Evanston, Ill. — The Trump administration's recent executive orders are affecting progress on civil rights, women's and LGBTQ rights, as well as democratic principles, according to Aldon Morris, a social movements and protest expert at Northwestern University. Professor Morris has expressed his views on the potential for protest in response to these changes.
"In the wake of major changes enacted and planned by the Trump administration, a major question arises: will large swaths of Americans passively accept what many see as the possible rise of fascism in the country they believe to be the world’s greatest democracy? Or are the winds of revolt gathering?" said Morris.
He noted that "righteous indignation is known to fuel protest and set in motion the machinery and infrastructure of rebellion." He suggested that President Trump's actions might provoke significant unrest: "Evidence suggests that Trump will continue to poke this bear of discontent because it is his nature and his agenda. But will this administrative stance summon a day of reckoning for the President and his followers?"
Morris also reflected on historical precedents: "Perhaps the discontented masses are too overwhelmed and unorganized to launch consequential protests. Yet, history has shown that the timing and power of protests can be misjudged and underestimated."
The professor referenced past movements like those led by Rosa Parks in Montgomery, Alabama: "Few in 1955 thought that a seamstress and the oppressed Black masses... would rise underneath... Jim Crow."
He questioned whether similar protests could occur today: "There are those who believe such massive protests cannot happen today because a large majority of Americans believe in and support Trump. But election data does not support this claim."
Morris highlighted that Trump's victory was not overwhelming: "A slight majority of the electorate voted for Trump... That’s hardly a sweeping Trumpian mandate."
He concluded with questions about future actions against perceived injustices: "The question remains, will millions of Americans stand idle... Or are we likely to see massive economic boycotts, demonstrations in the streets...?"
Professor Morris is an emeritus professor at Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University. He authored “The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement,” focusing on social protest's organizational basis.