StudentNation

Students Demand End to NYU Ties With Deathtrap Factories in Bangladesh

StudentNation on September 17, 2013 - 6:55 PM ET

(Courtesy of Student & Labor Action Movement)

On Tuesday, September 17, members of NYU’s Student & Labor Action Movement (SLAM) led a group of fifteen students in delivering a letter to the NYU administration demanding that the university cut ties with all apparel organizations that fail to sign the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.

The accord is a binding legal document that would force brands to ensure acceptable levels of safety in the Bangladeshi factories that manufacture their goods, and would also give workers more power over conditions in their factories. It was after last April’s Rana Plaza collapse, in which over 1,000 Bangladeshi workers were killed after being forced to work in a building known by both management and workers to be unsafe.

“We know that a real solution to these kinds of deadly working conditions has to start with worker power,” said Lucy Parks, a member of SLAM’s coordinating committee, “that’s why it’s so important for students to stand with Bangladeshi workers to demand that these companies sign on to this accord.”

Students tried to deliver the letter to President John Sexton’s office in Bobst Library. President Sexton was unavailable, but Senior Vice President for University Relations Lynne Brown spoke with students and received the letter.

SLAM is demanding that NYU revise its University Code of Conduct to stipulate that NYU will not sign apparel contracts with corporations that refuse to sign the Accord. Like many American universities, NYU currently has contracts with several apparel manufacturers with operations in Bangladesh, including the VF Corporation, which has not yet signed the Accord.

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By pressuring universities to cut their contracts, students can put meaningful pressure on international corporations to respond to the demands of workers. “At SLAM we recognize that the struggles that students face, like debt and unemployment, have a deep relationship to the problems that workers across the world are dealing with,” said SLAM member Robert Ascherman. “We’re both losing out if the economy keeps moving in the direction it’s going now, and we can only get what we need if we work in solidarity with each other.”

Thirty Years Late to a Class War

Jim Nichols and StudentNation on September 17, 2013 - 1:01 PM ET

Writing Contest Winner

We’re delighted to announce the winners of The Nation’s eighth annual Student Writing Contest. This year we asked students to answer this question in 800 words: It’s clear that the political system in the US isn’t working for many. If you had to pick one root cause underlying our broken politics, what would it be and why? We received close to 700 submissions from high school and college students in forty-two states. We chose one college and one high school winner and ten finalists total. The winners are Jim Nichols (no relation to The Nation’s John Nichols), an undergraduate at Georgia State University; and Julia DI, a senior at Richard Montgomery High School in Darnestown, Maryland, and Bryn Grunwald, a recent graduate of the Peak to Peak Charter in Boulder, Colorado, who were co-winners in the high school category. The three winners receive cash awards of $1,000 and the finalists $200 each. All receive Nation subscriptions. Read all the winning essays here. —The Editors

John Maynard Keynes noted that the ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. I would argue that Keynes’s words are as relevant as ever before as we seek a culprit to the political dysfunction facing our nation. Looking around I see direct links to the rise and dominance of market liberalism, an agenda which Keynes battled in his own time. In my own day-to-day life, in both the workplace and political arena, I have witnessed the predominance of market liberalism. I am sure that you too, dear Nation reader, have witnessed this encroachment as well.

The past three decades of market liberalism’s predominance has had a devastating impact on civil society. The transition and return to a more feudal arrangement that Hayek and others of a libertarian ilk have aspired to over the past seventy years is nearing completion. The strains of market liberalism—a utopian project from its very origins, as was noted long ago by Karl Polanyi—have eroded the fabric of civil society. We face a moment in history that calls for us to reflect and revisit fundamental social questions unaddressed by adherents of this ideology, an ideology which commodifies everything into market arrangements to be priced.

From the dramatic rise of food insecurity to the rapid decline of well-paid jobs, from the massive incarceration rate to the student debt crisis, economic and cultural tensions of our times are reaching a point of fracture. The passionate pursuit of deregulation, liberalization and privatization from both sides of the aisles of government and across the boardrooms of corporate America did not just create a cadre of Occupy activists but a much deeper malaise and discontent across our nation that transcends age, race, class and political affiliation.

Not only have we as a society lost many of the principles of popular participation in decision-making that are fundamental to democracy; many of our citizens are completely unaware even of what has been lost. Over the past five years as I worked to finish my degree I would get up every day at 2 am to join many of the working poor in my area to load up big brown UPS trucks. For a large portion of my co-workers, civil society and the social bonds that keep society functioning have completely disappeared—as have the hopes, dreams and aspirations of better days. Far worse, their own capacities to recognize this state of affairs and do anything about it are in disrepair. When a person lacks knowledge of the basic functioning of the political process, when one lacks the economic stability required to engage and take part in building a vibrant political movement, then not only are political questions passed over, but questions of political solutions are totally eradicated from one’s vocabulary.

In 2010, between class-time, I took some union support and some hits to my GPA and beat the Democratic Senate Caucus’ candidate in a State Senate primary here in Georgia. Just like other Democrats in 2010 I got shellacked on Election Day. But the fundamental lesson it taught me was that the political apparatus to acquire political power is still accessible to left-wing candidates. What we lack, and what would be required to pass through legislatures the systemic and anti-corporatist reforms our times call for, is a mobilized and agitated democratic movement. My experience within the Democratic Party tells me we do not need a radical overthrow of political institutions, we need a radical re-engagement by citizens into politics and a willingness to use means which cannot be priced by markets.

In our current crisis we must not seek out the best leaders, we must rebuild a culture that seeks to nurture the best in all of us. “The real question to be propounded is, ‘What can workingmen do for themselves?’ The answer is ready. They can do all things required, if they are independent, self-respecting, and self-reliant,” noted Eugene Debs long ago. Independence, self-respect and self-reliance—three things lacking in many of my co-workers, cohorts in the classroom, and voters I met on the campaign trail.

My campaign experience made me feel that a specter is haunting America, that of our citizens’ inability to see, understand, or act—as autonomous individuals in a collective manner—to challenge their own decline. Now is the time to nurture independence, self-respect and self-reliance within the ranks of American citizens. Market liberalism is nothing short of an agenda to destroy fundamental bonds that tie us together as humans. Eradicate the stranglehold of market liberalism on the political process, and the rest will take care of itself.

Bush, Petraeus and Napolitano Get Tough Student Welcomes

StudentNation on September 16, 2013 - 9:55 AM ET

Students protest George W. Bush’s humanitarian award in Denver. (Credit: COSPA)

E-mail questions, tips or proposals to studentmovement@thenation.com. For earlier dispatches on student and youth organizing, check out the previous post. Edited by James Cersonsky (@cersonsky).

