#NNPA BlackPress

OP-ED: To Fear a Protest: Columbia University’s Forceful Response to Peaceful and Legitimate Protest

NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS — True leaders come to the table prepared for discourse; cowards find something to hide behind. In an egregious display of weakness, the university affirmed that it feared the political views of its students. By arresting more than 100 peacefully assembled young adults, Columbia demonstrated just how vulnerable it is to the leaders they’ve created. What [Columbia University president Namet] Shafik fails to understand is that silencing protest through force only validates the need for protest and inspires more civil unrest.
The post OP-ED: To Fear a Protest: Columbia University’s Forceful Response to Peaceful and Legitimate Protest first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 years ago

May 15, 2024

admin

By Rachel Patterson | New York Amsterdam News

Columbia has a long history of nurturing not just academics, but leaders, like former President Barack Obama and former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who used their education and influence to make an impact on the world. It is humbling to know that I am amongst the ranks of those charged with creating the next generation of these dynamic individuals. As a faculty member, my goals each semester are to help my students graduate and secure jobs by ensuring that they have good research and writing skills, underpinned by critical thinking, so that they know when and how to apply their talents.

On April 17, as I got off the subway and prepared to walk through the college en route to watch my students give their final presentations of the semester, I was stopped by the makeshift security entrance. I was utterly confused. I’d never had to show my campus ID to walk across the lawn before as a student or faculty member. Unsettled, I proceeded toward my classroom.

As I hurried through campus, I saw the protesters with their tents and signs; one read, “Liberated Zone” in bold red letters. I slowed down and smiled, proud that these students were taking action. After the presentations, on my way back through campus, I paused to hear the student protesters who were speaking to the attentive crowd. They told the crowd why they were there: To give a voice to the people in Palestine that are victims of a brutal genocide. The speakers noted that they would stay right there until the school divested financially from the genocide. That was powerful to me. These students were putting their academic careers and futures on the line, willing to camp out everyday on this lawn, to make sure that the university administration heard them. To make sure that the institution they pay to attend, that they trust to educate them, ends up on the right side of history. I was glad that they were taking a stand, being seen, and that they had a specific demand for the university. For a moment, I wished I could join them.

I thought about the students, the protest, and the genocide in Palestine for my entire two-hour trip home. I sat there in a daze, sad and frustrated, and prayed for the thousands of Palestinians who face uncertain futures every day. As a person of faith, I was deeply frustrated because leaders always tell people to send thoughts and prayers in light of widespread tragedy, and yet more than 30,000 Palestinians have died, with more civilian deaths promised as this genocide presses on. It highlighted the fact that my prayers aren’t doing much. I felt hopeless. It reminded me of the times I felt compelled to express myself via protest in the past.

Protesting makes you feel like you’re doing something—and you are. You are raising the public consciousness, educating people, and exposing the truth in a way that cannot be ignored. The news, social media, and on-the-ground accounts of the devastating brutality abroad are not enough to inform the public. Many Americans still don’t seem to understand the issue—that the Israeli state was born by violently and forcibly overtaking Palestinian lands and peoples, and over the last seven decades, millions of Palestinians have fled, while those who’ve stayed have been systematically marginalized, murdered, and starved.

It is unfortunate how consistently academic institutions struggle with having an educated, critical, and capable student body. The very tools we hope the students use to secure jobs, become successful, and change the world, are the skills that they are applying to determine just how much the university is failing them. It is not surprising that Columbia students had the awareness and talent to discover the university’s financial ties to this particular genocide; and, given the legacy of leadership cultivated by the university, it is not surprising that some brave students took action.

What did surprise me was the forceful and unprecedented response from university president Namet Shafik.

Though the students assembled in peace—in a space designated for student protests—Shafik responded in full force with armed officers. Instead of being met with respect through civil conversation, they were publicly humiliated through actions intended to create shame and dissuade future protesters. Shafik prioritized her position of leadership over the wellbeing of young people, without consideration of the fact that these are students paying a hefty tuition and in turn relying on the university for shelter, food, and health insurance.

