When the forces of intolerance rear their ugly heads, the forces of inclusion go into action.
Consider Freedom Summer, the Mississippi Summer Project of 1964, when more than 1,000 out-of-state volunteers — mostly college students from the North — spent a summer in Mississippi, the state with the lowest black voter registration, then at less than 7 percent. These volunteers risked their lives to work alongside black residents in an effort to register voters. Tragically, several students were killed during the 10-week initiative, dozens and dozens were beaten, and more than 1,000 volunteers and locals were arrested.
This is just one example of an important American tradition. College students in America have a history of making an impact on critical social issues. Fifty years ago, the forces of intolerance targeted the African-American community. Today, the forces of intolerance direct their venom toward Muslim Americans.