1. Amid Rising Pressure, Sallie Mae Quits ALEC

After months of pressure from Jobs with Justice, the US Student Association and the Student Labor Action Project, Sallie Mae has quit the American Legislative Exchange Council—the fiftieth corporation to do so. At Sallie Mae’s shareholder meeting in May, more than 150 students and teachers turned out to voice concerns about Sallie Mae’s predatory lending. In partnership with the Responsible Endowments Coalition, Jobs with Justice worked to have several students and activists present a shareholder resolution inside the meeting calling for Sallie Mae to disclose its lobbying practices and end ties with ALEC. Following the shareholder meeting, students and recent graduates from across the country sat down with Sallie Mae’s CEO, Jack Remondi, and demanded Sallie Mae leave ALEC in June. After being denied, students continued to build pressure and collected nearly 15,000 petition signatures before ALEC’s fortieth-anniversary conference. Now with ALEC out of the equation, students will redouble efforts to pressure Sallie Mae to end its predatory practices and provide debt relief for struggling borrowers.

—Chris Hicks

2. In the Wake of Moral Mondays, Students Launch Voter Defense

Less than six weeks after North Carolina passed the most severe voter suppression laws in the country, right-wing activists gathered in the town of Morrisville for a “Voter Integrity Boot Camp” to continue to battle the alleged specter of rampant voter fraud. Attendees learned all about this nonexistent problem from experts, many of whom were employed by Art Pope–funded think tanks and Heritage Action NC. While the provisions of the law that require all NC voters to have a state-issued ID—state-issued school IDs don’t count—doesn’t take effect until the end of 2014, what will be in effect starting in January is a new provision that allows anyone the ability to challenge another’s vote when they show up at their precinct. In response, students launched the NC Vote Defenders Project, a youth-led effort to train peers to be Precinct Defenders. While plugging into existing efforts, such as the Election Protection hotline, activists will monitor key precincts, give out information about voting rights at the polls and help those who run into trouble advocate for themselves, seek remedy and thoroughly document any incidents.

—NC Vote Defender Project

3. Denver v. Bush

On September 9, more than 100 students, alumni and faculty from the University of Denver rallied against the university’s decision to grant the “Global Service Award” to former president George W. Bush—disregarding 1,600 petition signatures and months of pushback. Created and granted by Dean Christopher Hill of DU’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies, who served under Bush as ambassador to Iraq, the award was originally named the “Improving the Human Condition Award,” a title that sparked outrage among the university’s community and was changed in response. Even after two-thirds of the Korbel faculty signed a letter opposing any award given to Bush and students collected more than twenty nominations for alternative recipients, Dean Hill moved forward. Korbel students and members of the Colorado Student Power Alliance responded by organizing a protest and press conference outside of the award ceremony in Denver. Alumni have also organized a boycott campaign, known as “Not A Dime!” to discourage Korbel graduates from donating to the school until their “Restore Integrity to Korbel” Committee’s platform is adopted. While an evangelical Christian university in Canada cancelled an appearance from Bush in response to campus protest the same week as the DU protest, the DU and Korbel administrations have yet to respond.

—Roshan Bliss

4. CUNY v. Petraeus

In response to the militarization of the City University of New York, students, professors and faculty members are organizing actions to protest the renewed presence of the Reserve Officer Training Corps and the hiring of former CIA director and army general David Petraeus to the Macaulay Honors College. The ROTC was ousted from CUNY in 1971; the administration’s decision to invite it back parallels declining economic opportunity among working class students. The ROTC is currently targeting institutions like Medgar Evars, City College, York College and the College of Staten Island—campuses with some of the highest numbers of people of color, who are traditionally targeted to fight in wars and staff military operations throughout the world. Meanwhile, at a protest outside his first class, students chanted “David Death Squad Patreaus, out of CUNY!” By confronting war criminal David Petraeus, students voiced resentment toward his involvement with the illegal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which have taken thousands of lives. Students are committed to organizing weekly actions outside Petraeus’s class and protesting the ROTC’s presence at CUNY.

—Sharmin Hossain

5. UC v. Napolitano

Since Janet Napolitano was appointed president of the University of California this summer, students across the state have been organizing for her removal. Students at UC-Irvine and, conditionally, at UC-Berkeley have passed votes of no confidence on the grounds that she has no experience in education and is a threat to the safety of undocumented students. As a leader in education, UC’s decision to hire Napolitano, former secretary of homeland security, is a clear example of the university’s direction: privatization. Through Napolitano’s networks and contacts, UC will now be at the vanguard of developing surveillance technology, drifting further toward private partnerships and away from comprehensive, accessible education. Moreover, as the person charged with the largest deportation program in US history, Napolitano’s appointment creates a hostile environment for undocumented students and their allies. The UAW Local 2865, which represents graduate students in the UC system, demands that the Board of Regents retract this hire and stand with students for access to a safe campus climate.

—Mar Velez

6. In Long Beach, Students Resist 200 Percent Hikes

On September 3, students from Long Beach City College took to the streets to protest AB 955, which would allow six California community colleges to increase tuition up to 200 percent for some classes during the summer and winter course periods. More than 600 students have petitioned in opposition to the bill, which is supported by Eloy Oakley, president of the college. If signed by Governor Brown, the bill would create a two-tiered fee system which limits access for students who can’t afford higher costs. The pretext of the bill is that it will provide funding to increase the number of classes during these periods; but with Proposition 30, which increased taxes to create more revenues for education, the volume of classes in the California community colleges has already increased. While putting pressure on the governor to veto the bill, students are planning a protest during the LBCC Board of Trustees meeting on September 24.

—Andrea Donado

7. In New Haven, the Movement for Survivor Justice Spreads

On September 10, more than 100 students rallied at South Connecticut State University to protest the retention of Professor David Chevan after he sexually harassed a student. In 2011, Wendy Wyler reported this harassment to SCSU, which discouraged her report. SCSU now faces a private lawsuit under Title IX for how it handled the report despite ultimately finding Chevan in violation of its sexual harassment policy. While Chevan has received a minor suspension, the rally and an online petition underscore community outrage over his continued employment. The protests match nationwide activism to enforce Title IX. Swarthmore, the University of North Carolina, Dartmouth and the University of Southern California face Title IX complaints made to the US Department of Education, which is under pressure by #EdActNow to better enforce Title IX. SCSU students will continue to take action until Chevan is removed.

—SurvJustice and Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment

8. Citywide Disorientation

StudentBlocNYC, a coalition of student activists from NYC colleges and universities, emerged from an education-focused contingent organizing in solidarity with labor rights groups on May Day 2013. Energized by the free university and citywide convergence on May Day, activists from public and private universities developed a disorientation campaign over the summer, including a citywide disorientation zine and an Agitate! Educate! convergence in Washington Square Park on September 14 to supplement campus-specific campaigns. StudentBlocNYC will continue to create space to coordinate actions, share resources and build both citywide and campus campaigns for New York student activists. Our aim is to critique, unravel and reimagine our college communities; to build solidarity with one another; and to document and discuss dissent, resistance and change.

