This article and accompanying presentation explore political scientist Erica Chenoweth’s research on how peaceful protest is often much more successful than violence for making changes.
Category Archives: Voices of Protest
After Gun Control Marches, ‘It’ll Go Away’ vs. ‘We Are Not Cynical Yet’
After leading March for Our Lives protests across the country, student activists make plans for continued engagement on issues they care about.
Five protest poets all demonstrators should read
Read about five poets who used poetry as a means of protest.
A Harvard study identified the precise reason protests are an effective way to cause political change
A study on the Tea Party’s 2009 “Tax Day” protest showed researchers that protests are effective, but not in the way one might think.
Fans Sticking It to the Man: Sports Edition
View this slideshow that describes 13 times fans protested sports leagues, owners, and umpires.
On Protest Photography
Writer Maisie Skidmore discusses the power of photography to record protest movements.
Why Street Protests Don’t Work
In this column, Moisés Naím argues that in order to effect change, a movement needs more than a large crowd inspired to gather by social media.
How Jonathan Swift Attacked Fake News
In the 1720s and 1730s, author Jonathan Swift used satire to protest social injustices, balancing facts with absurdity.
Gandhi: Surprising Facts on His Life and How His Legacy Lives on Today
Read this article and watch the video to learn about the life of Mohandas Gandhi, whose method of peaceful resistance continues to inspire activists today.
Hashtag activism is fleeting
Columbia University graduate student Nick Donias argues that protest movements must move beyond slogans and hashtags in order to affect long-term change.
Tech firms protest proposed changes to U.S. net neutrality rules
Tech companies such as Facebook and Google are urging customers to oppose changes to net neutrality rules. Read more about the issue in this article.
Olympic Athletes Who Took a Stand
Olympic track stars Tommie Smith and John Carlos were medalists in the 1968 Olympic Games. Read about their gesture of protest and its consequences.
Know Your Rights: What To Do If Your Rights Are Violated at a Demonstration or Protest
This informational guide from the American Civil Liberties Union outlines what is legal and not legal while engaging in the constitutional right to protest.
This is what protest sounds like
Read the descriptions and listen to the clips of protest songs from American history.
Republican lawmakers introduce bills to curb protesting in at least 18 states
In response to the growing number of large protests in recent years, state lawmakers have introduced bills to curtail protestors and the tactics they use.
The Life and Legacy of Nelson Mandela: 1918-2013
Follow this timeline of Nelson Mandela, whose protest of South African apartheid spanned decades. View the photos and videos and listen to the audio for more context.
The Exhausting Work of Tallying America’s Largest Protest
Two university professors share their method of counting the number of people who attended the Women’s March on January 21 and suggest what that number might signify for the movement’s future success. You can find a link to their Google spreadsheet in the fourth paragraph.
Vietnam War Protests
Protests against the Vietnam War increased in size and scale from the mid-1960s to early 1970s. Learn why more people started to oppose the war.
Address at the Conclusion of the Selma to Montgomery March
Read or listen to one of the most important speeches by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Aung San Suu Kyi Biography
For decades, activist Aung San Suu Kyi fought for democracy and human rights in her country of Burma, which is now called Myanmar. She spent 15 years under house arrest for her actions, but after an election in November 2015, she and her party now lead the government.