The Campus Progress National Conference gave over a thousand young people, including representatives of PU30 the opportunity to learn more about the Progressive Movement.
The Conference was kicked off by Sara Haile-Mariam of Campus Progress who gave a stirring account of why she is progressive and then introduced Jamira Burley. Burley was one of the winners of the Campus Progress and HuffPost College Keynote Contest. Her speech was personal and inspiring. She stressed the need for youth to be proactive to prevent violence. The most moving part of her speech was when she shared the story of her brother, a victim of violence, “newspapers will call him victim two hundred and one, but I called him Andre” it was a eulogy of the utmost reverence for not only her brother, but for all of the victims of youth violence. Listen to what Jamira had to say here.
Next was Carlos Andres Gomez, a spoken word artist and one of the most riveting performances of the day. His poem “What Does a Hispanic Look Like” analyzed both the identity and the trials of Latinos. He also performed a poem entitled, “What’s Genocide” a passionate and eye opening look at what society has caused some to do in order to alter their identity.
Gloria Reuben analyzed the mutilation of the Earth due to fossil fuel use. She showed the audience slides from the Gulf of Mexico which illustrated the repercussions of the oil spill on the region. Seeing the slides on a large projector was for more awe-inspiring than seeing them on television and the grotesque nature of the spill truly came out. Also, if the slides weren’t enough to make you think and possibly even to make you gag, Reuben described the oil spill as having the “consistency of warm molasses”. She also explained a process called “mountain top removal mining” which is devastating Appalachia. She explained that while the mining companies argue that they are going to restore the mountains, it takes one thousand years for the top soil to regain its nutrients. That this method is especially cruel to the environment is important to note because since coal currently provides nearly 50% of the electricity in the U.S., we will be losing many more mountain tops soon if we do not take a stand and advocate for clean energy. As a native Canadian, Reuben also made sure to touch on the Alberta Tar Sands, an environmental catastrophe owing its existence to the extraction of oil sands in Canada. Reuben concluded her talk by emphasizing that the “time to embrace a clean energy future is now”.
After the speakers, attendees were free to attend panel discussions of various topics which are affecting our country today. PU30 staff chose to attend the Panel on Afghanistan and National Security. The experts were Matthew Hoh, a former Marine and State Department Official, Dr. Lawrence J. Korb, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress, and Terron Sims II a member of the Truman Board of Principles. The discussion was moderated by Heather Hurlburt, the Executive Director, National Security Network. All three panelists were insightful, but certain points shined through.
First, Korb made it clear that he believes that it was the right decision to go into Afghanistan, he said that it cannot be compared to Vietnam because Vietnam was the wrong war to go into from the start. Afghanistan was even run very well he said, until Tora Bora, when we missed our chance to capture or kill senior Al Qaeda leaders. Next Sims, and Hoh both talked about the frustration the troops feel in Afghanistan; the pieces don’t work together Sims said, and he used the Soviets as an example of how nobody has ever been able to go into Afghanistan and win on the ground. Hoh reiterated the point of frustration on the ground and explained that communication was one of the biggest issues. He said he had access to ten different types of communication and still couldn’t reach his Marines; everything is dependent on fuel and helicopters and nothing is simple. Hoh also commented on the health of the soldiers saying they are sick all of the time, don’t get enough sleep and don’t eat well, all of which lend themselves to frustration.
Another essential point was the huge difference between the populations of Iraq and Afghanistan. One cannot compare many aspects of the two wars because of the differences in the civilian populations. Hoh explained that in Iraq you were often working with college educated professionals, where as in Afghanistan you were dealing with a population which was so poorly educated you had to teach basic sanitation before even working with them. To illustrate that point Hoh explained that the estimated male literacy in Afghanistan is less than 10% and estimated female literacy is less than 1%, in fact many people can’t even count.
All three expressed the promise they see in the next generation. Sims emphasized people skills and how important it is to learn how to work with a team and make other people feel comfortable around you. Korb said that the most important thing is to do something bigger than yourself when you graduate. Hoh said to make sure you enjoy being young, think critically and be intellectually honest. Also, think mid and long term and take classes that challenge you.
After this lunch was served and it was organized so as sit people from the same states near each other in order to foster discussion and debate and thus ended the first half of the conference.
