Cindy Rosenthal

I went to Penn State in the fall of 1966 and graduated one semester early in approximately March of 1970.  Prior to that, I was involved with anti-war marches and had a family history of activism on many levels.  On a number of occasions, I'd run into aunts and uncles and even grandparents at some of the anti-war marches.  Overall, my family was very supportive. 

Within my first days at Penn State I became involved with an extremely tiny minority of students who were on the left end of the political spectrum.  There were a number of organizations, one being the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).  We opposed the university's involvement in the war effort by its support of ROTC and by its permitting military recruiters to set up shop in the student union building.  We would protest that on a somewhat regular basis.  There were also a number of occasions we felt the need to advocate for the equality for women on and off campus.  At another point, we organized a sit in at Old Main which, speaking from a totally personal level, was terrifying to me.

In the end, I'm certainly proud of my activism and glad I did it.  Particularly in light of recent events in our country, it is so disheartening to be on the streets fighting almost identical issues that we fought for 50 years ago.  It feels as though very little has changed in our country, but that does not mean people don't need to advocate for what they believe is just.  It does not mean you don't need to fight.