A Thanksgiving tradition disrupted

We hope you got to spend a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families and friends. I (Jessie Nguyen) know that the holiday was a much-needed break, for me at least. If your dad is anything like mine, he lives and breathes the news and current events.

So of course, we talked about the Macy’s parade protest.The annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York was interrupted last week by 34 pro-Palestinian protesters, all of whom have been arrested, according to The Washington Post. Some of them spray painted “Free Palestine” on the pillars of the New York Public Library while others barricaded the parade and glued themselves to Sixth Avenue.

Chants like “Free free Palestine” and “No more nickels, not another dime, no more money for Israel's crimes” were echoing near Central Park but they did not stop the 97-year-old Macy’s tradition from continuing, ABC News reported.

According to several videos on social media, protesters were holding Palestinian flags and signs that read “Genocide then, genocide now” as yellow Minions balloons floated by, which I think pretty much sums up the chaos that was going on.

Several pro-Palestinian protesters across the States have been arrested in recent weeks. Some of them protested in the offices of several U.S. senators, including Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, and others in a deadly demonstration in California.

The Politics of Globalization with Gordon Brown: The Bully Pulpit

Though the episode doesn’t directly discuss the events unwrapping in the Middle East, it touches on America’s role in globalization and how the country’s political response may impact foreign conflicts. Gordon Brown is the former prime minister of the U.K. and he offers great insights on global leadership. Give this one a listen!

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This is Jessie Nguyen, The Democracy Group's Community Manager. Here are some of my favorite podcasts this week, check them out!

‍Future Hindsight: Unions and Democracy

I’m currently rewatching The Office for the third time and in Season 2, the guys wanted to form a union to ask for better pay and fewer work hours. Of course, corporate turned them down since the whole branch would be “shut down” but that made me think, what else can unions do? This episode explains how unions can do so much more besides giving workers a sense of solidarity. Give this one a listen!

‍70 Million: Why Policing Our School Backfires

As of last week, there have been at least 77 school shootings so far this year, including on college campuses and K-12 school grounds, according to CNN. Educators and teachers are quitting their jobs as they navigate the threats of school violence on the rise, despite efforts to keep schools safe — one of which is stationing school resource officers at public schools. This episode delves into why that might not work as well as we want it to.

FEATURED EXPERTS

How Do We Fix It?: Hélène Biandudi Hofer on Polarization Series: The Keys to Good Conflict

Hélène Biandudi Hofer is an award-winning journalist and documentary producer who explores social issues through storytelling networks and combating the rising mistrust in the news. Her work spans investigating police reform in Camden, New Jersey, to examining education opportunities in South Sudan. Hofer is also co-founder of Good Conflict, which works with news organizations, non-profits, elected officials, educators, religious leaders, and others to lean into conflict in a constructive, productive way.

The Great Battlefield: Bill Hing, Professor of Law and Author of Humanizing Immigration

Bill Hing is Professor of Law and Migration Studies at the University of San Francisco, and Professor of Law and Asian American Studies Emeritus, at U.C. Davis. Throughout his career pursuing social justice, Hing authored numerous academic publications on immigration policy and race relations, including his most recent work, “Humanizing Immigration: How to Transform Our Racist and Unjust System.” Hing has received numerous awards and distinctions and is also the founding director of the Immigration and Deportation Defense Clinic at the University of San Francisco School of Law.