“Princeton’s motto is: in the nation’s service, and in the service of all nations,” the students recited, to the clear surprise and discomfort of a handful of recruiters. “JP Morgan, your actions violate our motto. Your predatory lending practices helped crash our economy. We bailed out your executives’ bonuses. You evict struggling homeowners while taking their tax money. You support mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia, which destroys our ecological future. In light of these actions, we protest the campus culture that whitewashes the crooked dealings of Wall Street as a prestigious career path. We are here today as a voice for the 99 percent, shut out by a system that punishes them just for being born without privilege. What we need is not a university for the 1 percent, but a university in the nation’s service, and in the service of all nations.”
The students then promptly picked up and walked out, leaving about half the classroom desks empty.
Lastly, I also hope everyone takes this time to reflect on how the late Martin Luther King, Jr. would say about the Occupy Wall Street movement on his National Birthday (January 16, 2012). He also fought for equal rights, world peace, and economic security for all.
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