What's your movement?

In 1998, Mother Jones magazine ranked Duke as the most activist school in America. We were given this distinction due to our ground-breaking anti-sweatshop policy, which came about as a direct result of student pressure. We beat out UNC (as it should be), by seven places. Duke students were surprised; one of the anti-sweatshop activists, Ben Au, Trinity '99, told Duke Magazine that, "Overall, I don't know how activist people are, except about beer-on-points."

And, admittedly, beer-on-points is still an issue at Duke today, more than 10 years after Mother Jones' superlative ranking. But I believe that Au's quote captures something of the Duke spirit: Although we don't always realize it, we are capable of rising to great heights of activism, of selfless commitment and of solidarity. Our basketball games are just one example; just about every Duke student knows the thrill of standing together with his or her fellow students, doing his or her part to help out the team in even the smallest way. This is a commitment we proudly place upon ourselves, and when we seniors graduate, we will remember the shared struggles, the moments of triumph that are frozen in our mind, the experience of holding a common hope with our Duke brothers and sisters.

This is an attitude that transfers easily to college activism, be it for global health issues, interfaith dialogues or race relations. And it's obvious that Duke students make a commitment to helping others, on and off campus. A quick search of Duke's Web site, for example, reveals 11 "philanthropy" student organizations, 16 "political-activist" organizations and 52 "service" organizations. And those numbers obscure the fact that there are non-official groups that meet up every day to discuss how to help out others.

But despite all the activity and effort we put into addressing inequalities or societal needs here at Duke, or in Durham or around the world, we don't really see ourselves as activists. It's not a core part of our identity; it's something we do. People might say, "I'm part of a human rights group on campus"; they don't say, "I'm a human rights advocate." And there's a big difference between doing something versus being something.

When we march, or wave signs or otherwise agitate for an issue on campus, we see ourselves as just undertaking a single event: Once that clock hits 12:30 p.m., we drop the picket signs and head off to class, because that's what students do. But we're not just students; what we do outside of class determines our identity just as much as what we do inside of class. So when someone asks us about ourselves, and we say "I'm a Duke student," we're not giving the whole answer.

Duke, for example, isn't just a school. It's a community, it's a forum. It's a space where major controversies emerge, where world-class speakers come to share their views, where people of different faiths and creeds and sexual orientations and nationalities meet on equal ground, sometimes for the first time in their lives. It's a place where people figure out what they believe in, where every student has equal claim to the Duke identity.

So who are you, besides a Duke student? What are you passionate about, what do you agitate for? Is there a cause, an ideology, a movement that captures your heart? If so, consider whether or not this is part of your identity; not just something you do, but something you are.

There are a lot of good causes out there, a lot of groups on and off campus that are dedicated to dealing with social issues of every stripe. I'm willing to bet you're passionate about at least one of them. Decide to be more than a student; classes aren't 24/7, anyway. What do you want to be? What movement do you see yourself a part of? What's important to you, and how might you live your life to reflect this aspect of your identity? Whatever it is, look into the mirror and say to yourself, "This is what I am." Once you've figured out your passion, figure out how you can be active about it. Let's get back up to Mother Jones's No. 1 spot. This is Duke, after all.