Civil Disobedience and Student Radicalism

Black students were at the forefront of student radicalism in the 1960s. From the early sit-ins of the Civil Rights Movement to the Berkeley Free Speech Movement to the rise of Black Power, university campuses have been central sites of struggle in the campaign for racial justice. Throughout the struggles of the 1960s, the politics and organisations of the student activists constantly evolved and radicalised.

This talk by Socialist Alternative hopes to outline the nature and reason for these changes, and the impact they had on the struggle. At a time when our environment is in crisis, living standards are abysmal and racial equality is still unrealised, we need to be studying the history of civil disobedience, its results and how we can use it in today’s movements.