Below, you will see several research examples about university activism.

Before going into the examples, let’s first look at how you can be a student activist. You must:

• Identify a cause that you’re passionate about
• Learn all you can about that cause
• Determine what you need to achieve in terms of tangible goals
• Maximize your resources, which can be your relationships with fellow students
• Develop an action plan

Additionally, it would be great knowing how you can express activism. Your options include:

1. Civil disobedience
2. Occupations
3. Demonstrations
4. Sit-ins
5. Strikes
6. Protests
7. Boycotts
8. Going to the media
9. Presenting petitions
10. Internet activism

Examples of University Activism

Now that you know all that, the next issue is the examples of university activism, which you need to know. These examples are essential for several reasons. For starters, they offer encouragement to students who may be interested in organizing specific types of activism but have no idea how to go about it all. Additionally, the examples show how students are able to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to achieve their activism-related goals.

1. Reclaim Harvard Law

Harvard Law School is one of the world’s most elite institutions of higher learning. It enjoys global recognition as a paragon of knowledge and supreme education. Nevertheless, the college also has a not-so-pleasant side. Black students have been organizing university activism to bring these issues to the fore. The students have rallied around Reclaim Harvard Law to fight for racial equality in the school. They have raised awareness regarding this issue through:

• Demonstrations
• Social media campaigns
• Speaking engagements

1. Woolworth’s Sit-in

In 1960, students organized a sit-in in Woolworth. They did this as a protest against the “whites’ only” policy that was in effect at one restaurant. The sit-in took place during lunch. That single act would then have a ripple effect that lasted several years. For example, it led to the founding of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which in later years, would join the Civil Rights Movement from where it played a crucial role in agitating for the rights of the blacks.

1. Pay It Forward Tuition Plan

Student activism doesn’t always focus on racial segregation. It also delves into other issues that students consider pertinent to successful academic life. Portland State University students organized Pay It Forward Tuition Plan, as a solution for graduating from college without huge debts. The activism convinced the Oregon legislature to draft and pass a bill that enabled students to graduate without paying. However, they had 24 years to finish repaying student loans.

1. 1970 Student Strike

The United States has never experienced a larger student strike than the one of 1970. At the time, 4 million students from various universities around the country protested the decision use the military to invade Cambodia. Students from over 450 high schools and post-high school campuses took part in the protests. What is more, the protests also dealt with the deaths of students of Kent State University. Additionally, they never stopped protesting for two months.

1. Boston College Students Activism for Sexual Health

Students at Boston College considered sex education and birth control important issues deserving of proper, prolonged agitation. Their activism attracted coverage by the national media. The call to protest arose after the college threatened to punish students who were agitating for such rights. All students who took part in the activism demanded a referendum on sexual health.

These are just but a few examples of the power that activists hold. In some situations, only a handful of students were involved in the protests. However, other situations saw large groups running into thousands, and millions of students come together to fight for issues that matter to them. The overriding theme in all this is the students got what they fought for; thereby proving that university activism is well and truly alive.

Student activism has always been part of the life and culture of college students in the US. Since the 1920s, a large group of African American students aligned themselves with their colleagues or peers to press for more recognition. Mostly, they wanted recognition as human beings with equal rights as students of other races. Yes, discrimination based on race was rife in colleges around the country back then.

In its infancy, black student activism mostly focused on the goal the activists had at the time; that is, advancing their race. Back then, much of the activism happened at Hampton Institute, Fisk University, Lincoln University, and Howard University, among others. Student activists who ignited the flame upon which the fire of activism burned – and continues to burn – included W. E. B. Du Bois, among others.

Over the years, black student activism has posted different levels of success. In some cases, the demands the activists placed on their college and school administrators were granted. However, in other cases, they enjoyed only partial success. Nevertheless, activism continues to date. It hasn’t stopped. Activism remains relevant today, just as it did in the 20th Century in the following areas:

• Fighting for racial equality
• Bonding their communities
• Creating awareness about issues they hold dear

Origins of Black Student Activism

As you may have grasped by now, black student activism has always been prevalent in American colleges all over the country. As long as black students encounter discrimination, injustice, and unfairness of any sort, they will always group themselves together to fight for common causes. Nevertheless, the main issue that the initial activists rallied around was the effect of centuries of enslavement.

