by Anonymous
Over the past few years, the Penn community has rallied in response to injustice on and off campus. Every movement deserves to be discussed, but here are some of the most notable examples.
Protests against repeal of abortion rights: May-June 2022
On May 2, 2022, a SCOTUS draft overturning the historic Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 was leaked to the public. This decision would mean abortion is no longer protected by the Constitution, so its legality would be left up to states. The next day, more than 100 Penn students marched across campus to condemn this leaked decision, advocating for the right to choose what one does with their own body. On June 24, SCOTUS officially overturned Roe, leading to national public outcry and more protests. Since then, trigger laws were put into motion in multiple states across the country.
Fossil Free Penn camps out for climate justice: April 19-24, 2022
On April 19, 2022, Fossil Free Penn set up an encampment on College Green. Over the next week, tents covered College Green, and supporting signs hung around it. FFP demanded that the University completely divest from Fossil Fuels, pay PILOTs, and be transparent in their endowment (see: Penn and the Climate Crisis). Over 70 people lived in this encampment, while countless others supported it, including hundreds of students, 49 faculty, and the Maldives Ambassador to the United Nations. At the same time, FFP focused on creating a community of activists and acting as a coalition. The encampment hosted gatherings of those from the Coalition to Save the UC Townhomes, Police Free Penn, Every Voice PA, ASAP, and more. It aimed to be a home of “radical imagining and envisioning,” creating a community where student organizers could feel that there was an activist community present to support their work.
Mackenzie Fierceton seeks justice from Penn: Spring 2022-present
Mackenzie Fierceton is a former Penn student whose Master’s degree from the School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) was put on hold by Penn administration. After accusations that she had been untruthful about the domestic abuse she endured that landed her in foster care before coming to Penn, Fierceton was investigated—losing her Rhodes Scholarship and halting her degree. On March 28, 2022, the New Yorker released an article outlining Fierceton’s story and the mistreatment she endured. After weeks of public outrage, on April 12, SP2 released the hold on her degree but met no other demands. The next day, around 150 Penn community members gathered outside of the SP2 building to demand a formal apology from Penn to Fierceton and justice for all First Generation-Low Income (FGLI) students (see: Mackenzie Fierceton; FGLI Students).
March in support of Ukraine: Feb. 28, 2022
Less than a week after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, Penn students walked in solidarity from the Compass (on Locust Walk and 37th St) to College Green. Led by the Penn Polish Club, Penn Albanian Society, the Undergraduate Assembly, and departments of history and Russian and East European Studies, the event sought to show solidarity between the Penn community and Ukraine.
Fight to save the UC Townhomes: December 2021-present
The University City Townhomes are a 70-unit low-income housing development between 39th and 40th on Market St. After 40 years, the Altman Group (the realty organization that owns the townhomes) announced they would not be renewing their contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and that residents would be forced to move. In response, the Coalition to Save the UC Townhomes hosted teach-ins on Dec. 14, 2021, and Feb. 3, 2022, which held an attendance of over 50.
On March 19, over 300 Penn Students participated in a march to support the townhomes. On April 18, during a conversation between then-University President Wendell Pritchett and Commencement Speaker Ken Burns, Penn students interrupted the forum and demanded a meeting with Pritchett. On July 9, 2022, residents and community supporters encampment in front of the townhomes for multiple weeks, renaming the homes to the “People’s Townhomes,” and declaring that residents “ain’t going nowhere.” As of the writing of this piece, Altman is seeking to evict residents on Sept. 7 (see: Save the People’s Townhomes).
