That notion is embodied in the “intellectual diversity” bill passed last year by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. “These acts of censorship consistently target left-wing ideas at the behest of a right-wing state government.”Īron Ali-McClory, vice president of the student organization and a freshman majoring in political science, noted that the state has made a point of ensuring all are comfortable expressing their viewpoints on college campuses. “The University of Florida has a long history of censorship from the McCarthy-era witch hunts of President Reitz to its most recent attempts to prevent professors from testifying,” they wrote, referring to the academic freedom controversy last fall. They pointed out eight other names of segregationists and confederates whose names are highlighted at various campus locations. They pointed to Julius Wayne Reitz, the namesake of Reitz Union on campus, who, they wrote, denied admission to Black students and allowed “witch hunts” for LGBTQ community members through the Johns Committee in the 1950s. The petition said the removal is “insulting to UF students who have been fighting for years to change the name of buildings glorifying racists and homophobes only to receive no response from administration.” The study room, which had been named for Marx since 2014, is one of 15 rooms named after thinkers and writers in Library West, which sits near the center of campus and houses collections in the humanities and social sciences. “For that reason, some people were troubled by the idea of having a room on the University of Florida campus with Marx’s name on it, and so the decision was made to remove the name.” “To many people around the world, the Russian invasion of Ukraine invokes strong and painful memories of Soviet domination and oppression, which had an indisputable link to Marxist ideology,” university spokeswoman Hessy Fernandez said in a statement. In removing the Marx plaque, the university suggested people had complained but primarily cited world events. The student group pointed to an article published three days before the sign was removed in the online publication Campus Reform, which bills itself as “a conservative watchdog to the nation’s higher education system.” Among other points, the article asserted that Marxism has “become an internalized notion among American college professors.”Ī day later, Breitbart published its article, which included a passage saying UF “props up Marx’s name” while “schools across the country are tearing down American figures.” The current Russian imperialist state is run by capitalist oligarchs who hold no affinity to the Marxist slogan: ‘From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.’” “Karl Marx was a German philosopher who died in 1883. “As a university that prides itself on quality education, the justification for this removal on the basis of the ongoing tragic conflict in Ukraine lacks any historical basis,” the group says in its petition, which had 263 signatures as of Friday morning. The petition is the work of the University of Florida Young Democratic Socialists, who have countered the removal by posting replicas of the plaque in the library. A “Free Karl Marx” petition is being circulated, and flyers with Marx’s face are appearing on campus. We are all blessed to have walked part of our individual journeys alongside theirs! You may enjoy glancing through this.Last weekend, a dozen students staged a 13-hour sit-in outside the study room. The Linnehans spent their final years working on issues of environmental sustainability at the Peace Farm in Hampton. The archives trace the Linnehans’ engagement from their days working with Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers, to their first action at GE in Pinnellas Park (FL) while at Emmanuel House. Though surely incomplete, the archives nonetheless preserve an important historical record. The archives include numerous peace actions over 40 years, including related activities of Pax Christi, the Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice, Metanoia, Trident to Life, the annual gatherings on the Feast of the Holy Innocents at Kings Bay, and other organizations, campaigns and peace actions over the years. Thank you to John Frank, who helped Martina work with Jim in assembling archival material. This information was relayed by James Cusick, UF archivist. The archival material chronicling John and Martina’s involvement in the peace movement in Florida is housed at the PK Yonge Library of Florida History at the University of Florida. John and Martina Linnehan and the Florida Peace Movement Collection
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