Plan to protest won't interfere with Monday's classes

For the first time since the holiday's passage into federal law in 1983, staff at Yale University will have Mon., Jan. 15 off in honor of the birth of the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. While staff will be able to attend the numerous and diverse array of scheduled events within the New Haven community, students and faculty will still have regularly scheduled classes this coming Monday.

ERIN I. LEWIS / YH

Working Together, the newsletter of Locals 34 and 35, deemed Mon., Jan. 15 "an exciting day for workers at Yale" while also commending the day as "the newest staff holiday at the University." While local labor unions are pleased with Yale's concession, some students and faculty believe the University must reach further and either cancel or reschedule classes in observance of the holiday. Despite significant and consistent pressure over the years from various student coalitions, the Administration has not deviated from its stringent policy of not observing any of the nation's federal holidays.

An evenhanded and consistent approach to scheduling concerns has compelled the University to abstain from granting any federal holidays to students and faculty in order to avoid a potentially difficult situation of having to pick and choose between a broad swath of holidays sponsored by various student interest groups.

An unprecedented display of solidarity among many of the University's interest groups culminated on Wed., Jan. 10 in a multi-lateral organizational meeting designed to refine and focus the committee's plans for its celebration and goals for its message to the Administration and media.

Student organizations represented at the meeting included the Arab Students Association, Asian American Students Association, Black Student Alliance at Yale, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán, Students Against Sweatshops, and the Student Labor Action Coalition.

Despite the event's unity of purpose, some discord arose on what exactly the group's collective message should include. The most contentious issue was whether or not an explicit demand should be made of students to skip classes in order to attend the day's events. In an attempt to circumvent the issue of students cutting classes, a memo was circulated before winter recess to all faculty asking for "either the cancellation or rescheduling of classes that happen to fall on Jan. 15, 2001."

In response to this memo, a few professors have agreed to cancel their Monday classes. "I think it's important for the students to go ahead and participate in the celebration," Professor Michael Prinstein said about his choice to cancel his psychology class.

The day's events will be punctuated by a protest against classes on the federal holiday involving students marching from the United Church on the Green to Beinecke Plaza early Monday afternoon.

John Johnson, DC '03, a leader at the Afro-American Cultural Center and chief organizer of the day's events, assured the other students at the meeting that "we wouldn't be inactive but would be participating in the day's events." Johnson did identify an "end of not having classes" as the ultimate goal, but added that "if we can't have a day `off,' then at least have a day `on,'" encouraging students to honor and remember the legacy of King.

In response to the apparent lukewarm support for a complete walk-out on Monday by student leaders in attendance at the meeting, Jackie King, the Pastor of the Black Church at Yale, spoke passionately about the gravity of such a holiday and questioned the group's priorities and commitment to its cause.

"How serious are you about this?" she asked. "It's nice for you all to come together, but what in the end are you going to do? If you are serious about this, you might as well go all the way. People died for this... people had to walk to work in fear...people weren't afraid about missing class."

For King, the potential costs of civil disobedience pale in comparison to the urgency of not letting the century's greatest leader die twice.

"Unfortunately, the vast majority of Yale students feel far enough removed from the threat of [civil rights violations] that we don't feel the need to put our lives on the line as generations before us have," Alexandra Cox, BK '01, coordinator of the Student Legal Action Movement (SLAM), said.

Johnson reminded students who may be numb to the sentiment voiced by Cox that "the emphasis and focus of the day is on celebration and honoring the legacy of King."

Events begin at 9 a.m. on Mon., Jan. 15 with an opening service that will be followed by various rallies, speeches, screenings, discussions, and performances. Although the Yale Divinity and Medical schools will be sponsoring the day's events, official Yale involvement remains limited to its graduate program.

The group that will be encouraging student participation throughout the day, as headed by Johnson, understands the problems posed by officially recognizing any holiday. Johnson, however, sees the policy of "consistency" on the Administration's part as "silly and a bunch of red tape." Johnson in no way opposes potential efforts to lobby for other holidays that students find important.

"Get something together for Veteran's Day, I'll help you," Johnson added. "But for Columbus Day, I won't."

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