“Castle” fraternity linked to racist assault: Sept. 23, 2021
In September of 2021, The Daily Pennsylvanian published an article titled, “Penn student assaulted at Castle fraternity party, leaving him with severe injuries.” It discussed how Nick Hamilton (Castle Brother, CAS ‘23) punched a non-Castle member 10-20 times, allegedly committing a racially-motivated hate crime. Within a day of the report, students hung over 300 posters along Locust Walk that held the slogan “End Frat Culture” and included quotes from the article. These signs were torn down by fraternity members and replaced by signs reading “Hey DP, why do you publish lies” (Although crime records corroborate the attack). Nevertheless, over the next week, over 50 students stood in front of Castle to demand that the University publicly acknowledge the hate crime and take action against Castle (see: A History of Greek Life). The University has remained silent.
Indigenous Peoples Day: Oct. 21, 2021
On Indigenous Peoples Day, Natives at Penn (NAP) organized a march from 34th and Walnut St to New College House West, calling on Penn to formally recognize the holiday. Although the administration acknowledged the holiday in an email, NAP noted its absence from the Academic Calendar and called on Penn to expand indigenous representation on Penn’s campus, from administration to resources to students (see: Treatment of Indigenous People). The holiday has now been added to the 2022 academic calendar.
Protest for return of MOVE bombing remains: April 28, 2021
In 1985, during a standoff between MOVE, a Black liberation organization, and the Philadelphia Police Department, city authorities made the deadly decision to bomb the neighborhood. This resulted in the death of eleven MOVE members, including five children, and left hundreds more in the neighborhood homeless (see: MOVE Bombing). On April 21, 2021, West Philadelphia resident and activist Abdul-Aliy Muhammed published an op-ed in the Inquirer highlighting the Penn Museum’s possession of human remains from the MOVE bombing. A week later, on April 28, about 300 community members, students, and faculty gathered outside the museum to demand the immediate return of the remains back to the Africa family.
Partial win for PILOTs: Nov. 17, 2020
In Fall 2020, Penn administration announced its pledge to donate $10 million to the Philadelphia School District every year for the next decade. After years of advocacy from local grassroots organizations and increased pressure in 2020 to seek justice for the Black and brown children that make up the majority of the district, the donation was finally announced by Penn. Currently, Penn is the only Ivy League university that does not pay PILOTs, or Payments in Lieu of Taxes, to make up for the taxes they avoid as a nonprofit (see: PILOTs). This donation, which was made without any communication with advocates or activists, does not however meet even half the amount asked for by Penn for PILOTs and other organizations. On March 30, 2021, around 100 students, educators, and advocates marched through University City calling upon Penn, Drexel, and Jefferson to pay their fair share of PILOTs.
Other notable events
Following the murder of George Floyd in May of 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum and became one of the largest civil rights movements in American history. This energy spread to the Philadelphia and Penn community as well. On May 31, protestors took to the streets of West Philly to demand justice for Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other victims of police brutality in America. That day, police tear-gassed protestors and residents alike despite there being no violence from the crowd itself; it was later discovered that Penn Police were involved in this attack on 52nd St, despite being out of their jurisdiction. Penn community members were outraged and demanded that the University of Pennsylvania Police Department (UPPD) be defunded. On July 24, 2020, PFP organized a protest demanding that Penn fire Maureen Rush (superintendent of UPPD), defund the UPPD, and pay PILOTs. Over the next several months, advocates organized multiple direct actions and educational events on campus about systemic inequity and racial justice, setting a new precedent as the Class of 2024 entered Penn.
The 2021-2022 year saw activism from sports teams as well. The men’s basketball team, under the leadership of players, sat in protest during the national anthem for every game. In response to transphobia both nationally and on Penn’s campus, the Penn women’s swimming team put out a letter in support of transgender athlete Lia Thomas (CAS ’22).
In 2020, a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans followed the spread of the pandemic. As a result, Penn established a campaign labeled #FlattenTheHate in support of its Asian students. On April 20, 2021, Penn Dems organized a vigil to honor victims of gun violence and racially-motivated violence across America, remembering the victims of mass shootings in Atlanta, Colorado, and Indianapolis. West Philly Councilwoman Jamie Gauthier spoke at the vigil as a guest, along with students and community members who had been impacted by gun violence and racially-motivated crimes.
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