Did you know that several students at UC Berkeley are once again in the midst of a hunger strike? True. This time they're protesting the erosion of the school's Ethnic Studies program. According to Berkeleyside, eight people are now "entering their eighth day without eating to protest the controversial consolidation of Ethnic Studies with other social science programs, resulting in staff reductions and the demotion of faculty to half-time." And despite their efforts and demands -- which, among other things, include staff reinstatement and for Cal to "publicly acknowledge the unfulfilled promise to create a Third World College at the university" -- protesters have yet to reach a deal with school administrators.
Carleen Sanchez, vice president of the National Association for Ethnic Studies, explained to the Berkeley Daily Planet why such programs are crucial: "Ethnic studies are under assault...Administrators do not recognize the importance of ethnic studies...Given our origins in civil rights, I think that that type of direct action and individual sacrifice is part of our history...A hunger strike is not silly.”
Furthermore, Sanchez went on to point out a law signed last year by vapid anti-civil rights Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, one that "bans classes 'designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group,' or which 'advocate ethnic solidarity instead of treatment of pupils as individuals from K-12 classrooms.' "
Protesters plan on continuing their hunger strike for the remainder of the week.