Sarandon Elliott
Sarandon Elliott is the chair of UVA YDSA.[1] She is a University of Virginia History major/Jewish Studies minor who was born and raised in Richmond, VA, with family all up and down the East Coast. Sarandon’s educational interest focuses on studying the Black and Jewish diasporas along the United States’ East Coast and how the communities intersect. Her long-term plans include a J.D. in Labor and Employment Law. Sarandon has been the Chair of YDSA at UVA since December 2019, during which time the chapter has grown to be the largest YDSA chapter in the country with over 100 dues-paying members. Among their accomplishments, YDSA led and won a campaign for the Credit/No Credit grading option in the Fall of 2020, started a mutual aid network for students in need, and started a Socialists of Color Committee. Sarandon is a member of the National Political Education Committee for YDSA and is the Vice-Chair of the Leadership Development Committee for UVA’s Black Student Alliance. Her organizing interests include a passion for rigorous political education, internal leadership development, and structural organization, as well as police abolition, housing justice, Black liberation, and labor organizing.
Cardinal NPC Slate
The Cardinal National Political Committee Slate for the Democratic Socialists of America 2021 National Conference included Austin Gonzalez, Blanca Estevez, Fern DaSilva, Jen McKinney, Justin Charles, Jennifer Bolen, Kara Hall, Jess Newman, Ryan Mosgrove, Olivia Merril, Sarandon Elliott.[2]
YDSA
Sarandon Elliott is chair of UVA YDSA.
2020 YDSA comrades
Soleil Smith, Morganne Sara, Nickan Fayyazi, Marissa Wirick, Neah Havens, Emmy Mickle, Kristen Cervero, Amelia Jean, Clare Adams, Emmaline Bennett, Sofia De Angelis, Tarig Robinson, Anna Noreen, Sarandon Elliott, Kaori Keyser, Lex Von Klark
"Die-in"
Under the slogan "no acceptable losses, no in-person classes," more than 50 University of Virginia students spread out across the Lawn on Wednesday to protest how the university is handling coronavirus.
They're calling on UVA to reverse its decision about returning to in-person classes on Sept. 8 2020.
“They can still stop people from coming back to Grounds; they can still keep people home and keep people safe,” said Andre Zazzera, a UVA graduate student and a member of the steering committee of the United Campus Workers of Virginia at UVA (UCW-VA).
The students wrote letters to the administration about their concerns, which they plan to drop off at Carr Hill for UVA President Jim Ryan. Then, they lay down for around 15 minutes to host a “die-in.”
“Our limited goal is to get a good visual, a good optic of people dying-in on the Lawn and on the Rotunda to have a visual representation of what UVA can look forward to if it goes ahead with its reopening plan for this semester,” said Crystal Luo, a UVA graduate student and member of the UCW-VA.
They also assembled at the Rotunda for speeches.
“UVA’s more concerned with pleasing fancy donors and alumni than helping students and workers,” said Sarandon Elliott, a third-year UVA student and the chair of the UVA YDSA.
“Look at what JMU did,” said Madison Perry, a third-year UVA student and UCW-VA member. “Look at what happened to Northwestern, to UNC.”
“We think this is going to end the same way with sudden terminations, sudden move to online, that people aren’t going to be ready for,” Zazzera said.
Among their demands is a tuition freeze through the 2022/23 academic year, hazard pay for all employees required to work-in person, and free, regular COVID-19 testing for students, workers, and members of the Charlottesville community. They’re also asking for a firing freeze.
"We don't want the hurt to fall on the workers, for the university's lack of preparing ahead for ultimately what we could have seen five months ago happening,” Perry said.
The event was hosted by the UVA YDSA, the UCW-VA, the Charlottesville Democratic Socialists of America, University Democrats, and the Organization of Young Filipino Americans.[3]
Covid Campus Roundtable
Virginia Student Power Network was live. August 21 2020.
With Taylor Maloney, Ibby Han, Kibiriti Majuto, Sarandon Elliott, Kalia Harris.