On Friday, Feb 7, 2025, Western Mass SftP held an exciting event where representatives of 15 campus- and community-based organizations, along with members of the general student body and public, came together to exchange ideas and gather strength in the face of escalating political and ecological crises.
We watched a screening of the 30-minute version of The Plan that Came from the Bottom Up, which documents a 1970s effort by unionized engineers at Lucas Aerospace to convert their weapons factory to green energy and other socially beneficial technologies.
We then launched into a lively discussion of the intersections between demilitarization, environmental justice, labor organizing, student activism, and more. We talked about how to build our movements to meet today’s challenges, and how students can balance their economic employment needs with their political and moral values.
Read SftP member and UMass CS alum Andrew Cunningham’s great tip sheet, “The Plan: Getting a ‘Good’ Job.”
Download full-size poster and Instagram-ready post.
Hosted by: Western Mass Science for the People
Cosponsors: Back from the Brink; Citizens Awareness Network; Civic Engagement and Service Learning; Demilitarize Western Mass and Mass Peace Action; Dissenters STEM Caucus; Energy Transition Institute; Environmental and Social Action Movement, GEO Palestine Solidarity Caucus; MSP; Mutual Aid Project; Professional Staff Union (PSU); the Sunrise Movement at UMass; UMass Young Socialists; Warheads to Windmills; Western Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party Regional Chapter