In November 2015, Yale students protested racial insensitivity in higher education, but at the Ivy League institution itself. Some of the biggest demonstrations took place in London where 30,000 to 50,000 students marched and chanted. Take a look to see which ones you recognize. San Francisco State University led the strike for third-world access to higher education. You may also like: Mass incarceration by the numbers. As students were returning to campus, police opened fire from behind, killing four. After the inauguration, student activists held signs that read, Love Trumps Hate. They stood in solidarity against messages of hate. This time, troops opened fire, killing 300 to 400 people in what came to be known as the Tlatelolco massacre. In an effort to present a good face to the world,President Gustavo Daz carried out oppressive suppression tactics, particularly with regard to labor unions. The movement culminated with an uprising at Columbia University, where more than 1,000 protesters took over five buildings and the dean was taken hostage. As fascism was unfolding in Nazi Germany, a group of students at the University of Munich got together in the summer of 1942 to form a resistance movement thatcame to be known as the White Rose Society. The first of these occurred in 1965 at the University of Michigan. Using the hashtag #lovetrumpshatea reference to one of Hillary Clinton's campaign slogansthousands of student marches took place throughout the country following the election. When they didnt, the police pepper sprayed the group who sat on the campus quad. Their demonstrations sparked students at other institutions to follow suit. There are a few guidelines and Student protests continued over the next eight years, and by 1968 they were at a boiling point. They threw a police officer in the bushes but no arrests were made. These college students opposed the Vietnam War and Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). Stop War, among other phrases. Twenty students at Marjory Stoneman founded an organization called Never Again MSD and began planning a rally they dubbed March For Our Lives. The event took place in WashingtonD.C., on March 24 along with more than 800 related marches across the United States. Later, officials deemed the college students guilty of violating university policies. Her actions spurred officials to help sexual assault victims. Also, most of the demonstrators were Harvard campus activists. Across the nation, protests occurred. Student activists went underground for more than two decades, meeting quietly but not resurging in public with any great numbers until the 8888 Uprising of 1988, named for Aug. 8, 1988. In 2015, the University of Missouri experienced its own college protest. They were attacked by riot police but there were no serious injuries. They also demanded students have a say in choosing future college presidents and chancellors. It was Browns death that ignited the Black Lives Matter movement. restrictions, which you can review below. It included student speakers, some of whom with family in Ukraine. In 1960, the United States and Japan began talks to amend a treaty known as Anpo (Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security) which pledged U.S. defensive support in exchange for Japanese land use. The school had long been a hub for student activism but Win's military regime shut it down quickly,killing more than 100 protesters and blowing up the student union building. Concerned Student 1950 put forth a list of demands that secured racial equity on campus. During the summer of 1968, unrest boiled in Mexico City as it prepared to host the Olympics. Du Bois, then a rising star with a daughter at the college, visited the campus in 1924, he called out the president in a speech from the chapel: Men and women of Black America: Let no decent Negro send his child to Fisk until Fayette McKenzie goes. The speech prompted months of student strikes, marking some of the first black student-led activism and serving as a precursor to the Civil Rights movement. Later, she released a statement detailing new findings on Dropiks past. Here, 60 Stanford students, faculty members, and staff displayed their solidarity with Ukraine. Even in instances where authorities have succeeded in silencing the activists, the moves have typically only pushed the students underground. New York University is among the priciest institutions in the country. When their requests for an investigation were not met, they encircled several administration officials, including the vice chancellor, in a practice known as gheraoing (essentially encircling a person or group of people). But in recent days, they have increased in number. With a turnout of between 1 million and 2 million people, it was one of thelargest student-led protests since the Vietnam War. share our stories with your audience. After more than six years of military rule, tensions were growing in Greece in the fall of 1973. The movement widened as UC students demanded free speech. Protests ramped up after a passerby at one protest was killed. Now, lets get to the last of our student activism examples. One example of such a movement occurred at Stanford University. The Tiananmen Square massacre in China remains one of the most infamous student-led protests in world history. Each showcased here was started by students or young activistsand made major headlines. The next day, the government-controlled media painted the incident as a violent student protest; however, many now cite that day as the first in Mexico's transition to democracy. Like today, students often led movements that caused change. In response to a congressional decision to reform Hong Kong's electoral system, a group of student activists led a strike outside the Central Government Complex and blocked several major thoroughfares. More than two decades after the end of apartheid, students in South Africa protested in 2021to ask the government to even the playing field with free access to college and university education, to give lower-income South Africansmore