True leaders come to the table prepared for discourse; cowards find something to hide behind. In an egregious display of weakness, the university affirmed that it feared the political views of its students. By arresting more than 100 peacefully assembled young adults, Columbia demonstrated just how vulnerable it is to the leaders they’ve created. What Shafik fails to understand is that silencing protest through force only validates the need for protest and inspires more civil unrest.

As Shafik continues to stoke fear among our academic community, she must ask herself: What is the goal of the institution? How are her actions serving this goal? Is Columbia University not meant to develop critical thinkers and leaders who will change the world with their education? If Columbia genuinely intends to “advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and convey the products of its efforts to the world,” as the mission statement claims, suspending students mere weeks before graduation drastically misses the mark.

While Shafik can set aside her morals for her high perch, it is heartening to know that the students cannot. They refuse to let the ivory towers of the Ivy League institution erode their ethics. They are willing to forgo their fancy degrees and contend with an armed police force in the name of justice. Ultimately, though my goal as a faculty member is to help my students graduate and get jobs; the true victory comes when they apply their skills and knowledge to real life problems and make an impact.

Columbia University and Namet Shafik, it is time to be on the right side of history. The side that celebrates critical thought and application of knowledge. The side that seeks and speaks the truth. The side that puts ethics and human decency above pride and prestige. It is time to divest from financial ties to Israel.

Since the encampment was established, the university has made no indication that they are willing to engage respectfully with the student protesters. Overnight on April 29, protesters entered Hamilton Hall and barricaded themselves inside. Hundreds of police officers in riot gear descended upon a few dozen students and physically removed them from campus the following day. Faculty were encouraged to hold their last classes and finals virtually, and a police presence remains on campus. Columbia has canceled commencement due to the unrest, and some protesters have continued demonstrating outside of the homes of board of trustee members. The Department of Education has since opened an investigation into Columbia University due to allegations of anti-Palestinian discrimination.

Rachel Patterson is an alumnae of the Columbia School International and Public Affairs, and is currently an adjunct faculty member at Columbia University. Rachel is a climate justice advocate, a law student, and a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BlackPressUSA.com or the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

The post OP-ED: To Fear a Protest: Columbia University’s Forceful Response to Peaceful and Legitimate Protest first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

admin

Posts by admin

Up Next

The TINA TURNER Musical Reveals Trials and Triumphs

Don't Miss

President Joe Biden Cheers the Las Vegas Aces and Women’s Basketball

admin

Click to comment

#NNPA BlackPress

Poll Shows Support for Policies That Help Families Afford Child Care

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — New national polling shows persistent voter concern about the affordability and availability of child care for working parents, alongside broad support across key demographic groups for federal child care policies that help families afford care.

Published

3 days ago

March 2, 2026

Oakland Post

By First Five Years Fund

New national polling shows persistent voter concern about the affordability and availability of child care for working parents, alongside broad support across key demographic groups for federal child care policies that help families afford care.

The national survey was conducted by UpOne Insight on behalf of the First Five Years Fund from January 13–18, 2026.

Key findings include:

• Parents need help: 80% of voters say the ability of working parents to find and afford child care is either in a state of crisis or a major problem.

• This is an affordability issue: 82% believe federal child care funding will help lower costs for working families — including 69% of Republicans, 84% of Independents, and 94% of Democrats.

• And there continues to be strong support (62%) for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), a federal program that makes it possible for hundreds of thousands of families to afford safe, quality care for their children while parents work or go to school, including a majority of Republicans, 63% of Independents and 72% of Democrats.

• Support for funding child care programs remains strong: 75% believe child care funding should be increased or kept at current levels — including 75% of Republicans, 85% of Independents, and 97% of Democrats.

