Activism

Giovanni Williams in a beige T-shirt, black jeans and white sneakers, sitting on a black wooden bench under a panelled ceiling that slopes down to the floor at the middle right of the photo. He is smiling and facing off camera, with his shoulders hunched and his forearms resting on his thighs. Several fluorescent tubes are placed along the wall at the far end of the bench, giving off a neon yellow light.

The Change They Want

Winning over people to your cause is not easy. As these students discovered, it helps to have a personal – and persuasive – message

Protesters at an alt-right rally in Berkeley, California

Antifa

An anti-fascist movement that started in 1930s Europe is making headlines again

Photo of Ursula Franklin in a lab surrounded by equipment

Warrior for Peace

U of T physicist Ursula Franklin staunchly opposed weapons of mass destruction. As Cold War tensions rise, her work remains as relevant as ever

Headshot of Benjamin Joffe-Walt with trees in the background

Be the Change

This former human-rights journalist now helps run the world’s largest petition website

Photo of woman with a megaphone at a protest.

Revolutionary Road

Forty years ago, an intrepid group of professors and students sparked progress for women across U of T

The beginning of the gay rights movement in North America: Christopher Street Liberation Day, New York City, June 28, 1970

Out and Proud

How students, faculty, staff and alumni brought queer activism to the University of Toronto and changed the campus forever

The Age of Dissent

Socialists, peaceniks, feminists, rabble-rousers: They came in search of an education. They left having taught the old school a thing or two

Led by Professor Donald Chant, left, environmental activists recognized Survival Day in 1970.

Green Power

A 1969 article in The Varsity ignited students to start the Canadian environmental movement