"Be the change you want to see in the world."
We're told that from the beginning, by counselors, by teachers, by administrators. But an unfortunate part of adulthood is learning that support from those who raise you is conditional. Their support is yours until suddenly, your views don't match theirs, until you raise your voice, until the change you want bothers their complacency. The great thing about not quite yet being an adult though is that you feel just invincible enough, just optimistic enough, that you don't really need their unwavering support. In fact, student activism is born of everything that the older generation tells us we have too much of: energy, anger, idealism. We've been using those traits to be passionate and proud for years, and we have yet to run out of steam.
1. TWLF Strikes
The strikes associated with the Third World Liberation Front helped shaped Berkley University's Ethics program into what it is today. The strike at UC Berkley was one of the longest strikes in U.S. history, but the students involved successfully brought about the creation of programs focusing on Native American, Chicano, Asian, and African American studies.
2. Kent State Shootings
The protests at Kent State marked the beginning of the many revolts that surrounded the Vietnam War era. The shootings by police guards at the university were preceded by days of student rallies that protested the Cambodian Incursion. By May 4th, the crowds attending protests had been tear-gassed, the university's ROTC building was burnt to the ground, and 4 students were dead.
3. Take A Knee For Black Lives
Student athletes across multiple campuses followed Colin Kaepernick's example in taking a knee for the national anthem. Despite the fire Kaepernick and other professional athletes came under for the show of resistance, students from Washington, D.C. to Georgia joined the protests to fight for equal treatment of minorities under the flag.
4. The National Walkout
The most recent example of student activism occurred following the school shooting at Parkland, FL. After the shooting, students spoke out and organized a national walkout during which they left their school buildings for 17 minutes to protest the loose gun laws that have caused the deaths of elementary, middle, high school, and college students for years.
