Although a humble meeting of just 16 attendees, the joint gathering with San Francisco State University anti-war organizations Resist US-Led War, Gabriela and League of Filipino Students, was nothing short of passion.
“Who can we agitate to join our fights?” said Vero, a leader of SFSU’s Resist US-Led War chapter.
She said uniting for this cause was the backbone of the conference she and her fellow panelists attended. On Labor Day weekend, the three leaders of the organizations and fellow members went to the three-day International Migrants Alliance Political Conference in Portland, Oregon, where they met with other youth groups, some even from Venezuela and Italy.
“It’s so important to have this during Labor Day because migrants are the backbone of the U.S.,” said Arcangel S., a leader of the League of Filipino Students. “Alongside, we were invited to hear the testimonies and stories and contribute to strategies that go against fascism.”
Now three weeks later, in a small Burk Hall classroom, the three group leaders sat as panelists for the International Migrants Alliance Reportback event to impart what they learned on an international level to their local campus.
Complete with a slide deck, the panelists expressed the importance of garnering support for migrant causes, most ardently because they believe the Trump administration’s “racial profiling and deployment of ICE” are ways that migrants have been mistreated.
“The Trump administration, especially with the Fourth Amendment, it’s affecting our universal access and rights and to obtain health and food,” Arcangel S. said.
In addition to the three panelists, the president and vice president of Migrante USA, an organization supporting the welfare of Filipinos, discussed how the conference encouraged them to rise up for their people.
With an eagerness in her voice, Migrante’s vice president, who is referred to as Ate Lei, read a personal summary off of her phone — one that was strung with urgency for others to take action.
“Solidarity is not an option, it’s our weapon,” she said. “It’s not about wages, it’s about dignity, about truth. We are saying to the government, ‘We are not silent, we are rising.’ We don’t fight for survival, we fight for liberation, and together we will win.”
While the meeting drew to a close, the floor was open for discussion on their next steps. The group’s main motivation was to recognize the importance of collective change and international solidarity.
A Resist member believes standing in solidarity is a great proponent for empowering migrants.
“It’s important because I truly believe in the power of international solidarity and people all over the world,” the member said. “For me, it really is the 99% against the 1%. We believe that the ruling class is the one with all the power, when it really is the 99%. We are comprised of laborers, workers, migrants and the USA specifically. The USA is stealing their resources to grow this country itself.”
In addition to building on each other, Arcangel S. voiced the vitality of political education to the fight against fascism and defense of their people.
“We need to talk to local workers, local people to build a unity and tighter community in the Bay Area,” he said. “The Bay Area is a melting pot of not one ethnic group. All ethnic groups are going to be affected. We need to get our communities tightened up together because when things turn to hell, we’ll be well.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated to remove a name to protect a source.