—StudentBlocNYC

9. Southern Strategy

Students across Virginia, from Richmond to Fairfax to Blacksburg, are organizing the first-ever Virginia Student Power Convergence on October 5 and 6 in Charlottesville. Coming out of the National Student Power Convergence this August in Madison, Wisconsin, a group of attendees from Virginia decided to bring the grassroots model to their own state, which ranks fortieth in the nation for state and local appropriations spent on higher education, faces a watershed governor’s race this fall and currently lacks any coordinated student organizing framework. At the convergence, students will hear from longtime Virginia organizers, deepen their organizing skills and strategize across campuses for statewide action. Organizers from other statewide student organizations, including the North Carolina Student Power Union and the Ohio Student Association, will share lessons from their own successful efforts organizing across campuses. Building from the convergence, the burgeoning Virginia Student Power Network plans to organize against the corporatizing forces that are making Virginia education less affordable, accessible, diverse and democratic and to build youth power around issues of social, racial, economic and environmental justice.

—Claire Wyatt

10. Who’s Next for Labor?

Being at the AFL-CIO convention made it clear to me that our more seasoned peers see what I have seen organizing young workers in Boston: that young workers are a powerful force in the fight for social and economic justice. Between the passage of a young worker resolution recognizing our importance at all levels of the labor movement, a “Hunt for Justice” for young workers, where we stood up for carwash workers while learning about labor history and organizing efforts in Los Angeles, and a special action session, young workers were prominent at the convention. The work ahead is to translate this energy into action. Just as the Dancers Alliance figured out how to organize their young membership, all the young worker groups in the AFL-CIO, from Next Up chapters in different cities to union caucuses like AFSCME’s Next Wave, are working on the same.

—Rosa Blumenfeld

Ad Policy

Interns’ Favorite Articles of the Week, 9/13/13

StudentNation on September 13, 2013 - 3:40 PM ET

Syrian rebels attend a training session in Maaret Ikhwan near Idlib, Syria. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

—Aaron Cantú focuses on the War on Drugs, mass incarceration, social inequality and post-capitalist institutional design.
Follow @aaronmiguel_

“Feds seek to legalize marijuana industry banking,” by Pete Yost. Associated Press via The Boston Globe, September 10, 2013.

As the Feds move to decriminalize business transactions between financial institutions and “legitimate” marijuana businesses, the advent of a full-blown ganja industry—complete with rich lobbies, glossy advertising and a corporatized culture—appears to be a real possibility. The time for hope and wishful thinking may be passing, and now is a moment for marijuana proponents to reflect on what that industry should look like; though it would be unfortunate if nascent marijuana enterprises chose to replicate the business model of their peers in Big Alcohol, Tobacco and Junk Food who target vulnerable populations with habit-forming products.

—Owen Davis focuses on public education, media and the effects of social inequality.
Follow @opffer

“The Revolution That Wasn’t,” by Hugh Roberts. London Review of Books, September 12, 2013.

In this behemoth of a book review, historian Hugh Roberts complicates the tidy narrative of a monolithic Arab Spring while clarifying the nature of the dual Egyptians revolutions. Roberts issues some much-needed correctives to the credulous Western media, whose coverage he says “amputate[d] the drama of the last two and a half years from its historical roots.”

—Omar Ghabra focuses on Syria and Middle Eastern politics.

“Syria crisis: Incendiary bomb victims ‘like the walking dead.’” BBC, August 29, 2013.

As the focus of the media has pivoted to the political chess match over chemical weapons, this report, which shows the grisly aftermath of an attack on a school in Aleppo, is a stark reminder of the horrific situation on the ground. It is important to note that chemical weapons have accounted for a tiny fraction of the deaths in this conflict, and this report illustrates that conventional weaponry is no less appalling.

—Hannah Gold focuses on gender politics, pop culture and art.
Follow @togglecoat

“My Train Ride with Donald Rumsfeld,” By Julia Ioffe. The New Republic, September 11, 2013.

On Tuesday night, while Obama was busy telling the country how exceptional it is, senior editor at The New Republic Julia Ioffe had a chance encounter at a Philadelphia train station with Donald Rumsfeld. Yes, she tried to ask him about Syria, and, yes, he demurred. The real meat comes once inside the train, when Rumsfeld tries to make some off-the-cuff jokes and runs into a fellow Princeton grad. The former secretary of defense appears in Errol Morris’s new film The Unknown Known, which was screened at the Venice Film festival last week.

—Allegra Kirkland focuses on immigration, urban issues and US-Latin American relations.
Follow @allegrakirkland

“Was US Journalist Charles Horman Killed by Chile’s Coup Regime With Aid of His Own Government?” Democracy Now! September 9, 2013.

This week marks the anniversary of an event that is often referred to in the mainstream US media as “the other 9/11”: the day that a junta led by the four branches of the Chilean military bombed the presidential palace in Santiago and deposed President Salvador Allende, launching a dictatorship that endured for seventeen years and resulted in the torture, disappearance and death of thousands of Chileans. American journalist Charlie Horman was one of the many swept up in the early waves of arrests, and in this interview with his widow Joyce we see the extent to which US officials not only supported the coup but colluded in the imprisonment and murder of American citizens living in Chile whose political views did not align with their own.

—Abbie Nehring focuses on muck reads, transparency and investigative reporting.

“The Child Exchange: Inside America’s underground market for adopted children,” by Megan Twohey. Reuters, September 9–11, 2013.

This Reuters investigation is a powerful invective against the semi-legal practice of “re-homing” troublesome children adopted by American parents. As Twohey points out early on, the term is extracted from unhappy dog and cat owners, who bear an uncanny resemblance to parents reconsidering their commitment to raising an adopted child. Twohey scours online forums where parents and prospective parents set up exchanges, which have led to cases of sexual abuse and psychological trauma. The stories of these children are gut-wrenching. The investigation is essential reading in this week’s muck reads beat.

—Nicolas Niarchos focuses on international and European relations and national security.
Follow @PerneInAGyre

“Let’s open our borders to Syria’s refugees,” by Ian Birrell. The Independent, September 11, 2013.

Ian Birrell, a former editor of The Independent, is back writing for them online this week, suggesting that Britain start taking in Syrian refugees. Through the story of the refugee Azad Sino, he shows us how Germany has started taking in people who’ve been displaced by the civil war, and asks why Westminster (and, indeed, Washington) can’t begin to countenance the same initiatives. He asks: “Instead of cheap talk or cruise missiles, how about some action to show we really care about this crisis?”

—Andrés Pertierra focuses on Latin America with an emphasis on Cuba.

“Cuba: Doing It Your Way,” by Damien Cave. The New York Times, September 11, 2013.

Despite the fact that we had normalized relations and travel with the USSR even when it maintained many political prisoners, re-established relations with China under Mao despite millions dead and even Vietnam despite the horrors of that war, we still have no formal diplomatic relations with Cuba. Here is an excellent summary of current travel regulations.

—Dylan Tokar focuses on Latin America, politics and literature.
Follow @dgtokar

“Teju Cole’s 9 questions about Britain you were too embarrassed to ask,” by Max Fisher. The Washington Post, September 3, 2013.

