Protests have been a way to foster change for many generations. According to the Library of Congress, a protest is considered a rebellion for change. Many protests have been created based on a single influence, such as the Civil Rights Movement, the Women’s Rights Movement and the Nurses’ Fair Wages Protest.
Associations like Students Demand Action created a foundation for students to protest on behalf of victims of gun violence. According to the SDA website, it first started as a pilot program and launched nationwide after the 2018 mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. SDA also supports other platforms like Moms Demand Action and a help line for gun violence survivors. They have started several other movements in different parts of America, like Alabama, California, Florida and New York.
With each incoming generation, it is those who teach about informative knowledge to pass on to those who are interested in learning. Ruby Bridges was only around 5-years old walking into an unsegregated school, and now her story teaches others to stand up for what they believe. Student-led protests during the Civil Rights Movement were a major deal during segregation. Students all over the world were divided between love and hate. According to the Human Rights Career website, in the 1960s, many African American students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College (North Carolina A&T) participated in a protest at a diner as a way to end segregation. Some students sacrificed their own accessible education so that others could have the chance at a better form of education. As a result, African Americans have built 107 HBCUs dedicated to the many students of color interested in higher education.
During the early 1800s to the late 1900s, women didn’t have the right to vote or the proper access to higher education. Women wanted a safer space for underground education, so many women took things into their own hands. They started college campus activism and encouraged the inclusivity of women’s studies.
High school is a big step into adulthood. Big steps, such as a protest, can be a way for students to express their opinion. For example, an event that polarized this idea was the high school protest in Tlatelolco, Mexico, during the 1960s. This protest was for the many lives lost during a massacre caused by what started as a fight and ended with United States Army officials opening fire on innocent students. In 2025, many students around Alabama protested for the protection of immigrants. Students held walkouts and showed their support against ICE.
Even schools like Lee High School of Huntsville have created several protests and have demonstrated freedom of speech for a change. Students just want their voices to be seen, heard and matter so that they know changes do happen. People have always told kids to stand up for what is right and stick to their beliefs, but how could you believe in change if there is no action behind it?
After high school, everyone’s pathway is different. But no one’s voice should be altered in the means of protest. Life as a student comes with many ups and downs, but having a voice should always matter. Those can agree or disagree. Many students from all forms of higher education will go on to protest for changes in the workforce, politics or just for the student body as a whole.
