Milwaukee: SDS National Convention: ‘Fight Trump’s Agenda, Speak Out for Palestine, No ICE on Campus & Defend Free Speech!’

Milwaukee, WI – On October 11 and 12, over 250 New Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) members from over 40 campuses met for their 19th annual National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Students gathered from all over the country to stand together to “Fight Trump’s Agenda, Speak Out for Palestine, No ICE on Campus & Defend Free Speech!” and bring together the combined struggles that student organizers are facing on their campuses.

These stories come from students facing repression from administration due to their Palestine solidarity work as well as ICE kidnapping students on campuses. Attendees listened to informative panels and workshops on a variety of topics, including from “The Student Vanguard: Korean Students in the Long Struggle Against U.S. Empire” presented by Nodutdol.

One of the most popular panels of the day was “Speak out for Palestine: Defend our Right to Free Speech.” It featured speakers from the United States Palestinian Community Network, SDS Denver, Students for Justice in Palestine – DePaul and the Muslim Student Association at UW-Milwaukee. The panelists spoke on their fights for Palestine in their communities and on their campuses.

“Students have the unique opportunity to make gains in support for Palestine. Like we have seen with the encampment movement and how it’s shifted public sentiment. We must speak out and rise up for Palestine. It used to be political suicide to speak out for Palestine and we will never go back.” said Khalid Hamu of Denver SDS.

Later in the day, students packed the room for “We Won’t Go Back: Continuing the Struggle to Protect Equal Access to Education, Cultural Programs and Trans Youth.” Panelists spoke about the rise in cuts to campus programs and what they are doing to fight these attacks from the Trump administration.

“I know right now it can seem hopeless, and certainly things are going to get worse before they get better,” said Gabriela Juárez of SDS at Louisiana State University, “But eventually, things will come back, and we will stand to win not just a few causes, but inherit the entire Earth!” Juárez was recently arrested by LSU police for an on-campus protest to forward LSU SDS’s “No MAGA President” campaign.

The final panel of the convention was “People and Planet Over Profit”, which featured speakers from Anakbayan, Students for Environmental Concerns at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Nodutdol and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR). Each of the organizers talked about their experiences in fighting in their organizations and their respective struggles they face on campuses and in communities.

“From the George Floyd uprising onward, and especially right now, is the best time to bring community control of the police to reality,” said Kayla Patterson of NAARPR, “Everything we’re seeing right now is a direct attempt to roll back the wins that the people have fought and won. But the masses are not going back. If Trump wants to give police more power, we will build power in the communities and in the streets.”

The first day concluded with a large protest on the UW-Milwaukee campus, marching militantly, featuring chants such as “In our millions, in our billions, we are all Palestinian!” and “Free free Palestine, do it in our lifetime!”

SDS-UWM speaker Faiz Ahmad spoke on fighting the repression students face on his campus, stating, “When we are gathered together, we are telling administrators that they cannot tear down the student movement. They can try and scare us with all their fear tactics, but we will not stand down!”

On day two of the convention, students gathered to vote on resolutions. Students united around opposing Trump’s agenda and his deployment of troops and ICE; resolved to defend education, free speech, cultural centers, trans youth and more, and reaffirmed their commitment to stand with Palestine and denounce U.S.-backed wars, interventions and genocide.

“If there’s ever been a time for a student movement it’s now, and we in SDS can build it. We’re building a movement to not only defend the progressive wins of the past, but to win more!” said Erin Boyle, a member of SDS at the University of Illinois-Chicago and recently elected president of National SDS.

Students left the convention feeling energized and ready to take all that they learned back to their own campuses to continue to build the student movement and to fight for Palestine, immigrants, trans people and victims of police crimes.

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Source: https://fightbacknews.org/milwaukee-sds-national-convention-fight-trumps-agenda-speak-out-for?pk_campaign=rss-feed