Student power

One strength that the A&T Four had was that they were students. This meant that they had a lot of support behind them, like teachers and friends, and their youth gave them more physical and mental advantages than someone much older. Since they were all students together, there was also strength that came from their close friendship. They shared lots of similar beliefs and gained bravery and courage through their group. Throughout the sit-in’s, they used the power of non-violence. This method had great power and helped keep the movement alive. They also had the privilege of media. The media was the main reason the sit-in movement quickly traveled the way it did and allowed for change to occur.

One strength that I share with them is that I’m also a student. I have the strengths that come with my youth and I also know that at my school I would have support from my friends and the staff if I needed it. I also have the power of the media like the students did, and even more so because media is everywhere these days and so much of what we see on media is related to politics and protest for political change. I would say a privilege that they had that I lack is that I’m a woman and they were men. I think I would absolutely have privileges as a white woman, but I still think being a woman might translate into different treatment during the sit-in.

Because of my identity, I have been given so many privileges that I want to use when challenging issues in our world. I want to help with black lives matter movements today, because I see the issues of police brutality in my city and it’s really upsetting. I want to help with the intersectional feminist movements, because as a woman I want to fight for my own healthcare and rights and for those of others. I want to help fight climate change because it’s an issue that really makes me feel powerless and frustrated. I kinda want to help out in as many ways as I can and I don’t know if I can narrow it down to just a few issues.

Isabel Taylor