Activism and Sacrifices Examined

After Black Lives Matter activists demonstrated in Ferguson in 2014, many national protests erupted and included voices from college students who soon brought demonstrations onto college campuses across the United States. Allegedly in a "postracial"era, 2014 saw the first of many student protests against racist violence and inequity. By the end of 2015, college students at over 80 schools nationwide submitted lists of demands to their respective universities protesting racial inequality and injustice. This study, focusing on the years 2014 to 2016 at the brink of the Black Lives Mattermovement (BLMM) and the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), examines six undergraduate women leaders' experiences using in-depth oral history interviews. The purpose of this study was to explore how the undergraduate women developed intostudent activists, discover their historical inspirations and understand how they coped with their efforts.