Socialism: Utopian and Scientific

Please join the ISO for an educational meeting on
Friedrich Engels' 1880 pamphlet "Socialism: Utopian and Scientific"

Thursday, July 9, 2009, 7pm
3166 Mt. Pleasant St, NW (La Casa Community Church)

The presentation will focus on this excellent, introductory text to Marxism that grapples with the Utopian Socialist writers of the 1800s. While their visions of future societies were made with the best of intentions, these fantastical blueprints failed to end the inequalities of the day. Engels argues that we must use Scientific Socialism, based on an understanding of the working class's position in struggle against the ruling class, to free all humankind from the slavery of Capitalism.

Join us for a discussion of these theories and how we can apply them in our work to end oppression and win justice for the people of the world today.

Readings:

The full text of "Socialism: Utopian and Scientific" can be found at
http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/index.htm

You can also find a briefer article about the book by Phil Gasper at
http://socialistworker.org/2008/04/11/socialism-utopian-scientific

Defend Marriage Equality Rights! Protest Tonight in Washington, DC

Join the International Socialist Organization as we raise our voices tonight in defense of marriage equality!

Protest starts at 8:30. Gather at the fountain in Dupont Circle.

For updates, join the Facebook group "Day of Decision on Prop 8 - DC."

The Associated Press reports:

The California Supreme Court has upheld a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, but it also decided that the estimated 18,000 gay couples who tied the knot before the law took effect will stay wed.

The decision Tuesday rejected an argument by gay rights activists that the ban revised the California constitution's equal protection clause to such a dramatic degree that it first needed the Legislature's approval.

The announcement of the decision caused outcry among a sea of demonstrators who had gathered in front of the San Francisco courthouse awaiting the ruling.

Read "Showdown in DC Over Marriage Equality" in the latest issue of Socialist Worker newspaper.

Gay, straight, black, white
Marriage is a civil right

DC people ask Marion Barry to support Gay Marriage

From Derron (featured at 4:39)

"This is a video done by a D.C. blogger/vlogger that was done after the D.C. for Marriage meeting on Wednesday of Black people who stand against D.C. Council Member Marion Berry's anti-gay comments and who stand for Marriage Equality in Washington, D.C.! I am included twice in this video, once in the middle and again towards the end. Please share this video; just another way to dispel the myth that not all Black people are homophobic and that there wouldn't be this civil war that Berry speaks of!!!"

Why Lenin Still Matters

Featuring PAUL LeBLANC, author of Revolution, Democracy, Socialism: Selected Writings of Lenin (Pluto Press, 2008)

Saturday, May 16 at 3:00 pm
Sankofa Books, 2714 Georgia Ave., NW, Washington, DC

Sponsored by the DC branch of the ISO.
For more info, contact us at (202) 903-6906 or iso_district@yahoo.com


The theoretical and practical contributions of Russian socialist Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924) to generations of revolutionary working-class struggles have been among the most decisive and significant—and also among the most misunderstood and maligned.

Paul LeBlanc, activist and author, has played an important role in examining Lenin’s thought in the context of his historical role both in Russia and internationally in the lead up to and following the Russian Revolution of 1917. What are the key ideas in Lenin’s thought? Why and how do Lenin’s ideas matter today? What is the relationship of Lenin to the larger Marxist tradition? How has Lenin’s work shaped successive generations of radicals?

Suggested readings:

Lenin's Return

The Myth of Lenin's Elitism

Lenin's Theory of the Party

Crisis and Change: Resistance in Latin America today

Featuring:
Sonia Umanzor, FMLN-DC (Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional)*
Brian Tierney, International Socialist Organization

When:
Thurs., May 7 at 7pm

Where:
La Casa Church, 3166 Mt. Pleasant St NW, Washington, DC (Columbia Heights metro-Green line)

Contact: 202 903 6906 or iso_district@ yahoo.com

Sponsored by: the DC branch of the International Socialist Organization | www.isodc.blogspot. com | www.socialistworker .org

After years of severely repressive rule in El Salvador, Mauricio Funes of the Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN) won the country's presidency in March. This is a huge victory for the people of El Salvador and their decades-long, hard-fought struggle against the violent, right-wing ARENA party and their US-dictated neoliberal economic policies.

