Fifty years ago, Students for a Democratic Society released the Port Huron Statement. As one of the first American student activist movements of the ’60s, the group’s manifesto declared racism and Cold War alienation to be the two biggest issues facing Americans and humanity. Tom Hayden, later known as Mr. Jane Fonda in some circles, was the manifesto’s main author. The former California state legislator continues to work as both a chronicler and participant in activist movements. Hayden speaks on “Participatory Democracy: From Port Huron and Occupy Wall Street—What’s Next?” in an event sponsored by the Praxis Peace Institute and the Dominican green MBA program on Thursday, Nov. 15, at Dominican University. 50 Acacia Ave., San Rafael. 7:30pm. $20. 707.939.2973.
Savio’s Legacy
As the leader of the Free Speech movement at U.C. Berkeley, Mario Savio left an indelible mark on the school’s history of activism. “There’s a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can’t take part,” spoke Savio on the steps of Sproul Hall in 1964. “And you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels . . . upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you’ve got to make it stop!” Savio spent the last years of his life teaching at Sonoma State University, and recently, donors funded the establishment of the Mario Savio Speakers’ Corner on the northwest corner of Stevenson Quad at SSU. A dedication honoring the free speech leader’s life takes place on Thursday, Nov. 15, in Stevenson Quad at SSU. 1801 East Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park. Noon. Free.
