The current spate of arrests of immigrant student activists in New York brings back memories of similar protests of Guyanese students in earlier periods. American campuses from 1960s, Columbia Univ in particular, until now were hotbed of activism (protests by students and staff) against injustices in America racial inequality in and advocacy for democracy in oppressive countries with Guyana, Rhodesia, and South Africa being no exception for student targets). Immigrant university students, like Chuck Mohan, Baytoram Ramharack, Vassan Ramracha, me (Vishnu Bisram) and a few others were involved in student activism against authoritarian regimes and in championing democracy in former homeland of Guyana. The current crackdown in NY of (arresting, prosecuting, deporting) foreign students involved in protests regrettably will send a strong message against those who are currently involved or thinking about organizing and participating in protest movements in effort to bring about democratic reforms in their home countries.
The foreign students who are being rounded up in America have been accused of engaging in violent acts and racism (against Jews) and or supporting terror groups in the Middle East. This is quite unlike the peaceful protests that Guyanese students were involved in during 1970s thru 1990s. Violence, racism, and support for radicalism have no place in any society and must be condemned. No foreign student was targeted for engaging in peaceful protests or petition drives or seeking meetings with college administrators in Guyanese protests; the student organizations at several campuses founded by Guyanese were never targeted for engaging in activities in violation of their visas or immigrant status. They were all peaceful and non-discriminatory and largely pro-America except for left wingers that supported left wing parties in Guyana.
The handful of Guyanese students were involved in protests mostly in NY and Washington DC during the 1970s and 1980s. The City College of New York (CCNY), the largest of some 23 campuses (with different names) of the City University of NY (CUNY) and the public college that produced the most Nobel laureates was a hotbed of peaceful though militant student activism. Nearby Columbia Univ then graduate student Barack Obama used to visit CCNY ‘to organize students’ in the 1980s for protests when I was President of Graduate Student Gov’t because of the history of the college in protest movements and composition of student body. CCNY campus had the most students of foreign nationalities including hundreds, if not thousands, of Guyanese (Indos and Afros) enrolled during the 1970s and 1980s and continuing till this day. Student organizations of dozens of nationalities or ethnicities and of regions were formed and recognized by the Undergrad and Grad Student Govts (of which I was an elected officer from 1978 as an undergrad) till completion of graduate studies and funded their activities. Think of a country or territory or region and there was a Club including those named after Greeks, Russians, Venezuelans, Dominican Republic, Irish, Jewish, Puerto Rico, Italy, Mexico, Nigeria, Ghana, India, Africa, Haiti, Christian, Yemen, Palestine, Philippines, Arab, etc. There were no Guyanese groups per se. But there was an Indo Caribbean Club (of Caribbean Indians founded by Ramharack, Ramracha, me, and a few others) and an African Caribbean Students Association (CSA) with the latter preceding the former (founded in 1977). All of the orgs were very active in organizing programs relating to their culture and or matters relating to their homeland. Some organizations were more ‘political’ in nature while others are confined largely to cultural events (entertainment). Some were involved in protest acts against wrong doings (authoritarianism and human rights violations) of their governments back home as was the Indo Club pertaining to Guyana initially with added focus on Suriname, South Africa, and Fiji later. Out of hundreds, only a handful of Guyanese students were involved in the movement to liberate Guyana.
Student groups engaged in protests on campus and invited prominent personalities to speak on matters back home. The CSA, for example, invited Prime Ministers and former PMs like Michael Manley, Maurice Bishop, Edward Seaga, Ralph Gonsalves, among others). The Indo Club invited Indian academics from Guyana, Trinidad, and India. Dr Cheddi and Janet Jagan, Eusi Kwayana, Ralph Gonsalves, Joey Jagan, among other prominent Guyanese were invited on campus at the behest of Chuck Mohan, one of the most active and dynamic student leaders on campus during the 1970s and 1980s. Chuck was not affiliated with the Indo Club; he was closely affiliated with the Black Studies Department organizing countless events on campus and responsible for visits of several politicians from the Caribbean. Also, he, Arjune Karshan, Mel Carpen, Flattie Singh, and others belonging to the socialist PPP affiliated ACG organized countless protests in NY and Washington relating to electoral fraud and human rights violations in Guyana bringing awareness to the public. The Indo Club, that had adopted a pro-American, anti-communist stance, similarly organized countless protests and marches raising awareness about Guyanese issues. The Indo Club that also took its activism off campus, drew attention to injustices and human rights violations, corruption and lack of democracy in Guyana and other countries where Indians lived, and it also celebrated Indian festivals; the club members developed a passion for community activism to uplift lives and became involved in several cultural programs including pageants, religious programs, and concerts; they also distributed literature relating to Guyana at various events. The Indo Club members developed a legacy of drawing attention to injustices that existed in Guyana and were not deterred by threats and intimidation from the then Guyana oppressive state agency. They saw their student activism as the embodiment of the social responsibility being young intellectuals. The college itself, no college in fact took a position against, and no student organizations other than those comprising of Indians condemned electoral fraud in Guyana. Also, Guyanese religious and cultural organization took a self-censored position. They did not openly support the movement against the dictatorship although in private they offered support by allowing the distribution of handouts to attendees of programs. The protesters used all occasions (weddings, pujas, church services, Koran Sharief, Eid, Hindu festivals, etc.) to make the public aware of what was happening in Guyana.
David Hinds was also very active with the WPA Support Group at Howard University and as a visitor on other campuses in NY speaking on Guyana matters. The various groups and individuals, though of opposing ideology, collaborated on demanding restoration of democracy in Guyana. There was solidarity on free and fair elections in Guyana though not in support of USA’s economic and political ideology; Indo Club members were pro-America as opposed to the left wingers who were anti-USA.
As an example of organizational solidarity, every September at the opening of the UN General Assembly, student groups and others of all nationalities would meet in front of the UN in protests against oppressive governments or on some other issue. Chuck Mohan, Karshan, Carpen, the other ACG boys, and support groups of WPA, URP, PCD, and other parties, and Indo Club members would gather in front of the UN would in one voice call for free and fair elections in Guyana that would come ultimately in October 1992.
All activism in America by Guyanese student and other groups were non-violent. Occupying a building and encampment were frowned upon even by the socialists. The left wing groups were anti-America in their outlook but were not targeted by American authorities (not even under the right wing Ronald Reagan) for deportation as they were non-violent. Peaceful protests and dissension are necessary characteristics of a democratic society like USA. Once a protest act is peaceful for a just demand, protesters in USA and in any democratic country (including Guyana) should not be targeted for recrimination.