The FMLN's victory in El Salvador mirrors the leftward shift in Latin
America as a whole over the past few years -- in Hugo Chavez's Venezuela, Evo Morales' Bolivia, and so on. But the leftward tide has been met with major challenges in the form of right wing reaction and the severe repercussions of the global economic crisis. And while the election of Barack Obama has left many hopeful for a new era in US-Latin America relations, many questions remain. What are the implications of the change in El Salvador? Where is US imperialism in Latin America headed? What is next for the left in Latin America? How can activists, progressives and socialists organize in solidarity with struggles for liberation in Latin America?

Join the ISO for a panel discussion that will take on these questions and more.

*For identification purposes only

************


*Crisis y cambio: Resistencia en América Latina Hoy*

Con:
Sonia Umanzor, Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN)*
Brian Tierney, International Socialist Organization (ISO)

Jueves, 7 de Mayo a las 7pm

La Casa Church-3166 Mt. Pleasant St NW (Columbia Heights metro-linea verde)

Contacto: 202 903 6906 o iso_district@ yahoo.com | Traducción estará disponible

Patrocinado por: the DC branch of the International Socialist Organization |
www.obrerosocialist a.org | | www.isodc.blogspot. com

Come to Socialism 2009: A New Left for a New Era

Socialism 2009; A Weekend of Revolutionary Politics, Debate, and Entertainment from RedReel on Vimeo.


Building a New Left for a New Era
Socialism 2009
Revolutionary politics, debate and entertainment
June 18-21, Chicago
July 2-5, San Francisco
http://www.socialismconference.org

The world economic crisis has shattered the free-market consensus that has dominated politics for the last generation. Meanwhile, the end of the conservative era and the election of the first African American president have raised expectations among working people that long overdue change is coming. With capitalism in crisis, even some in the corporate media are admitting that Karl Marx was right.

There has never been a better time for those who want to see fundamental change to get together to debate, to discuss and organize for a new society—a society based on the needs of the many instead of the whims of a few. In other words, there has never been a better time to organize a new socialist left to meet the challenge of this new era.

That’s the purpose that Socialism 2009—expanded to two sites this year—has set for itself. Gather with activists from all over to take part in dozens of discussions about changing the world: How can we stop the economic madness? Can we end racism? What kind of organization do we need? What would a future socialist society look like?

Yes we can organize for socialism in the 21st century! Si se puede!

Featured Speakers:

MICK ARMSTRONG, Socialist Alternative, Australia;
ROSE AGUILAR, host, Your Call, KALW,91.7FM;
IAN ANGUS, editor, Climate and Capitalism;
DAVID BACON, author, Illegal People;
NORA BARROWS-FRIEDMAN, co-host, Flashpoints Radio, KPFA;
BARBARA BECNEL,director of Stan Tookie Williams Legacy Network;
ROBERT BRENNER, author, The Economics of Global Turbulence;
DENNIS BRUTUS, longtime anti-apartheid and global justice activist;
PAUL D’AMATO, author of The Meaning of Marxism;
NEIL DAVIDSON, University of Strathclyde, Scotland;
MIKE DAVIS, author, In Praise of Barbarians;
SAM FARBER, author, Origins of the Cuban Revolution;
LAURA FLANDERS, host, GRITtv;
JOEL GEIER, associate editor, International Socialist Review;
TIKVA HONIG-PARNASS, co-author, Between the Lines;
DR. JESS GHANNAM, Al-Awda Right of Return Coalition, Free Palestine Alliance;
ANAND GOPAL, Kabul correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor;
JAMES GREEN, author, Death in the Haymarket;
DAHR JAMAIL, author, Beyond the Green Zone;
BRIAN JONES, performing Howard Zinn’s play Marx in Soho;
CLAUDIO KATZ, author, Las disyuntinvas de la izquierda en America Latina (the challenges of the Latin American Left);
NATIVO LOPEZ, president, Mexican American Political Association;
ALAN MAASS, editor, Socialist Worker;
DAVID McNALLY, New Socialist Group, Canada;
MARLENE MARTIN, Campaign to End the Death Penalty;
ANURADHA MITTAL, director, the Oakland Institute;
CHINA MIEVILLE, author, Un Lun Dun and Between Equal Rights: A Marxist Theory of International Law;
DERREL MYERS, Campaign to End the Death Penalty and Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation;
CHRISTIAN PARENTI, The Nation, on Afghanistan;
JOHN RIDDELL, co-editor, Socialist Voice (Canada);
HEATHER ROGERS, author of Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage;
JEFFREY ST. CLAIR, co-editor of CounterPunch.org and author of Been Brown So Long It Looked Green to Me: The Politics of Nature;
MARTIN SANCHEZ, consul general of Venezuela, San Francisco;
LANCE SELFA, author, The Democrats: A Critical History;
AHMED SHAWKI, editor, International Socialist Review;
CINDY SHEEHAN, founder, Gold Star Families for Peace;
BARRY SHEPPARD, author of The Party: the Socialist Workers Party, 1960-1968;
SHARON SMITH, author of Subterranean Fire and Women and Socialism;
LEE SUSTAR, labor editor, Socialist Worker;
SHERRY WOLF, author, Sexuality and Socialism;
KEEANGA-YAMAHTTA TAYLOR, editorial board of International Socialist Review;
DAVE ZIRIN, author, A People’s History of Sports;
SOCIALISTS from France, Greece, Venezuela, Brazil, and many more!

