Sam Bigelow

Sam Bigelow

San Jose State students say no to US intervention

Students for Democratic Society SJSU is dedicated to progressive issues, according to its Instagram account page.

The student group was answering a call to action raised by the United National Antiwar Coalition, an organization dedicated to anti-war movements and unifying “collective action against a major perpetrator of war and injustice: U.S. government,” according to its website.

David Almeida, history senior and the Students for Democratic Society SJSU first secretary – a term coined to stray from a title that establishes executive power and pursues a more collective leadership – said one of the group’s founding principles is opposition against any U.S. war.

“Look at Cuba right now,” said John Duroyan, history junior and Students for Democratic Society SJSU member. “It's facing these economic difficulties despite their great strides in social programs because of this blockade and it's utterly ludicrous.”

Duroyan said he was tasked as a speaker of the event, in which he shared the history of the trade embargo and advocated for the removal of U.S. military involvement in Cuba and other countries.

He was joined by members of YDSA at SJSU, including Sam Bigelow, the group’s president, who came out to support Students for Democratic Society SJSU because of their shared beliefs.