IT IS RIGHT TO REBEL: An Overview of People’s Victories in State College
Read the full Fall 2024 SCDS Dis-Orientation Guide here.
This Dis-Orientation Guide highlights many of the systemic issues harming students at Penn State and demonstrates how these connect to issues in the so-called United States and world more broadly. Confronting these problems may seem daunting: how can we, the “powerless” exploited workers and oppressed peoples, overcome organized capitalist power? How can we beat the capitalist class? How can we push the self-serving administration of Penn State to instead serve the students? How can we force Penn State to divest from imperialist murder? Capitalists may have their political and police power, and Penn State Admin may have their institutional power and police backing, but there’s a far greater power than this paper thin strength: the power of the people, united. When the exploited and oppressed fight back in coordinated harmony, flimsy capitalist forces will buckle and rout.
History has proven time and time again that the power of the people can topple oppressive forces. Even at our own university, students have historically fought and won concessions from our exploitative administration. The struggle for racial justice at this university has a long and rich history of student victories won through rallies, protests, marches, building and lawn occupations, and even storming the field at football games. (1) While this struggle is far from over, we can see from many past victories that when the people struggle together, the administration has no choice but to concede to our demands. In decades past, students of color and their allies have won the creation of the African American Studies department, more racially equal university admission, legal desegregation in housing, and divestment from South African apartheid. We can and must continue to win until Penn State truly serves the people and not racist capitalist trustees.
Struggles against oppression are often taught as if they have been resolved long ago and are now a mere memory kept alive in black and white images, but the struggle is still ongoing and far from over. The oppressed and exploited carry this fight forward, including here at Penn State. Although we formed only a few years ago, SCDS has taken up these fights and organized the masses to win many victories. In recent years, through organized struggle the people have routed multiple fascist speakers and defended progressive students and faculty in the face of repression.
In October of 2022, a far-right student organization invited the founder of the fascist white-supremacist gang, the Proud Boys, Gavin McInnes, and anti-trans charlatan Alex Stein to speak at Penn State, using student fee money to fund and defend their hate speech. In the wake of a similar event the previous year, students would not stand to see more of their money funneled into the pockets of hateful bigots and violent fascists welcomed on our campus. Students, faculty, and community members of good conscience attended community meetings held by SCDS and organized a protest to shut down this fascist event. On the night of the event, hundreds of students and community members gathered outside of the Thomas Building, where the event was held, unintimidated by the hundreds of well equipped police officers Penn State paid to protect the fascist speakers. After holding space outside of Thomas and sustaining a bear mace attack from fascists, victory was realized for the protesters. Through the power of the masses channeled in harmony, students forced Penn State admin to cancel the event and the fascist speakers to retreat home in shame. (2)
In April 2023, Alex Stein was once again invited to Penn State by students sympathetic to fascism for a speaking event funded by university money, despite the fact that he sexually harassed a minor at the protest during his last visit. Racist transphobe James Lindsay was invited to speak in a separate event scheduled four days prior to Stein. (3) As these events were announced, SCDS called for protests and the masses prepared to shut down another two fascist speakers. With the people’s victory against McInnes fresh in their minds, Penn State Admin canceled both events, making up logistical excuses to conceal their fear of the might of organized masses.
Penn State Admin knows the power we have when we rightfully rebel together, so they desperately try to intimidate students and professors of good conscience by making examples of them. Admin hopes that by instilling fear in progressive students and professors, they will prevent us from pursuing organizing for just causes. However, as students of good conscience, we know that we are stronger together and that it is right to defend progressive members of our communities from admin and state repression!
After defending student protesters from a fascist assailant, (4) a beloved English and African American Studies Professor, Dr. Baker, was persecuted by the university. Admin attempted to fire him for defending students and community members from fascist abuse, but SCDS (then SASV) took up a campaign to defend him and fought together with the masses to show that we defend anti-racists and we will not be intimidated. After several months of protests and pressure, Penn State admin conceded to mass pressure and resolved not to fire Dr. Baker.
At the protest to shut down McInnes, a student protester was arrested for merely standing in the “wrong spot” when the police marched into the crowd on horseback. Penn State Admin tried to expel this student for this so-called “crime” before he even had a fair trial, only one month before he would graduate! SCDS organized a campaign demanding the charged be dropped and, once again, students and faculty of good conscience showed that we will not stand by while admin attacks our own, and admin was forced to concede.
The history of Penn State has shown us time and time again that when the oppressed and exploited people unite in coordination, we will win! Our fights here are far from over: combating Penn State’s investment in genocide, the ongoing struggle for racial justice, the fight against transphobia, and many more. We must continue the fight until all oppression is ended, forever. If we get organized and fight together, we will win! Connect with local organizations like SCDS, find others who are willing and ready to struggle against oppression, and struggle together to combat and overthrow capitalist systems of oppression until exploitation is no more.
DARE TO STRUGGLE, DARE TO WIN!
Read the full Fall 2024 SCDS Dis-Orientation Guide here.
Sources
- THE BLACK AND WHITE BEHIND THE BLUE AND WHITE: A HISTORY OF BLACK STUDENT PROTESTS AT PENN STATE (2002):
https://www.blackhistory.psu.edu/assets/pdf/theblackandwhitebehindtheblueandwhite-RobinHoecker.pdf - How Penn State Students Shut Down the Proud Boys (Sept 30, 2023):
https://medium.com/@embernews/how-penn-state-students-shut-down-the-proud-boys-955ede3a1a48 - Two events featuring controversial right-wing speakers at Penn State are canceled (April 22, 2023):
https://www.centredaily.com/news/local/education/penn-state/article274581401.html - PENN STATE COMMUNITY ALERT: There is a Dangerous B1got on Campus! (April 18, 2022):
https://medium.com/@psucommunityalerts/penn-state-community-alert-there-is-a-dangerous-b1got-on-campus-fb53de9ccdc9
