“Good Afternoon, Berkeley!”
Berkeley Faculty for Freedom to Learn led the rally with speakers from the African American studies department, the School of Natural Resources, and others. More than 100 people gathered at Sproul Plaza yesterday afternoon as helicopters circled overhead.
“Who are we?...Berkeley!... What do we stand for? The freedom to… Speak! The freedom to… Teach! The freedom to… Learn!”
Each speaker emphasized the importance of unity amid dominant narratives of fear and divisiveness. The rally follows the March 8th arrest of Columbia University’s graduate Mahmoud Khalil, one of the leaders of the college encampments sparking a movement in support of Palestine at universities across the country.
UC Berkeley Ethnic Studies Professor Juana Rodriquez shared her sentiments,
“I'm out here today to protect public education to let our students know that if they come for them, faculty, we are willing to put our bodies on the line to protect them, to protect their rights, to learn to study.
We are seeing too many students of every age afraid to go to school. We have to stand up. We have to take a stand. And now is that time.”
The Trump administration threatened to cut federal funding to Columbia University, if the institution did not adhere to a number of terms. These include the removal of campus faculty from leading the Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies Departments.
Dr. Amani Nuru-Jeter, Chair of the UC Berkeley’s Academic Senate, spoke of her concerns about the future of higher education.
" Some will say be quiet. Some will say we should keep our heads down."
Dr. Nuru-Jeter called upon members of the campus and the community at- large to come together during this time.
“And to be honest, it's not even just about UC Berkeley, or even just about the UC. It's about higher education and this full on attack, federal attack on higher education, at the will of unchecked power in Washington DC.”
On April 8th, organizers across the country will convene for the Kill the Cuts National Day of Action. The mass demonstration is aimed at raising awareness of threats to educational freedom and funding.