Silent Protest

As a journalist myself, I was delighted to see a few Greendale students bring awareness to a cause that is close to my heart. Freedom of speech is something that many of us take for granted on a daily basis. I use words to express emotion, bring awareness, inform people, expose problems, pass judgment on people... because I can. I have freedom of speech. I am American.

The silent protest held on campus this week showed me that community college students aren't as apathetic as I once thought. Thanks to three students, I was able to grab a delicious brownie in the afternoon and support a good cause while filling my tummy with something yummy.

The silent protest was showing solidarity for the murdered Guatemalan journalists that lost their lives because they spoke what was on their minds. They exposed issues that others felt should remain silenced. Now, although the protest was supposed to be silent, the show really began when one older, or should I say mature, student who was angered by another male student's lack of respect, approached him at the protest.

After a slight verbal altercation in the quad, the mature student, who appeared a little intoxicated, caught his jacket on fire and jumped into the campus fountain for relief. While others may think this was an inappropriate display at a protest, I think it added some fire, some heat, some excitement to the cause.

I hope this new trend in student activism continues here at GCC and that we'll have more protests, silent or not.