Becca recognizing the power of student protest

So we are finally back from our trip from Johannesburg. It was a really great trip. And even though I am not much of a museum person, I really liked the ones that we went to in Johannesburg. I think the one I really like was the Hector Peitersen Museum in Soweto. It talked about the Soweto uprising in 1976 when students marched in protest of schools teaching classes in Africans. After the police opened fire killing students, it led to mass protest across the country. I think the most interesting part of all of this is that kids started all this. I think that in this day in age, kids and students are taught that only the adult have the power and the authority and know what is truly best for students. And while that may be the case most of the time, the fact is that students have more power than they realize. We have the power to spark real changes in our society, and this has been proved multiple times, not just in South Africa but in the United States as well. I remember before leaving the US I read that students were protesting because the school board was considering changing the history curriculum to only talk about positive aspects of American history. And when the students protested, the school board listened and didn’t change the curriculum.  When we feel like there is something wrong, whether it be related to our education or any other major social issue, we have the ability to voice our grievances. And from what the track has been showing, people really listen and even engage once kids and students are willing to organize and protest, fighting for what they believe is right.   

Outside the Hector Peitersen Memorial