Syracuse University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center’s (SCRC) 2026 exhibition, “We Demand!: A Legacy of Activism in America,”  is now open on the sixth floor of Bird Library.

The exhibition includes examples of resistance and perseverance in the form of publications, posters, protest signs, photographs, demands, newsletters and more representing the critical role of activism in challenging injustice and securing greater freedoms in the United States. Exhibition curators are Courtney Hicks, SCRC lead curator and curator of plastics and historical artifacts; Jana Rosinski, SCRC instruction and education librarian and Lindy Smith, SCRC assistant director.

Since the country’s founding, the American people have shaped—and continue to shape—a more just and a fairer future. For decades, SCRC has collected materials related to histories of activism and reform in America that illustrate how advancements in rights were made possible by those who came before. This pursuit and work of individuals and collective groups who have come together to push for change in the face of extraordinary challenges and circumstances is documented within this exhibition.

“We Demand!” is free and open to campus and the broader community and will be on display until December. In concurrence with the exhibition, SCRC will host programming throughout the year, including an exhibition reception on April 23 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on the sixth floor of Bird Library.