Defining activism Student leaders express their views on pushing for positive change Hannah Marley Staff Writer
Cory Hodge, student activist. Hannah Cather • The Daily Beacon
Volume 128 Issue 18
From protests and picket signs to public policy, the social change that continues to transform countries and campuses alike begins with an idea and a passionate voice. The causes these five UT students represent are just a few of the biggest conversations happening across campus and across the nation. Corey Hodge, a senior in Africana studies, said he thinks activism is ... “Not just thought,” Hodge said. “Activism is making a difference.” Hodge practiced student activism by acknowledging the inequalities between numerous demographics through an event called Break the Silence, where students put tape over their mouths and wore signs acknowledging the inequalities people from every race, religion and creed face every day. Hodge said he had often acted on behalf of social equality for AfricanAmericans in high school, but after coming to UT, realized there are many more people who feel silenced by the privileges of others and must cope with their own personal struggles. “I had the epiphany that by no means am I undermining blacks by acknowledging the inequalities that other individuals are going through, such as the LGBT community and the Women’s Coordinating Council,” Hodge said. “I can acknowledge, as a heterosexual male, that there are members of the LGBT community who do not have the same equality as I do because I am a heterosexual male.” Hodge said he hopes that through
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Break the Silence, students might also become aware of the inequalities everyone in the campus community encounters. For Drost Kokoye, an undergraduate in political science, activism is … “Always moving forward, and as you’re moving, adding someone to the group you’re walking with,” Kokoye said. Kokoye has been a community organizer for five years, working on issues ranging from youth and gun violence to Islamophobia in the state legislature. She was the primary organizer of several protests against police brutality in tandem with protests in Ferguson, Missouri, last semester. She said she believes in the power of channeling emotions into activism and community developing. “When you take that anger and organize it and turn it into power building, that’s when true community happens,” Kokoye said. Kokoye is also one of the original founders of the American Muslim Advisory Council and succeeded in forcing legislators to amend the 2011 “Anti-Sharia” bill that would have restricted basic religious freedoms for Muslims across the state of Tennessee. Kokoye added that while she may work with specific issues, it is important to remember that all political and social activists are working towards the same goal. Through working together, she said, any group is able to impact change. Koyoye said, “If you stick your head up and see the bigger picture, you will see that we’re all fighting the same octopus, just different legs.” See ACTIVISTS on Page 4
Tuesday, February 3, 2015