What you’ll find at Socialism 2009: More than 100 meetings, a bookfair, films, entertainment, and parties.

Check out http://www.socialismconference.org to register and for more information about schedule, housing, and childcare.

Sponsored by:
The Center for Economic Research and Social Change
Publisher of the International Socialist Review and Haymarket Books.

Co-sponsored by:
The International Socialist Organization
Publisher of Socialist Worker

Come to the DC-Baltimore Socialist Conference!

Marx is back: Socialist ideas for changing the world!

A day-long conference of revolutionary politics, debate and discussion
Sponsored by the International Socialist Organization

Saturday, April 18, 2009
All Soul's Church, 2835 16th Street, NW
(16th & Harvard Sts, NW: Columbia Heights metro - Green line)

$5 | $10 solidarity | No one turned away for lack of funds

To secure a ticket and register, email dcsocialistconference@gmail.com or call 202 903 6906.

Schedule:

10am - Registration

11am-12:30pm - Opening Session: Marx is Back! Socialist ideas for changing the world
Featuring Sherry Wolf, author of the forthcoming Sexuality and Socialism (Haymarket Books, 2009) and member of the editorial board of the International Socialist Review

12:30pm-1:30pm - Lunch Break

1:30pm-3pm Workshops Session 1

* Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine: Occupation and resistance today
* A world without racism, sexism and homophobia?: Marxism and oppression

3pm-3:15pm Break

3:15-4:45pm Workshops Session 2

* Workers Fighting Back: Lessons from the 'Labor Wars'
* Why we need a revolutionary party

7pm - Closing plenary: Haymarket Books presents: "Obama and the Left"

Featuring Dedrick Muhammad of the Institute for Policy Studies; John Nichols of The Nation magazine; writer and activist Laila Al-Arian; radical sports journalist Dave Zirin

Venue: 1525 Newton St., NW (Closest metro-Columbia Heights metro-Green line)

Branch Meeting for April 9

The DC branch of the ISO will be meeting at Sankofa tomorrow (2714 Georgia Ave NW) at 7 pm for our weekly meeting to discuss The Communist Manifesto and Kim Moody's article on the prospects for a new labor movement, from the latest issue of International Socialist Review.

Be sure to bookmark the events calender for Sankofa to keep up with other activities at this important DC institution.

Mike Davis on PBS

PBS Airtime: Friday, March 20, 2009, at 9:00 p.m. DST on PBS

With the media buzzing over socialism in the Beltway, Bill Moyers sits down with "old-school socialist" Mike Davis for his critique of the government's response to the economic crisis and how he thinks it compares to Roosevelt's New Deal. Davis is a writer and historian who teaches creative writing at University of California, Riverside.

