BRONX, DECEMBER 18–As the president of Bronx Community College (BCC) laid out the budget cuts, that he would oversee at the college senate meeting today, a crowd of 30 fired up students and faculty lined the back wall, carrying signs that said “Budget Cuts are Racist”, “Money for CUNY, not for Jails”, and, “They Say Cut Back, We Say Fight Back!” The administration hoped that their racist budget cuts would pass unnoticed, but these militant students fired back shouting “No way!” Members and friends of Progressive Labor Party (PLP) helped organize the small but sharp stand-off against the fascist liberal administration’s punishing cuts.
Our goal is to use every opportunity to organize students and workers on campus to not only take on the small-fry administration of our college, but the whole racist capitalist system, and use campus struggles as a springboard for our politics, winning students to the idea that we need to fight for communism– the only system capable of educating and providing the working class with a life of dignity– because we will ultimately be the ones running things.
The budget cuts at BCC are happening against a backdrop of even more racist attacks coming from the CUNY Board of Trustees, who have plans to raise tuition by $200 per year, including a $120 “health and wellness” fee. These racist politicians and CEOs show their utter contempt for a student population already suffering from capitalist oppression – 50 percent of CUNY students are either food- or housing-insecure, in what is sadly the poorest congressional district in the country.
As we left the meeting, we chanted “Get the Budget Right or Expect a Fight!” and nearly all of the other faculty and students at the meeting applauded and cheered. The fight of students against racist budget cuts and tuition increases is the same as the fight for decent wages for adjunct faculty. This solidarity position was clear to everyone there.
After our spirited show of student-worker solidarity, we gathered outside the meeting room to reflect on the demonstration. There was lots of excitement from students, more than half of whom had never been to a demonstration before. We noted the applause from faculty and how our fight is really the same. Another student reported the administration wasn’t clapping, but rather sitting there quietly.
A PLP member congratulated the students for fighting back, not only against the budget cuts at BCC but against the whole racist system. Finally, we asked the students who would be returning in the spring (which was most of them) whether they were ready to continue to fight next semester. All of them responded enthusiastically.
BCC students declared they will back next semester to carry on the fight against these racist budget cuts and tuition increases. PLP members will be there every step of the way, helping to lead the fight, helping to build confidence and militancy, and helping to make communist ideas a  primary part of the working-class struggle at CUNY. We have a world to win!