Kurshan was a participant in the civil rights and peace movements as far back as high school. During her college years in Madison, Wisconsin, she was a member of Friends of SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and CORE, and participated in the first demonstration against the Vietnam War in Washington, DC in April 1965.
From a young age, Kurshan was engaged in social activism, participating in the civil rights and peace movements. During her college years, she became involved with groups like SNCC and CORE, and took part in a significant protest against the Vietnam War in Washington, D.C. in April 1965.