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The observer | wednesday, november 4, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
What the anti-ACB protest says about student political activism Clark Doman BridgeND
W hen my close friend told me that he was planning an anti-Amy Coney Barrett protest, I initially was impressed w ith his determination but skeptical about how the protest would actually go. I thought maybe 50 people would show up and at best the protest may raise a few eyebrows in the administration. I certainly did not expect there to be over 350 students gathered on Librar y Law n expressing their disapproval of ACB and Universit y President Fr. John Jenkins’ statement of congratulations. Moreover, I did not anticipate that a large number of facult y would line the sidewalks in support, nor did I env ision that the local South Bend news would give the protest as much coverage as it did. In short, the protest was a much bigger deal than I thought it would be. As someone who disagrees w ith most of ACB’s political v iews but still thinks her confirmation was legitimate, I decided not to join my friend at the protest. I was a bit confused about what the protest was actually against and what its goals truly were. At the time, I thought that it made sense for Jenkins to congratulate an alumna and professor of Notre Dame Law School on becoming a Supreme Court Justice, so I didn’t want my presence at the protest to represent outright disapproval. I now understand that many people took issue w ith Jenkins’ statement because it makes it seem like the entire Notre Dame communit y supports Barrett, which was and still is clearly not true.
KERRY SCHNEEMAN | The Observer
Looking back, I do not necessarily regret not getting involved w ith the protest, but I do regret not w itnessing the largest show ing of political activ ism our campus has experienced since I became a student last fall (besides the possible exception of the Black Lives Matter protest this past summer). Regardless of my prior opinions about ACB and Jenkins’ statement, the sheer number of attendees proves to me this issue is critically important to a large portion of our campus communit y. The protest’s size also shows that members of the student body can and w ill organize a legitimate protest when an issue that people are passionate about arises.
Furthermore, the fact that a smaller but still fair amount of students organized a pro-ACB protest in response conveys the variation of political v iews students hold and that multiple groups w ith different v iews have the confidence to publicly proclaim their respective opinions. This intensified student political activ ism occurs amidst a global pandemic that has sent the world into a new age of social distancing and Zoom class, Black Lives Matter protests that have been prominent across the United States and abroad and a stressful election season. A ll of these factors have filled the American social landscape w ith uncertaint y, and students seem to be using this uncertaint y as an opportunit y to push for change through enhanced political activ ism on campus. It w ill be interesting to see if any protests occur in response to the outcome of Tuesday’s presidential election. The anti-ACB protest showed the level of protest our campus communit y is capable of and depending on who w ins the election and the countr y’s reaction, we could see an even larger show ing of activ ism in the coming weeks. Clark Doman a sophomore and is the director of marketing for BridgeND, a non-partisan political education and discussion group that seeks to bridge the political divide and raise the standard for political discourse at Notre Dame. BridgeND meets at 5:15 p.m. in the Notre Dame room in LaFortune. You can contact the club at bridgend@nd.edu or learn more at bit.ly/bridgendsignup The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
It’s OK to not be OK I don’t think I have to convince anyone that our campus community is suffering. From COV ID concerns to injustices against POC, declining mental health, incessant academic demands, heightened political tensions and the tragic loss of two of our peers and the serious injury of a third this past weekend, we all have plenty of reasons to feel overwhelmed. Personally, I am not OK. The saying “it’s OK to not be OK” is something that I have to remind myself of daily, but it is a difficult truth to grasp when it seems like most people around me are doing just fine. I’ll
be the first to admit that this semester has been challenging. I feel as though I am not able to give 100% to anything anymore because of the number and depth of things requiring my attention. I have felt disconnected from friends, family and God. But I also know how blessed I have been in the midst of all these difficulties. W hatever you are feeling these days, whether you’re sad, grieving, grateful, hopeful, overwhelmed or any number of other perfectly valid feelings, know that you are not alone. We all handle these things differently, and it really is OK to not be OK. So be gentle with
yourselves, friends. Things are hard, but not because you are doing something wrong or because you are not enough. They are just hard. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to seek help. Reach out to the people in your corner. Be here for yourselves and for one another and remember to be grateful in the midst of the struggle. We owe ourselves and each other that. Cheyenne Schuster senior Oct. 29
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