------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the May 24, 2001 issue of Workers World newspaper ------------------------- 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: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To tell President Freeland to respect the students' demands, call (617) 373-2101. - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. 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