reflections

The strike enhanced my time @ BMC by teaching me that I have a voice & it deserves to be heard. <3

The strike helped our community connect in a way we hadn't before, on a more authentic level rather than superficial. To foster solidarity is a form of community care Bryn Mawr often lacks.

Thank you for being brave!

From: Class '25

I was a remote student during the strike. I learned more during that time than in my entire first year. I found the teach-ins & virtual aspects of the rallies allowed me to connect with the BMC campus more than anything else. It was a phenomenal experience to learn & realize the students, the people, I would soon get to learn amongst were/are exactly the kind of people who inspire me. The kind of people I WANT & yearn to learn from + with.

Thank you to all the strike organizers and every single person on campus who participated in these efforts and communicated them so clearly to those all over the world: you taught more than the college ever has.

The teach-ins this semester are just as valuable as they were last fall, yet now they — at times — feel like a push, a shove, to make (white) students remember. They've adopted this new purpose, one they should not have to. I feel the same level of urgency at them now that I did at the beginning, but its shape is different.

AH '23: As one of the people who worked on organizing and hosting the teach-ins, I remember how much WORK they were. Stayed up late into the night making docs, not showering as my emails were flooded. Then we saw the IMPACT they had. We saw people engaging with staff and faculty in a way that hadn't been done before. The school relies on sectioning off its staff, faculty, and students. The strike and the teach-ins broke that structure. The entire experience of organizing and attending the teach-ins challenged my understanding of education and even work. I hope that energy can be carried everywhere <3

At first ('24) the strike was really scary and isolating. I felt alone in my room/no class/no nothing, but then I got my head out of my ass & realized that the strike was about community, and feeling truly together, & started leaning in. SO much respect & admiration to the student leaders.

As a first year ('24) this was especially scary and eye opening. I really realized how BMC and other institutions were not spaces for me or any other FGLI and/or BIPOC students who were like me. After learning so much through the strike, it has made me want to continue working 10x harder to fight for changes not only for current students but for any incoming classes after too. 

A positive memory I associate with the strike... It was the first time I felt empowered to voice my opinion about all the racism and hate I have ben forced to comply with my whole life. Feeling like I had a group of people willing to sacrifice so much to show me that I don't have to be compliant and I can fight the institution. Also there's different ways to be an activist. It helped my journey into inclusion, equity, and diversification on campus as well as trying to correct or push towards anti-racism, anti-colonialist practices on campus. It gave me strength to grow more as a person, and how to be a leader. <3

The strike brought an awareness I never had before. My idyllic vision of harmony and inclusion now is one of needed change and call for action.

I see you.

I see me

Asian. White. Aware.

I was a remote student, and the one part of my first year that I recall with perfect clarity is the time period of the strike. This connected me to people on campus, this was how I came to interact with upperclassmen and all those above me who were doing the work and passing it on, and I still feel so proud that I was able to contribute in my own small way by striking virtually. Ironically, by cutting myself off from these normative Zoom interactions, this was the way I felt most connected to people.

So many of my first-year advisees last year highlighted the strike, the teach-ins, & other events as something so illuminating to them. I read the anonymous submission addressing white students & recognize how it complicates this question & my answer. I am thinking & feeling. Right now my provisional response is "yes... and."

I did participate in teach-ins. I remember that one I found particularly impactful was one of the early ones facilitated by Sara Grossman I believe as well as some students that talked about accessibility. I also remember the teach-in facilitated by Chanelle Wilson and Monet Debose on Freedom Dreaming particularly impactful as well. A large takeaway I had from the strike was the importance of imagination when it comes to making radical change.

I have not been to any teach-ins this semester, but I went to quite a few last semester and the overall engagement was much lower than during the strike. I still valued going to them, but I think the thinking together aspect of teach-ins during the strike is something I miss.

The strike meant there is more work to do and there were strong, brave, and scared students willing to push through all of this to fight for change. It reaffirmed my trust in students to be the leaders we need. Even though it is not their repsonsibility.

The strike was a catalyst for the contemporary revolution especially labor, it tied faculty, students, & staff in an activist flow

The strike was very challenging for me. I felt pulled apart professionally. I was mostly working remotely but I came to campus to witness the art that was surrounding Taylor after the sit-in. I needed something other than Zoom Town Halls. I want to hear & learn more from the point of view of all involved.