40th Anniversary of TWLF Strike at SFSU

An article in The Chronicle, titled "S.F. State to mark 40th anniversary of strike", written by Tanya Schevitz on october 26, 2008, helps commemorate the strike at SFSU in 1968, and also speaks about its impact on ethnic studies today. Joseph White, dean of undergraduate studies and former faculty sponsor for the Black Student Union, said "Black people were invisible in higher education in California. We were invisible on the faculty, in the curriculum and on the staff. And we were almost invisible in the student body." This relates to how Asian Americans are practically overlooked today. There are so many of us in the United States today, and yet there aren't many well-known Asian American icons in American music, literature, or art. The ones that exist have trouble breaking away from being labeled as "ethnic," and therefore, people view them as not truely American.

The article also talks about the tactics that students used to be heard, San Francisco police Lt. George Eimil, who was on campus every day during the strike, said "They placed a bomb in the administrative offices while school was in session. They were setting fires in the library. They were putting people's lives in serious danger." I think these tactics were neccessary because otherwise, the demands of the students would not be taken seriously. Students are trying to fight more budget cuts at SFSU now, and they have been doing so since last year. These were nonviolent protests and gatherings, but I don't think many people are taking it seriously. The students today do not go out of their way to join the strikes or informational meetings that have been set up. I've particiated in a few strikes against the budget cut, and there were a lot of people participating, but not enough if you take into account there are more than 20,000 students enrolled. At a strike on campus, a lot of students weren't even paying attention to the strike, they just wanted to get to class. They might not be taking those classes if they don't strike out against the budget cuts!