education

     When I was at the University of Connecticut from 2003 – 2006 I went through an experience involving group harassment starting in my sophomore year and ending about when I graduated.  There were many things which came out of that experience and writing helps put them in their place.  The best and most rewarding for have been insights which came from looking back and analyzing what happened so that I could share what I have learned .  That way, others going through the same struggles can look at some of what I’ve written and perhaps find something they may find helpful in their struggle.
 

 by Susan Raffo (originally published at The Bilerico Project)

Growing up, it was one of the holidays where we gathered together at my great-grandmother's house. Piles of aunts and uncles, cousins and people whose names I could never remember showed up with plates piled high with food. Turkey and dressing. Green beans and candied yams. That red jelly in a can that was supposed to be made of cranberries. Black olives. Pumpkin pie. Apple pie. And then cold turkey sandwiches later in the day.

Interested in fermentation? How about experimental songwriting, drawing, or creative writing? Would you like to learn about issues facing the Twin Cities' public school systems or how to make trouble using media, all via free community-led education?

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Last week members of the Mankato Area Activist Collective, an anti-authoritarian organization, took action against the $7 million budget cut facing Minnesota State University, Mankato over the next two years. Last spring the university cut 79 ½ positions, one out of every ten faculty members. With tuition predicted to increase as much as 15 percent students are being forced to pay more for less.

From August 23rd to the 27th students and community members took inspiration from the student occupations of March 4th and seized a section of the universities lawn on which they camped out all week. They used this space to protest the downsizing of our education as well as to raise student awareness on a variety of issues and the repercussions of the budget cuts.

This is a video for anyone who’s struggling for a better education, especially immigrant students.