Student Activism

Student Activism

        The 2016 Presidential candidate, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has made a call out to the current and future young people of America, “My view is that the only we can bring about an agenda that works for working families is if millions of people are actively involved in the political process. If a million young people march on Washington they to the Republican leadership, we know what’s going on, and you better vote to deal with student debt. You better vote to make public universities and college’s tuition free, that’s when it will happen.”

        Student activism for many years has been misunderstood as only a movement oriented to make change in the American Education System. Since the 1930’s students have set in motion a number actions against war, racial discrimination, and education reform. These movements are like waves pushing students to become more prominent in the American political system.

        In the 1960s, in response to institutionalized racism, we would see successful groups like Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Atlanta Student Movement, these being predominately African American groups rose up and fought back for integration in public schools across the entire United States of America.

In the early 1970s, students at the University of Washington organized in solidarity with the protest victims at Kent State University in response to the expansion of the Vietnam War, where nearly 6,000 students walked out blocking traffic for hours on freeway sending a clear message all across downtown and would feel the immense mobilization. The number of students who responded was a belief that they can change the world hasn’t been beaten out of them yet.[pic 1]

In recent events, March of this year, a group of seven student demonstrators disrupted a United States Senate Budget hearing in response to the proposed reductions in student financial aid by Senate Republicans only to be escorted out by the Capitol Police chanting, “No cuts, no fees, education should be free.” Then in May of 2015, 100 student’s part of the United Student Associations rally, between the Capitol and Supreme Court Building blocked traffic and metro for half an hour until 10 students were arrested protesting Senate Republicans plan to freeze Pell grants. The students continued to mock Republicans while advocating for free higher education and then were joined afterward by Senator Bernie Sanders to give a speech on redefining basic education and calling for a Robin Hood tax to pay for tuition. [pic 2]