Activist Bree Newsome talks to students about social justice

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Bree Newsome, activist, filmmaker, and musician, visited Colgate at the end of September. She’s pictured here at Spelman College’s celebration of art and activism.

Nearly three months after climbing up a flagpole in South Carolina to remove a Confederate flag, Bree Newsome sat surrounded by Colgate students last Tuesday during a brown bag luncheon in the Center for Women’s Studies.

Newsome, a filmmaker, musician, and community organizer, talked about how she became involved in social justice. “I became an activist simply because someone invited me out to a rally,” said Newsome. “I jumped into the movement, feet first, back in 2013.”

This summer, Newsome became famous when she climbed up the flagpole on the grounds of the South Carolina capitol building and was arrested.

“It’s 2015, and you can still put your life on the line for taking down a symbol of hate,” she said.

She explained how her family and experience growing up influenced how she views the flag as a “100 percent racist symbol … I was tired of the level of racial terror that surrounds that symbol.”

Newsome said that, with the protests in Ferguson, Mo., she realized that society today isn’t as removed from the past as people may think. “This isn’t anything new,” she noted, adding that these issues are built into a long, well-documented history. The movement that is taking place in America today, she said, is part of a larger global movement for human rights.

Turning her attention to Colgate’s peaceful demonstration last year, Newsome acknowledged that it can be hard for college students to enact change at their schools, because they are only there for four years. She said students need to consider: “What are you trying to change, and how much are you willing to put at stake?”

Monica Hoh ’16 appreciated the context and perspective that Newsome provided: “Her activism coincides well with the ongoing conversation and what it means to be an activist on Colgate’s campus and beyond.”