professional options. Rather than bringing greater freedom in Iran, the incident led to increased government suppression that included new thought crime laws. [emailprotected]. They read, Stop Putin. About 70 vanished without a trace. Here is one instance of the many college protests 2022 had to offer. Dean Spellman resigned the following day. What is a Non-Degree Program at a University? In 2005, Dropik started fires in two African American congregations. One demonstration included the occupation of University Hall, the campuss oldest academic building. In Hillsborough County, Florida, about 12% of middle and high school students stayed home. The school remained closed for nearly four weeks before an agreement was reached. College students at St. Louis stood for four minutes of silence in solidarity with Browns family. The Soweto uprising in 1976 marked the fiercest resistance to apartheid the South African government had seen up to that point. During the clearance, protesters used umbrellas to defend themselves and photos that emerged earned them the nickname Umbrella protesters. As a result of the demonstrations, Hong Kong police became more aggressive in their tactics, imprisoning numerous participants. Following the protest, students passed out flyers. In the 1960s, student activists gathered to oppose the Vietnam War. Students across the nation stood against their respective campus injustices. The free speech movement lasted around 60 days. This group named themselves Concerned Student 1950. Police responded with swift violence, killing up to 700 people, according to many estimates (though the government reported it as 176). In Miami-Dade County, at least 15 high schools reported student walkouts following the verdict, and other schools reported similar protests. They listed examples of offensive costumes, such as those that include: The controversy began when a lecturer objected to the call for sensitivity in higher education. The following year, the Stonewall riots occurred in Greenwich Village, marking a tipping point in the Gay Liberation movement and fueling nationwide student activism over the next five years. Before the uprisings, students were also a driving force in Tahrir Square during the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. In the end, student protests succeeded, and Wolfe resigned. Students tweeted hashtags like: Also, teach-in events made the school offer counseling services for students with debt. On February 13, 1969, around 75 Duke University students occupied the administration building. Peaceful campus protests are much more prevalent. This resulted in the resignation of the schools president. Social media, hip hop, the arts, and comedy have all played a role in anti-regime advocacy.. Many South Africans who'd previously been uninvolved with the anti-apartheid movement were enraged by the police violence and jumped in in full force. A group of students advocated for a more inclusive environment for people of color. 1942: White Rose Society resistance in Germany, 1956: Hungarian Revolution student marches, State Archives of North Carolina // Wikimedia Commons, 1960-68: U.S. civil rights protests (Greensboro to Columbia), 1962: Rangoon University protests in Myanmar, 1965-75: U.S. Vietnam War protests (SDS Teach-ins to Kent State). In the wake of the Great Recession and subsequent Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, a group of students in 2013showed up to a small rally held by New York University's Student Labor Action Movement (SLAM). So, Sulkowicz protested, carrying her mattress everywhere she went. Following the incident, a high-ranking military officer leveraged the events that unfolded to stage a counter-coup, overturning the dictatorship that had been in power since 1967. At one point a University of Tokyo student was killed. Death toll numbersvary from several hundred to thousands. The vote angered other students, however, who argued that staff should seek solutions that would not force the school to shut down. They wished to prompt school administrators into action through protests. Over the next six years, SLAM continued holding rallies that grew in size, incorporating neighboring New York universities and gaining national attention. Globally, there has been a huge trend toward pro-democracy activism, and some of the biggest revolutions have originated with students. In the Santa Barbara School District, roughly one-third of the student population was absent and in the Los Angeles Unified School District, 71,942 absences were reported in grades 6 through 12, accounting for 27% of the total. Annual campus protests and student activism continue at St. Louis and other college campuses across the U.S. Students met with Communist Party officials and continued striking over the next week and a half. He expressed a need to draft 150,000 soldiers to expand the Vietnam War effort. After Donald Trump was elected in U.S. president in 2016, students nationwide walked out of classes and organized protestsagainst the soon-to-be leader who they said promoted hateful rhetoric. However, afake report that a student was killed set the stage for negotiations. To end the demonstration, students sang the Ukrainian National Anthem. They also advocated for civil rights and equality. The immediate impetus was the government's implementation of Afrikaansas the official language taught in schools. It began on June 16 when a group of students, emboldened by the growingBlack Consciousness Movement, marched to Orlando Stadium under the guidance of the Soweto Students' Representative Council (SSRC). Campus activists also spoke out against sexual violence. And they did so by dressing in black and marching through campus. So, students called on NYU president John Sexton to address the accumulating debt. Months of protests rocked the nation after Michael Browns death in Ferguson. 