In the wake of the Hanna Strong incident, students have led the discussion on racism and homophobia on campus. Though the initial wave of activism is promising, students cannot expect change to happen overnight. In order to make a difference on campus, forums like the #SpeakUpSU event must continue, but as more than just a knee-jerk reaction to a relevant issue.

Last Friday, the campus chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People held the #SpeakUpSU event to provide a place for faculty, staff, students and members of the community to discuss their opinions on the different marginalized identities at SU.  Though more than 100 people attended, one student brought up the point that the same student leaders are participating in the discussions, but the students and faculty who could benefit the most from the discussion don’t.

Students can’t be forced to care about something. That is why it is so important for those student leaders actively discussing the issues on campus to continue to have these conversations with the student body not only in the upcoming weeks, but in the upcoming years.

Two years ago, a similar event to #SpeakUpSU took place at Hendricks Chapel after a student raised concerns about diversity on campus. Healing the Scars served as a forum for students to discuss concerns about self-segregation, professors tokenizing minority students and other issues regarding diversity. The event was widely publicized and attended by students, but it only occurred once. 

Healing the Scars was an excellent example of student-led discussion that aimed to solve a problem. But it is also an example of how momentum can easily fade after a strong initial push for change.

Students have another chance to create a steady wave of change, rather than just an initial movement. It is easier to attract participants in these discussions directly after an incident occurs. The bigger challenge will be for organizers and students to continue the discussion on a large scale in a week, month or year from now.

As time continues to elapse after the Hanna Strong incident, students might begin to forget the incident’s significance. It is up to those leading the #SpeakUpSU movement to ensure that the fire sparked by Strong’s offensive language does not burn out.