From the Vietnam War to the ongoing Israeli genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, university students have consistently led the charge against imperialism and militarism. This article explores the evolution of student activism, drawing parallels between the anti-war movements of the 1960s and today’s fight for Palestinian liberation, highlighting the role of counterculture, social media, and intersectionality in shaping modern campus resistance.

Some wars are fueled by the same fire. As we witness Israeli violence against Palestinians, it is apparent how U.S. imperialism has harmed communities of the past and present.

The recent pro-Palestine protests occurring on college campuses across the country, including UCLA’s own Palestinian Solidarity Encampment (PSE), have garnered widespread criticism and have been met with extreme police responses. Student protests of the past and present continue to prove that freedom movements will persist so long as systemic issues go unaddressed by those in power. Understanding this history on both a local and national scale can emphasize the importance of questioning dominant narratives, the power of community-building and actions of solidarity.

The recent pro-Palestine protests occurring on college campuses across the country, including UCLA’s own Palestinian Solidarity Encampment (PSE), have garnered widespread criticism and have been met with extreme police responses. Student protests of the past and present continue to prove that freedom movements will persist so long as systemic issues go unaddressed by those in power. Understanding this history on both a local and national scale can emphasize the importance of questioning dominant narratives and the power of community-building and actions of solidarity.

Based on Adrian Tomine’s 2007 graphic novel, Randall Park’s 2023 romantic-comedy Shortcomings succinctly captures the state of Asian-American representation in the film industry today, while also speaking to the issues that our youngest generations face when it comes to race, gender, sexuality and relationships.

In the age of social media, sharing one’s romantic relationship with the world is common practice. For Asian American women who are in a relationship with a white man, the reaction has become increasingly hostile. At the forefront of this hostility – reference to a 2010 academic article, known better in online comments as “the Oxford study.”