When four Black students sat at a “whites only” lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1960 to protest racial segregation, they launched what would become the civil rights movement. They urged fellow students to register as voters, march on Washington, and pressure universities to change their policies.
Today, student activists are just as passionate about their cause as the students of the past. They’re using methods like sit-ins and building takeovers to grab headlines and push universities into action. But this generation’s activism is also shaped by social media, which allows them to organize and spread their message faster and farther than ever before.
From gun control groups to a push for a woman’s right to choose, today’s students are addressing the issues that matter most to them. They’re pushing their universities to sever financial ties with companies doing business with Israel, for example. They believe that by investing in Israeli companies, schools are complicit in the human rights abuses committed by the country.
They’re also calling on their campuses to divest from fossil fuels, for instance. And they’re pushing their schools to be “sanctuary” campuses, by refusing to let immigration enforcement officers on campus. Students are demonstrating that they have the power to make their voices heard. Use this module as a springboard for a seminar-like discussion of the tradition of student protest. Consider inviting student leaders from political and ideological student groups or your school’s senate to participate in your discussions.