Under the baobab: It's time we all do our part as the resistance continues
Let me make songs for the people, Songs for the old and the young;
Songs to stir like a battle cry wherever they are sung.
Not for the clashing of sabers, for carnage nor for strife;
But songs to thrill the hearts of men (and women) with more abundant life.
…Our world, so worn and weary, needs music, pure and strong,
To hush the jangle and discords of sorrow, pain, and wrong. – Frances Harper.
Let me begin with a disclaimer. The ideas expressed in this column do not represent the political or social views of the Centre Daily Times, Penn State University, the Borough of State College, or Black people in general. These opinions are mine alone.
First, congratulations to Gary Abdullah Jr. for being selected as this year's Lions Paw Medal Recipient. Also, the Penn State AI Hub culminated AI Week with a presentation of 68 poster projects at the Nittany Lion Inn and research awards.
The resistance continues.
Harvard, the oldest university in America, stepped to the front lines of the resistance. The school rejected demands from the Trump administration that they change their policies. Harvard argued that the changes demanded by the government exceed its lawful authority and infringed on both the university's independence and its constitutional rights. 'The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,' Harvard President Alan Garber wrote, 'No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.'
The Trump government responded by freezing more than $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and contracts to the university. They also threaten to revoke the university's tax-exempt status. Harvard was the first major academic institution to be so attacked. They responded with courage and integrity. Other universities, including Penn State, have taken a wait and see posture. Several of the Big Ten schools are forming a collective alliance to mutually assist each other should any of them be attacked.
Vice President J.D. Vance and I both attended an Ivy League Law School, not Harvard, after graduating from a state university. Some of our fellow alums went on to become Supreme Court Justices and presidents of the United States. Ultimately, they will be called upon to determine the Constitutional validity of the Trump administration actions and Harvard's response.
It is time we all do our part. Following Harvard's lead, some of us will dust off our credentials. As an election official I will help to ensure that 'one person/one vote' will be the rule in at least one Centre County precinct in the local primaries. As a former legal services organization president and law professor, I will be volunteering my skills to assist those in danger of being wrongfully deported. As a citizen I will participate in future events that follow the hundreds of 'Hands Off' protests.
Another hero, Maryland Sen. Van Hollen, traveled to El Salvador to check on the status of his constituent Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was unjustly deported and imprisoned after a round up by U.S. immigration authorities. Sen. Van Hollen was able to have a brief visit to reassure Mr. Garcia that he is not alone. None of us are. We walk on paths our ancestors constructed, moving toward the dreams and hopes of our children born and not yet born, nourishing ourselves with love, refreshing ourselves with community, knowing that We Are The People.
Sing a song for freedom, sing it loud, sing it strong.
Sing it true, don't sing it wrong.
When you sing a song for freedom, don't forget to walk it too
Because when you walk for freedom, I will walk with you. – Charles Dumas
Charles Dumas is a lifetime political activist, a professor emeritus from Penn State, and was the Democratic Party's nominee for U.S. Congress in 2012. He lives with his partner and wife of 50 years in State College.
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