Former activists tell of protests

[3 articles]

1960s Leaders visit USC

http://www.dailygamecock.com/news/1960s-leaders-visit-usc-1.1275636

Activist shares views from years of protest

By Taylor Cheney
March 22, 2010

A panel of distinguished authors and revolutionary leaders during the
1960s spoke Saturday evening in Gambrell Hall as part of the Student
Activism, Southern Style conference.

A native of Detroit, Mich., Tom Hayden is an accomplished journalist
who was arrested for protesting at the Democratic Convention of 1968
and is also well-known for more than 40 years in politics and animal rights.

Through his experiences, Hayden has formed a strong appreciation with
his fellow panel members, including Connie Curry and Chuck McDew,
both activists for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.

"People have no idea how close we were," Hayden said.

Through his relationships with fellow public leaders, Hayden said he
has an altered view on why disputes are fought.

"You really fight a war for your buddies," he said. "The main issue
is always who's the scapegoat or who's been demonized."

With this mindset, Hayden has passed more than 100 legislative
measures including a 10-year effort to hold off tuition increases,
establishment of a statewide Agent Orange registry, extension of
sexual harassment codes to professional relationships and funding for
gang intervention projects.

After studying the effects of a revolution that took place 40 years
ago, Hayden said he still has difficulty understanding it.

"There are certain things left out of the '60s, and the struggle for
memory is most important," he said.

In his discussion, Hayden said there are three different types of
promoting memory.
"There are people who want to forget everything, people who want to
glorify memory by teaching children and there are politicians who
only remember select parts to remember."

This is why he considers it an injustice that streets named for
social activists such as Rosa Parks and Malcolm X or postage stamps
printed in their honor are supposed to sufficient memorials.

However, his experience during the controversial decade taught him
more than any formal education.

"By getting out of my comfort zone, I gained more knowledge than my
six years at the University of Michigan," he said. "My moments of
transformation gave me the ultimate reality."

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Former activists tell of protests

http://www.dailygamecock.com/news/former-activists-tell-of-protests-1.1274366

Alumni panel tell of anti-war student activism, leadership, positive
effects of resisting status-quo

By Taylor Cheney
March 21, 2010

As part of last weekend's "Student Activism, Southern Style"
conference, USC alumni from the 1960s and 1970s shared their stories
of student activism and anti-war protest in the Russell House.

Director of South Carolina Progressive Network and University alumnus
Brett Bursey was one of three speakers on Friday's "Why We Became
Active" panel.

The son of a naval commander, Bursey said that it largely influenced
his activist behavior. After graduating from Beaufort High School in
1964, Bursey became a Gamecock around the time the Civil Rights Act
passed. Two years later, he attended his first protest at the
University of Georgia in Athens. When he returned to Columbia,
however, protests became increasingly rampant.

"1968 was an insane year," he said.

In response to the Orangeburg Massacre, where three student
protesters were killed by police officers, and the segregation of a
local bowling alley, Bursey formed and was chairman of the AWARE
group at USC. Through Bursey's efforts, AWARE was able to stop USC
from playing "Dixie" and waving Confederate flags at football games.

"Brett was always protesting something," said USC alumnus and fellow
panel speaker Luther Battiste III.

Later that year, Bursey was arrested on campus for spray painting
"Hell no, we won't go," on draft boards posted in the Russell House
and was later expelled for his acts. Bursey was one of the 600
students arrested that year for anti-war protest. The main reason
that so many students were arrested, Bursey said, was due to the draft.

"We were the messenger that got shot," he said.

After he was arrested and served two years in prison, he was nearly
persuaded by his California native grandfather to transfer to the
University of California, Berkeley where his grandfather said he
thought he would be able to "blend in." Bursey, however, refused the offer.

"I made a conscious decision to stay at USC," he said. "USC needed
me. Berkeley didn't."
Looking back now, the self-proclaimed left-wing adventurer said he
doesn't regret anything.
"I had something to believe in while I was [at USC]. I kept thinking
the revolution was right around the corner and it wasn't," Bursey said.

Currently, Bursey is promoting the same cause he was 50 years ago in
the South Carolina Progressive Network which, according to its Web
site, is a coalition of activists from across the state working
together to promote social and economic justice. By doing so, Bursey
said he hopes to try to set an example that people can hold.

"There's a big difference between citizens and civics and that's a
big problem," Bursey said. "If there's enough of us, we can do something."

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Panel shares advice about civil activism

http://www.dailygamecock.com/news/panel-shares-advice-about-civil-activism-1.1278366

Transfer student unafraid to hold strong beliefs

By Taylor Cheney
March 24, 2010

Sunday marked the final day of the "Student Activism, Southern Style"
conference which took place this past weekend. A panel of three USC
students discussed their work in political activism in the Russell
House to conclude the program.

One of the panel memebers, second-year political science student
Tessa Johnson has been enrolled as a transfer student from London
since August. Already actively involved in the Feminist Majority
Leadership Alliance, Johnson has attended oral contraceptive protests
at the Statehouse, collected signatures for reproductive rights,
screened feminist documentaries and raised funds for local women's
shelters in Columbia. Now living overseas, Johnson said she has
gained a new respect for her freedom in England.

"There are a lot of things I took for granted like oral
contraceptives and reproduction rights," she said. "I forget how
lucky I am at home."

Johnson attended all girls private school which she said had a lot to
do with strengthening her activist opinions today.

"It's alienating to have strong views," she said. "I was often
disliked for what I believed, but it's been a trade off for meeting
amazing people, educators, older graduates and politicians (which is)
inspiring."

Johnson said that the voting system affects the public differently
than in the States.
"The political parties (in England) are very similar so if one
candidate gets chosen over the other, it doesn't change much."

A major issue concerning feminists according to Johnson is the
radical stereotypes associated with their image and the messages they
stand for.

"Perception is a backlash. All people see us as lesbians and
constantly fighting the issue of abortion," she said. "Few people
think women should have equal rights and a lot of men and women just
don't care."

Johnson said she defines feminism as not just fighting for things
like abortion, but also equal wages and equal opportunities and does
not mind being labeled as one.
"There is a world as it is and there is a world as it ought to be," she said.

However, through her experience in America and in the FMLA, Johnson
plans to go into politics and has concluded that student activism
will always play a role in her life.

"Being involved in FMLA has changed the course of my life and given
me so much experience," she said. "I have had so much fun and I hope
in the future I hope to be doing the same thing, if not as a student,
but for the rest of my life."

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