History of the Archiving Activism Project

Every year, people—students in particular—face conflicts on college campuses: questions about wars and free speech, which histories are privileged, and how to build equitable, inclusive communities. Activists and advocates work these questions out in real time through demands, protests, and other forms of accountability. Here, you’ll find alternative narratives alongside dominant histories to see how fuller accounts shift our understanding of society.

Beginning in 2022, we spent three years combing through institutional and community archives to find evidence of activism at UT-Austin and beyond—collaborating with established archives (e.g., Briscoe Center for American History, Austin History Center, Black Diaspora Archives) and community organizations (e.g., Mama Sana Vibrant Woman, Austin Justice Coalition, allgo) to identify materials and record oral histories. We also paired students with organizations to help create archives where none existed.

We discovered plenty of evidence of student activism, but no single platform that brought those stories together. Archiving Activism is that platform. We identified 800+ artifacts—posters, meeting notes, lists of demands, teaching materials, and more—and grouped them so you can browse by time period, event, and type of activism. Our four activity types draw on Dr. Edmund T. Gordon’s Austin School Manifesto: direct activism and advocacy, university-based politics, pedagogy and training, and public education.

We created Archiving Activism as an accounting of how students theorize and participate in struggles for equality and justice. Many transformative changes on campuses and in cities grow from young people’s incisive critiques and actions. We hope this platform helps you reflect on how fuller histories reshape what we think is possible.

Acknowledgements

Archiving Activism is a team effort. We extend deep thanks to the people, institutions, and organizations who supported this work across its phases.