4/16-24: NYSPC National Books Not Bombs Week of Action!

National Youth and Student Peace Coalition
calls for National Books Not Bombs Week of Action!
April 16 - 24, 2005

Jessica Marshall
National Co-Coordinator
Young Communist League, USA (YCL)
646-437-5348 work
646-643-7702 cell
e-mail: jessie [at] yclusa.org

Web: http://www.yclusa.org


Has your campus administration raised tuition again? Is the
local school board cutting funding for yet another program
for students? Are military recruiters invading your school
and using promises of scholarships and career opportunities
to convince your friends to join the military? Does more of
your school research funding go to developing weapons than
developing cures for diseases? Has the fear of the "threat
of terrorism" been used to justify attacks on immigrant
youth and students in your area?

You're not alone. The war in Iraq is coming home to our
schools and communities in a variety of frightening ways.
But, youth and students are sitting up and taking notice -
and taking action!

Two years ago, when the US military was poised to invade
Iraq, we protested the war and demanded 'Books Not Bombs.'
We marched out of our classrooms and campuses and poured
into the streets, organizing speak-outs and rallies and
together creating the largest student strike in recent
history.

Two years ago, Bush and his administration promised us that
the presence of US troops in Iraq would lead to a safer
world. Young people didn't buy it - we predicted that this
war would only make our world and our future more insecure.
And after a two-year occupation, attacks on rights and
opportunities for youth and students have only increased.

It seems that the war on our future and our resources is
part and parcel of this war-on-the-world foreign policy.
Now more than ever youth and students have to demonstrate
our power, our unity, and our energy.

This spring, we have the chance to unite our voices again!

* City voices will join with rural voices to question and
challenge the ever-increasing presence of military
recruiters who prey on our future

* College and high school students will join together to
demand full education funding and an end to tuition hikes

* Peace activists speaking out against wars abroad will
join with community activists fighting against the war on
our communities


A CALL TO ACTION!

Since 2001, NYSPC has been organizing youth and students to
speak out and organize to fight for Books Not Bombs. NYSPC
calls on all member groups, affiliates and youth and
students everywhere to demand an end to wars and
occupations. Join us from April 16th to 24th in our fight
for the Books Not Bombs Agenda:

H Fund Education - Not Empire!
H Military Out of Our Schools - No to the Poverty
Draft!
H Protect Our Civil Liberties!
H Campuses For Peace - Not War!
H Schools Not Jails!



GET INVOLVED!

Organize one of the events listed below or something
completely different. The important thing is let this week
of action help you highlight the local struggles youth and
students in your area are facing!

1.) Organize a Books Not Bombs Rally / Open-Mic / Speak-Out
/ Concert / Cultural Event

Youth voices can't be confined. So get out in the street!
Energize your school or community, kick-start or publicize a
campaign, and make the connections between the wars being
fought overseas and the war that we're facing every day in
our schools and communities.

Turn a local hip hop or rock show into a blast of energy to
stop the war! The Books Not Bombs Week of Action is the
perfect time to get your friends, classmates, co-workers,
and everyone else together to listen to music and call for
youth rights and priorities to replace war and militarism.
Adding an Open Mic to any event allows everyone to express
what Books Not Bombs means to them, through poetry, music
and more.

2.) Tent State University

Tent State University (TSU) was launched in 2003 at Rutgers
University in New Brunswick, NJ, with the goal of stopping
drastic budget cuts to higher education in the wake of the
wars on Afghanistan and Iraq. For five days, hundreds of
students built and maintained a tent city at the center of
campus, symbolizing the displacement of Higher Education,
and held a wide array of activities, including alternative
daytime classes, direct actions, as well as live bands and a
variety of other performances every night. This year, TSU is
going national. Universities, high schools, and youth groups
around the country are building tent universities and
linking the destruction of public higher education to the
ever-rising costs of war. Students and youth groups are
encouraged to join in and create their own version of TSU.

Visit http://www.tentstateuniversity.com

and download a toolkit for youth organizers to hold a successful event on
your campus.


3.) Realities of War Event

One of the first steps to winning the Books Not Bombs agenda
is to engage and educate our friends and peers on the issues
that are most affecting youth today. Youth and students
around the country deserve to hear the real truth behind the
war on Iraq and learn what they need to do in their
communities and on their campuses to fight back!

The Realities of War is an ongoing national speaking tour,
sponsored by NYSPC that brings home the real face of war:
in Iraq, in our high schools, in our universities and in our
communities.
During the week of action, NYSPC calls on youth and students
to host public forums and teach-ins that showcase the
Realities of War. Use these educational events as a chance
to highlight the local struggles youth are facing and their
connection to the war. Several universities around the
country are already planning Realities of War events during
the Week of Action!

For more info on hosting a Realities of War event at your
school, email us at info [at] nyspc.net.

CONNECT!

The National Youth and Student Peace Coalition wants to
amplify your voice and your demands. Tell us your story,
announce your event, and we'll help get the word out to the
media and other youth and students.

We've found the website http://www.campusactivism.org to be a great tool for
activists. Check it out! Coming up at http://www.campusactivism.org, under the
category Books Not Bombs, you will be able to:

* Register your Books Not Bombs event
* Learn about and connect with other Books Not Bombs
events around the country and in your region
* Download upcoming resources like the Week of Action
organizing guide, images for posters, sample press release,
and more.
* Share the resources you've created



The National Youth and Student Peace Coalition is sponsoring
the Books Not Bombs National Week of Action. NYSPC is the
largest coalition of youth and student organizations from
around the country committed to fighting for peace and
justice in our schools, communities, and around the world.
Find out more at http://www.nyspc.net