When corruption runs rampant in the world, be a part of a movement for good
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD — opinion@theaggie.org
Protests have been a powerful act of public dissent in America for as long as the country has existed. A successful protest is one that mobilizes political action — it prompts new legislation, it’s a catalyst for rights to be codified into law or it sends a symbolic message to those in power. In a time of so much social unrest, we’ve recently seen many protests of many forms; it’s inevitable that more will come.
Historically, protests have been an extremely effective method of enabling social and political change. Countless examples — from the Boston Tea Party in 1773 to the #MeToo movement in 2017 — prove the enduring power of assembly. Yet there have been other attempts to enact tangible progress that weren’t so conducive to action: So, what makes a successful protest? How can we effectively use our collective voice?
Erica Chenoweth, academic dean for Faculty Development and Frank Stanton professor of the First Amendment at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, developed a 3.5% rule: A protest must comprise at least that much of a given population in order to send a lucrative message. Once that metric is reached, she notes that it’s difficult for such a force to be ignored. Among other factors Chenoweth cites (including momentum, strategic leadership and organization), she also found that nonviolent movements are twice as likely to be successful compared to violent campaigns.
College campuses tend to be hubs for social demonstrations. The tale of young adults demanding change from higher institutions is as old as time, but not without good reason: Student protests work. Throughout the 20th and into the 21st century, examples of successful campus protests — like the Velvet Revolution in 1989, the March for Our Lives movement in 2018 and the Global Climate Strikes in 2019 — show us just how compelling collegiate social demonstrations can be, a fact we continue to witness today.
The University of California (UC) system has its own proud history of actionable protest. In December 1984, students at UC Berkeley expressed their objection to the UC Regents investing billions of dollars in the government of an apartheid-rampent South Africa. Over the course of two years, they staged walk-outs, held sit-ins at the very central Sproul Hall and attracted celebrity attention (authors and activists Kurt Vonnegut and Alice Walker visited to show their support), until the UC Regents divested $3.1 billion in 1986.
In the spring of 2024, Davis Popular University for the Liberation of Palestine (PULP) set up an encampment in the Memorial Union Quad, expressing opposition for the UC Davis administration’s complacency amid the ongoing genocide in Palestine and Chancellor Gary May’s investment in Leidos — an American technology company known to invest in Israeli weaponry and surveillance equipment. Students remained on the Quad for 40 days, following other universities across the country (including Columbia University and UC Los Angeles, among other UC campuses) which organized similar efforts. Despite the fact that the demands put forth by the encampment were unmet by the administration, this was a massive nationwide symbolic movement that garnered mainstream media attention. Beyond some tangible successes, the students involved were able to start a widespread conversation. They spotlighted issues that had previously been overshadowed and took a stance in solidarity against them — all through peaceful protest.
On Jan. 30, UC Davis students joined a nationwide protest and strike against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which included walking out of or refusing to attend work or school, assembling or marching as a group and boycotting commerce, among other actions. Students at UC Berkeley also joined the demonstration started by students at the University of Minnesota. While there have yet to be any notable effects from this movement at a federal level, it has unequivocally garnered national media attention (and the hope is that its momentum will only continue to grow).
It’s easy, in the face of so much mutual anxiety and a perpetual newsfeed of disparaging stories, to feel powerless. But let this serve as a reminder that you are more capable than you might think. We as a collective people have a greater capacity for actualizing reform than we do as the sum of our parts. The Editorial Board encourages you to use your voice — and your First Amendment right to peaceful assembly — to take action and be a part of community efforts to push back against immoral federal operations.
Help your local social movements reach that 3.5% quota; show up and make the statement that you are not content to stay home and be quiet while the country falls apart around you; show them that their injustices cannot continue.
If you can’t attend a demonstration in person, consider donating to help fund their efforts. The ambitious goals that most protests aim to achieve cannot be accomplished in isolation — it really does take a village. Be a part of yours.
Written by: The Editorial Board — opinion@theaggie.org
