Between March 7 and March 18, organizers from Divest McGill occupied the McCall MacBain Arts Building to protest McGill’s multi-million dollar investments in the fossil fuel industry, calling on McGill to confront their complicity in settler-colonialism, white supremacy, and capitalism. Over the past two weeks, Divest not only called attention[Read More…]
Tag: student activism
The Computer Riot, Birth Control Handbook, and struggle for Africana Studies: Brief histories of student activism
Students have long been at the forefront of social progress, both on their campuses and in the wider Montreal communities. The McGill Tribune looks back on a few instances throughout history when students banded together to advocate for their rights. 1969 Computer Riot at Concordia This protest would come to[Read More…]
U of T’s divestment sets a low bar that McGill refuses to reach
On Oct. 27, the University of Toronto (U of T) announced that it would divest from all its direct fossil fuel investments in the next 12 months, with plans to divest from all indirect investments by 2030. It also stated that it will take steps to curb more emissions than[Read More…]
SSMU’s BoD should resist, not assist McGill’s repression of student activism
On Feb. 16, 90 per cent of students at the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) General Assembly – Consultative Forum voted to adopt the Divest for Human Rights Policy. The Policy mandates SSMU to campaign against McGill University’s investments in corporations complicit in colonial land theft, environmental destruction, war[Read More…]
Pandemic-era activism calls for sustained support
To most McGill students, the annual return to campus after the winter break usually conjures images of the university’s vibrant activist community. From flyers passed out during the Change The Name campaign to Divest McGill’s weekly demonstrations outside of the Arts building, it was hard to miss the advocacy taking[Read More…]
Pan-Asian Collective amplifies voice of the Asian student community
For many McGill students of colour, finding inclusive and welcoming spaces can be a struggle. A lack of safe spaces can perpetuate climates where racialized students do not have the chance to build a more equitable, inclusive environment. Pan-Asian Collective (PAC) is a new community on campus that creates platforms[Read More…]
The pandemic demands a more accessible McGill BoG
For years, McGill students have fought for change through protests, rallies, and other physical demonstrations. Protests, such as those led by Divest McGill against the occupation of Wet’suwet’en territory and the Indigenous students behind the “Change The Name” campaign, have been crucial to drawing attention to issues on campus and[Read More…]
Reconciliation must go beyond a toppled statue
The police murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 sparked global protests against police brutality and anti-Black racism, giving renewed momentum to the Black Lives Matter movement. In light of these events, McGill, an institution whose history is rooted in violence and enslavement, expressed its intention to put forward[Read More…]
McGill student creates #NoFutureNoChildren movement to inspire climate action
The #NoFutureNoChildren movement, a pledge to not have children until the Canadian government takes effective action toward addressing climate change, was started by a McGill student. Since creating the pledge, Emma Lim, U0 Science, has gathered over 4,000 signatures. While Lim has only been engaged with climate activism for about a[Read More…]
Young people incite progressive change—why don’t Boomers see it?
On Oct. 31, 2017, Business Insider ran a piece listing the industries and businesses which millennials had supposedly “killed,” or were in the process of killing, in the most recent decade. This article is part of a trend of baby boomer-penned thought pieces demonizing younger generations for their habits and lifestyles,[Read More…]
