Peaceful doesn’t always mean quiet.

There are many ways to get messages across, and whether it’s through lying down in the middle of traffic or simply yelling, MSU students have displayed a familiar way of protesting – peacefully.

Students at MSU seem to have embraced Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s message to go about things in the nonviolent way.

Interdisciplinary studies in social science junior Alexandria Vaughn-Powe participated in the silent march organized by the NAACP in protest of Mike Brown’s death and the non-indictment of police officer Darren Wilson. Vaughn-Powe said she thinks in terms of on campus, protesters are achieving their goal.

“I do think that people protesting is important but ... the main thing that we’re trying to do on campus is bring awareness,” Vaughn-Powe said. “A lot of the time (issues) are swept under the rug or go unnoticed.”

During the Civil Rights movement, Vaughn-Powe said activists were striving for their rights, whereas now activists are striving for the ability to create new laws. This includes accountability assurances for the authorities, such as requiring police officers to wear cameras on duty, one of the demands MSU students have asked of East Lansing police .

“As far as campus, that was definitely a demonstration influenced by the works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” Vaughn-Powe said. “I do think that peaceful protests is the best way to go about it.”

Third-year law student Emily Gillingham also took the peaceful path along with many others to protest columnist George Will as the speaker at MSU’s fall commencement.

“I couldn’t stand by and not participate in a countermovement,” Gillingham said on the protest in a previous interview with The State News.

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