THE SOUTH
Since universities started in the Fall, I would go to study English at another university. This time I chose Southern Illinois University, located near Chicago.
Carbondale was a smaller town than Baton Rouge, with only one large university. The rest was a small downtown that served a predominantly rural population; the houses, just like in the South, were filled with flags, but these were Union flags. Derek lived in a trailer near the campus.
The psychology students were mostly from Chicago.
To my surprise, their appearance had nothing to do with those from Baton Rouge. The men had long hair and beards and wore brightly colored cotton pants.
The women wore long colorful shawls, high-toned necklaces, and earrings.
I was in another country and not only was the North different, but the university campuses were hotbeds of radicalism. The Vietnam War was raging, and so was the opposition from the youth. The students wore peace badges and protested the military presence on campus: the Army recruitment centers, the ROTC.
Amid sips of wine and puffs of a joint, curses were heard against Johnson and his foreign policy.
I liked the town. There was great tension between the locals and the students: the former were conservatives 87
and supported the war; the latter were revolutionaries and willing to do whatever it took to stop it. I had arrived at one of the most revolutionary campuses in the United States. On the third day, there was a demonstration against the war. Soon the ROTC
(Army Recruitment Center) would be set on fire, and the students blocked the streets and the administra-tion buildings. The state police made their entrance, and things got tougher. The next day, there was another student demonstration in the town center; suddenly, the police launched tear gas and pandemonium reigned. The students ran towards the campus and more buildings were set ablaze; the guardians of order unleashed more gas. “Jump in the pool, put your head underwater,” someone shouted as the cloud enveloped my room.
I was amazed. I had never seen anything like it: a crowd confronting the police. A questioning of power, of parents, of conservative sectors, of churches, and the media. And all this just three days after my arrival! I plunged into the water because I was crying, although I don’t know if it was because of the gas or sheer happiness.
After a curfew that locked us in the dormitory for two days, the unthinkable was announced: Carbondale campus would be closed for the rest of the year. Students had to return to their hometowns.
In my case, I couldn’t stay and wait for it to reopen.
My best option was the University of Maryland, in 88
College Park, as the campus was only a four-hour train ride from New York20.
I hadn’t finished settling into my dorm room when I found out that another student demonstration had been scheduled. The call was to take Route 1, the artery that connected Maryland to the capital city: I was at the second most radical university in the Eastern United States. The next day, I went to the demonstration where thousands of students sat in the middle of the main avenue, and anyone could anticipate trouble.
I noticed how the clothing, hairstyles, slogans, posters, and shouts were even more radical than what I witnessed in Illinois. Half of the demonstration dressed like hippies, and the rest was already familiar to me: the state police were ready to confront the students. They brought tear gas, batons, water hoses, and all kinds of weapons. Once again, some students went to the ROTC and threw stones, although they didn’t set it on fire. The others didn’t flinch when the police ordered them to clear the road. Suddenly, tear gas canisters were launched, there were clashes, students being beaten and dragged into police vans, and finally, a curfew; this time, I was throwing stones. Without thinking about the consequences that this action 20 The University of Maryland, also known as UMD, is located in College Park, Maryland. It is situated in Prince George’s County, just outside of Washington, D.C. This location provides students with access to the opportunities and resources of the nation’s capital while also offering a vibrant and diverse community on campus. The University of Maryland is easily accessible by public transportation and is approximately 10 miles northeast of downtown Washington, D.C.