They organized the activism around three specific orientations; namely:

1. Cultural
2. Political
3. Economic

Slavery affected African Americans negatively. For centuries, this minority group had to struggle with the perception that they were an inferior race. Such perception denied them many of the opportunities that could have aided their cause academically, socially, politically, and culturally. It is little wonder that they had to move into activism. Without this, it would have been impossible for them to enjoy the rights they do today.

Where does it occur?

It is worth noting that black student activism isn’t limited to college students alone. Obviously, it receives more attention whenever it happens in colleges. Nevertheless, it happens almost everywhere you have black students. High school students are also active in this form of activism. After all, they need their issues resolved fast. Millions of black students across all institutions of learning around the country are actively involved in activism.

Examples of Black Student Activism

1. University of Missouri Students

Students at the University of Missouri engaged in activism to raise awareness on issues regarding racism. They noticed a distinct lack of diversity within the campus. Their activism led to the resignation of the university’s president – Tim Wolfe. The highlight of the entire period of activism was the hunger strike that one of the college’s students – Jonathan Butler – went on to force Wolfe to look into the concerns he had raised.

1. University of California

Contrary to popular opinion, black college students don’t engage in black student activism only for issues affecting their lives in the learning institutions. They also participate in protests, hunger strikes, and demonstrations for issues affecting the black populace in general. A clear example of this is the students of the University of California protesting their college’s decision to invest US$30 million in private prisons. The college abandoned its plans afterward.

1. Washington State University

As you may have seen by now, most black students opt for activism as a way of protesting against racism. The students of Washington State University aren’t any different. When a member of the college’s Phi Delta Theta fraternity hurled racial insults at two black students, their colleagues started a movement known as WakeUpWSU, which created student protests. Students demanded that the fraternity be shut down. Activism continues to this day.

1. Seattle High School Students

When Michael Brown was killed, college students around the country staged protests regarding the manner in which his death occurred and the fact that he was left on the road for four hours and thirty minutes. High school students in Seattle immediately took up the call and staged protests. In one instance, these high school students lay right on the road and stopped traffic for the same duration that Brown remained unattended while dying after a white police officer shot him.

All these are just a few examples that bring to the fore the fact that black students are aware of what happens around them. They have their hands on the pulse of the country and communities. They have embraced black student activism, which they continue using to fight for their rights as students as well as basic human rights. Thus far, the activism has led to positive results.

For most people, any discussion on civil activism would be incomplete without mentioning some activists who made a name for themselves campaigning for human rights. These individuals excelled at agitating for non-political rights of citizens in their respective countries. Names such as Martin Luther King Junior, Rosa Parks, Mohandas Gandhi, Harriet Tubman, Cesar Chavez, and Nelson Mandela immediately come to mind.

What is Civil Activism?

Writing a school paper on civil activism should always commence with a proper definition of what it actually is. Additionally, the research should also consider how this type of activism came to existence in the first place. Primarily, this form of activism is all about ensuring that everybody has access to non-political rights. This type of activism is never haphazard. It is a highly organized activity with specific goals to boot. These goals often which include:

• Seeking to increase access to literacy and education to those who lack it
• Opening the space for people to participate in different political activities
• Spreading new norms where human rights and pursuit of justice is concerned

Mostly, normal citizens organize civil activism. They consider the suffering of their fellow citizens and seek to do something to change the situation. Therefore, the research has to look at the individuals who were at the forefront of organizing activism. Such activists need special mention. The role they played in the entire process, how they were able to rally different people around a particular cause also needs highlighting.

History of Civil Activism

A well-written school research on civil activism will also delve into its history. Where did it originate? Has it always been around? As the research will establish, the activism started somewhere. It had a starting point. In the United States, its origins are traceable to the era of the Civil Rights Movement when activists emerged to champions causes that affected different segments of the population.

