Today, close to 30 University of California students and alumni begin a fast to demand that the UC Regents fully and immediately withdraw their management of the Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore nuclear weapons compounds. Each participant has pledged to forgo solid food at least until the Regents meet on May 17th at UC San Francisco. Many of us have committed to hunger striking until the Regents meet our demand.
We are undertaking the hunger strike only after months of deep reflection. We fully realize that, at the moment, it seems unlikely that the Regents will meet our demand. We also realize that, as the author-activist Rebecca Solnit has written, “Activism is not a journey to the corner store; it is a plunge into the dark.” We have no way of knowing what the outcome of the hunger strike will be; only that, based on our collective experiences, knowledge, and strategic thought, it is the best option available to us at present. In the coming days, I and other hunger strikers will post a wealth of information here on ways for anyone to support the hunger strike. If you have personal media contacts, we encourage you to inform them about the hunger strike. Regardless of where you live, you can support us by making phone calls, writing letters, or e-mailing the Regents. We also ask that you consider, if at all possible, attending the UC Regents meeting on May 17th at UC San Francisco, where we hope to pressure them into voting in favor of weapons lab severance.
We ask that you support the hunger strike in whatever way you can. If I and the other hunger strikers are putting ourselves at risk, it is only because we believe so strongly in the plunge we are all about to undertake, and in the benefits for our world that may result.
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