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CREATED:20241010T185100Z
DESCRIPTION:60th Anniversary of The Free Speech Movement “Standing against 
 injustice…with largeness of mind and generosity of spirit”\n\nSpeakers: 
 Waldo Martin, Professor, UC Berkeley Department of History, author of Black 
 Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther 
 Party\n\nDavid S., Revcom Corps for the Emancipation of Humanity, Bay 
 Area\n\nThe Free Speech Movement (FSM) shook Berkeley, college campuses 
 across the country, and impacted the broader society, sixty years ago in 
 the fall of 1964. We call for people to join with Revolution Books, 
 Berkeley, in a program to commemorate the FSM. We need to uphold key 
 lessons from what students at Berkeley did to change history then, so that 
 students – and everyone – can step to the fore to change this crazy and 
 dangerous world today.\n\nIn his famous speech, Mario Savio said: \n"There 
 is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so 
 sick at heart, that you can't take part; you can't even passively take 
 part, and you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, 
 upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop. 
 And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own 
 it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at 
 all!"\n\nHere is an irony which stands out on the Berkeley campus: what 
 Mario actually said and fought for is right now under attack in a wave of 
 repressive measures on campuses all over the country, including the UC 
 system and Berkeley itself. And among those driving that attack are people 
 who claim to uphold (but actually distort) the legacy of the FSM and Mario 
 Savio.\n\nA further irony is that Bob Avakian, one of the students brought 
 forward through participating in that historic movement, became the 
 foremost revolutionary communist in the world today, developing a new 
 communism. And Avakian has upheld the FSM and the principles and spirit of 
 that movement, has popularized this in his recollections of that time, and 
 has incorporated this into the guiding principles of the new 
 communism.\n\nHe spoke forcefully in his social media to key principles 
 from that time which need to be brought to the fore in commemorating the 
 FSM, and also need to be applied today:\n\n“…the bedrock stand of 
 refusing to go along with injustice and putting yourself on the line to 
 oppose it, without being derailed by the hypocritical maneuvers, or 
 shrinking in the face of the repressive measures, of those wielding unjust 
 power; the largeness of mind and generosity of spirit that leads to uniting 
 all who can be united in the fight against injustice, with the orientation 
 of valuing and encouraging critical thinking, with open-minded debate over 
 the road forward and the biggest questions related to changing the 
 world.”\n\nWe live in a society that is tearing apart and in which things 
 that may have once seemed unthinkable are today the stock in trade of 
 mainstream political parties. Never has the need for rebellion against 
 injustice and oppression on the campuses, resonating throughout society, 
 been greater. Never have the stakes of whether there is an atmosphere of 
 encouraging critical thinking and open-minded debate been higher.\n\nJoin 
 with us to commemorate the FSM. We will bring out Bob Avakian and his 
 unique views on the FSM and on revolution, and feature other voices and 
 perspectives on the FSM and its great significance for today.\n\nThere 
 will be time for discussion after the presentations.\n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2024/10/10/18869905.php
SUMMARY:60th Anniversary of The Free Speech Movement
LOCATION:Revolution Books, 2444 Durant Ave. Berkeley CA 94704
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2024/10/10/18869905.php
DTSTART:20241019T010000Z
DTEND:20241019T030000Z
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