Sparticists Organize Committee To Protest South Africa Talks

The Harvard-Radeliffe chapter of the Sparticist Youth League (SYL) met last night to organize a committee to protest a University-sponsored conference on South Africa scheduled for April 29.

Amy L. Richman '78, a spokesman for the SYL asked other campus organizations to help plan a demonstration against the conference of prominent businessmen, political analysts and government officials.

The Dubois Institute and the Committee on African Studies are sponsoring the conference, which its sponsors said will attempt to develop an African policy for the United States that will recognize that "access to the commodities of Africa is a matter of the highest importance to the U.S."

Bennie Brody, an SYL member, said yesterday, "The conference is a design to make U.S. African policy more lucrative for American business interests."

Brody said the SYL invited other organizations such as the Committee Against Racism and the South African Solidarity Committee to participate in a "democratically-organized" Committee Against Apartheid, but that none of the organizations had responded.

Neva L. Seidman '78, a member of the Solidarity Committee, said yesterday her group plans to participate in a coalition of organizations planning to demonstrate against the conference.

The SYL was not invited to join the coalition because of their "divisive tactics," Seidman said, and added that the SYL attempted to monopolize past Solidarity Committee meetings. She said the SYL deliberately scheduled their Monday night meeting to conflict with that of the Committee.

Brody said the SYL called for a "unified front" that no single group would dominate, adding that "All organizations can unite against apartheid, regardless of their specific political views."