Three campus protest organizers, Damon Terrell, Erika Wolf and Ben Manski – all members of the Wisconsin Wave movement – visited UMass campuses Nov. 1 to 5. They spoke of the popular uprising in Wisconsin that was organized after the conservative governor, Scott Walker, attempted to cut social programs and other community works in Wisconsin.
All three campus organizers have extensive experience in political action. Manski has a long history of political organizing. He is the executive director of the Liberty Tree Foundation and also served as co-chair for the Green Party. Wolf is the advocacy field organizer for the United Council of UW Students. She also worked behind the scenes at the Wisconsin rally using Facebook to mobilize students and others to occupy the Wisconsin state capitol. Terrell, a student at UW-Madison, helped to found the Autonomous Solidarity Organization. He also has been active in working with the United Council of UW Students. They described the protest in Wisconsin as “a battle over collective bargaining.”
Over the course of the week these protesters visited four UMass campuses and also participated in the Occupy Boston movement, marching from Dewey Square to the State House on Wednesday, the second. A UMB student and member of the American Friends Service Committee, Troy Lintz, and Wally Soper, a member of the Labor Resources Center at UMB’s CPCS program were instrumental in bringing the Wisconsin Wave to the three other UMass campuses.
Lintz explained, “I’m undoubtedly a concerned student-I see myself as part of the what is the most exciting time in American history-if not world history. Our time is the time when our world will either die a painfully violent death or will gain the stature of a star among planets by virtue of the genius of our creative vitality.” He described the three Wisconsin Wave visitors as “amazing and inspiring.”
Wally Soper, who was also behind getting the three organizers to come to Boston, said his function was to “connect the dots.” He explained how the three campus organizers spoke before his union as well as the union to which Sodexo workers belong.
Several organizations helped to bring these organizers to UMB and also to spread their message of democratic change. The Majority Agenda Project was the main force behind bringing these campus organizers to Boston. Several other progressive organizations worked together to plan the visit and itinerary of Terrell, Wolf, and Manski; these include PHENOM, Jobs with Justice and other pro-democracy groups.
Over the course of the week the Wisconsin Wave activists visited unions and sat in on some classes at UMB. One of these was the honors 380: Revolutionary Desires class, taught by Professor Schotten. She explained, “We teach a lot of high political theory. [The Wisconsin Wave organizers] really brought it down to earth for my students.”
Damon Terrell explained, “My story really resonates with a lot of students-you are the young people those who have sixty or seventy years ahead of you.” While Manski talked about the wave of protest that has erupted around the world in recent years following NAFTA and the spread of globalism, Terrell and Wolf spoke of how students have the power to make positive change in the world. Offering their own experience as an example, they showed students and others the power in numbers and the importance of protest and its ability to affect change in the democratic process.