Also, Bill Moyers talks with Marta Palaez, president and CEO of a domestic abuse shelter in San Antonio, Texas, - Family Violence Prevention Services, Inc., - for perspective on the human face of the economic downturn and how it may be pushing some families over the edge.

truthout

Another Great Depression? More Americans Think So

The number of Americans who think another Great Depression will occur within the next year is on the rise, a poll released Tuesday shows.

Forty-five percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey said another depression is likely.

"Will the Great Recession turn into another Great Depression? A growing number of Americans think it might," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Last December, 38% said a depression like the one the U.S. experienced in the 1930s was likely in the next year. Now that number is up 7 points."

more

LA Teachers take over school board meeting!!!

More coverage here.

A Whole New Kind of Struggle is Emerging

From an interview with John Bellamy Foster, editor of Monthly Review:

The first thing to recognize is that we are suddenly in a different historical period. One of my favorite quotes comes from Gillo Pontecorvo’s 1969 film Burn! where the main character, William Walker (played by Marlon Brando), states: “Very often between one historical period and another, ten years suddenly might be enough to reveal the contradictions of an entire century.” We are living in such a period, not only because of the Great Financial Crisis and what the IMF is now calling a depression in the advanced capitalist economies, but also because of the global ecological crisis that during the last decade has accelerated out of control under business as usual, and due to the reappearance of “naked imperialism.” What made sense ten years ago is nonsense now. New dangers and new possibilities are opening up. A whole different kind of struggle is emerging....

more

Scary Movie

Freedom of Speech (Just Watch What You Say)

From a Harper's magazine commentary on the Bush-era legal memoranda released by the White House yesterday:

"We may not have realized it at the time, but in the period from late 2001-January 19, 2009, this country was a dictatorship. The constitutional rights we learned about in high school civics were suspended. That was thanks to secret memos crafted deep inside the Justice Department that effectively trashed the Constitution. What we know now is likely the least of it."

more

Sherry Wolf Speaks Out!

Longtime socialist and LGBT activist Sherry Wolf is interviewed about the new fight for LGBT equality at a repeal DOMA rally in Chicago. Sherry is the author of the forthcoming title, Sexuality and Socialism:History, Politics, and Theory of LGBT Liberation, for Haymarket Books. She will also be speaking April 18 at the Marx is Back: Socialist Socialist Ideas for Changing the World, DC-Baltimore Socialist conference!

Dollars and Sense: UDC’s Tuition Showdown

The cover story in the latest issue of The Georgetown Voice is an in-depth article on the tuition hike and student struggle at the University of the District of Columbia.

The text of the ISO flier mentioned in the article is available here.

Questions raised about study on Prince William immigration policy

From the DC Examiner:

Prince William County’s government was unprepared for — and reacted ineffectively to — a massive influx of Hispanic immigrants, according to a study released this week, but some have raised questions about the report’s methods and findings.

The report by Audrey Singer, Jill H. Wilson and Brooke DeRenzis of the Brookings Institution also concluded that there was not sufficient vetting of the immigration resolution or research into its potential consequences before its passage two years ago.

The original resolution — which directed police to inquire into the immigration status of anyone detained for a violation of state law or county ordinance if they had probable cause to believe that person was in the country illegally — was passed July 10, 2007, after a four-hour public input session. It was later revised, after intense debate from both sides, to direct police to inquire into a person’s immigration status after they were arrested for a violation of state or county law.

more

Down with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"! Defend LGBT Rights!

A freshman in the Naval ROTC at George Washington University named Todd Belok has been dismissed from the program for homosexuality. Read more about his story in the student newspaper.

Michael Komo, the president of Allied in Pride at GW, issued the following state via a Facebook group:

We can no longer sit by and watch it tear apart the lives of our friends, family members, and classmates. We must take action now. We are organizing a protest that will be inclusive of all colleges in D.C. Our "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" protest will take place on Saturday, February 28, starting at 1:00 p.m. We will be meeting in Kogan Plaza. It is located on H Street in between 21st Street and 22nd Street. We need your help to make this as successful as possible. Some of the organizations that will be participating in the event at GW include Allied in Pride, College Democrats, Black Student Union, Remix, Jewish Progressive Association, and many more. If you would like to be a part of our movement, please let me know via e-mail (michaelrkomo@gmail.com). Please feel free to spread the word to any and all organizations at your school or any other school in D.C. you think would like to participate.

