An important constitutional right that all American citizens have is the right to peaceably assemble, which means the right to protest peacefully. When defined, a protest is an event or action where people gather with others to publicly express their opinions about something that is happening in society. In recent years, we’ve seen many protests, especially from students, regarding current and detrimental issues. These issues range from climate change to calling for a ceasefire for Gaza. Issues as larges as these show how important it is to protest and how we should view protests as ways to encourage critical thinking skills and change.

Using your right to protest can help bring light to issues regarding current issues whilst also showing the state of a country and its individuals. By protesting, we express that we, as a society, will not accept things as they are simply because those in charge want us to. If we look into history, you can see that we’ve brought about change to our current world through protests. For instance, the protests for women’s rights had garnered the attention of many and has created an everlasting impact on how our society has advanced and been defined to this day. This example shows that when we unite against something that we disagree with, we are able to achieve results.

Protests also help encourage the spread of information that is otherwise not being spread. A great example of this is the current situation regarding the war in Gaza that many people seem to not know about. By making a bigger deal out of such issues, we make it so communities aren’t censored from information that will impact the lives of many. Furthermore, when we use our right to protest, we call out to our governments in demand of their accountability, which pressures them to bring forth changes.

While the world may seem bleak, by protesting, we make issues that are important to us gain more attention and coverage and guarantee that individuals have the right to know and fight for what they believe in.