The argument over activism

Transfer student discusses present day political activism

Christina Montilla - montilca@plu.edu

mast news reporter

Activism can be described as intentionally acting in order to bring about social or political change. However, in this technologically defined age, Facebook groups like “Don’t buy gas May 15th” and “I bet I can find 1,000,000 people who hate George Bush” seem to dictate this era’s ideas of effective activism. Because when the peace rallies in Seattle or the marches in Tacoma happen, students are noticing that the majority of participants are not their peers but those from the baby boomer era –a generation in which mostly young people held protests.

Transfer student Bethel Prescott grew up during the civil unrest of that very generation. Almost a year ago, she was arrested while holding a peaceful protest in front of the Indian Island Naval Magazine near Port Townsend.

Indian Island is the largest naval ammunition depot on the West Coast. Alleged reports of depleted uranium held at the base led nearby residents to advocate for an Environmental Impact Report from the military.

“I live less than a mile away across the water from the base and on the other side there’s a hospital,” Bethel explained. “If there were an accident, uranium may spread out into the surrounding area, even a large conventional explosion could endanger the hospital and other county facilities.”

After six weeks of planning and at the push of a docking Trident submarine at Indian Island, Bethel and others held a peaceful protest against the military’s lack of compliance for the EIR and the Iraq War.

“If you’ve tried working within the system, if you’ve tried writing your congressman over and over again you might do something that is a little more vocal,” Bethel said.

Bethel stood in front of the main gate to the base for about 20 minutes folding origami cranes, while her companions gave speeches or meditated. Police arrested Bethel and her friend Liz Goldstein for disorderly conduct. She was detained for five hours.

“The more serious you get, the more you need to be careful with deliberate acts, you need to prepare yourself for the worst, if that means being arrested,” Bethel said.

At the time of the protest, she attended Peninsula Community College. After a few hours, she posted bail.

“I had a psych test on Monday,” she explained.

Bethel was arrested for the first time in September 2006 along with 36 others for a similar protest. Both times the charges have been dropped.

Although too young to watch Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech on television or partake in the student riots at Colombia University, Bethel grew up surrounded by adults and a society who supported acts of civil disobedience.

Her parents were active members of the counter culture and she remembers attending a peace march when she was 7 years old where she saw Pete Seeger play for the crowd. In second grade, Bethel’s mother made the family black armbands to wear to school, in protest of the Vietnam War.

“I remember explaining to the other kids what the arm band was for,” Bethel said. “However, I only understood what a little kid could understand; the conversations about what was going on happened at a level a bit over my head.”

The disco era soon ensued, when general social protesting simmered to a low. “[Protesting] wasn’t quite the same as it had been ten years earlier,” Bethel remarked.

And some argue it has not been ever since. The rise of the technological age, where information is at one’s disposal simply by the click of a mouse, garnered one the advanced ability to become aware of multiple issues from multiple sources.

“People consider themselves informed if they watch the 5 o’clock news,” junior Emily Nevels, president of Students for Peace said. “But it’s a different type of informed.”

Nevels’ continued to comment on how a person’s challenged opinions can cause uncomfortable situations.

“Having one’s opinions challenged creates an uncomfortable situation, and it forces people to think outside their self-constructed box of perceived reality,” Nevels said. “Because of this, people seek out and attend to the information that supports their beliefs.”

In peer groups, in classes, in media, in day-to-day interactions, all issues seem to stagnate in a grey area.

“Compared to the Vietnam era, our generation has dealt with issues like the Iraq War in a comparatively more passive way,” Nevels said. “With the lack of media attention and an ongoing conversation surrounding our current situation, it’s easy at times to completely forget we are at war.”

Through clubs and organizations, students at PLU are encouraged to voice their opinions and beliefs.“

I feel like we can all afford to be at PLU in one way or another, whether it is through scholarships or not,” says Nevels. “[PLU] is a tower of privilege, and we get caught up in it. One of the goals of our university education is to become informed and active citizens.”

Both of PLU’s most politically active organizations have relatively low membership. PLU Democrats meet Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in UC 213 and have about seven regular members who show up each week. PLU Students for Peace meet Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the Diversity Center and have about ten regular members. Both organizations do volunteer work within the community and provide outlets of support for students who have active interests. The organizations co-sponsored the second annual Iraq War Die-In in March.

“Our goal was for people to realize that troops are still there and make sure people are still thinking and talking about it,” PLU Democrats president junior Samantha Tolbert said. Seventy-five people participated in all, 25 more than last year.

“I think there is a lot of political interest to get involved but not necessarily plan things. If students were given the opportunity, I think it would be a very politically active campus.”
Academics and activism go hand in hand.

“The professors mold how to approach the big questions,” psychology professor Christine Hansvick said. “It’s important for students to practice asking questions. It’s about training oneself and learning to express oneself.”

Bethel also discussed the need for students to use their knowledge.

“Once you know what all the issues are, you can’t help but take action,” Bethel said.

A Peace and Justice Studies minor has been in development for the past few years, led by a group of faculty including Hansvick, currently volunteer independent study classes on the topic. Finding organizations to fund the startup of what would be a popular program is difficult. Peace is often misconstrued as a pacifist hippie ideology. “It’s not a doctrinal program that teaches only pacifism, but one that teaches pacifism and many other ways people can alleviate problems of violence or injustice,” said history professor Beth Kraig. This minor could be instrumental in getting more students politically active within their communities.

“You have to be willing to take all things in your academic studies,” said Kraig. “And think, how does it fit into my life?”

Nevels said that having students start dialogue and begin to talk about issues is the key.

“The roots of change are in having an active conversation and having to defend your beliefs,” Nevels said.

Others are optimistic about the active involvement of the average age college student in activism.

“At some of the most recent protests around here the crowds have been overwhelmingly young,” Bethel said.

History professor Beth Kraig has also noticed a generational change. “Nowadays, people are becoming more aware of how their daily actions do or don’t contribute to issues of peace and justice in their environment.” This is evident on campus with the popularity of recycling and sustainability.

But with the level of international involvement and academic discourse on campus, there should be high expectations for a certain amount of student social and political action other than finding 1 million supporters for Hilary 2008 on Facebook.

“I don’t think the spark has hit [PLU] yet,” Bethel said.