The International Socialist Organization opposes all forms of oppression, including "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" homophobia. We everyone who can will turn out to support this protest.

New Issue of International Socialist Review

The March/April issue of the International Socialist Review is back from the printers and should be available in bookstores -- and from ISO members -- before long.

For now, its table of contents as well as a couple of article can be read online.

The Onion: "Nation Instinctively Forms Breadline"

NEW YORK—Drawn by a strange force they could neither resist nor describe, millions of Americans reportedly dropped what they were doing Tuesday and, acting as if by instinct alone, gathered into one massive nationwide breadline.

According to witnesses, citizens across the country exited their homes in near unison, leaving behind growing stacks of bills, empty kitchen cupboards, and what was once a life of comfort to form the spontaneous, 2,000-mile-long queue.

more

Time for Radical Change

Join us for a discussion of the new political period opening up in the United States and the world.



Time: 7 pm on Thursday, February 26
Place: Sankofa Books, 2714 Georgia Ave. NW

For more information, write iso_district@yahoo.com or call 202-903-6906

Fighting Back

The mayor of Lansing, Michigan won't put up with anti-worker questions about the auto industry from a Fox News anchorman:



Towards the end, some protectionist thinking starts to come out -- such is the reality of uneven class consciousness. But how often do you hear someone defending the working class on TV in such a combative way?

Read more about it here.

The Battle of NYU

Meanwhile, back in New York....



Today New York University has shown its true face more than ever. Claiming to be a "private university in the public service," it is clearly not even in the service of those students whose tuitions allow it to exist.

Earlier today, NYU cut power to all outlets in the occupied space and turned off the wireless internet. Obviously this was an attempt to silence and intimidate the occupiers who have broad-based support.

Then, NYU said it would negotiate and instead detained and suspended the student negotiators when they showed up. Security has now broken through the barricade and people are being detained and suspended.

Instead of dialog and negotiation, the NYU administration has shown they prefer the authoritarian, dissent-quashing, dictator route. It is a true reflection of how they run their university. Nothing but thugs with suits on, interested in getting rich under the guise of "education."

Be prepared to defend any individual or group that is targeted academically or legally for their role in the occupation. Widespread support for the occupation and its demands will not be extinguished by NYU's hypocritical, tyrannical behavior.

Email NYU Administrators. Demand amnesty and no suspensions:

NYU President John Sexton: john.sexton@nyu.edu

John Beckman, NYU Spokesperson: jhb5@nyu.edu

Office of the Provost: provost@nyu.edu

Office of the Vice President: evp@nyu.edu

Here is John Sexton, NYU President, so people can call as well as email:
(212) 998-2345

See also the Take Back NYU blog

Voices of Resistance: Standing Up To Injustice and War

Spread the word: Four appearances in the DC area in March by Laila Al-Arian and Dave Zirin speaking out against the "War on Terror"

LAILA AL-ARIAN is the daughter of Palestinian political prisoner Dr. Sami al-Arian. Laila has been a tireless advocate for the case of her father who was politically targeted by the U.S. government in its post-9/11 domestic witch-hunt; he has been imprisoned since February 2003 on baseless, trumped-up federal charges. Laila is also a writer and producer for Al-Jazeera English and a contributor to The Nation magazine. She has written extensively on the Middle East and Palestinian resistance to occupation. Her work has appeared in The Independent, The Guardian, Alternet and Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, among other publications. She is the coauthor of the recent book, Collateral Damage: America's War Against Iraqi Civilians.

DAVE ZIRIN is a prominent political sportswriter for The Nation and author of A People's History of Sports. Dave is an author with Haymarket Books and a contributor to the International Socialist Review. Analyzing the convergence of sports and politics, Dave is also a columnist for SLAM Magazine, The Progressive and is an op-ed writer for the Los Angeles Times. It was recently revealed that Dave was one of many social justice activists illegally spied on by the Maryland State Police for speaking out against the war and against the death penalty.