In a parody of foreign affairs blogger Max Fisher’s primer on the Syrian conflict and the contention surrounding possible US military intervention, writer Teju Cole imagines that there are two types of countries in the world: those we can bomb and those we can’t.

—Elaine Yu focuses on feminism, health, and East and Southeast Asia.

“Comprehensive Immigration Bill Does Nothing For Our Families,” by Abraham Paulos. The Huffington Post, September 10, 2013.

Immigration reform has been kept out of the spotlight for various reasons, and some House Republicans are eager to delay the passage of S.744. However, this article by Abraham Paulos, the executive director of Families for Freedom, reveals that the “comprehensive” bipartisan bill indeed excludes many, increases surveillance and continues to criminalize immigrants, while doing little to facilitate family reunification.

2013 Nation Student Writing Contest Winners

StudentNation on September 13, 2013 - 2:12 PM ET

(Reuters/Brian Snyder)

Please join us in congratulating the winners of The Nation’s eighth annual Student Writing Contest!

This year we asked students to send us an original, unpublished, 800-word essay answering this question: It’s clear that the political system in the US isn’t working for many. If you had to pick one root cause underlying our broken politics, what would it be and why?

More than 700 submissions poured in from high school and college students in forty-two states. We chose one college winner and, for the first time, two high school co-winners and five finalists from each category. The contest was open to all matriculating high school students and undergraduates at US schools, colleges and universities.

Kudos to the winners, Jim Nichols (no relation to The Nation's John Nichols), an undergraduate at Georgia State University who wrote about how the rise and dominance of market liberalism has affected both civil society and his own life and Julia DI, a senior at Richard Montgomery High School in Darnestown, Maryland, who wrote about the toxic effects of apathy and who shared the award with Bryn Grunwald, a recent graduate of the Peak to Peak Charter in Boulder, Colorado, who stressed the dire effect of skyrocketing inequality.

The winners each receive a cash award of $1,000; the finalists receive $200 each. All receive lifetime Nation subscriptions.

Many thanks to all of our applicants and the many people, especially educators, who encouraged their participation. Please read and share the winning essays. The winners will be excerpted in an upcoming issue of The Nation magazine and all winners and finalists will be published at StudentNation over the week of Monday, September 16.

Winners
College: Jim Nichols, Georgia State University
High School: Julia DI, Richard Montgomery High School, Darnestown, Maryland and
High School: Bryn Grunwald, Peak to Peak Charter, Boulder, Colorado

College Finalists:
Suzanna Fritzberg, Yale University
Monica Meeks, Washington University
Jess Miller, Ohio University
Kai Raub, SUNY, Albany
Julian Sagastume, Yale University

High-School Finalists:
Nikhil Goyal, Syosset High School
Joao Lee, The Bement School, Deerfield Massachusetts
Angelia Miranda, Home Schooled, Washington
Josue Moreno, Judson High School, Converse, Texas
Ian O'Connor-Giles, West High School, Madison, WI

Meet last year’s winners and please help spread the word!

The Danger of White Student Unions

Krystie Yandoli and StudentNation on September 11, 2013 - 3:02 PM ET

Anissa Jackson of Homer, La., carries Confederate battle flags as she runs past the Civil Rights Memorial outside the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala., on Friday, Oct. 22, 2004 (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

#WhiteGenocide: these were the words Indiana University students found written on fliers and in chalk around their campus last March. This white power message references the theory among supremacists that the increasing non-white population in the United States is a threat to eliminate “white culture.”

One student, Aidan Crane, explained in the Indiana Daily Student that he took it upon himself to tear down every flier he saw. He also encouraged his fellow Hoosiers to follow suit.

“Dangerous movements grow from small seeds,” Crane wrote. “We have a responsibility to stop racism and white nationalism whenever they rear their ugly heads.”

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of existing hate groups in the US has grown by 67 percent since the year 2000 and has increased by 813 percent since President Obama was elected into office, from 149 in 2008 to 1,360 groups in 2012.

The dramatic rise in hate groups over the past five years is also reflected in the copious amount of hate speech that’s been increasingly visible on college campuses.

Last fall, Towson University senior Michael Heimbach founded a “white student union” that conducted nighttime patrols in order to protect students from what he called the school’s “black crime wave.” After a series of racist symbols were found on campus (a Nazi flag and “whites only” sign above a water fountain), Oberlin College cancelled classes in March to hold a “Day of Solidarity.”

Most recently, an incoming freshman at Georgia State University named Patrick Sharp created another white student union, citing Heimbach as his inspiration.

While white student unions are generally met with resistance from other students on campus, college administrators defend their right to exist. Doug Covey, Georgia State’s vice president for student affairs, told The Huffington Post in August that he had already received a number of complaints, but “all students at the university enjoy the right to engage in free speech.”

More college administrators need to take a stand against white student unions on campus and be clear about having a zero tolerance policy for hate groups. Freedom of speech is, of course, constitutionally protected, but wildly misguided groupthink mentalities pose a threat to changing popular opinion and perception for the worse. The mere existence of white student unions on campuses creates a danger that can sometimes be just as harmful as physical injury: they’re toxic for students’ minds.

Do we really want a new generation of thinkers to be influenced by extreme racism and hate? After the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012, a Newsweek poll revealed that almost 60 percent of Americans think race relations have gotten worse since President Obama was elected into office, and 89 percent of blacks and 80 percent of whites believe racial stereotypes play a role in society today.

Race divides us, and colleges shouldn’t allow white student unions to permeate campus culture. At a time when racial tensions are running high nationally, white students unions are nothing to take lightly. When school administrations remain complacent and fail to speak out against these hate groups, they allow racist acts and ideologies on both individual and systemic levels.

College can be some of the most transformative years in a person’s life. It’s a time filled with learning and enlightenment, from the classes you enroll in to the people you meet, and it all ultimately shapes the person you become in the world. Students then become contributing members of society and are influenced by these life-changing experiences.

Please support our journalism. Get a digital subscription for just $9.50!

Institutions of higher education need to come to a consensus that white-rights groups are inappropriate on campus and take collective action to ensure they don’t continue to pop up like they have in the past year. Official policies should make clear that white student unions are not welcome on campus: they should not receive official recognition from their home universities, should not be able to apply for funding and should be denounced by administrators instead of defended.

Faculty, staff and university employees—especially deans, presidents and those in charge—need to act with a sense of urgency and show more concern about hate speech masked as free speech.

After all, showing a tolerance for racism anywhere shows a tolerance for racism everywhere.

From the Sunbelt to Capitol Hill, Students Mass for Racial Justice

StudentNation on September 4, 2013 - 12:58 PM ET

Students are arrested at San Francisco City Hall. (Photo: Chris Filippi, KCBS)

E-mail questions, tips or proposals to studentmovement@thenation.com. For earlier dispatches on student and youth organizing, check out the previous post. Edited by James Cersonsky (@cersonsky).

