“I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” ? James Baldwin

Over the past couple of decades, universities have acknowledged the importance of student activism in higher education. Recently, when high schools were threatening to suspend students who participated in the National Student Walkout in honor of those who lose their lives in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Universities publicly announced that they were going to grant ‘amnesty‘ to applicants who were suspended for engaging in peaceful protests.

More so, educational institutions such as the University of Colorado Boulder have incorporated student activism into their campus life. On the university’s Division of Student Affairs website, they explain:

CU Boulder holds that student activism plays an important role in students’ personal, academic, and leadership development. Through activism, students learn to advocate for their values and beliefs, values that are sometimes newly discovered through their studies and co-curricular endeavours at the university.

Activism hasn’t always been held to such a high regard in education systems but has been a tradition since the birth of these institutions. In our history classes, most of us have read about notable student protests against racism, war, inequality, sexual violence, injustices, and more. It’s important to remember that these activists were just normal people who stood their ground despite being threatened with tear gas, pepper spray, high-pressure hoses, and arrests.

With universities now upholding activism as a means to lessen inequity gaps and provide a path to democracy, this is the best time to become a student activist for something you believe in!