Binghamton Political Initiative was formed in the closing months of 2004. Since then we have made an impact on the university and the community at large. B.P.I. has sponsored and coordinated many different events. Below is a somewhat abbreviated list of events that B.P.I. has sponsored and/or coordinated. Check out what B.P.I. has been proud to offer the university and the larger community of Binghamton and the Southern Tier.

Anti-War Protest on March 18, 2008 On March 18th, 2008, a group of anti-war protesters from Binghamton University and the surrounding community was marching on Binghamton campus to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Approximately 130 students and community members participated in the event that culminated in a number of speeches by peace activists. (After the protest: http://www.solidarityanddissent.blogspot.com) "Oral History in Palestine" - A talk by Adel Yahya (PACE) The Palestinian Association for Cultural Exchange (PACE) online: http://www.pace.ps/ The Bread & Puppet Circus For more info on Bread & Puppet: http://www.breadandpuppet.org/index.html Dissent on Trial: The St. Patrick's Four The St. Patrick's Four - Daniel J. Burns, Clare T. Grady, Peter J. DeMott, and Teresa B. Grady - spoke about their experiences of having engaged in an act of civil disobedience and facing the consequences of felony charges. The Q&A part of the event involved both members of the Binghamton University community and the larger community of the Southern Tier of New York and beyond. For more info on the St. Patrick's Four: http://www.stpatricksfour.org/ The event was sponsored by the Graduate Student Organization (GSO), the Anthropology Department, the History Department, and the Sociology Department. Weekly Peace Vigils This long- running protest had started on February 2, 2005, with a lunchtime march around the school that began with a silent vigil at the fountain in front of the G. Bartle Library at Binghamton University. After then, this event continued for more than three years: Every Wednesday from 11:50am-12:00noon a number of B.P.I. members stood in silence by the fountain, holding signs that were commemorating the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, a similar peace vigil is held community members in dowtown Binghamton. Join them, every Monday from 4:30-5:30pm on Henry St. in front of the Court House! Ivan Eland reads from "The Empire Has No Clothes: American foreign Policy Exposed" B.P.I. and the BU Geography department co-sponsored a B.P.I. coordinated forum on American Imperialism. In his book "The Empire Has No Clothes: U.S. Foreign Policy Exposed," defense policy expert Dr. Ivan Eland (senior fellow and director of the Independent Institute’s Center on Peace & Liberty) details how most Americans don’t think of their government as an empire, while in fact the United States has been steadily expanding its control of overseas territories since the turn of the twentieth century.