The spirit of protest and activism that has long been a hallmark of American college campuses is once again on full display as students across the country rally against Israel’s war in Gaza. This recent wave of protests is just the latest chapter in a long history of student-led movements that have shaped the course of American history.
Sixty years ago, at the University of California, Berkeley, student leader Mario Savio famously called on his fellow students to “put your bodies upon the gears” and make the machine of oppression stop. His words still resonate today as students flood into campus administration buildings to demand change.
From the Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War protests of the 1960s to the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations of 2011, college campuses have been a hotbed of activism and dissent. These movements have often been polarizing, with critics accusing protesters of being misguided or self-indulgent.
But history has shown that student protests can have a real impact. The Civil Rights and anti-apartheid movements achieved tangible goals that are now widely accepted. The current protests, focused on Israel’s actions in Gaza, have divided not only Americans in general but also liberals who are grappling with the question of when criticism of Israel crosses into antisemitism.
As politicians take note of the power of student protests to sway elections, the legacy of these movements is likely to be the subject of decades of research. Whether it’s the Free Speech movement at Berkeley in 1964 or the anti-apartheid movement of the 1970s and 1980s, college students have long been at the forefront of social change.
The current protests, with their echoes of past movements and their focus on issues of justice and equality, show that the tradition of student activism is alive and well. As one student activist put it, “All of our struggles are together.” The spirit of protest that Mario Savio spoke of 60 years ago lives on in the voices of today’s college students.
