CUNY DIGITAL HISTORY ARCHIVE

In this interview, Rachel Laforest discussed her foundations in the New York Left and internationalist politics. She situated the Student Liberation Action Movement (SLAM!) and student organizing at CUNY in the 1990s and early 2000s within the context of a changing city, focusing in particular on contested transformations around real estate, housing, and policing. She reflects upon organized labor and the role of unions in the Left, as well as political and ideological differences within SLAM!. She talked about the Black and Puerto Rican Studies department at Hunter, where she earned her degree, as well as Black student organizations. She highlighted the work of the High School Organizing Project, a SLAM! initiative that bridged the divide between high schools and colleges in New York.