University of Wisconsin students touted job resumes and interview-ready apparel in an effort to promote awareness of a lack of available jobs for college graduates and to speak out against the voter ID bill on Wednesday.
The student-led Briefcase Brigades included a march up State Street to distribute information on the job crisis for students as a part of a national day of action to draw attention to funding cuts to higher education.
Dane County Board Representative Analiese Eicher addressed students, saying access to quality jobs after graduation is becoming more difficult and the opportunities available to students continue to narrow.
She said students will play a crucial role in shaping the future of the state and need to be able to affect change in the political climate of the state with easily accessible voting policies.
“Students want to put their knowledge and skills to work,” Eicher said. “If we’re going to have any change, we need to be able to express our voice by voting.”
Ken Dunbeck, chair of the Legal Committee for the Autonomous Solidarity Organization, said a strong investment in education at the state level would ensure a strong system would be available to the students of tomorrow.
While reducing funding for K-12 and public higher education programs saves money in the short run, he said the trend of defunding education would prove detrimental to the state economy.
“We need to nurture and train students in the public education system,” Dunbeck said. “A strong investment in education is an investment in the future.”
Organizer and UW student Max Love said a senator approached the students to express support for the event and students drew attention to the cause during their procession up State Street.
He added although the event targeted legislators at the Capitol, organizers will continue to pursue a wide variety of advocacy tactics.
Max Berger, a national lead organizer for Briefcase Brigades, said while unaffiliated individuals coordinated 31 events held around the country, some 10,000 students in attendance at a national Energy Action Coalition conference are trained to be activists in their communities.
He said Briefcase Brigades is a tactic to advocate job creation for recent college graduates, rather than a directed campaign.
Students around the country interested in organizing a Brigade were provided with a set of instructions about how they might want to approach speaking with state legislators, although Berger said no limitations were placed on the scope of action.
On a national scale, he added students were provided with resumes detailing the facts about the jobs crisis that they were encouraged to bring to members of Congress on recess in their home districts.
“It’s incredibly important that politicians begin to talk about this issue and these [events] are the first step in putting this crisis on the political agenda,” he said.
Berger said the activism organism MoveOn.org was responsible for purchasing some briefcases for the events but the brigades are an example of grassroots activism and “organic organizing.”
While an estimation of total participants nationally was not yet available, similar events were hosted across 23 states to address what he said had begun to emerge as a national issue.
