On April 3 at noon, the student-curated exhibit "Be Revolutionary: UMass Student Solidarity with Central America in the 1980s” opens at the Bromery Center for the Arts Lobby.
The exhibit will be on display in the Bromery Center for the Arts Lobby through April 30, 2025, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 6 pm.
Curated by UMass Amherst students in the fall 2025 graduate course, History 691: Exhibit Design Practicum on Student Activism, the exhibit explores the rich history of student activism on campus at UMass with a focus on anti-imperialist organizing during the 1980s. In that decade, students and local organizers challenged the university’s role in U.S. support of military regimes and death squads in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Between 1960 and 1996, the U.S. and its allies were responsible for the killing or forced disappearance of over 300,000 civilians. Millions more were wounded, tortured, orphaned, and displaced. As part of their actions, students confronted university administrators, demanding that the Central Intelligence Agency and other organizations responsible for crimes against humanity stop recruiting on campus. Students led teach-ins and marches, and occupied buildings. In response, the university arrested dozens of students. In the now-famous ensuing legal battle, the student plaintiffs effectively put the CIA on trial—and won. For more information and to view the digital exhibit, check out the exhibit website.
The exhibit launch will occur Thursday, April 3, 2025 from 12 to 2 pm. The launch event will consist of remarks by Professor Diana Sierra Becerra and a panel with the student curators from 12:15-1pm. Dedicated time to reflect on the exhibit through art-making and altar-creation will follow from 1-2pm. Attendees are also welcome to join the student- and community-oriented organizing workshops organized by the UMass Alliance for Community Transformation that will follow the launch event, from 4-6pm.
The exhibit will remain on display in the lobby through April 30 and is free and open to the public, with viewing hours from 9 am to 6 pm on weekdays. UMass, Five College, and local educators are invited to bring their classes to the exhibit for group tours. Student-led guided tours are available upon request. Advanced notice for group visits is requested. Please fill out this form to do so.
Students in the class are also offering a two-part workshop on the history of student solidarity with Central America and on anti-Apartheid struggles at UMass in the space on Friday, April 11 from 1:30-4pm. See details here.
This student-curated exhibit is presented in conjunction with the Feinberg Family Distinguished Lecture Series, What Are Universities For? Struggles for the Soul of Higher Ed, which is exploring the historical roots of present-day crises in higher education. It is co-sponsored by the UMass Department of History and Public History Program. View the history department’s statement on co-sponsorship.