Written for The Argo by Elana Augustus

For decades, African Americans have marched for change and to make their voices heard. From protesting the verdict of the Rodney King case in 1992, to ten days of protesting in Ferguson when a white police officer took the life of an unarmed teenager, Rodney Brown, in 2014, to the most recent protests for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the fight for justice never ends.

This past Wednesday, October 21, students from Stockton University joined a Zoom panel and reflected on protests as an essential form of political engagement. The student panelists featured Danielle Combs, Irenonsen Eigbe, Michael Killebrew, and Amaiya Roundtree. They then discussed the trials and tribulations it takes to conduct a protest, the atmosphere, and the key messages they want demonstrations to send.

Michael Killebrew, a junior Political Science major, discussed the atmosphere of protesting. “It was a good feeling, but at the end of the day, you are protesting against injustice, and you start thinking about the people who were killed by police brutality,” he said.

Overall this Zoom call displayed how much goes into forming a protest, and how much young people are the future.

“The overall message the protest conveyed was that we’re tired,” said Danielle Combs, another Political Science major. “We’re sick and tired of being sick and tired and that we’re all hurting, but we can’t lose hope.”