Activism: “Ran by the men, but the women keep the tempo” pt. 1

Mar 13

Mar 13 Activism: “Ran by the men, but the women keep the tempo” pt. 1

Women are no strangers to the concept of student activism. When we take a look back on history, we see an abundance of images of students protesting that reflects women as forerunners. “Why?” Because women have always reflected the very definition of student activism: students fighting for changes that range from political to social.

One of the most recent protests that reached global attention was the 2016 student protest at Pretoria High School for Girls in South Africa. The school originally opened during apartheid, South Africa’s previous system of segregation. This being said, the school still held on to certain policies that were discriminatory towards black women or women of color. The school had discriminatory hair policies that affected the black students. The students were not allowed to wear their natural hair in cornrows, afros, and any other hairstyle that did not include the girls wearing a perm or relaxer to straighten their hair. Although the policies of the school were not new, the attention of it encouraged solidarity from black women throughout the African Diaspora. It was an inspiring feeling seeing high school girls take a stand against policies that tried to erase their individual identities. This protest was really inspiring because there are black women that are living in other countries who are still facing the same discriminatory hair policies the students in South Africa protested against.

If we look at one of the most historic protests for women in the U.S., it would be the Women’s March on Washington in 1913. Among the women protesting was a group of collegiate women from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. One of the reasons that made this group’s presence historic is that they were the only African American organization participating. Despite the unbearable and tense racial climate, their participation showed their bravery and commitment to change. Regardless of the challenges they faced, they still used their activism for not only themselves but for the benefits of others.

The lifestyle of a student activist is shaped around being a resource and an outlet for women throughout the campus. The resource aspect comes into place when people are able to be informed on what is occurring on their campus, community, or country. One becomes an outlet because they are in a position that receives involuntary attention from people due to their personal mission to create awareness and change for women globally. The activist is the one spark to ignite the flame for women overcoming societal and political issues.

As Shirley Chisholm once said, “You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.”