Students, faculty and participants of the "68 student strike gathered this morning to listen to a panel discussion about how the Vietnam War protests propelled the strike's activism, and how similar issues still face American society today.

The discussion began at 10 a.m. in Jack Adams Hall, and the event was apart of the Ethnic Studies department's four-day commemoration of the 1968 student strike. The strike, led by the Third World Liberation Front and Black Student Union, was a protest that concerned discrimination and civil rights at the university. The protest led to the creation of the world's only Ethnic Studies department, and this week marks the fortieth year since the strike began.

“This [panel discussion] is an invaluable opportunity for the crisis of 1968 to be shown as relevant in today’s world,” said Steve Zeltzer, a member of the 40th anniversary organizing committee.

This morning’s panel discussion celebrated the past, but was also a clear call for action in the future. The panel featured former members of the Black Student Union and 1968 strike participants, Clarence Thomas and James Garrett. Thomas, who is now a union activist, offered his guidance from his experiences during the 1960s.

“One of the most important things I learned during that struggle was the importance of coalitions, of people working together,” Thomas said.

Garret discussed how the young people of this generation haven’t found that same sense of activism that sparked the students during the ’68 strike. This is despite the fact that this generation faces many of the same issues as the students forty years ago, such as an unpopular war and disagreements with the SF State administration. “This generation hasn’t found its own mission, its own way,” Garret said.

The panel went on to discuss the similarities between the Vietnam War and today’s war in Iraq, such as the public's high disapproval rating. When asked how the younger generation can help end the war in Iraq, Thomas replied, “The only way the war is going to stop is [to] take lessons from the movements of the past and use them.”

During the panel discussion, the audience voiced agreement with head nods and the occasional cheer.

Audience member and strike veteran Nesbit Crutchfield hopes this morning’s discussion will inspire young people. “We were in no means unique,” Nesbit said. “I think the whole point of the commemoration is to inspire young people to realize the issues we faced then are comparable to issues they face today.”

Yvette Ching, a volunteer at this morning’s event and an SF State alumna, said she felt compelled to help with the commemoration because of the benefits she received from the student strike. As a student, Ching was a member of the Educational Opportunity Program, a program that resulted from the protest. “I feel it’s my duty to acknowledge and respect the dedication during the strike, which led to programs like the EOP.”

During the discussion, Thomas expressed his belief that the lessons of the "68 student strike are still relevant today. “There are still lessons to be learned from the [student] strike,” Thomas said. “I hope this discussion will give current students some idea of the kind of institution they’re attending and what is expected of them.”