Hundreds Endorse May Day Walkout

As of yesterday evening, about 200 students, 15 campus groups, and a dozen faculty members pledged to walk out of classes and activities on Monday afternoon to protest the immigration legislation pending in the Senate.

The walkout, which is being organized by Harvard’s May Day Coalition and is co-sponsored by the Harvard College Democrats, includes a rally in Harvard Yard followed by a march to the State House in Boston in support of humanitarian immigration reform.

The Coalition is working with professors to have maximum attendance at the 1 p.m. walkout, according to Cristina A. Herndon ‘06-’07, who is one of the coordinators.

Herndon said that the coalition is working with faculty members who have class at that time to allow students to join the walkout and to consider rescheduling classes for another time.

“We are contacting professors and several of them have already expressed their support,” she said.

Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences Steven R. Levitsky is one of the professors who has been in contact with the coalition. His class, Government 1295: Comparative Politics in Latin America, is regularly scheduled for 1 p.m. on Monday but Levitsky said he is trying to reschedule it.

“I sent an e-mail to the class and asked how many were thinking of walking out,” he said. “Student participation is a good thing and I encourage it. This is an important national movement and I have a lot of respect for the organizers and the groups involved.”

Other professors said they are also willing to accommodate students who want to participate in this event.

Lisa A. Szefel, a lecturer on History and Literature whose freshman seminar, “The Disco Decade: The 1970s in America,” also meets Monday at 1 p.m., said that while she was not aware of the rally, she would be willing to schedule alternative meetings with her students if they wish to participate in the rally.

Posters publicizing the walkout have been displayed around campus, featuring students’ and dining hall workers’ portraits with captions such as “I am not a criminal.”

But Herndon said that some have been defaced or taken down in the last couple of days.

“It’s disconcerting to see that at a progressive university such as this one, with highly intelligent individuals, such acts would be committed,” Herndon said.

The coalition has received the support of many student organizations, including the Harvard Democrats, the Radcliffe Union of Students, and Fuerza Latina.

Harvard Democrats President Eric P. Lesser ’07 said his organization is “excited to lend all the support it can.” “This bill goes way too far, so the Harvard Democrats will be showing solidarity with thousands of others across the country who are joining the growing numbers of people that realize Congress over-reached,” he said.

The May Day Coalition and the organizations endorsing its event are expecting several hundred students and faculty to join the rally and walkout to the State House.