Defend the 4th at Fort Lewis College

On November 2nd, around noon, I set out by myself to let my fellow students know how their rights had been infringed upon under the Patriot Act. I had registered for tabling the Monday before, but unfortunately it seems that either my request didn’t get responded to in time or there was a miscommunication because I didn’t end up on the tabling schedule. However, this may have been auspicious as the lack of a table necessitated me to stand up beside the flagpole outside the library and visually engage with students as they passed by. Being beside the flagpole may have also helped boost the patriotic spirit of my activism.

Defend the 4th at Fort Lewis College was a resounding success for being such a small-scale event. The majority of our student body was happy to stand against needless government surveillance and this was made apparent when the “liberty” section became flooded with dozens of sticker stars. Students were more than willing to engage in meaningful dialogue about surveillance and gave nuanced opinions about the benefits and potential issues of the invasion of privacy. Everyone was incredibly receptive to my message and was willing to hear me out. I credit this to the politically ambivalent nature of students at Fort Lewis College.

All in all, despite the short time frame of the event, I was able to get 5 more sign-ups for our club. I am incredibly grateful for the support of my club members and officers with these events. Young Americans for Liberty’s presence is growing here are Fort Lewis College, and we’ll only keep on growing once we officially register as a student organization and have more activism events. I am excited for what the next semester holds in store for YAL FLC, and I am excited for what we are going to do to #MakeLibertyWin.