Power to the People: Tips on Being a Campus Activist

Ready to speak truth to power?

PRO: There Are Lots of New Faces on Campus - Back home, you only had the pick of your high school. At college, there are so many new potential boos. And they might be way better options than your friend back home.  (Photo: Kevin Dodge/Corbis)

1 / 10

Speak Up - With activism sparking on college campuses across the country, it’s inspiring students to jump in and be part of history. But do you know what the issues are? Better yet, do you know how to work well with others and to bring about effective change? Let us help you get #BlackOnCampus. By Kellee Terrell  (@kelleent) (Photo: Brian Davidson/Getty Images)

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work - You can’t change the world alone — you need a team of people with you, helping you and working beside you. It’s important to check your ego and be open to learning and leaning on others to make change. Revolution is about community, not solitude. (Photo:Wavebreak Media Ltd./Corbis)

2 / 10

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work - You can’t change the world alone — you need a team of people with you, helping you and working beside you. It’s important to check your ego and be open to learning and leaning on others to make change. Revolution is about community, not solitude. (Photo:Wavebreak Media Ltd./Corbis)

Be Clear About the Changes You Want - Standing up against something isn’t enough to be an effective activist — you need to be able to speak that into actual change and articulate how that change is going to be beneficial to the community. Remember, you can’t just be against something, you have to be for something too — hopefully the solution. (Photo: Hill Street Studios/Corbis)

3 / 10

Be Clear About the Changes You Want - Standing up against something isn’t enough to be an effective activist — you need to be able to speak that into actual change and articulate how that change is going to be beneficial to the community. Remember, you can’t just be against something, you have to be for something too — hopefully the solution. (Photo: Hill Street Studios/Corbis)

What Makes You the Most Mad? - Finding out which point to enter the activist world is important. First, you need to pinpoint exactly what is making you upset, and then be clear about why and how it’s impacting the community. Being intentional like that makes all the difference. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

4 / 10

What Makes You the Most Mad? - Finding out which point to enter the activist world is important. First, you need to pinpoint exactly what is making you upset, and then be clear about why and how it’s impacting the community. Being intentional like that makes all the difference. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Do the Research - From Kent State activism in the '60s to the Mizzou activism of now, learning from the past and finding out which strategies worked can be beneficial in helping you figure out your best approach. Also, reading texts and scrolling Instagram posts from past activists and discovering their mission can also give you some perspective on how to be prepared. (Photo: Hero Images/Corbis)

5 / 10

Do the Research - From Kent State activism in the '60s to the Mizzou activism of now, learning from the past and finding out which strategies worked can be beneficial in helping you figure out your best approach. Also, reading texts and scrolling Instagram posts from past activists and discovering their mission can also give you some perspective on how to be prepared. (Photo: Hero Images/Corbis)

ADVERTISEMENT
Know the Rules - Once you have your demands set and your specific issues carved out, it’s important to know how to implement them to create real change. You have to be knowledgeable of your city and county laws and know what works and what doesn’t and whether that plan will fit into your community and their needs. (Photo: Hero Images/Corbis)

6 / 10

Know the Rules - Once you have your demands set and your specific issues carved out, it’s important to know how to implement them to create real change. You have to be knowledgeable of your city and county laws and know what works and what doesn’t and whether that plan will fit into your community and their needs. (Photo: Hero Images/Corbis)

Leading Doesn’t Always Mean Being THE Leader - Remember, you can be the leader, which is great, but that's not the integral part of being an activist. If you just want to show up for the rally and sit-in, that's fine, too. Do what you can given your workload and responsibilities. Your presence and support is enough. There's a role for everyone. (Photo: AzmanJaka/ Getty Images)

7 / 10

Leading Doesn’t Always Mean Being THE Leader - Remember, you can be the leader, which is great, but that's not the integral part of being an activist. If you just want to show up for the rally and sit-in, that's fine, too. Do what you can given your workload and responsibilities. Your presence and support is enough. There's a role for everyone. (Photo: AzmanJaka/ Getty Images)

Understand That You Don’t Have to Be Angela Davis - Not everyone is going to be iconic Black Panther and feminist Angela Davis or the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement, but that doesn’t mean that your activism isn’t important or revolutionary. Any change on any level — local or national — has amazing benefits for the community. Just be you and the activist you were meant to be. (Photo: Earl Gibson III/Getty Images)

8 / 10

Understand That You Don’t Have to Be Angela Davis - Not everyone is going to be iconic Black Panther and feminist Angela Davis or the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement, but that doesn’t mean that your activism isn’t important or revolutionary. Any change on any level — local or national — has amazing benefits for the community. Just be you and the activist you were meant to be. (Photo: Earl Gibson III/Getty Images)

Volunteering Is Activism Too - Being part of a national movement and participating in local rallies is crucial, but also remember that activism can be as simple as giving your time to local charities and organizations that speak close to your politics, too. (Photo: KidStock/Blend Images/Corbis)

9 / 10

Volunteering Is Activism Too - Being part of a national movement and participating in local rallies is crucial, but also remember that activism can be as simple as giving your time to local charities and organizations that speak close to your politics, too. (Photo: KidStock/Blend Images/Corbis)

Understand Intersectionality - “Intersectionality,” a term coined by Black feminist Kimberlé Crenshaw, means understanding that people have more than one marker for their identity. So being a Black woman, you are Black and a woman and if you are Black and LGBT and a woman, you are all three. So it’s important to make sure that your activism is grounded in the fact that race is not the only issues that we face. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

10 / 10

Understand Intersectionality - “Intersectionality,” a term coined by Black feminist Kimberlé Crenshaw, means understanding that people have more than one marker for their identity. So being a Black woman, you are Black and a woman and if you are Black and LGBT and a woman, you are all three. So it’s important to make sure that your activism is grounded in the fact that race is not the only issues that we face. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)