Campus activism has been a long-lasting staple of university life. Though mass student demonstrations are generally thought to have become prevalent in the 1960s, Harvard has had such protests occur throughout its history, with the first dating back to 1639.
Harvard’s campus has witnessed many instances of public protest in the past year. These include the storming of the football field during the annual Harvard-Yale game, a rally to “Abolish ICE,” and a massive strike by the Harvard Graduate Student Union. Large, concentrated public demonstrations have been one key strategy for student protestors, garnering significant attention for their causes.
At least, that was before a global pandemic emerged. As COVID-19 has upended almost all aspects of society, campus activism faces several unprecedented challenges.
Much about the prospective fall semester is uncertain. It could be online only, or it could be a hybrid system. Even if students are invited back on campus, the school will likely restrict large public gatherings and group meetings — a policy which could be extended into future semesters to continue to ensure student safety. Large protests and administrative building occupations alike would be limited or banned, and even organizing meetings could run afoul of campus guidelines.
In response, many campus activist groups have adjusted their tactics to focus on digital advocacy. The Harvard Endowment Justice Coalition, a combination of several campus groups pushing for Harvard to divest its endowment from various funds, published a Medium post in May that summarized a virtual teach-in they held and provided a list of “action items,” including signing petitions and giving to donation drives for off-campus issues. Activist groups have now been primarily active on social media, which includes maintaining blogs, hosting speaking events, circulating petitions, promoting action to the Cambridge City Council and the Massachusetts Statehouse, making solidarity statements, and occasional sarcastic dunking. Some groups even boost each others’ activities and host joint sessions.
Even though the tactics are not new, some activists and organizers report maintaining a more active digital role than ever before. In an interview with the HPR, Mark Wright, a Graduate Student Union representative, said, “I think there’s been a little bit more emphasis on signing letters, writing letters of support, and things like that. So maybe there’s been a subtle shift in terms of the types of activities that have taken priority, but I don’t think it’s large — other than the things we can’t do, like aggregate in large groups.”
Yet there are also limits to how much can be done in the digital space. Public demonstrations or tables on campus were almost unavoidably seen by most students; now, students, who are less connected online, have to go out of their way to find them. The online demographics of social media like Twitter tend to skew more white, liberal and wealthier than the general public (though colleges tend to be bubbles as well), limiting who sees shared content. Furthermore, digital efforts can also easily backfire without careful organizing or accountability, like a racial justice “blackout” in early June that ended up drowning out organizing information.
There are additional issues related to participation in digital campaigns. Online activism, due to its ease of use, can too often involve momentary, low effort actions from participants and not long term commitment or assistance, a phenomenon often called “slacktivism.” It can also be harder to discern how much support actually comes from Harvard students when online messaging is open to almost anyone, though petitions will often include options for school affiliation. This can make justifying a case against the administration more difficult.
The lack of direct human connection also makes it harder to build the emotional bonds key to sustaining an activist movement. Wright said, “Whether it’s a formal organizing discussion or meeting people in your apartment, like for coffee — being able to chat in person … has been the biggest challenge. I’m sure pretty much everyone has been facing [this]. It’s a lot easier to coordinate precise thoughts and work together when you can do that in person.”
Despite the limitations of digital activism, the alternative of returning to physical activities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic carries its own risks. In the wake of demonstrations inspired in part by the death of George Floyd, numerous public health experts changed their positions on social distancing, arguing that the issues of police brutality and racism made these protests worth the potential risk of infection.
Activist groups on campus could employ a similar rationale and expand protests in the semester, and some groups have hosted small rallies in Cambridge recently. However, the potential health risks to other students would make such actions much more perilous. The Harvard administration could potentially make an exception for protests, but that would raise the thorny issues of giving some gatherings preference over others.
It has always been difficult for student groups to maintain momentum at universities as new students cycle in and out. Harvard student activists have done a good job maintaining their work, but the true test is if they can expand the scope of their efforts and achieve their goals using primarily online tools. Unless digital activism proves to be more effective at overcoming its issues with connecting to the Harvard student body, activist efforts could be stunted for the next semester and possibly longer. College activists have persisted through momentous challenges before, but it remains to be seen if they will successfully adapt to the realities of a global pandemic.
Image Credit: “Occupyharvardtents.jpg” by Occupy Harvard is in the public domain.
