The Scene staff
I stepped off the bus, curious and excited to see what would happen on my college campus. It was the first day of classes after the Michael Brown grand jury decision.
I typically keep to myself, but I tapped a young woman on the shoulder as we waited to cross the street.
“There may be a walk-out today,” I said.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“People all over the country are walking out of their jobs and classes to support Ferguson,” I explained.
I had heard about the Hands Up Walkout in an email. I went to the Ferguson Action Group website and found a long list of organizations planning to participate. Forest Park wasn’t one of them.
Still optimistic, I began searching social-media sites with hashtags. I saw nothing about Forest Park on Twitter or Facebook. Finally, on Instagram under #stlcc, I found one post from a Florissant Valley student who was organizing a walkout.
I wished him luck in the comment section and told him I hoped to be participating in a walkout myself.
After arriving on campus that Monday morning, I skated along an icy sidewalk in search of the Student Government Association office, where I thought someone would know what was going on.
I walked in the door to find the SGA president and parliamentarian, busy at their desks. Without introducing myself, I asked, “Will there be a walkout today?”
I received blank stares from both students. They seemed to have no idea what I was talking about, so I told them about the Hands Up Walkout.
The president questioned the validity of my information, just because it had come from social media instead of TV news. She informed me that she doesn’t use Facebook, Twitter or Hotmail.
The parliamentarian didn’t see the point of protests. “What’s that going to solve?” he asked. Then he complained about looters and arsonists in Ferguson.
“I don’t condone destruction of property,” I quickly retorted.
I realized that I was going nowhere with these two. I had come only to discuss a walkout, not crime or setbacks to Ferguson’s economy.
Despite the fact the Hands Up Walkout hadn’t been announced on the news, thousands walked out of universities across the country to protest the non-indictment of Darren Wilson and support those who suffer from daily injustices at the hands of police.
Social media has been key throughout the Michael Brown case as a way to inform the public. You can’t depend solely on TV news.
The Ferguson Action Group has used Tumblr to organize many demonstrations and other events since Aug. 8, when Wilson shot Brown dead. It has helped thousands of people come to Ferguson to show support.
Some of the first footage of protests after the shooting was captured by camera phones and posted to Facebook or Vine (but probably not Hotmail).
People all over the world have been able to keep up with what’s going on in St. Louis with hashtags. You can still use #handsupwalkout to see photos of people participating in the walkout.
Needless to say, my exchange with our SGA leaders was a disappointment. I felt that they were apathetic and out of touch. Like it or not, this is 2014. We live in a digital age.
Few people in my generation turn on the TV at 10 p.m. to get a roundup of the day’s news. When something happens anywhere in the world, it can be posted on social media in minutes.
It is imperative for a college leader to be involved online. To dismiss social media completely is unacceptable. It keeps you from effectively representing the students who voted you into office.
“What’s protesting going to solve?” I never thought that I would hear that question from someone in the SGA.
I don’t brag on our country’s forefathers too often, but they got it right by including freedom of assembly and freedom of speech in the U.S. Bill of Rights.
Protests have helped unions eliminate unfair labor practices. They’ve helped same-sex couples marry each other and blacks vote, go to the same schools as whites and sit wherever they want on buses.
The Boston Tea Party was a protest, with a dash of property destruction.
I couldn’t stay upset with the SGA president or the parliamentarian for being uniformed or holding opposing views. But after I left their office, I had to ask myself some questions.
I wanted to be heard, so why was I waiting for someone else to speak up for me? My abilities are as strong and my voice is as loud as anyone I am willing to join, so why should I not be the one to stand up?
If you feel like me, I encourage you to get involved on the Forest Park campus. If you are waiting for someone to organize a demonstration, ask “Why not me?”
If you don’t know where to start, go to fergusonaction.com. You will find a number of ways to get involved. If you’re already active in the community, bring that same fire to this college.
Ferguson is far from our college in the city, so it’s easy to get detached while going on about our daily lives. But Forest Park is a very diverse campus with people of all races, cultures, sexual orientations and abilities.
We must stand up for those who don’t have the opportunity. The Ferguson movement is not just to show that black lives matter; all lives matter. If we keep quiet, the books will cry out for justice.