On April 16, SUNY Oswego students rallied together to participate in a Black and Asian Solidarity March in a demonstration against the rise in Black and Asian hate crimes and racism in recent months. These ongoing social issues have become more prevalent in recent months after severe anti-Asian rhetoric emerged following the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the racial disputes that have erupted across the U.S. after the murder of George Floyd. For generations, peaceful protests and picketing were ways to rally together with like-minded people and draw attention to social justice issues but unfortunately, this is not the reality today.

In elementary school, children in the U.S. learn about the First Amendment, how American citizens have the freedom of worship, speech, press, peaceful assembly and petition of the government. The rose-tinted version of picketing, protesting and petitioning is a far cry from what true history shows us. 

A century ago, while women picketed outside the White House for their right to vote, police would forcibly remove and imprison them for their actions. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and countless others lost their lives during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. The Stonewall Riots in 1969 and Vietnam War protests in the 1970s, including the Kent State University shootings, ended in bloodshed and harm. All the way to today, where Black Lives Matter protests ended in tear gas and rubber bullets, citizens have been persecuted for showing their beliefs and practicing their rights. 

The act of fighting back against the government is an act protected by the government. Peaceful protests and petitions are ways to draw attention to social justice issues and are an incredible example of democracy in action, without these protests progress would not be made. So why do these protests so often end in violence?

While I may not be able to answer this question, I must continue to look at the rose-tinted version. Protests like the Black and Asian Solidarity March on the SUNY Oswego campus called attention to issues that students are passionate about. Participants were able to meet like-minded people and draw attention to social justice issues that they see as problems. Demonstrations like this march are vital to the continuation of democracy. Citizens must participate and make their voices heard in order for society to progress. With constant vigilance, we can better ourselves, our government and our country, but first we must be loud enough to be heard. 

Photo from Flickr