1. To Commemorate the March, Chicago Students Boycott School

On August 28, the fiftieth anniversary of the March on Washington, students from Chicago took to the streets demanding a democratically elected board of education and an end to school closures. A new student organization, the Chicago Students Union, helped organize students to boycott the third day of school and marched with the Chicago Teachers Union, the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, Action Now and other community groups, declaring a “boycott for educational justice.” Numerous students were threatened with truancy and detentions, but no students on record got more than an unexcused absence. In the upcoming school year, the Chicago Students Union hopes to expand its network into all schools and plans to push legislation in Chicago and Springfield to ensure a quality education for every student.

—Chicago Students Union

2. With City College on the Ropes, 150 Sit-In

On August 3, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges revoked the City College of San Francisco’s accreditation in July 2014—which, if it goes through, will effectively shut down a historically accessible institution of higher education for working-class students. On August 20, 150 students and SaveCCSF members marched on San Francisco City Hall to demand a meeting with mayor and state adviser Edwin Lee, the dropping of all ACCJC sanctions and the removal of Robert Agrella, the state-imposed “special trustee.” A group of students refused to leave City Hall until a meeting with Lee was confirmed and students’ demands were recognized. Just before midnight, twenty-six students and protesters were arrested by local police, cited and released. Meanwhile, in response to a nearly 300-page complaint filed by the American Federation of Teachers 2121 and the California Federation of Teachers, the ACCJC is under federal investigation over failing to comply with federal regulations. On August 22, City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed suit against the ACCJC and the Board of Governors—giving even more weight to claims made by members of the SaveCCSF Coalition.

—Shanell Williams

3. In Phoenix, Dreamers Blockade the Deporters

On August 21, undocumented youth, allies, parents and leaders from the Arizona Dream Act Coalition and United We Dream staged an unprecedented action outside an ICE detention center in Phoenix. Four ADAC leaders chained themselves to the front gates to protest the Obama administration’s reckless deportation policies, which separate our families, and to call on Congress to take action to end these policies and provide a real path to citizenship for the entire community. After the leaders were arrested—and promptly released after a flood of calls—the group reconvened for an evening prayer vigil. When they saw a deportation bus preparing to depart, they ran towards the bus and encircled it in prayer. Two leaders were arrested for physically blocking the bus and forcing it to retreat—a huge victory. The next day, a man from the bus was released (having only committed a minor traffic violation). DREAMers plan to escalate civil disobedience and direct action to expose the moral crisis sparked by the deportations.

—Reyna Montoya and Maria Castro

4. In Raleigh, High Schoolers Risk Arrest for Tuition Equality

On August 15, five undocumented youth were arrested at Wake Technical Community College after protesting the school’s discriminatory admissions policies and refusing to leave the premises. Undocumented students must pay out-of-state rates and register for classes after the regular registration period. While Ulises Perez, Cruz Nuñez, Mario Valladares and Jose Benavides have deferred action status, Marco Cervantes is still awaiting a decision on his application. Perez and Nuñez, high school students from Carrboro, participated because they are unsure what will happen once they graduate from high school. Valladares dreams of being a chef, but he is unable to pursue it due to tuition costs. As actions ramp up, an in-state tuition bill, HB 904, sits, and the NC Community College System refuses to change its policies.

—NC Dream Team

5. In San Antonio, Activists Issue a Travel Warning

Over two years ago, GetEQUAL TX joined forces with other LGBT organizations and leaders with the goal of passing an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance in San Antonio. That goal may be realized on September 5, when the city council will vote on the proposed ordinance. However, a last-minute revision will limit the ordinance, making it inapplicable to gender-segregated spaces such as bathrooms. This revision was added after opposition to the ordinance came out in force. Recognizing the political tension and dangers LGBT travelers may face, GetEQUAL TX issued a travel alert for the city advising visitors to use caution and avoid non-LGBT businesses without first confirming that they are welcomed. As the day of the vote draws closer, busloads of opponents are arriving from all over the state. Proponents are working closely with social justice allies to mobilize their communities in an effort to offset the masses of anti-LGBT people who have swarmed the city.

—GetEQUAL TX

6. As Yale Goes Soft on Rape, Students Up the Ante

On July 31, Yale released its semi-annual report on sexual misconduct, stoking a firestorm of criticism. Students from all corners of campus—from graduate students to incoming freshmen—began writing to the administration with questions and concerns, asking why Yale has not issued perpetrators of sexual violence stronger penalties. The report revealed that a number of students were found guilty of sexual violence, and were given only written reprimands rather than penalties such as expulsion or suspension. Hoping to reignite campus activism on sexual misconduct, a group of survivors and allies came together to form Students Against Sexual Violence at Yale. In August, SASVY released an open letter to the administration with four demands aimed at improving campus policy on sexual violence. SASVY proposed making expulsion the preferred sanction for sexual violence, contracting an external victim’s advocate for survivors, formalizing mechanisms for student and survivor involvement in university policymaking and addressing repeat offenses. After 371 members of the Yale community signed the letter, the administration met with SASVY to discuss the organization’s policy proposals. Activists will continue to work with the university to reform its policies to better meet the needs of survivors and the student body at large.

—Emma Goldberg and Winnie Wang

7. As Sallie Mae Sits, Arne Duncan Gets Mailed

Since late August, Jobs with Justice and the Student Labor Action Project have sent Secretary of Education Arne Duncan more than 25,000 e-mails demanding that the Department of Education end its contract with Sallie Mae. Dating back to February, Jobs with Justice has raised concerns over Sallie Mae’s membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council and violations of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act that led to lawsuits, which are now resurfacing due to accusations from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation that Sallie Mae violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act and other “unfair or deceptive” practices. On May 9, students from the US Student Association, Student Labor Action Project and Jobs with Justice met with Duncan to raise these concerns about Sallie Mae and were told by the secretary to “hold him accountable.” Now, we’re holding Secretary Duncan accountable as the calls to put an end to this $300 million dollar contract scandal grow louder.

—Chris Hicks

8. Nautica’s Dirty Laundry

In the wake of the largest industrial disaster in the history of the garment industry, United Students Against Sweatshops is working with Bangladeshi workers and their unions to continue pressuring multinational brands to sign onto the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a groundbreaking, legally binding agreement between unions and brands that gives workers the right to refuse unsafe work and requires brands to finance necessary factory repairs. This year, using the same strategies that helped us win victories over Russell, Nike and Adidas, students will take on the collegiate apparel brands that have not signed the accord. One of our first actions will take place on September 6 at the Nautica Fashion Week event in New York. Nautica’s parent company, VF Corporation, has stubbornly refused to sign the accord, opting instead to join Walmart and Gap in a business-as-usual fake safety scheme—which is why USAS and the International Labor Rights Forum will be turning the heat up during Fashion Week.

