Opinion | American liberty depends on the right to protest
Olivia Harden
Opinions Editor
We’re at a time in history when protests are breaking out all across the country. As someone who feels some responsibility to stand up against hatred toward others, I’ve recently found myself showing up at more protests, teach-ins and discussions in order to educate myself on issues that don’t affect me. I am a minority in this country, but as a cisgendered able-bodied woman, I do have privilege, and it’s important to recognize that. It’s easy to say that I am too busy, or that an issue doesn’t really matter because it doesn’t affect me, but I’d like to think that I am a compassionate person and that I am capable of empathy.
The right to protest is an important part of our civic duty. Some, like “Final Thoughts” host Tomi Lahren, may think it’s a waste of time or that it’s a way for those that aren’t really affected to whine about their problems, but it is historically proven to be an effective way for a message to be received by an oppressive system. I am a firm believer in the power of protest. I’d like to believe I am honoring my ancestors by fighting the good fight.
According to assistant peace studies professor Lisa Leitz, university students are often on the front lines of protests because they are educated citizens with the most time on their hands. It can become important to those students to have the opportunity to get where they need to go to be successful in the future. Everyone protests for different reasons, whether it is because it’s beneficial for themselves, or their conscience speaks to them. There’s an adrenaline rush I know I get when I’m in the moment in the middle of a protest. It can be exhilarating and I feel this release of frustration and other harmful energies that I’m grateful for. It can be incredible to be surrounded by a group of my peers and makes me feel closer to those in my community.
In my recent experience with organizing a protest, I’ve found that the reality is that protesting is an exhausting process. It can require hours upon hours of training, planning and organization. Whether you’ve chosen a traditional method like a walkout or sit-in, or something more radical like civil disobedience, an effective protest takes a lot of commitment from those who are involved in the organizing.
Protests can go on for months at a time before they really become impactful, and emotions are always running high because you are expected to constantly be going and taking care of other people. It’s easy to say it won’t work and that we should just give up but I personally can’t. The way I see it, I can be exhausted under an oppressive system and do nothing, or I can be proactive in making the lives of the people around me better. Protest has been and always will be an important and valuable part of American history. Be a part of making that history with us.