Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Activists seek civil disobedience from students

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Two longtime activists speaking at the University of Wisconsin Friday urged their audience to start engaging in direct action such as protests and civil disobedience.

Norm Stockwell, an independent journalist and media project organizer, and Lisa Fithian, a community organizer, spoke in the Humanities building about building community power through direct action.

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Stockwell, who covered the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle and the 1993 Zapatista uprising in Chiapas, Mexico, explained the importance of independent media in building community power and promoting social change.

Stockwell said the independent media’s value lies in its tendency to “tell the story from the bottom-up, instead of the top-down.”

“We go to the grassroots and report the stories of ordinary people,” Stockwell said. “All of these individual stories are pieces of a story.”

Stockwell also talked about the rising importance of independent media coverage in the face of increasing consolidation of national media.

“For people to truly make informed decisions about their lives, they need to know these stories,” Stockwell said. “People around the country are aware that corporate media is not giving us the true story of what’s going on, and they are desperate for alternatives.”

Fithian spoke on the vital importance of individuals in social movements and urged the audience to start making use of the power they have.

“Power is one of the most misunderstood concepts; we are taught that politicians and rich people have power. We are not taught that we have power,” Fithian said. “But power is simply the ability to do something. In many cases, individuals can do something, but they choose not to.”

Fithian said direct action is fundamental to social change and an important outlet for individuals to exercise difference-making capabilities.

“Direct action is a plan on how to get from here to there,” Fithian said. “Things like protesting and civil disobedience help stop and expose injustices, and create an edge for building support.”

Fithian also discussed the past movements she has been involved in, like the 2003 protests in Cancun against the WTO, the 2006 Justice for Janitors campaign to increase custodian wages in Houston, and the efforts to aid in the rebuilding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

UW freshman Eric Tervo said he agreed with Fithian on the importance of direct action in facilitating change.

“It is an effective step towards making change and building community because it draws attention to the issue,” Tervo said. “It is a main source of change.”

Fithian also discussed the dangers facing individuals engaging in direct action like police violence or arrest.

“Each and every one of us has to make the choice for ourselves,” said Fithian. “You have to accept your fear and decide whether you have enough courage to act anyway.”

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