“First We Take Columbia”: Reviving ’68 Protest Tactics for Campus Activism Today

The resurgence of student activism in the United States is drawing inspiration from a pivotal moment in history, with protesters across campuses following in the footsteps of the 1968 student uprising. A guidebook titled “First We Take Columbia: Lessons from the April 1968 Occupations Movement” has been circulated among pro-Palestinian activists to teach them how to carry out successful occupations, urging disruptive action and recommending expanding campaigns beyond campus boundaries.
The pamphlet quotes Diane Di Prima’s Revolutionary Letter #15 from the Vietnam War era as a guide for effective campaign techniques. Students at Columbia University previously referenced these historical events during their own occupation last month when hundreds of students occupied part of campus and held three senior university officials hostage until around 700 protesters had been arrested by New York City police department (NYPD). The NYPD also stood down in fear that violence might otherwise erupt during the recent occupation at Columbia University.
The anonymous guidebook, published on Saturday, was written by protestors from both campuses of Yale and Columbia universities before being distributed around these locations as well as to other US institutions via left-wing dissident magazine Ill Will. The pamphlet encourages disruption and suggests expanding campaigns to nearby areas beyond the university’s confines. This echoes events in 1968, when campus occupations led to shutdowns that forced universities to concede demands even after repression occurred.
The guidebook advises activists to take inspiration from historical movements like those of 1968 by welcoming outsiders into their occupation efforts and spreading support beyond the university’s boundaries through mobilization in nearby neighborhoods, including potentially “invading Columbia”. It recommends using similar tactics as during the Vietnam War era when riots broke out across cities following Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.
The guidebook highlights that outside agitators should be welcomed into occupations and encourages activists to build support from local communities unaffiliated with university campus organizations in order for an occupation today “to be similarly able to build and mobilize support from the surrounding neighborhood.” This approach may also deter violence, as seen during recent protests at Columbia University when 500 people marched on the gate at 116th St and Broadway. The NYPD stood down out of fear that unrest might otherwise erupt in Harlem or nearby areas if attempts were made to suppress occupations there.
The guidebook’s message is clear: activists must expand their efforts beyond campus boundaries, as two-thirds (63%) agree occupation activities by social and environmental action campaigns succeed with this approach according to a recent survey of 504 U.S.-based organizations working on climate change issues. This highlights the effectiveness in reaching a larger audience while still holding campuses accountable for their actions regarding these important topics.
In summary, as activism across US university campuses gains momentum once again and protests spread beyond campus boundaries to nearby neighborhoods, protesters are drawing inspiration from historical movements like those of 1968 by using disruptive tactics and building support through mobilization in local communities. The “First We Take Columbia: Lessons from the April 1968 Occupations Movement” guidebook published on Saturday is a testament to this resurgence, encouraging occupants everywhere with quotes from notable civil rights campaigner Di Prima for greater protest and campus impact around nation-wide critical causes such as those promoting equity regarding global environmental threats like climate change. The hopeful outlook remains that today’s student activism can once again drive social change across US campuses just as it did fifty years ago, through both peaceful occupation strategies coupled with targeted neighborhood mobilization tactics in support of pressing societal issues affecting the nation and world at large.