10 Degrees Hiring Managers Dont Want to See, The Federal Bureau of Investigation: How It All Works, Education and Career Options: A Guide for High School Students, A Students Guide to Conservation and Environmental Science, A Students Guide to Studying and Test Preparation. What began peacefully quickly spiraled into a full-on student revolt that saw Molotov cocktails thrown and ended with the military driving a tank through university gates. Sexual violence is one of the most protested topics. The number of social movements across the U.S. has soared in the last decade. To pay tribute to some of the young people who've taken risks on behalf of what they believe in, Stacker has put together a slideshow featuring the most famous student protests in history. A tearful speech on Feb. 17 by survivor Emma Gonzlez went viral, launching a nationwide student movement for gun control. This prompted a new wave of demonstrations. Although the major changes they requested never came to fruition, the students were successful in causing a shakeup in the administration, including the minister of education. Students said the university had been hostile toward people of color. The California-based group formed in response to higher education reform. But her statement angered students whod advocated for greater diversity on campus. Sometimes referred to as the Chilean Winter, students carried out widespread protests throughout Chile between 2011 and 2013. Students from multiple universities organized, holding numerous demonstrations over the summer. In some cases, the young people have been allowed to protest freely, while others have been silenced and suppressed, sometimes violently. Teachers brought awareness of the Vietnam War to the classrooms. No Polytechnic students were killed but 24 civilians died, including several high school students. as well as image rights, data visualizations, forward planning tools, In November of 2015, students protested Claremont McKennas insensitivity to diversity in higher education. But their rally was about more than criticizing then-President-Elect Donald Trump. your CMS. The responses from authorities have varied. In 2013, NYU students formed a student debt protest in Washington Square Park. Police arrived and split them up violently, using batons, and allegedly molested some women protesters. This concludes our list of the 20 most important student protests at colleges. and more. They named their demonstration the Peoples Walkout. Student activism has a long history in the United States, as well as the rest of the world. But they dismissed the charges for an alleged lack of evidence. The youth movement has been credited for much of the success that took place in countries like Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Libya, and Bahrain. As pro-democracy students gathered inBeijing's Tiananmen Square to pay their respects, political organization unfolded. Although the Vietnam War started a decade earlier, it wasn't until the mid-1960s that the U.S. student movements picked up steam when the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) began orchestrating widespread teach-ins to voice opposition to the war tactics being used by the U.S. government. Although social activist Tarana Burke first coined the phrase in 2006, it wasn't until actor Alyssa Milano tweeted on Oct. 15, 2017, that the #MeToo hashtag became a viral women's movement. With second-wave feminism in full swing, college campuses in the country were primed and ready for women's rights activism in 1973 when students at the University of Southern Florida held thenation's first Take Back The Night protest. Police unleashed a brutal responsethat included tear gas, beatings, and alleged involvement by triad gangsters. It became the longest student strike in American history. Around 100 people joined the demonstration. Similar campus protests occurred at other colleges such as: Many other college campuses hosted anti-Trump protests, as well. Soon after the sit-in, UC hired a new chancellor of their Board of Regents. Dubbed by some as the"Iranian Tiananmen Square,the response to the 1999 student protests at Tehran University was among the most brutal in student activist history. Students started the demonstration to protest American intervention in Vietnam. The demonstration lasted from November 1968 to March 1969. A grand jury later indicted eight of the guardsmen. After a group of students peacefully protested the shutdown of a reformist newspaper, paramilitary officers raided student dormitories, setting beds on fire, breaking windows, grabbing women by the hair, and throwing students out windows. Over the course of six months, student protesters broke into the prime minister's private home, occupied the airport to ground his plane, and faced off with police using water cannons. Her demonstration against sexual assault achieved national coverage. 1968-1974: LGBTQ+ protests throughout the U.S. 1973: 'Take Back The Night' sexual violence protests, 1976: Soweto Youth Uprising in South Africa, 1989: Tiananmen Square occupation in China, 1989: Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Indonesia // Wikimedia Commons, 1999: Iran student protests over free speech, 2006: 'A Day Without Immigrants' demonstrations, 2011-13: Student education reform protests in Chile, 2013-present: Black Lives Matter demonstrations, 2013-present: Student debt protests at New York universities, 2014: Jadavpur University protests against sexual violence, Eric Lubega/Elias Tuheretze // Wikimedia Commons, 2016: Uganda's Makerere University protests, 2017: #MeToo movement against sexual harassment, 2018: 'March For Our Lives' against gun violence, 2021: #FeesMustFall movement in South Africa, 100 biggest U.S. government contractors and what they do, This we swear, this we swear, that we will no longer be slaves., succeeded in pressuring the prime minister to resign, the most powerful and effective student protest in modern American history, President Gustavo Daz carried out oppressive suppression tactics. Earlier, Spellman emailed a student describing diverse people as those who dont fit our CMC mold. Spellman later apologized for her choice of words. In the United States, student activists have advocated for a