6 Campus Protests that Changed the World

Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2011 was "The Protestor." However, 2012 is proving to be just as lively and as volatile a year for social protest, with college and even high school-aged students in this country, as well as Spain, Greece, France, and Chile taking their activism to the streets. Last year’s well-publicized clashes between police and Occupy protestors reminded many baby boomers of student-led protests that took place on American campuses between 1968 and 1970. Here are just six examples of student-led protests, including four from that time period, that changed the world.

1. East Los Angeles Walkouts or Blowouts (1968):

   

   In March of 1968, some 20,000 Los Angeles high school students, inspired by the Chicano liberation movement, walked out of their high schools. Mexican-American students at the time were not allowed to speak Spanish in class or use school restrooms during lunchtime. Their curriculum often ignored or denied Mexican-American history, and teachers, counselors, and school officials routinely discouraged Chicano students from pursuing a college degree. The student walk-outs brought much-needed public attention to these injustices. Not surprisingly, many of the participating students went on to have successful careers in politics (one was elected mayor of Los Angeles), academia, and the arts.

2. Building occupations at Columbia University (1968):

   

   On April 23 of that year, after clashing with police to protest the construction of a gym in nearby Morningside Park, several hundred Columbia University students, disgusted with America’s involvement in the Vietnam War and their school’s weapons research contract, took over and occupied several campus buildings, effectively shutting down the university for nearly a week. Columbia President Grayson Kirk eventually sent in police to remove the students, and all hell broke loose. Many students, staff, and bystanders were injured by police, and more than 700 people were arrested. Students and faculty then went on strike, and as a result, Columbia completely shut down for the rest of the semester. Inspired by Columbia’s students, similar protests erupted on campuses across the country.

3. French student revolt (1968):

   

   Throughout the late 1960s, angry at the prospect of becoming cannon fodder in a senseless war, students continued their protests on campuses across the globe. In France, wide-spread revolt had been brewing for years, due in part to unfair wage and labor practices, authoritarianism and censorship, and America’s role in Southeast Asia. In May 1968, French students shut down campuses all over the country, which then led to a massive general strike by more than 10 million workers. The protests were violent, though not without a spirit of humor, as the students invented and circulated several slogans, including ‘It is forbidden to forbid!’ To this day, the May 1968 protestors are vilified for their "moral decadence" by former French president Nicholas Sarkozy and other conservative, right-wing politicians.

4. Kent State shootings (1970):

   

   Student protests against American involvement in Vietnam continued on into 1970, as that year brought news of an American invasion into Cambodia. On May 4, at Kent State University, members of the Ohio National guard fired on unarmed students protesting the Cambodian invasion, killing four students and wounding nine others. Universities, colleges, and high schools across the country closed due to massive student strikes, and five days after the shooting, 100,000 people marched in Washington, D.C. to protest both the war and the killing of the Kent State students. Crosby, Still, Nash, and Young recorded and released the song "Ohio," a scathing indictment of President Richard Nixon and the National Guard for their role in what came to be known as the Kent State massacre.

5. Tiananmen Square protests (1989):

   

   In the summer of 1989, communism was unraveling throughout Eastern Europe, and Chinese students took to the streets to protest their government and demand democratic reforms. They were supported by thousands, possibly a million, Chinese citizens, even as the government declared martial law. On June 4, Chinese soldiers opened fire on protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, killing thousands of their unarmed countrymen, even running over some students with tanks. Today, the Chinese government continues to deny the protest and the ensuing crackdown and massacre ever happened.

6. Quebec student protests (2012):

   

   Over the past several months, thousands of college students in Quebec have been striking to protest tuition hikes. The regional government has cracked down hard on the students, thanks in part to excessive force on the part of the police and the controversial Bill 78, which states a public protest of more than 50 persons is illegal unless the local police were notified at least eight hours in advance. Quebec students are adamant that tuition hikes end, and plan to resume their strike in August, when courses are scheduled to resume at several junior colleges.

Taken From Online Classes