Activism!!

"What are you willing to do for what you believe? Are you going to take a stand or lay down and to back to sleep?"--Joules Graves, singer and songwriter

Activism is a word that many people associate with either the 60s or folks at big protests. However, many kinds of activism exist. One must begin with one's own hands, heart and soul and work outward from there. Changes in one's personal life, like not using any disposable products, is a form of activism. Being involved in any kind of education is a form of activism. Raising children in an aware and conscious way is a form of activism. With this understanding, we must not separate ourselves or make rigid criteria for fellow activists. We must understand that we are each going to plunge into different areas, use different methods and strategies, backed by different philosophies. We draw strength from our diversity.

Activism both at Colby and in the world around us is pulsing again, with the many movements out there building coalitions with one another to build a world that we want to live in. On campus, the multicultural task force has been organizing forums to discuss important issues of race, class, gender, religion, and more. Students are becoming aware of the composition of this campus and methods and avenues to change it to represent us better. Coalitions are beginning to be built between administration, faculty, staff, and students.

The 2000-2001 year saw an explosion of organized voyages by students, faculty and staff off Mayflower Hill to participate in broader causes. Students went to the annual School of Americas protest in Georgia to protest US-government taught guerilla torture tactics for the militaries of Central and South American governments; Colby students went to Washington D.C. in January to show opposition to then-nominee for Attorney General John Ashcroft; to protest the corporate influence in United States' politics; and to stand up against the right-wing backlash threatening the progress in fighting racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination; and in April students went to the Free Trade Area of the Americas Protest in Quebec City to call attention to the threat on the people of the world as well as the environment imposed by free trade.

There are many avenues for activism on this campus, and it has begun to be networked by the activist list-serve and the new radical newspaper, the Difference.

In action outside of Colby, the Campfire Collective is a forum for young activists from Maine to share ideas, build coalitions, and confront Maine issues. Campfire is composed of COA, Unity, Bates, and UMO students and began in April of 2000 to coordinate efforts for the IMF and World Bank protests in Washington D.C. Campfire is affiliated with the Maine Global Action Network(MeGAN); based in Bangor, MeGAN coordinates activist efforts across the state.