SPECIAL | Will the pro-Palestinian college protests lead to lasting change?

The Excerpt

USA TODAY

Daily News, News

4.4 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 8 May 2024

⏱️ 15 minutes

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Summary

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations that began at Columbia University have ignited a wave of similar protests at colleges and universities across the country. Weeks into it, those protests seem to be only intensifying. Thousands have now been arrested. The students’ demands vary by campus, but the majority are asking for an end to the Israel-Hamas war and divestment from companies that are financially benefitting from the conflict. In decades past, student activism regarding the Vietnam War, civil rights and South Africa’s apartheid successfully sparked broad social and political change. Has this student-led movement reached the tipping point? To put the current protests in context, Robert Cohen, professor of social studies education at New York University and a scholar in student activism, joins The Excerpt.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Wunderry Plus subscribers can listen to USA Today's The Excerpt, ad free right now.
0:05.0	Join Wunderry Plus in the Wundery app.
0:08.0	Hello and welcome to the Ex excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor.
0:14.0	Today is Wednesday, May 8th, 2024, similar protests at colleges and universities across the country. Weeks into it, those protests
0:35.2	only seem to be intensifying. Thousands have now been arrested. The students
0:39.7	demands vary by campus, but the majority are asking for an end to the Israel-Hamas
0:44.0	war and divestment from companies that are financially benefiting from the
0:47.6	conflict. In decades past, student activism regarding the Vietnam War,
0:51.4	civil rights, and South Africa's apartheid, successfully
0:55.3	sparked broad social and political change.
0:58.2	As the student-led movement breached the tipping point, to put the current protests in context, I'm now joined by Robert Cohen,
1:05.2	professor of social studies education at New York University and a scholar in
1:10.0	student activism. Thanks for joining me Robert.
1:13.1	Okay, nice to be here.
1:14.2	So let's dig right in.
1:15.6	This is both a volatile and a rapidly evolving situation.
1:20.1	But let's take a step back for a minute
1:21.8	and put these demonstrations into context.
1:24.6	Are you seeing and hearing the kinds of things that might lead to lasting change?
1:29.8	Have you reached the tipping point yet?
1:32.2	Well, I think it has raised more awareness
1:34.3	about the war you know the US support for the Israeli military in the war so I
	...

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