The Black Lives Matter movement came to the attention of the world after the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman. Student activists took the lead in the protests in cities in the U.S. and across the world.
Today many students are still prominent in the BLM movement. Students will often protest against racial injustices present on campuses and in supporting the BLM movement, they are taking a stand for racial justice and equality that reaches beyond university campuses.
Students are active on social media
Students are often very active on social media and they use it to help educate people about the need for racial justice. On social media, they will share videos showing police brutality at protests and give links to petitions. They will list black-owned businesses in need of support and offer advice on how to protest safely.
Social media provides a way for them to amplify their voices and reach a large audience. It can therefore be a very powerful tool in their hands.
Students spearhead and found BLM branches
There are many powerful youth activists in the BLM movement who have founded BLM advocacy groups. Nupol Kiazolu in the South Bronx founded the BLM Youth Coalition Kiazolu is a college student at Hampton University who has been active in the BLM movement in many ways, including organizing a voter registration drive while in high school and helping to grow a voter registration initiative at university.
Thandiwe Abdullah is on a mission to transform oppressive systems into empowering ones. She founded The Youth Vanguard and after joining forces with Students Deserve, she succeeded in ending random searches in 28 schools around LA.
Black Lives Matter At School is an organization founded by students and educators that advocates for a week of action in schools aimed at engaging in conversations to work towards a more racially just system of education.
Read more about racism
Students often become involved in student activism while on campus and in the U.S., many black students at university choose to support the black lives matter (BLM) movement. It is possible to read a huge database of essays about racism on Samplius and reading essay samples can give more insight into racism and encourage students to participate in the fight for equality. The more knowledgeable they become, the less likely they are to remain passive and accept the status quo.
Students have a history of activism
Throughout history, the actions of students have helped to fuel change. For example, student activism fueled the Civil Rights Movement. The 1960s Greensboro sit-ins were initiated by black students and they continued for about six months.
The Brown versus Board of Education court case with its landmark decision was followed by a decade of student protests in New York and Chicago in support of integrating schools. Many different protests where students walked out of schools and protested in the streets revealed the role of student voices in calling for change and shaping society.
Students want to make a difference
The George Floyd incident provoked extreme emotion in many black people and especially in students who felt they couldnt stand back any longer. They realized they could have a voice and be heard if they stood together. They began to express their activism through protests and petitions. Students are increasingly becoming involved in voter-registration drives and in urging people to vote.
Students can bring about real change
Many students only become aware of the part they can play in the fight for equality when they get to university. When students embrace causes beyond those that affect their campuses, they can spur on societal changes.
President Barack Obama urged students to bring their activism to the real world in his 2020 commencement address. He said it was not enough for them to be activists online they had to take action in the real world.
Are enough teachers talking to students about racism? There are pros and cons to this but If this happens from the time they are in primary school, it could bring about real societal change.
Conclusion
Students activism has played a part in shaping society through the years and its no different when it comes to the Black Lives Matter movement. Students want to make a difference and have the fire to fuel significant change that reaches beyond college campuses. A surge of student activism swept across campuses inspired by the BLM movement and students are primed to identify oppression, speak up and mobilize their peers.
Liam Smithardi works for a media company as a senior writer and editor and is the key person handling clients websites and ensuring high-quality content there. Hes a part-time academic writer as well and helps students from different parts of the world in writing essays and doing homework. His free time is for cycling, painting and watching anime.