fill out the registration form as soon as possible. This will help us with planning when it comes to housing, food, reserving rooms, and allocating funds. In addition, there are limited funds available for travel stipends if you and/or your chapter needs financial help in getting to Milwaukee. These funds are limited, and we encourage chapters to look primarily at fundraising locally or getting your school to sponsor you but don't be intimidated to apply!
Register early! News, information and the schedule of events for the weekend will be forthcoming.
We look forward to an exciting convention. Everyone's involvement is what will really make it great!