Yesterday, I got the opportunity to speak at the AU Walkout. It was exhilarating to join hundreds of students marching together on campus as part of the #FreeDC movement.
I spent my five minutes stressing the ways that turning out en masse (as the students had) is a great way to show solidarity and build a community that has power. We are more than the sum of our parts and it was so heartening to see the peaceful protest right on my campus (and even run into our Provost at the event)!
The path ahead will not be easy, but research (including mine) provides ample evidence that change starts at the community level and those communities that have strong relational networks are much more capable of responding and pushing back when needed.
Dana R Fisher 