Student Activism at the Urban Community College

Abstract

Historically, activism has long been a vehicle for student voices to be heard on the American college campus. Specifically for community colleges, student activism dates back to the early 20th century, throughout the 60s, early 70s, and continues today. Most recently, there has been a wave of student protests at community colleges in urban settings, including El Centro College in Dallas, Texas, where a sniper eventually opened fire on on-duty police officers at a rally. Student activism at urban community colleges are plausibly more expected because of the many controversial issues that urban environments produce, including issues around race, gender, crime, and socio-economic inequities. This chapter explores student activism on the urban community college campus during periods of heightened unrest in the United States, and will include an examination of the paradigms that have influenced working with students during these experiences.