UC Berkeley has had a long history of political activism. This activism and politicial involvement may be an appealing factor to any applicant to the school. Activism took off with the Loyalty Oath Controversay and in the early 1960s with the Free Speech Movement. This established a heavy political and activist culture in Berkeley. Many places on the campus intersect with activism, most notably Marivo Savior Steps located in Upper Sproul named after the Free Speech Movement speaker. There have been many marches through campus and in these prominant areas so much that they have become places that symbolize and live for activism. The purpose of the Big C has changed to include activism. January 25th, 2015 an article by the Daily Californian reported that students painted the Big C the Pan-African flag colors in order to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Gabrielle Shuman, the co-chair of the Black Student Union at Berkeley stated that the painting of the Big C is a "symbolic thing" as the Big C is a symbol of school spirit, sports and that many atheletes at the school are black. With its location high above the campus for all to see, the Big C is a perfect place to send a huge message to the Berkeley community. In Defining Place by Tim Cresswell it states that people take over places as, "its physical presence – as a place – both bound the protestors together in a concrete way and sent more of a message to the watching world." This same thought can be applied to the activism seen at the Big C. It is a symbol of the University and one that will send a more impactful message to the greater community.

The Big C today is also still a symbol for school spirit, pride, and fanfare. Currently, the Big C is maintained by the university rally committee which guards and paints the C. The photo on the left shows them working on the C.