It’s fair to say many Brown students are involved in activism, whether through the Swearer Center for Public Service, advocacy groups, student political organizations or any other number of causes. In a 2011 Herald article on student activism, a faculty poll showed 57 percent of faculty members believe student activism is lower today than when they were in college. In that article, Robert Self, professor of history, attributed such a decline to the absence of a “unifying issue” for our generation. This is a fair assessment: The growth of social media in particular has expanded the number of causes students can support. With so many issues to address and engage with, it’s not surprising that student activist groups splinter off to so many diverse avenues.
But there are two events tomorrow most Brown students will find in their common interest, and we encourage them to participate in both. Whether your Valentine’s Day plans include a self-indulgent, chocolate-covered evening, an afternoon of romantic gestures or simply business as normal, dedicating an hour or two to these causes will promote a sense of student unity on issues relevant to all of us and present an opportunity to have a meaningful impact on the wider Providence community.
The first, One Billion Rising@Brown, is a flash mob dedicated to raising student awareness of sexual assault in Brown and Providence and around the world. Taking place on the Main Green at noon, it provides “an alternative way to celebrate Valentine’s Day” that promises to both be fun and use the cultural capital of the holiday to highlight an issue that permeates an aspect of all societies and certainly affects at least one person each of us knows.
The second, the Brown + RISD March for Marriage Equality, will take place tomorrow from 4 to 6 p.m. Students plan to wear red, rally on the Main Green and take their voices to the State House, where there will be live music and short speeches from members of the group. We join the Brown University Queer Alliance and the Brown Democrats in supporting this event and urge anyone with the time to throw on that red shirt in their drawer to help out and take to the streets. The bill to legalize same-sex marriage passed the Rhode Island House of Representatives 51-19, a resounding and encouraging majority, but many have speculated that support is not as strong in the Senate, and opponents like the National Organization for Marriage Rhode Island have pledged using grassroots support to block the bill’s passage.
As the last state in New England to hold out on granting marriage equality to same-sex couples, Rhode Island represents an important step on the road to fulfilling the promise of equal rights in life and love. While many on campus have closely followed the debate, a Valentine’s Day rally signifies a crucial opportunity for students to lend their voices to a cause that needs public support.
This will resonate particularly on a holiday firmly entrenched in our culture as significant for everyone, regardless of relationship status. Taking two hours to show our passion and engagement in the community surrounding us can make a noticeable impact on state legislature.
Valentine’s Day is marketed as a day for individual, romantic love, but we encourage Brown students to redefine that boundary. No matter how you choose to celebrate the holiday, we strongly urge all students to consider using part of the day to spread love around the communities that bind and shape our collective college experience. We’ll see you at the State House.
Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editor, Dan Jeon, and its members, Mintaka Angell, Samuel Choi, Nicholas Morley and Rachel Occhiogrosso. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
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