Fearless Friday: Gettysburg Anti-Capitalist Collective
The Gettysburg Anti-Capitalist Collective, also known as GACC, is a recent yet active addition to the campus community. Through their participation in debates, weekly meetings, and organization of events (most notably Wednesday night’s concert featuring political activists Evan Greer and Anne Feeney), GACC provides a forum for discussing and learning about leftist politics. On a campus that many would describe as highly conservative, GACC and its members are nothing short of fearless.
Last semester several students, including Ian Huyett, Vishal Bajpai, Spencer Bradley, and Ela Thompson talked about starting a club to foster their interests and engage the campus community in discussing underrepresented political views. These students believe that capitalism in general is an exploitative and coercive system which affects many areas of life. Soon their talk turned into action, and the Gettysburg Anti-Capitalist Collective was founded.
Since its inception, GACC has kept busy and have had several major events. This semester, they debated the Libertarians, which can be seen on GBurg TV. This event did not draw in as much crowd as had expected as a result of “bad weather” and the many other events hosted on that same day. However, this did not deter the members. They had a conversation with College Democrats, and hosted a discussion on Ferguson and the conflict in St. Louis. This event proved to be a success, drawing in a larger audience than expected. The conversations at the event focused on several issues including police brutality, the media portrayal of race and how it influences public opinion, as well as how issues are addressed. They recently hosted the Crush Corbett concert on Wednesday October 15th in the Junction, featuring Anne Fenney and Evan Greer, leftist folk musicians. GACC has also hosted a workshop with ALLies on queer issues, and environmental justice and gentrification. Ian Huyett was surprised and happy with the turnout and grateful with the support from ALLies.
At their general meetings, they plan for events and discuss relevant current events. These discussions have ranged from the protests in Hong Kong, general political events, and NSA surveillance. In the future, GACC would like to reach out more to other groups on campus and increase awareness. They hope to broaden the political spectrum and various political perspectives on campus. Although they don’t currently have the level of attendance and support on campus they would like, Ian is positive about the future of the club, “it’s something I am passionate about and I feel is important,” he said.
Join GACC in Glatfelter 104 every Monday at 8:00 PM to learn more about their goals and different political perspectives!