—United Students Against Sweatshops

9. ALEC’s Unwanted Offspring

On August 23, twenty-one healthcare workers from the Service Employees International Union’s Millennial program came to Washington from Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Kansas. At ALEC headquarters, we joined other young workers and activists to protest Stand Your Ground, voter suppression and the privatization and policing of our schools. The next day, we participated in the fiftieth anniversary March on Washington, which was powerful as our ancestors—including Bob Moses, who spoke to youth organizers and young workers after the march—made it possible for us to walk those streets in a peaceful setting. As a nursing assistant in Chicago, I see high turnover among young healthcare workers—and the space to build a millennial movement to fight poverty, student debt, low wages and racism. On August 29, SEIU Millennials supported fast-food and retail workers on strike for $15 an hour and union rights. On September 20 and 21, Millennials will launch a leadership assembly to choose our next campaigns.

—Lakesia Collins

10. The Two-Minute March

After youth leaders are cut from the August 28 ceremonies, #OurMarch begins.

—Dream Defenders

As the School Year Approaches, Students Protest in Philadelphia, Chicago and Rhode Island

StudentNation on August 21, 2013 - 9:29 AM ET

The Dream 9. (Credit: NBC Latino)

E-mail questions, tips or proposals to studentmovement@thenation.com. For earlier dispatches on student and youth organizing, check out the previous post. Edited by James Cersonsky (@cersonsky).

1. Quebecois Unionism Comes to Madison

When students from Quebec come to the United States, we are shocked at the institutional abuse and economic burden students are facing. It feels like the few who can still reach college are only one slice of a more widely impoverished and racially segregated population, and for us this rings a bell. We’ve been fighting fiercely against tuition hikes much smaller than those happening every year in many states and campuses, and it is because we have fought that those hikes were smaller, or didn’t happen at all. Contrary to some who would rather talk up the “Quebec exception” or Quebecers as “natural lefties,” we see things otherwise. We are facing the same kinds of challenges as US students, and we are not always winning against apathy and demobilization. But we can’t just talk about what we do. Where people are organizing student unions—like those from Colorado, Michigan and New Jersey, whom we met at this month’s National Student Power Convergence—we want to help create the kind of sustained mass organizations that function according to direct democracy, with assemblies where all students are invited to motion, amend and vote rather than watch others do it in their name. If it’s not students fighting for the abolition of tuition and institutionalized racism, then who?

—Frank Lévesque-Nicol

2. Dream 9 Rejoin the Struggle at Home

Over the last two years, the Kentucky Dream Coalition has been fighting for immigrant rights. In March, we held a speak-out when Senator Marco Rubio, who does not represent the values or experiences of our communities, came to the University of Louisville. On August 1, twelve people occupied Congressman John Yarmuth’s office for the Dream 9. With the support of the brother of Dream 9 member Ceferino Santiago and two organizers from the National Immigrant Youth Alliance, we were able to get Yarmuth to change positions and support the release of the Dream 9 within four hours of occupation. That same evening, we left for the National Student Power Convergence in Madison, where we performed with Jasiri X and strategized with cross-state allies, like Milwaukee’s Youth Empowered in the Struggle, on building intersectional youth power. With the release of the Dream 9 and Ceferino Santiago’s return to Kentucky, we are working to pass the Friendly City Ordinance, which will help protect undocumented immigrants in the Louisville area, and continue fighting family separation in Kentucky.

—Kentucky Dream Coalition–Fighting for Immigrant Rights and Equality

3. Wisconsin Grad Teachers Win—Without Collective Bargaining

Despite attacks on higher education and unions in Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s graduate employee union, the Teaching Assistants’ Association, just won a 4.67 percent raise. Over the past year, graduate student employees organized the Pay Us Back! campaign, leveraging support from union members, undergraduates, faculty and community allies to increase graduate assistants’ below-poverty wages. The campaign kicked off with email blasts to the vice chancellor, followed by months of organizing faculty to pass department resolutions urging the administration to act, and a presentation to the Faculty Senate. The TAA closed the semester with a “Grade-In for the Grader Good” occupation in the administration building, where grads graded, did research and held office hours, proudly displaying the TAA’s motto: “the university works because we do.” The TAA’s victory demonstrates the union power that comes from organizing—through informal bargaining, direct actions, coalition work and fired-up members—as opposed to legal recognition.

—Eleni Schirmer and Charity Schmidt

4. What Will Education Look Like After Bloomberg?

For twelve years, the Bloomberg administration has neglected the needs of millions of public school students, specifically low-income students of color, English language learners and students with special needs. In results released on August 7, fewer than 20 percent of black and Latino students were rated proficient on new math and reading tests aligned with the Common Core—reflecting the administration’s failure to engage parents and prepare teachers and students. The Urban Youth Collaborative is demanding an end to the dependency on high-stakes testing, a moratorium on school closures as a result of test scores and a curriculum that prepares students to be critical thinkers. Over the past year, students ran seventy-five workshops and a ten-day bus tour to engage New Yorkers on educational priorities—and reducing high-stakes testing was among the top three. As the new school year begins, students will ramp up pressure on mayoral candidates to take a stand on policy reforms, push for the new administration to select a chancellor who will respond to our priorities and call for the city to take the lead in implementing alternatives to high-stakes testing.

—Eduard Garcia and María C. Fernández

5. When Will Rhode Island’s Testing End?

Providence students escalated their organizing against high-stakes testing in Rhode Island this month, continuing a campaign that has ranged from zombie-themed protests to convincing elected officials to take the high school exit test themselves. On August 13, forty members of the Providence Student Union staged a sit-in at the Rhode Island Commissioner of Education’s office to protest the state’s new emphasis on high-stakes testing, refusing to leave the Department of Education until they eventually secured a meeting with the Commissioner. After a summer of organizing, the movement in Rhode Island will continue to grow, as students from districts around the state return to school with plans to organize their own unions and join the campaign.

—Providence Student Union

6. In Philadelphia, Students Resist Further Sacrifice

After draconian state budget cuts, Philadelphia does not have the funding necessary to provide a basic education. This summer, students from the Philadelphia Student Union have been reaching out to public high school students to craft a plan to fight back against such unprecedented cuts. On August 8, with only thirty-two days remaining until Philadelphia public schools were slated to open, Superintendent William Hite released a statement asserting that, unless the city handed over $50 million by August 16, schools would not open as scheduled. Outraged that the necessary funding hadn’t come from the city and state—and that Broad Academy graduates like Dr. Hite are closing schools and calling for “shared sacrifice” nationally—the Philadelphia Student Union responded. While the city has since borrowed the bare minimum to open schools on time, students will continue to build bases in schools and prepare for direct action.

—Philadelphia Student Union

7. In Chicago, Students Launch a Citywide Union

After months of boycotts, marches, civil disobedience and interruptions of board of education meetings, students from Chicago Students Organizing to Save Our Schools are now establishing a city-wide body: the Chicago Students Union. The union will consist of elected student representatives from each school and a general assembly made of all member students. Its goals are to represent every student in the city, amplify student voice, provide a platform for activism, promote student rights and stake a seat in city governance.

