Vassar students host Freedom Conference on political prisoners in the United States, Feb. 5

A coalition of Vassar College student organizations will host the Freedom Conference on Saturday, February 5, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Sanders Auditorium. Student organizers hope to provide a space for experienced activists to meet with youth to build and empower a movement dedicated to freedom for political prisoners.

The Student Activist Union, the Black Student Union, Poder Latino, the Feminist Majority, Vassar Greens, the Vassar Animal Rescue Coalition, the Department of Political Science, and the Program in Africana Studies cosponsor the Freedom Conference. There will be a $20 suggested conference fee, which will include admission to workshops, a keynote presentation, and a panel of former political prisoners.

Keynote speaker Joan Gibbs, counsel to Sundiata Acoli, will present a workshop about Acoli's case. Acoli, a member of the Black Panther Party and one of the original Panther 21, has spent 25 years in prison for the killing of a state trooper in New Jersey.

Ramona Africa will discuss the case of Mumia Abu Jamal, a prominent radio journalist and critic of the police, who claims to have been framed on a murder charge by the Philadelphia police.

Laura Whitehorn will present a workshop on overcoming cultural and class differences among activists. Whitehorn, a former political prisoner, will also speak on the conference's ex-political prisoner panel. Since the 1960s, Whitehorn has been active in a variety of struggles from the civil rights movement to the struggle for Puerto Rican independence and the liberation of women, gays, and lesbians. Whitehorn pleaded guilty to the bombing of the U.S. Capitol in 1995 to protest U.S. involvement in Grenada. She served part of a 23-year term and was released from prison in August 1999.

Other speakers will include Rod Coronado, a Native American and animal rights activist; Katerie McCarthy, an artist, activist, and co-chair of the Gay and Lesbian Community Advocates of Lawrence, Massachusetts; and Lauren Cannon, a peace activist and health care worker in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Also scheduled to speak is Herman Ferguson, a founding member of the Organization for Afro-American Unity chaired by Malcolm X. Ferguson was convicted in 1967 of conspiracy to assassinate the heads of the NAACP and the National Urban League while a member of the Revolutionary Action Movement,.

For additional information, call the Office of College Relations at (845) 437-7400. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Cathy Jennings at (845) 437-5370, as far in advance as possible to request appropriate and reasonable accommodations. .

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Saturday, February 5th, 2000.