Morales/Shakur Center Update!

[nattyreb]

FROM:
PROLIBERTAD
3 February 2007

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MORALES/SHAKUR CENTER UPDATE

YOUNGBLOODS, ELDERS AND FRIENDS:

Yesterday about 80 students and several elders attended a forum on the
history of the GUILLERMO MORALES / ASSATA SHAKUR COMMUNITY AND STUDENT
CENTER at Harlem University (a/k/a CCNY) and to give students returning to
classes an overview of the controversy over the Community Center's name. The
panelists included ABIODUN OYEWOLE of the Last Poets, Esperanza Martel, a
Puerto Rican activist and former City College faculty member who was purged
for supporting student activists, and myself.

City Council member Charles Barron has called for a press conference on
Thursday, February 8th at 1 PM outside the MORALES / SHAKUR COMMUNITY CENTER
located in room 3/201 in the North Academic Center (NAC Building) at City
College.

Council Member Barron has been outspoken in his support of the right of
community members and students to name the Community Center in honor of
GUILLERMO MORALES and ASSATA SHAKUR and he has condemned the decision by
CUNY to remove the sign bearing the name of the Community Center from the
room's entrance. Mr. Barron has called for the sign to be restored and for
CUNY to officially designate the room in honor of GUILLERMO and ASSATA.

The controversy over the name of the Community Center erupted in December
after the New York Daily News published a prominent article and editorial
condemning the decision to name the Community Center in honor of GUILLERMO
MORALES and ASSATA SHAKUR, two former City College student activists who
live in Cuba where they have been granted political asylum. A day after the
Daily News article was published the City College administration removed the
sign bearing Guillermo and ASSATA¹S names from the entrance of the Community
Center and threatened students who work at the Community Center with
disciplinary action if they replaced the sign.

Yesterday's panel was organized by the students working at the Community
Center to introduce City College students to the history of the Center that
was founded in 1989 and the importance of the decision to name the Center in
honor of GUILLERMO and ASSATA.

I spoke on Guillermo Morales' role as one of the leaders of the historic
1969 student strike that forced CUNY to implement Open Admissions and to
establish departments and programs in ethnic studies. Esperanza spoke on the
Puerto Rican independence movement which Guillermo was a part of and of the
importance of supporting freedom fighters held as political prisoners in the
United States for participation in the movements for Black Liberation,
Puerto Rican independence and Native American sovereignty. ABIODUN recited
poetry and spoke of his experiences with ASSATA and the importance of
opposing the terrorism being perpetrated by the U.S. government.

Students at the forum peppered the panel with questions and displayed
enthusiastic interest in supporting the ongoing work of the MORALES / SHAKUR
Community Center and defending work and the name of the Community Center.

Yesterday's panel was ably moderated by Hank Williams, a CUNY Graduate
Student and long time activist at the Community Center and CUNY graduate
student David King.

The MORALES / SHAKUR Community Center needs volunteers to help in the
Center's projects and activities, including the campaign to save the
Community Center.

The MORALES / SHAKUR Center is located in room 3/201 in the NAC Building at
City College at 137th Street at either Convent of Amsterdam Avenues.

The phone number is 212-650-5008.

For information about the press conference contact Charles Barron's office
at 212-788-6957 or 718-649-9495.

Hands off ASSATA and GUILLERMO!
Hands off the Community Center!

Ronald B. McGuire