The mission of Historians for Peace and Democracy (H-PAD) is to stand up for peace and diplomacy internationally, and for democracy and human rights at home. To these ends, we are dedicated to fostering education on campuses and in communities, encouraging activism, and facilitating networking with organizations working for peace and justice.
Strike Support: Historians Letter to Columbia Provost Ira Katznelson
If you wish to sign this urgently-needed letter, please go to
https://forms.gle/eJhXePzoSW6KTP1e6
For information on the strike, see Graduate Workers of Columbia University/UAW Local 2110.
Our deadline is Noon on Sunday, April 4.
Dear Provost Katznelson,
We write you as fellow historians. Your scholarship in working-class history has been of profound importance and has affirmed the right of every working person to bargain collectively. We call upon you to honor that commitment and lead the Columbia administration in good-faith bargaining with its graduate students and other student workers. We also urge you to immediately cease the punitive withholding of stipends; not only is this a classic union-busting tactic but it is morally reprehensible, given how difficult it is for these workers to live in New York City. Finally, like any other workers, they have a right to a policy outlining freedom from discrimination and harassment, which we hope you will implement immediately.
As historians who value both scholarship and activism, we feel that the university should provide a model for equitable labor relations and demonstrate respect for the rights of all its workers. This is the standard to which we will hold Columbia—and you. We also fear that if Columbia succeeds in breaking GWC-UAW Local 2110 it will be a signal to other universities and will only increase the precarity of this large sector of academic workers, further undermining the academy overall.
Add your name and affiliation here.
New: H-PAD Update
Occasional Newsletter #8, March 30, 2021, Updating Current H-PAD Activities
(also available as a pdf for downloading and/or printing)
H-PAD Virtual Speakers Program
Over thirty five speakers are available to address local audiences via Zoom without honoraria on a variety of important historical and political topics!
The Virtual Speakers Program (VSP) is a new H-PAD initiative which draws on our past experiences with speakers lists, but which now incorporates the technological opportunities provided by video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Skype. The purpose of VSP is to enable local campus or community H-PAD supporters to schedule, without honoraria, presentations by professional historians, independent scholars, and activists in topic areas that are politically, historically, and intellectually important in the current context. We suggest that virtual speakers might be booked, for example, for regular class meetings in courses, during regular meeting slots of community groupings, or for specially arranged events. Read more…
U.S. Foreign Policy History & Resource Guide
Other H-PAD activities
H-PAD is developing a Public History Campaign, finding ways to agitate for peace and justice with useful, accessible, accurate materials. Our Public History campaign has three components:
- Investing in a much larger social media presence, including webinars, videos, and podcasts;
- Producing many more “Broadsides for the Present Era” and distributing them widely, via web ads;
- Building partnerships with progressive and left organizations and publications to distribute our public, political, and popular history.
Join Us!
Members share in the active work and decision-making of H-PAD.
Supporters receive regular updates and action items as part of our network.