i was walking through campus with my friends when we stumbled upon a protest. students were chanting, holding up signs, their voices cutting through the usual buzz of campus life. they weren’t asking for much. just for our institution to stand up for undocumented students, to recognize the fear and uncertainty they live with every single day.
as we passed by, i heard my friends scoff. “what’s the point?” one of them muttered. “Nothing ever changes.”
my blood boiled. nothing changes? we were standing on a campus built on the struggles of marginalized communities. a school that prides itself on diversity but owes its prestige to immigrants, first-gen students, and families who sacrificed everything just to give their kids a chance. some of my peers, the very people I sit next to in class, study with, and grab lunch with, wake up every day with the fear that their families could be torn apart. that their presence here is conditional. that everything they’ve worked for could vanish in an instant.
and yet, some people have the privilege of calling a protest “pointless.”
but that protest wasn’t just about defiance. it was a statement. a refusal to stay silent while people are criminalized for simply existing. a demand for protection, for safety, for a future where fear isn’t a constant companion. and you know what? it got national attention. people saw it. people talked about it. the conversation reached places it might never have otherwise.
so was it really pointless? or is it just easier for some to dismiss resistance when they don’t feel the weight of oppression pressing against their own chest?
the truth is, we benefit every day from the activism of those who came before us. the scholarships, the resources, the representation. the simple fact that some of us can walk this campus without fearing deportation. none of that came from silence. it came from people who refused to accept injustice as the norm.
so no, protests aren’t pointless. what’s pointless is pretending change happens without a fight. what’s pointless is staying silent when you have a voice. what’s truly pointless is enjoying the progress made by activists while belittling their efforts.
i walked away from that conversation with a bitter taste in my mouth. Some of us don’t have the luxury of apathy. some of us can’t afford to look away.
and if that makes me angry, so be it.
because I’d rather be angry than indifferent.