—Chicago Students Union

8. Youth Rights in the Obama Era

At July’s Free Minds/Free People conference in Chicago, and then again at August’s National Student Power Convergence, youth leaders from Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, San Francisco, Atlanta and beyond came together to chart national strategy around the National Student Bill of Rights for All Youth. The NSBR is a fifteen-point platform covering issues ranging from the right to free, quality public education to reproductive access and protection from unwarranted search and seizures. Over the past three years, groups have hosted regional and national retreats, and, beginning with Youth Voting Week last November, launched a campaign to collect 50,000 ballots on youth rights. This fall, leaders will be fundraising and planning for a national people’s assembly focused on NSBR.

—Tre’ Murphy

9. Life After Tallahassee

On August 15, Day 31 of #TakeOverFL, an announcement. (Video: Dave Heller)

—Dream Defenders

10. The New Media

From Moral Mondays to the Dream Defenders’ occupation of the Florida state capitol, this year has shown that American youth are dedicated to building movements against institutionalized racism and austerity. After the 2012 National Student Power Convergence, a growing network of young artists, activists and organizers emerged. One project that came out of relationships built around the convergence and the Quebec student strike is Youngist.org, a young people-powered news site. {Young}ist is a platform devoted to elevating the voices of young people in their communities—from DIY art collectives to organizing around the school-to-prison pipeline—and is run entirely by people under the age of 26.

—{Young}ist Team

Paying It Forward, One State at a Time

Rebecca Nathanson and StudentNation on August 16, 2013 - 2:36 PM ET

A banner at a protest at Cooper Union in New York City on December 8, 2012. (Courtesy of Flickr.)

At the start of the fall 2012 semester, a group of students gathered in a classroom at Portland State University, just as students in schools around the country were doing. They proceeded to spend the next few months discussing and debating student debt and possible solutions to it, but when the semester ended and the students moved on to other classes, they, unlike most, refused to allow their work to remain an academic concern.

On July 1, the Oregon legislature voted to investigate how to implement a “Pay It Forward, Pay It Back” tuition plan—the very plan that those students had studied, researched and presented to a panel of state legislators, with the help of the Oregon Working Families Party and Jubilee Oregon. Under the Pay It Forward (PIF) plan, students would attend public universities without first paying tuition and, in return, pay a percentage of their income for the next twenty-four years; the aim is to create debt-free higher education.

In the days and weeks after the legislature approved the Pay It Forward bill, numerous states expressed interest in adopting the idea. Oregon is the only state in which legislators have voted on PIF, but politicians in other states are beginning to propose similar bills. In New Jersey, State Senate President Stephen Sweeney announced on August 5 that he and Assemblywoman Celeste Riley will introduce legislation to form a commission to look into implementing PIF in the state’s public universities. Two days later, Pennsylvania State Senator Daylin Leach announced that he plans to do the same, and in Washington State, KUOW.org reports that State Representative Larry Seaquist is considering a PIF proposal for the next legislative session. In Ohio, where the average graduate has over $28,000 in student loan debt, State Representatives Robert F. Hagan and Mike Foley have already taken that first step, proposing a PIF bill on July 17.

The excitement over Pay It Forward is understandable: with over $1 trillion in student debt nationally, people are anxious for action. PIF, while not a solution to the problems of the rising cost of higher education and the defunding of it by governments, is a meaningful immediate step in the right direction for students who are burdened by debt after graduation and facing a youth unemployment rate of 16.2 percent—more than twice the overall unemployment rate in the United States.

Many student debt organizers, however, are hesitant about PIF’s national potential. “I don’t think going for Pay It Forward is a good solution necessarily because it does mask the possibility of tuition increases, or it could,” says Barbara Dudley, a founder of the Oregon Working Families Party and one of the professors at Portland State University who co-taught the course that designed the plan.

Dudley emphasized the vast amount of research into Oregon’s finances and university system that the students conducted before deciding on this specific plan, saying, “It’s not a frivolous choice that was made and it wasn’t done on the spur of the moment. It required that kind of consideration. What I would encourage in any state that’s looking at this is that they do the same kind of examination of the problem, the potential solutions, and they include students in it.”

Some, however, are already wary of the plan: the American Federation of Teachers has come out against PIF, and in New York, the union is worried that it will lead to decreased funding from the state government, according to Stan Altman, a professor at CUNY who is researching the quality of undergraduate education and the role of student debt.

As Dudley acknowledges, Pay It Forward is not without its drawbacks. Because it relies on graduates’ incomes to be sustainable, some worry that it could result in students being pushed towards more commercially lucrative majors and careers or that it could discourage students who plan on pursuing such careers from opting into the program to avoid actively contributing a larger amount of money back into it. Finding the money to fund the system before it becomes self-sustaining is also a challenge, although Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley recently unveiled a plan to redirect money from federal subsidized Stafford loans to PIF’s start-up costs. He expects to introduce a bill outlining his plan, which aims to avoid any new spending by the federal government, in September.

Additionally, critics have noted that high costs of living and expensive books often necessitate loans themselves, meaning that delaying tuition costs until after graduation might not keep students out of debt. Keeping track of students who move out-of-state after graduating could also be problematic. PIF was modeled on Australia’s university system, which has used “income-contingent” loans since 1989, but Australian students who move overseas cease paying back into the system, according to a January 2013 study of Australian higher education by the Grattan Institute.

“It would make more sense for it to be a national program because ultimately administrating the collection of a payroll tax will require cooperation of the IRS as students migrate from the states in which they are educated to the states where they live and work,” explains Altman.

Despite these valid concerns, the appeal of Pay It Forward is clear: it is, after all, one of the first plausible, concrete ideas for how to begin combating the ever-growing problem of student debt. In a country where tuition is rising faster than the rate of inflation and has increased 1,120 percent since 1978, where state and local funding for higher education decreased 7 percent in 2012 and where students graduated with an average of $26,500 in student loans in 2011, a plan to create debt-free higher education is hard to resist.

But whether or not Pay It Forward is the right fit is something that should be examined on a state-by-state basis and, as Dudley stressed, each state needs to involve the people who will be affected and who have first-hand experience dealing with these issues: students. “There are an awful lot of people out there having had the experience of a virtually free education who are not understanding the crisis that’s facing young people right now,” she says, “and they’re speaking for them without speaking to them.”

Interns' Favorite Pieces of the Week: Climate Change, Leisure and the Death Penalty in China

StudentNation on August 16, 2013 - 10:36 AM ET

Senate majority leader Harry Reid. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

— Darren Ankrom focuses on climate change.
Follow @darren_ankrom

“We’re seeing catastrophic effects of climate change,” by Harry Reid.Las Vegas Sun, August 11, 2013.

Senate majority leader Harry Reid pulled no punches in his Sunday column for the Las Vegas Sun, imploring “us all…to stop acting like those who deny” climate change “have a valid point of view. They don’t.” This is the kind of direct, no-room-for-debate tactic that needs to be widely adopted. Climate change is no longer an argument, and coverage painting it as one disservices and misinforms viewers and readers. When 97+ percent of scientists agree, yet a dwindling, inaccurate minority of deniers exist, presenting them as a valid counterpoint isn’t objective reporting; it’s inaccurate reporting. A recent study that found watching Fox News makes viewers distrust climate scientists comes to mind.

