Student Organizations

This project is based on the definition of activism as the “actions by an individual, group or coalition which challenge the status quo in an organized way or engage with the greater community both at the local and national way.” With this definition in mind, our research uncovered a number of Duke University groups and individuals involved in activism during the 1930s to 1940s, but six student organizations were particularly prominent in terms of their activities and member involvement. For these six organizations, we felt more in-depth profiles were necessary to highlight their activist contributions: American Student Union, COGS, League of Women Voters, Liberal Club, Veterans of Future Wars, and YMCA / YWCA.