An electrifying moment

Since last Sunday, 40 students took the bold action and decided to use their bodies to block the operation of business at Harvard University. I took that action because I think my school could do so much more to address injustice in this world. Because I think that its complicity and silence in fact endorses and supports incredibly exploitative practices. And because I see the importance of taking steps and organizing wherever you are to address the problem that exist in society.

This week of action in the name of moral investments was incredibly powerful. We showed the power students could have – shutting down administrative business, attracting over 1500 people to protest, and lighting that sense of injustice in many people who will hopefully continue to take action.

As I transition out of full-time organizing and into my final month of school – I want to encapsulate the personal impact all of this organizing has had on me. The power I feel, surrounded by other people who deeply believe in the importance of action and deeply feel the pain of injustice, is what motivates me to never give up. And there are certain specific moments – moments of incredible collective action – that capture this power. This week, that moment for me came after asking students to come to the yard to show their support for divestment. As we stood hand-in-hand and encircled the administrative building, we symbolized student power. And as that circle kept expanding, you could feel students’ excitement building. Excitement mixed with a certain understanding that together change is possible. And that moment was electrifying.