wide range of issues including women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, racial equality, peace and democracy, reproductive rights, affordable education, debt-free tuition, police accountability, gun control, and more. Students were among those taking to the streets across the United States after a viral video showed the death of George Floyd, but those weren't the only reactions. Tensions escalated and on Nov. 1, President Yoweri Museveni closed the prestigious university indefinitely. As this was unfolding, military police raided the home of a local king in Kasese, slaughtering more than 100 people, including children. Around 1,000 students, faculty, and area residents rallied at Cornell. And Sulkowicz brought sexual assault awareness to college campuses around the nation. Few student activist groups can say they were responsible for toppling a government but that was indeed the case for the youth of the Velvet Revolution. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. These student-organized events preceded the Philadelphia march two years later that kicked off the national Take Back The Night movement which continues fighting sexual violence to this day. As part of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, student activists called for non-discrimination policies. On May 20, 1901, a large crowd of students and parents was dispersed in front of the school and many of the adults were jailed. The Student Homophile League (SHL) also was formed that year at Cornell, making it the second in the nation after Columbia University. The negotiationsdrew ire from citizens, some of whom worried it would start another war. In less than a year, however, the Gestapo had arrested most of the organization's key members and put the young activists on trial in kangaroo courts, sentencing many to death. American Students at the historically black Fisk University in the mid-1920slaunched a massive protest against the school's white president, Fayette McKenzie, who'd taken extreme measuresincluding shutting down the student newspaper and banning most extracurricular activities to court donors. In response, 70 protesters marched in the fight against white supremacy. The movement originated from the civil rights struggle. The University of California, Berkeley, housed another establishment of the TWLF. On Nov. 17, 1989, in what was then Czechoslovakia, about 15,000 students entered Prague after days of anti-communist demonstrations. Riot police showed upin Westminster amid window-smashing and bonfires and kettled some in the crowd, a move that led to later criticism. Opponents argued that the police tactic, which essentially corrals protesters into one area for long periods, put them at risk of being crushed and denied them basic rights to food, water, and bathroom facilities. And they were crucial to the anti-war movement. By 1970, tensions hit a boiling point with the Kent State tragedy in which four students were killed by the National Guard, inspiring the Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young hit Ohio the following year. After the United Kingdom's coalition government announced an increase to the cap on higher education tuition fees in 2010, university students throughout the country took to the streets to protest the growing cost of education. When alumnus W.E.B. Public outrage over the slayings led to theeventual resignation of the president, who had been ruling as a dictator for 30 years. These demonstrations fought the use of pepper spray on students and campus activists. Students staged a walkout two days after a mass shooter killed 17 studentsat Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida,on Feb. 14, 2018. Although the mass protests that broke out in numerous Middle Eastern countries in 2011 (nicknamed the Arab Spring) were carried out by people of all ages, students played a huge part in organizing and providing sustained momentum. The violence killed one student and marked the first bloodshed in the revolution that ultimately toppled the Soviet government. Here is another example of recent college protests. This destroyed federal protections for abortions. first in Mexico's transition to democracy. She described the letter as promoting censure and prohibition. Students say her response sheds light on Yales colorblind culture and need for student activists and campus protests. Meanwhile, with another war on the horizon, students at their sister school, UC Berkeley,launched protests of their own. The events at Columbia were later called the most powerful and effective student protest in modern American history.". One demonstration included student activists occupying the university. To publish, simply grab the HTML code or text to the left and paste into The group anonymously handed out fliers admonishing Adolf Hitler's regime and decrying the persecution of the Jews. The death sparked outrage and gathered national press coverage. Stacker distribution partners receive a license to all Stacker stories, When German school officials announced in March 1901 that religion classes at the Catholic People's School in Wrzenia, an annexed section of Poland, would be held in German, more than 100 students launched a protest. But the university now meets the above demands. In the wake of McCarthyism, student groups received reprimands for political activities. The movement, which would become Black Lives Matter, captured the attention of the entire world as news reports of police brutality and systematic racism continued to surface. Students at the University of California, Davis, demonstrated peaceful solidarity. And college students joined with their own protests. As his first official act, he granted the Free Speech Movements demands. The universities were closed and when they reopened four months later, they were under strict government control. A local news station captured a four-minute police beating of a pro-democracy Civil Party member, prompting further demonstrations and unrest. It sparked protests on college campuses across the country. Some have