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In this image, protesters are choosing to stand up for what they believe in instead of doing nothing. This connects to Edmund Burke's quote because this is how we stop forces of evil from triumphing in our society.

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Student Activism: A Long History Fighting Injustice [The Atlantic]

Written on 27 November 2015, 11:00am under As Seen In

Tagged with: education, education policy, racism, social justice, student activism

History reveals a long-standing tradition of student activism in education. Young people, often high school students, mobilizing and organizing their peers to create change. Courageous youth leaders demanding that those most affected by education policy and politics have their voices heard and respected. My interest in student activism predates my latest piece in The Atlantic. With a wave of protests rolling across college campuses, however, it's timely to revisit the other student activists spearheading movements.

More than 50 years later movements for racial and educational justice are once again building momentum. A surge of student activism has swept across academia in recent weeks as black students and their allies forcefully call attention to racist climates on American college campuses. And even as some college-student leaders cite the Black Lives Matter social-justice movement as their inspiration, what's happening in higher education is being matched by younger peers. High-school youth are flexing their collective muscles for equity: fighting budget cuts and out-of-school suspensions as they take on racial issues and academic offerings.

A 2012 paper on youth and social movements, a collaboration between Lady Gaga's Born this Way Foundation and Harvard University's Berkman Center, found young people to be powerful agents for social change, crediting undocumented-youth sit-ins for convincing President Obama to grant DREAMers a reprieve from deportation in 2012. The paper's author writes of youth activists primed to "call out or identify systems of oppression, speak up, and mobilize their peers."

(Photo: Liz Hafalia, San Francisco Chronicle)
Written by Melinda (Published articles: 55)

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Student Activism: A Long History Fighting Injustice [The Atlantic] | Ghostwritings

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History reveals a long-standing tradition of student activism in education. Young people, often high school students, mobilizing and organizing their peers to create change. Courageous youth leaders demanding that those most affected by education policy and politics have their voices heard and respected. My interest in student activism predates my latest piece in The Atlantic.

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"A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true."

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"A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true."

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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"All that is needed for the forces of evil to triumph is for enough good men and women to do nothing.

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"All that is needed for the forces of evil to triumph is for enough good men and women to do nothing.

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Sir Edmund Burke

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BE AN ADVOCATE!

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In this image, Dr. King put his life on the line to stand up for what is right because he knew life is only worth living if we stand up for justice.

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I think should have been nominated for his transforming portrayal of Martin Luther King... Ava DuVernay should have been nominated for her outstanding direction of Selma, and I think David Oyelowo but I'm not in the Academy. The strongest thing I can say in censure is that these omissions are puzzling. Or, maybe not so puzzling considering the makeup of the voting members of the Academy, and how movies are rolled out for award consideration. Remember, this is the organization that gave the golden statue to Ginger Rogers for Kitty Foyle in a year when Bette Davis was nominated for The Letter, Joan Fontaine was nominated for Rebecca, Katharine Hepburn was up for The Philadelphia Story, and Martha Scott for Our Town. Then, as now, the awards generate buzz about the industry. The Oscar broadcast funds the scholarships, archives, and all endeavors that the (non-profit) Academy undertakes to preserve, promote, and educate. So keep the conversation going, it's all good for the movies.

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"In solidarity for those who are fighting for justice right now." John Legend

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I think Ava DuVernay should have been nominated for her outstanding direction of Selma, and I think David Oyelowo should have been nominated for his transforming portrayal of Martin Luther King...but I'm not in the Academy. The strongest thing I can say in censure is that these omissions are puzzling.