Code Switch What the history of U.S. protests illuminates about today
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Jan 28, 2026 Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, constitutional law professor and author of A Protest History of the United States, offers a historical lens on protest movements. She traces labor wins, union strategies, and sanitation strikes. She highlights youth roles, the personal costs of activism, and why protest builds power over time.
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Protests Aren't Instant TV Victories
- People expect protests to produce instant wins because TV compresses long struggles into neat endings.
- Gloria J. Brown Marshall warns real protest work is iterative and faces organized backlash over time.
Everyday Rights Stem From Long Struggles
- Many everyday rights we take for granted, like the eight-hour workday, resulted from prolonged protest and labor organizing.
- Gloria J. Brown Marshall highlights strikes, slowdowns, and outside solidarity as crucial tactics that made legal rights real in practice.
Broaden What Counts As Protest
- Expand the definition of protest beyond street marches to include boycotts and individual acts like refusing to buy.
- Use varied tactics so more people can participate and pressure systems in different ways.