LOCAL TOUR STOPS:

• March 2: George Washington University, Marvin Center Grand Ballroom at 8pm (Endorsed by Students for Justice in Palestine, and the Arab Students Association)

• March 4: University of Maryland, College Park, Woods Hall 1130 at 7pm

• March 17: Georgetown University at 7:30pm (Location TBA) (Endorsed by Students for Justice in Palestine)

• March 26: Sankofa Books at 7pm

LGBT Group Tagged as "Terrorist"

Equality Maryland, the state's largest gay civil rights group, was revealed this week to be among the many peaceful protest groups that were once designated a "security threat" by state officials.

The Washington Post reported Friday that the Maryland State Police's Homeland Security & Intelligence Division gave Equality Maryland the designation and considered the organization a terrorist group. The designation has since been rescinded.

more

In the Ditch

A radio commentary by Doug Henwood, editor of Left Business Observer:

Quite a spectacle in Congress on Wednesday, wasn’t it? Watching the assembled CEOs of our biggest banks testifying really put all our pathologies on display. On one side of the table, the bankers looked like dim and evasive hacks—it was easy to see how they drove their vehicles into the ditch. But on the other side of the table, many of the Congresspeople looked like preening and devious hacks. Where were they while the bankers were driving the vehicles into the ditch? And what really do they presume to do about all this? Nationalize the banks? Ha....

Here's the whole thing. See in particular his concluding lines:

An old-style Labour MP is said to have complained to [Tony] Blair about all the right-wing things he had to say to get elected. Blair’s response: “It’s much worse than that. I really believe it.” The same for Obama, I’m afraid. The combination of an economy stuck in the mud and an aroused populace could change that. But not yet.

Coverage of UDC Protest

See also WJLA's story

Socialist Worker article on UDC here

UPDATE: Article in The Washington Informer

Georgetown for Gaza

Relieve the Suffering of the Palestinian People
by Farah El-Sharif

As members of Georgetown for Gaza, greeting our friends and professors on campus with “Happy New Year” after winter break seemed bitterly paradoxical.

As we returned to the comfort and luxury of Georgetown, in the Gaza strip the advent of 2009 (1430 Hijri) came loaded with blood, destruction, and terror. Last month, more than 1,300 people were killed, with at least 95 bodies having been pulled from the rubble since Israel halted its assault on January 18. About 1,200 of the dead have been civilians and well over 300 of them were children. To date, 13 Israelis have been killed in rocket fire, 10 of whom were soldiers.

The situation became so dire that Gazans called on international aid agencies to provide them with the white sheets needed to bury the scores killed; it seems the price of a Palestinian life has dwindled so much that it cannot even rest in peace after death.

read the whole article here

SAVE UDC! NO TUITION HIKES! DEFEND OPEN ADMISSIONS!

WHAT: Rally to save UDC, Washington DC's only public university, from a proposed 100% tuition hike and the end of open enrollment.

WHEN: 6pm, Tuesday February 10th

WHERE: UDC, 4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Inspired by the students of Gallaudet University, students at UDC will be holding a "sleep out" from Tuesday, Feb 10th at 10 AM to 7 pm on Wednesday, Feb 11th.

The 6pm rally is meant to provide community members and alumni to show their solidarity and support.

A 100% tuition hike will make the cost of UDC prohibitive to thousands of low income students. Education is a right not a privilege and it's time to stand up!

You Are Here

This table shows the number of jobs lost or created (in thousands) at X number of months into a given recession.

The blue line is the recession that began in 1990. The one in red is the recession starting in 2001. The green line represents the crisis underway now.



via the Bureau of Labor Statistics

ISR Reading Group Meets on 2/12

We'll be digging into two article from the latest issue of International Socialist Review. The discussion starts at 7 pm on Thursday, Feb. 12 at La Casa Community Center (3166 Mt. Pleasant Street – Columbia Heights metro).

One of the articles, Sherry Wolf's "Stonewall: The Birth of Gay Power," is now online. The other, "The Return of Keynes?" by Petrino DiLeo, is available only in the print edition of the magazine, at least for now. The issue is on sale at bookstores, including Borders and Barnes & Noble.

Another recent article by Sherry Wolf, "LGBT Political Cul-de-sac: Make a U Turn," appears in the latest issue of New Politics.

Save UDC!

