Crackdown on Foreign Student Protesters & memories of Guyanese Protests

Mar 18, 2025 Letters

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Dear Editor,

The current spate of arrests of immigrant student activists brings back memories of similar protests of Guyanese students in earlier periods.

American campuses from 1960s until now were hotbed of activism (protests by students and staff) against injustices (racial inequality and advocacy for democracy in oppressive countries with Guyana, Rhodesia, and South Africa being no exception for student targets).

Immigrant university students, like myself and Chuck Mohan and a few others, were involved in student activism against authoritarian regimes and in championing democracy in former homeland. The current crackdown (arresting, prosecuting, deporting) of foreign students involved in protests regrettably will send a strong message against those who are currently involved or thinking about organizing and participating in protest movements in effort to bring about democratic reforms in their home countries.

The foreign students who are being rounded up in America have been accused of engaging in violent acts and racism (anti-semitism) and or supporting terror groups in the Middle East. This is quite unlike the peaceful protests that foreign students like Guyanese were involved in during 1970s thru 1990s). Violence, racism, and support for radicalism have no place in any society. No foreign student was targeted for engaging in peaceful protests or petition drives or seeking meetings with college administrators in earlier protests; the student organizations at several campuses founded by Guyanese were never targeted for engaging in activities in violation of their visas or immigrant status. They were all peaceful and non-discriminatory and largely pro-America except for left wingers.

Guyanese students were involved in protests in New York and Washington DC during the 1970s and 1980s. The City College of New York (CCNY), the largest of some 23 campuses (with different names) of the City University of NY (CUNY) and the public college that produced the most Nobel laureates was a hotbed of peaceful though militant student activism. Columbia University student mu Barack Obama used to visit CCNY ‘to organize students’ in the 1980s for protests when I was President of Graduate Student Gov’t. The campus had the most students of foreign nationalities including hundreds, if not thousands, of Guyanese (Indos and Afros) enrolled during the 1970s and 1980s and continuing till this day. Student organizations of dozens of nationalities or ethnicities and of regions were formed and recognized by the Student Government and funded for activities. Think of a country or territory or region and there was a Club including Greeks, Russians, Venezuelans, Dominican Republic, Irish, Jewish, Puerto Rico, Italy, Mexico, Nigeria, Ghana, India, Africa, Haiti, Christian, Yemen, Palestine, Philippines, Arab, etc. There were no Guyanese groups per se. But there was an Indo Caribbean Club (of Caribbean Indians founded by Baytoram Ramharack, Vassan Ramracha, myself, and a few others) and an African Caribbean Students Association (CSA) with the latter preceding the former (founded in 1977).

All of the groups were very active in organizing programs relating to their culture and or matters relating to their homeland. Some organizations were more ‘political’ in nature while others are confined largely to cultural events (entertainment). Some were involved in protests against wrong doings (authoritarianism and human rights violations) of their governments back home as was the Indo Club pertaining to Guyana initially and adding focus on Suriname, South Africa, and Fiji later on. Student groups engaged in protests on campus and invited prominent personalities to speak on matters back home. The CSA, fore example, invited Prime Ministers and former PMs like Michael Manley, Maurice Bishop, Edward Seaga, Ralph Gonsalves, among others). The Indo Club invited Indian academics from Guyana, Trinidad, and India.

Dr. Cheddi and Janet Jagan, Eusi Kwayana, Ralph Gonsalves, Joey Jagan, among other prominent Guyanese were invited on campus at the behest of Chuck Mohan, one of the most active and dynamic students on campus during the 1970s and 1980s; Chuck was not affiliated with the Indo Club. He was closely affiliated with the Black Studies Department organizing countless events on campus and responsible for visits of several politicians from the Caribbean. Also, he, Arjune Karshan, Mel Carpen, Flattie Singh, and others, belonging to the socialist PPP affiliated ACG, organized countless protests in NY and Washington DC relating to electoral fraud and human rights violations in Guyana.

The Indo Club, that had adopted a pro-American, anti-communist stance, similarly organized countless protests and marches raising awareness about Guyanese issues, drawing attention to injustices and human rights violations, focusing attention on corruption, lack of democracy, and celebrating Indo-Caribbean festivals, etc. David Hinds was also very active with the WPA Support Group at Howard University and as a visitor on other campuses speaking on Guyana matters. The groups, though of opposing ideology, also collaborated on demanding restoration of democracy in Guyana. Every September at the opening of the UN General Assembly, student groups and others of all nationalities would meet in front of the UN in mass protests against their oppressive governments or on some other issue. Chuck Mohan, Karshan, Carpen, the other ACG boys, and support groups of WPA, URP, PCD, and other parties, and Indo Club members would gather in front of the UN in one voice for free and fair elections in Guyana that would come ultimately in October 1992.

All activism in America by Guyanese student and other groups were non-violent. The left wing groups were anti-America in their outlook but were not targeted by American authorities (not even under Ronald Reagan) for deportation as they were non-violent. Peaceful protests and dissension are necessary characteristics of a democratic society like USA.  Once a protest demand is just and peaceful, protesters in USA and in any democratic country should not be targeted for recrimination.

Yours,

Vishnu Bisram

(Crackdown on Foreign Student Protesters & memories of Guyanese Protests)

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• Guyana, Guyanese students, immigrant student activists, Rhodesia, South Africa

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