argued that the burgeoning awareness around college rape culture leading up to Milano's Tweet, in fact, is what set the stage for the movement to catch fire. www.bestdegreeprograms.org is an advertising-supported site. Some historians cite the uprising as one of the first major pivots that put South Africa on the path to change. By Nov. 29, they had succeeded in changing the Constitution and by the end of the year, a new president had been elected following four decades of one-party rule. In 1968, a group of students at Cornell University took over the campus union at Willard Straight Hall, marking one of the first major LGBTQ+ student protests in the United States. The students were protesting student debt incurred to attend the school. After a female student was molested on campus in 2014, students began protesting at Jadavpur University in Calcutta, India. On May 12, 1998, frustrated by the Asian financial crisis and upset with their government, students at Trisakti Universityin Jakarta, Indonesia, staged a non-violent protest, marching from their university to the legislative building. In April 1970, President Nixon announced the U.S. invasion of Cambodia on national TV. The protest also made upcoming president Andrew Hamilton aware of the debt problem. Their ages have ranged from middle school kids to graduate students, and protests have taken place everywhere from public universities to Ivy League schools. In fact, it was among the first wave to hold anti-Trump parades and walk-outs. Student protesters have come in all races, classes, genders, and nationalities. We researched new and old student activism and movements in the United States. They rejected the German textbooks, suffering detention and beatings as a result. The crowd grew as students from other universities caught word and came down, prompting an occupation that escalated over the next six weeks with hunger strikes and other demonstrations. Police officers had shot and killed unarmed Michael Brown (18) a few months earlier. A month later, the group Carry That Weight formed similar sexual assault and sexual violence protests across the nation. Their protest came a few hours after the initial invasion. The incident also angered many other students. And college students are among the most active citizens in both on and off campus politics. The student movement was nominated in 2018 for a Nobel Peace Prize. In 2017, UW student Daniel Dropik attempted to form an alt-right group. Students were at the forefront of global climate strikes across every continent and all 50 states in 2019, inspired bySwedish teenage activistGreta Thunberg. Cancellation of some student debt was just one of many topics tackled in the first few monthsof the Biden administration. The treaty was still ratified but the activists succeeded in pressuring the prime minister to resign. On May 20, 1989, martial law was declared and on June 2, after more than a month of clashes, the military moved in with tanks, opening fire on hundreds and producing the iconic Tank Man photo. The protests were in response to: Organizers delivered speeches and marched across the quad. In the end, Chancellor Blank addressed the student activism group and noted their concerns. Over 700 arrests occurred when students occupied the administration buildings. They held demonstrations after classes to avoid disruption. But despite the arrests, administrators heard the students voices. But the school turned their back on the sexual assault and neglected to expel the accused. Stacker believes in making the worlds data more accessible through While there were student-led civil rights protests in the years that preceded and followed, it was from 1960 to 1968 that the height of college civil rights activism flourished in the United States. The students led many protests, hunger strikes, and a boycott of the football team. To that end, most Stacker stories are freely available to The student protests paved the way for the post-inaugural 2017 Women's Marchthelargest day of protests in U.S. history. Dartmouth College released a statement stating its commitment to reproductive health care. And they continue to offer insurance coverage in support of reproductive health. The coverage includes abortion expenses. 28 guardsmen opened fire on a crowd of college students. distribution partner, email us at Students said Spellman had not provided a safe space to marginalized students. On Oct. 2, 10 days before the games were to start, a large group marched into the plaza to hold another peaceful protest. When they discovered the sit-in, university administrators brought in the police. As allegations against other men unfolded,students harnessed the momentum of the movement, particularly on college campuses, where sexual violence was already a hot topic. In fact, student activists speak out against sexual assault at college campuses every year. storytelling. This letter urged students to avoid insensitive costumes. In 2015, a series of protests occurred at the University of Missouri about: The first protest happened in September at an event called Racism Lives Here. They killed four and wounded nine. History is full of examples of police and military forces breaking up peaceful protests employing batons, tear gas, beatings, and even gunfire. Ironically, the violence has often only served to call greater attention to the subject of the protest, drawing previously uninvolved people into the movement. During the protest, an altercation took place. This included community members, faculty, state representatives, and students. And it became the second longest student strike in history. But in this case, the police escalated the situation. The University of Texas was one such institution. In doing so, youre agreeing to the below guidelines. College students across the nation gathered to protest Russias invasion of Ukraine. Taking cues from related protests in Belgium and England, students draped themselves in black sheets and marched around campus carrying broomsticks, beseeching the administration to create a women's center.