End of Open Admissions, 137% Tuition Increase at UDC
Amidst Recession and Mass Layoffs
by Marco Murillo

In a city where longtime residents have seen their community institutions either transformed, sold off or simply terminated, the University of the District of Columbia is next on the chopping block. The Board of Trustees will vote on February 11th, 2009, to decide whether or not to go through with a tuition increase. Many UDC students are native Washingtonians whose current tuition is around $3,300. It would increase immediately in September 2009, to $7,000 per year for students in a 4-year program.

Students and faculty are outraged at the potential hike. For many, UDC is the only viable collegiate institution where working class individuals can further their education.

"What do the people that think they had a way out do now?" expressed returning student Christina Cameron. "They are not thinking about us. They did not ask us."

The tuition hike accompanies another unprecedented outrage: the end of the corner stone of UDC: open enrollment. District of Columbia Public School graduates will now need to obtain a 1400 on their SAT and a 2.0 grade point minimum to gain admittance. As school President Allen Sessoms said coldly, “[We] will no longer have open admission. The community college takes care of that.” The “community college” in question is called, Southeastern University. Located in South East i D.C. where the demographic is mostly Black. UDC is in white upper North West. This stinks of resegregation for thousands of black and latino students. Is President Sessoms sending a subliminal message that we should all stay where we are? While students are outraged, there is some confusion about fighting back.

"Although I understand student opposition," explains Senior Journalism major, Ra-Jah Kelly , "it's important that we understand that all we want is better services."

It's true. We do all want better services, but what the University of the District of Columbia is suggesting will not mean better services. Proof of that are the buy outs proposed of long time faculty members, which the faculty union strongly opposes.

The school president says all the cuts and tuition hikes are because of budget shortfalls. But in an economic climate where banks are getting bailed out by the billions. In a hostile economic climate where banking elites like Citigroup can buy a new $50 million private jet with bailout money from Washington's "golden parachutes," it's inconceivable that some of this capital cannot be allocated to UDC.

"Students need to come out in hordes!" proclaims English composition professor Sahibzada.

We need to fight back and solidierize with all those who oppose this disproportionate proposal.

There is a rally this Thursday at 2pm on the second floor of building 38.

Come make your voice heard on Tuesday, February 10, at 10:00am in front of UDC where students will be “sleeping in” in front of the school until 7pm the following night!

Meeting 2/11 at University of Maryland

WHAT: War, Recession, and Obama: Socialist Strategies for Winning Radical Change
WHEN: Wednesday, February 11th; 7pm
WHERE: 1124 Jimenez Hall

2 million people came to Washington on January 20th DC to celebrate the Obama era and call for change. There is no question that the election of an African American President in a land built by slaves is profound and historic. But for those of us who want change, challenges are everywhere: there is an economic meltdown that is throwing people out of work by the thousands. There are wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. There are tuition hikes and cut backs of services at public universities. At the same time, bank CEO's have given out billions of the bailout money in executive bonuses! The time for change did not end with Obama's election: it began. Join the UMD socialist group, the International Socialist Organization, for a meeting to debate and discuss strategies for winning radical change right here and right now.

Contact: umd_socialist@yahoo.com

Dave Zirin on Sports in an Economic Crisis

Branch Meeting on 2/5

Come talk politics and organizing with the DC International Socialist Organization!

2 million people came to Washington on January 20 in DC to celebrate the call for change. There is no question that the election of an African American President in a land built by slaves is profound and historic. But for those of us who want change, challenges are everywhere: wars in Afghanistan, Palestine, and Iraq rage on, bankers are being given billions in taxpayer money, and jobs, healthcare, and education are suffering. Ordinary people are feeling the brunt of these attacks across the country.

The people of DC are no exception. The President of the University of the District of Columbia recently announced his proposal for tuition hikes and an end to open enrollment at the city's only public university. Students at UDC are rightly fighting back. Come join local activists with the DC ISO as we talk about standing with the students of UDC against the attacks on education, building against the war on local campuses, and fighting for real grassroots change in the form of jobs, education, and healthcare.

When: Thursday, February 5 @ 7 pm

Where: La Casa Community Center (3166 Mt. Pleasant Street – Columbia Heights metro)

Contact: iso_district@yahoo.com or 202-903-6906