Civil Rights Movement was at its peak between 1946 and 1968. Its primary focus was to secure full rights for a particular group of people; that is, African Americans. This group sought specific economic, political, and social rights. For some reasons, including discrimination based on race, African Americans had been neglected for centuries. During this era, civil activists employed different strategies that included:

• Bringing lawsuits in court
• Petitioning the federal government
• Organizing mass direct action
• Planning black power movements

What does Civil Activism Incorporate?

Civil activism is quite wide-ranging in terms of the activities that activists can engage in to push their cause. There is no limit to what any activist can do, especially if there is enough support from other quarters. Obviously, the masses would need proper education and enlightening to understand why this form of activism is necessary for improving their lives. A bit of advocacy is also more important in such cases. Nevertheless, the full remit of what one can do include:

1. Educating others
2. Advocating for legislation
3. Running for leadership positions in the community
4. Carrying demonstrations and protests
5. Creating and improving public awareness
6. Undertaking surveys regarding the issue/cause and sharing the outcomes
7. Raising funds
8. Writing letters and protest notes, including seeking help from social media
9. Engaging in community service
10. Roping the media in

In conclusion, civil activism is alive today just as it has ever been. As long as human rights are at disappearing of not being honored or granted, civil rights activists will always have important roles to play in the society. With this guide, you should be ready to prepare a well-written and researched paper on civil activism. The paper should mention its history, some of the most important leaders of civil activism, the roles they played, and the outcome of their activism.

When writing a school research paper on activism, you should ensure that it captures the most important points. As you will see from Martin Luther King Junior’s case study, activism is quite intense. What is more, it has a beginning. Activists can often point the exact moment when the fires of activism started burning deep within their souls. Additionally, the research paper must focus on the impact the activism had.

Martin Luther’s Entrance into Activism

To highlight this point, one has to delve into Martin Luther’s philosophy. What motivated him to go into activism? However, it’s important to mention that King Jr.’s philosophy kept evolving. Nevertheless, what emerges clearly from his life was his core belief in fighting for human rights and seeking justice for all. It is little wonder that many authors describe him as the champion of justice. Probably, that arose out of the fact that he grew up in church and was a preacher.

Long before the world knew Martin Luther as an activist, he worked as a preacher. Evidently, his faith played a crucial role in how he approached activism. His theological anthropology formed the core of all his beliefs as a social activist. Based on this upbringing, he believed that what affected one person directly also affected everyone else indirectly. That explains why he so eloquently stated that injustice in one place threatens justice everywhere else.

What was Martin Luther King Jr.’s Activism all about?

In writing the school research paper regarding activism, one also needs to look at the activist’s focus. Where King Jr. is concerned, it’s clear that racial segregation was his primary focus. He went through school and college in different settings. His high school education was mostly from segregated schools in Georgia. For college, he got a B.A. from a predominantly black college in Atlanta. He also attended several other mainly white colleges.

Therefore, Dr. Martin Luther got the first-hand experience in racial segregation. While working as a pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, he also registered with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. While here, he was able to start stoking the fire of activism that would come to define the rest of his life on earth. In 1955, he would lead the calls for boycotting Montgomery’s infamously segregated public bus service.

The boycott lasted 382 days. At the time, African-Americans using Montgomery’s public bus system had to move to the back while allowing whites to sit in front. What is more, blacks (or Negroes, as they were called at the time), had to forego their seats in case any white person wanted to sit. This was the most blatant case of the segregation that was practiced in public. Martin Luther joined hands with fellow blacks to protest this clear case of racial discrimination.

Impact of His Activism

How much impact did Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have on the American society, especially regarding how it treats black Americans? The fight against racism continues to date. In his last sermon, “I’ve been to the mountaintop,” King Jr. clearly shows the hope he harbors in his hear for humanity. That sermon touched the minds and hearts of almost everyone who listened to it. In death, he continues receiving more recognition for his work.

Nevertheless, Martin Luther King Jr. came, saw, and conquered the world of activism. He was eloquent and consistent in his message throughout his career as a social activist. His crusade against racial segregation struck a chord with Americans and the rest of the world. It proved how much activist could achieve with soft skills and untamed dedication to whatever cause they fight for and believe in.