Week 7 - Angela Kang

Angela Kang

ASA 02- A02

Week 7

This weeks reading of “Berkeley Free Speech Movement” by Robby Cohen was very interesting to read. Growing up, we learned about our first amendment and the right to free speech, but it was shocking to read that although this was established it wasn’t until 1964 that freedom of speech on campus was expressed. The students at UC Berkeley fought for what they believed in and continued to do so even though there was an opposing side. Although the students went through hardships throughout the process, it allowed a pathway for other students to express student activism and for other universities to learn from UC Berkeley’s mistakes. While reading this story, I thought about the UC Davis pepper spray incident. These two movements are similar in many ways and it shows how very little change has been made throughout the years. The solution to solving student sit-ins and protests should not be made by forcing students to disband and arresting hundreds of students but instead actually listen to what they are saying and try to figure out a way to compromise. However, even though students were discouraged and treated horribly, they continued to still have faith. Due to students having confidence and resilience, it shows that they can actually make an impact within the school political system. As I do not have any personal experience with student sit-ins, it is always interesting to read the students experiences and how they try to make a difference for their campus.

Question: Students who are involved with student activism and sit-ins are still mistreated to this day, how is it that nothing has really changed since 1964? Why are students wishes still disregarded when freedom of speech is supposedly “supported”?

References:

Cohen, R. (1985). Berkeley Free Speech Movement: Paving the Way for Campus Activism. OAH Magazine of History. Retrieved November 05, 2017.

[Digital Image]. Retrieved November 5, 2017. From http://hrp.berkeley.edu/content/human-rights-uc-berkeley-1