Stanford Student Strike

At least 300 Stanford Students turned out for the international "Books Not Bombs" student strike on March 5, 2003.

At 9:30, the striking students coalesced in a busy central campus location to hear speakers and pick up sandwich boards. Students choosing to attend class were greeted with large signs urging them to "THINK PEACE" as they biked by.

The strikers marched around campus, led in chant by megaphone-toting leaders and a group of drummers. As they snaked through academic buildings, and by the Hoover Institution, curious onlookers came out to watch the procession.

The strikers eventually made their way to the main academic quad, where they assembled in a large circle and continued to chant. The quad had been decorated with large posters, bearing the names of supportive on campus groups, and various quotes/slogans. Students could write letters to Condoleeza Rice or local representatives to assert their views against the war.

Over 60 professors gave students their permission to attend the strike, and a smaller fraction cancelled their classes completely. Striking students instead attended teach-in lectures by a variety of faculty members. There were also spoken word presentations, a capella performances, a mariachi band, student musicians, and myriad speeches.

The University had threatened to ban the student strike from occuring in the main quad, the location of similar strikes against the Vietnam War and South African apartheid. Specifically, the University was concerned with the organizers' intention to use amplified sound in an area where classes are held. Though the threats continued throughout the afternoon, performers decided to risk personal culpability and used microphones.

Green armbands and ribbons were seen across campus, throughout the day, a reminder that a significant portion of the Stanford student population deemed this strike important to their education.

For more information: http://www.scpj.org