Student protests have been cropping up across the country, bringing attention to racial disparities on campus. Brandeis University, where I am a junior, recently joined the expanding list of schools where social justice protests are erupting. On November 20, a group of student activists known as Concerned Students 2015 (a play on Concerned Students 1950 and a reference to the first Black students admitted to the University of Missouri) released a list of demands to be met within 24 hours and implemented by Fall 2016. These demands regarded, among other things, increasing the number of Black faculty and staff from 1% to 10% across all departments and appointing a Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion. I found out about the demands and subsequent sit-in almost immediately, thanks to social media.
If you walked onto the Brandeis campus while the sit-in was happening and were none the wiser, you could potentially never know that anything momentous was happening. Save for a banner outside of the student center, the sit-in that took place in the Bernstein-Marcus Administrative Center was out of sight. Its online presence, however, was anything but.
Along with a Facebook group, the hashtags #FordHall2015, #IAmFordHall2015, #WeAreFordHall2015 and #ConcernedStudents2015 were and still are being used to identify and collect relevant online posts regarding information about and support of the protest. The Facebook group was consistently updated with a live feed of events and meant to keep those not at the sit-in well informed of what took place there. The Facebook group was also used to post translations of the demands, pictures of supporters and statements of solidarity from academic departments, list and collect supplies and to share relevant articles. People who wanted to show support but could not participate in the sit-in eagerly supplied protesters with food, sanitary items and pillows and blankets. The group often reposted individuals' statements of solidarity on Facebook or Twitter, turning the page into a landing ground for e-support.
One of the most profound articles dispersed through the Facebook group was the "#IAmFordHall2015 Official Syllabus," originally published on Medium.com. Authored by FordHall2015, the syllabus contains context and a mission statement for #FordHall2015. It goes on to list readings that explore the historical context of the sit-in, racism and campus safety.
Digital media has given modern day student activism a widespread and easily implemented reach. Hashtags designated to a certain cause allow supporters to show they care with a simple post and a hashtag even if they cannot be physically present. Facebook pages allow a group to keep outsiders aware and informed of their experiences, and create a wider reach for a cause than would have been possible without social media. When the Mizzou protests were taking place, a Twitter account with the name ConcernedStudent1950 had a following that blew up to 11.4 thousand, and was used to organize protests and spread the word about their cause. On social media, people who may otherwise have no idea what is happening on one campus or another are able to come together to in communal support. #FordHall2015 was able to make a huge impact on the Brandeis campus because students knew what was happening right when the demands were sent to the administration, and were kept up to date even if they never once saw the protest actually happening.
To learn more about #FordHall2015, please read "Frequently Asked Questions of Brandeis Students, #IAmFordHall2015."
This piece was originally published on LinkedIn.com.