‘March in March’ rallied thousands of students to state capitol
March 26, 2010
by CHARLES BECKER
TIMES STAFF
TIMES STAFF
Thousands of students from CSU and community colleges across California met in Sacramento on March 22 to protest slashes in education and increases in tuition.
Raley Field was a palette of school colors, as thousands of students crammed into the ballpark’s parking lot. Participants left the premise after the last bus arrived at 9 a.m. from a sister college in southern California.
The crowd of protestors set a brisk pace down West Capitol avenue, chanting slogans such as “save our schools” with police officers blocking approximately two miles of congested roadway until they arrived at the West Steps of the Capitol.
The California State Student Association and California Assembly members then addressed student grievances and gave a mission statement.
The message was clear: education should be the state’s No. 1 priority and it should be free or highly subsidized.
“We need to demand that higher education become a priority in our state again,” said Steve Dixon, president of the CSSA, to an attentive audience of 15,000 students.
His agenda was followed by emotional speeches from student representatives of the CSSA.
“Most families, like my own, work part time jobs that barely pay for the basic necessities,” said Jamie Lopez, a communication major from Sacramento State. “But, somehow I was still denied financial aid for college.”
Lopez’s comments led to an eruption of “si, se puede” or “yes, we can” chants from the crowd.
The problem with securing financial aid for low-income students raised concerns about the inequity in the California education system.
“Education should not be limited to the rich and wealthy … it should be a civil right,” said Alberto Torrico, the assembly majority leader.