— Humna Bhojani focuses on the “War on Terror” and the Middle East.
Follow @bhojani_h

“The Faraway Nearby,” by Rebecca Solnit. Guernica, May 15, 2013.

I have often fallen into a story, tumbling out to the other side, bruised; scrapes and cuts in all the right places. So has Rebecca Solnit. And so have you. Before many start to tell their own stories, they step into the stories of others, escaping their own world to share somebody’s most intimate experiences. Only to share their own most intimate experiences later. With a stranger. Someone they have never met, will never meet. And so it goes. From one story-teller to the next.

— Rick Carp focuses on media, psychology and environmentalism.

“Slave and Slaveholder Descendants Break Free of History’s Trauma—Together,” by Lisa Gale Garrigues. Yes! August 2, 2013.

Cultural trauma is something that afflicts large groups of people, for examples, Americans after 9/11, Jews after the Holocaust, African-Americans after slavery or indigenous peoples after Western Civilization’s genocidal expansion. It produces internalized forms of alienation and humiliation, which people re-enact against themselves through addiction, depression, structural violence and other malignant emotional maladies. People may repeat these forms of trauma in cycles: children of alcoholics who grow up to marry alcoholics; Israeli militarism and the Occupation; Islamophobic Americans and the “War on Terror”; or even the more general phenomena of “history repeating itself.” This article discusses attempts to bring various disparate parties together in an attempt to heal these cultural divides and begin moving forward—as allies and friends.

— Keenan Duffey focuses on Middle East national politics.
Follow @LarryOfMcArabia

“Peace talks: The perfect alibi for settlement expansion,” by Mairav Zonszein. +972, August 11, 2013.

The latest round of Israeli/Palestinian peace talks, initiated earlier this summer by Secretary of State John Kerry, are proving to be of little value to anyone outside of the Israeli settler community. While Abbas, Kerry and Netanyahu struggle to determine the parameters for the peace talks, Israel continues to change the facts on the ground. The “peace process” plays out in Washington, DC, over disinterested luncheons, while Israel continues to consolidate its position in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

— Prashanth Kamalakanthan focuses on racism, imperialism and student/worker activism.
Follow @pkinbrief

“Kshama Sawant and the Socialist Politics of the Possible,” by John Halle. The North Star, August 12, 2013.

For the last week, a hopeful note. This piece in The North Star, a popular socialist blog, discusses Kshama Sawant’s socialist candidacy for the Seattle City Council—a long road whose first major hurdle she just overcame, securing a spot in the November run-off by receiving the second highest amount of votes, 43,000 (35 percent). Halle links Sawant’s success to the growing tide of sympathy toward socialism across the country, while also pointing out the troubling municipal-level constraints that a new crop of radical politicians will have to face.

— Eunji Kim focuses on gender, race, media and East Asian politics.
Follow @eunjiiikim

“Video Reignites Death Penalty Debate in China,” by Josh Chin. The Wall Street Journal, August 13, 2013.

A graphic video reportedly spurred a debate on death penalty in a country where 75 percent of its people support capital punishment. According to TeaLeafNation, an e-magazine that covers various issues in China, an eye-for-an-eye point of view explains the “complex roots of death penalty support.” But given the history of international activists criticizing the China’s violation of human rights, one can hope that this may be a boost to the movement—this time, from inside the country.

— Samantha Lachman focuses on reproductive justice, healthcare access and intersectionality.
Follow @samlachman

“Frisky Q&A: Laverne Cox From ‘Orange Is The New Black,’” by Avital Norman Nathman. The Frisky, August 13, 2013.

I just started watching Orange Is the New Black, and have mixed feelings about how the show deals with issues of race and socioeconomic status (for nuanced takes on the series, read Salamishah Tillet here and Yasmin Nair here). However, one storyline that has been garnering praise is that of transgender inmate Sophia Burset, played by Laverne Cox. In this interview, Cox discusses her role and the challenges facing trans communities, from unemployment to homicide. It’s exciting to see such a powerful representation of black and trans identity on a show that’s reaching so many viewers.

— Rebecca Nathanson focuses on social movements, student organizing and labor.
Follow @beckynathanson

“Opting for Free Time,” by Sarah Jaffe. In These Times, August 12, 2013.

Since The New York Times published a piece on the wealthy women who chose to “opt out” of the workforce to stay at home with their children in the early 2000s, many have weighed in on the issue of work/family balance. But what few mention is life outside of work and family. Sarah Jaffe refutes the popular liberal version of feminism that claims that women get pleasure out of work and instead argues that leisure is a right afforded to both men and women.

— Jake Scobey-Thal focuses on human rights and conflict in Asia and Africa
Follow @jakescobey

“Indonesia wants to stop exporting its maids to the rest of the world,” by Lily Kuo. Quartz, August 13, 2013.

Indonesia has pledged to stop exporting maids to the rest of the world. While the industry is a source of income for many Indonesian families, maids have faced serious abuses abroad and reforms have done little to ensure protection against labor abuses, trafficking, and assault.

— Aviva Stahl focuses on Islamophobia in the US and the UK and its links to racism, homophobia/transphobia and the prison industrial complex.
Follow @stahlidarity

“Truths behind the gay torture images from Russia,” by Scott Long. A Paper Bird, August 11, 2013.

Scott Long is known for his incisive (if controversial) critiques of Western human rights interventions in the Global South. This piece is long and a bit unwieldy, but it makes important points about what’s happening in Russia that aren’t being made elsewhere—namely, what the images mean, how they have circulated and how the current homophobic climate in Russia is linked to other rights violations. He stresses the problems in framing this as a “gay” issue, given the killings of racial minorities and Putin’s widespread suppression of civil society, and challenges the presumption that we in the West grasp the complexities of standing in solidarity with LGBT Russian communities.

— John Thomason focuses on pieces that situate contemporary American political debates in historical and/or intellectual contexts.
Follow @john_thom_

“The Drone Philosopher,” by Marco Roth. n+1, August 7, 2013.

For my last pick of the summer, I’ve chosen a piece that argues against my cause célèbre: providing intellectual context for political debates. Marco Roth argues that the very act of speculative contemplation about American military strikes—no matter how rigorous, no matter how informed—is obscene given the asymmetry of the conflict and the pervasive suffering involved. In this sense, the piece recalls Teju Cole’s excellent New Yorker post from February, “A Reader’s War,” which ended like this: “I believe that when President Obama personally selects the next name to add to his ‘kill list,’ he does it in the belief that he is protecting the country. I trust that he makes the selections with great seriousness, bringing his rich sense of history, literature, and the lives of others to bear on his decisions. And yet we have been drawn into a war without end, and into cruelties that persist in the psychic atmosphere like ritual pollution.” If the lives of others remain mere abstractions and objects of contemplation, as they too often are for armchair philosophers, presidents and pundits alike, then American imperialism and its attendant cruelties will certainly persist.