• 74% say funding for child care is an important and good use of tax dollars, including a majority of Republicans, three-quarters of Independents, and nine in ten Democrats.

FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling said, “Voters across the country are sending a clear message: federal child care and early learning programs work. These investments help parents stay in the workforce, strengthen families, and support healthy child development. They have also long had strong bipartisan support in Congress. At a time when affordability is top of mind for families, continued federal funding is essential to ensure child care remains accessible and within reach.”

First Five Years Fund works to protect, prioritize, and build bipartisan support for quality child care and early learning programs at the federal level. Reliable, affordable, and high-quality early learning and child care can be transformative, not only enhancing a child’s prospects for a brighter future but also bolstering working parents and fostering economic stability nationwide.

We work with Congress and the Administration to identify federal solutions that work for families with young children, as well as states and communities. We work with policymakers to identify ways to increase access to affordable, high-quality child care and early learning programs for children. And we collaborate with advocacy groups to help align best practices with the best possible policies. http://www.ffyf.org

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

Trump’s MAGA Allies are Creating Executive Order Plan to Steal the 2026 Midterms

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The document that could lead to an executive order proposes using the claim that China interfered with the 2020 elections as grounds to “declare a national emergency.” The move would be an unprecedented step that would grant Trump new authority over the voting systems in the U.S.

Published

6 days ago

February 27, 2026

Oakland Post

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Correspondent

A group of MAGA pro-Trump activists, who say they are working in coordination with the White House, are circulating a 17-page draft executive order that would claim without evidence that China interfered with the 2020 presidential election. Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential to President Joe Biden by over 7 million votes. Since Trump lost to Biden in 2020, he has repeatedly claimed that the election was “stolen” without evidence. The report of a group of “Trump allies” preparing an executive order to give Trump power over elections was first reported by The Washington Post.

The lies around the right-wing campaign that pushed falsehoods that the 2020 election was stolen was trafficked through right-wing media, particularly Fox News. Fox News was then sued for defamation for the claims by Dominion Voting Systems. Fox lost the case and had to settle for the largest defamation amount on record of $787.5 million in April 2023.

The document that could lead to an executive order proposes using the claim that China interfered with the 2020 elections as grounds to “declare a national emergency.” The move would be an unprecedented step that would grant Trump new authority over the voting systems in the U.S.

The story in The Washington Post arrives as Trump increasingly signals that he may take actions that would alter the result of the 2026 midterms. The Republicans are widely expected to lose as their approval ratings plummet as a result of a failing economy under Trump. Over 50 members of Congress have announced they will retire this year and not return in 2027.

The Trump Department of Justice, which now has a large image of Trump on the side of it, “sued five new states Thursday [Feb. 26, 2026] demanding access to their unredacted voter rolls — escalating a campaign that has been rejected by multiple federal courts and faces resistance from Republican-led states as well,” according to Democracy Docket, a group that works to protect voting rights.

Trump claimed back in late 2020, the last year of his first term, that he had the authority to issue an executive order related to mail-in voting for the 2020 elections — which he would then lose. But the Constitution states that control of elections lies with the states. As the GOP works to place hurdles in front of voting, Democrats worked to make voting easier.

In March 2021, President Biden signed an executive order calling on federal agencies to expand voting access as part of the Biden Administration’s effort “to promote and defend the right to vote for all Americans who are legally entitled to participate in elections.”

Trump’s focus is clearly on altering the November 2026 midterm elections. Trump’s polling numbers and the elections and special elections that have taken place around the U.S. over the last year clearly indicate that Republicans are about to be hit by a blue wave of Democratic victories.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent investigative journalist and the founder of Black Virginia News. She is a political analyst who appears on #RolandMartinUnfiltered and hosts the show LAUREN LIVE on YouTube @LaurenVictoriaBurke. She can be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

PRESS ROOM: NBA Hall of Fame Nominee Terry Cummings Joins 100 Black Men of DeKalb County to Launch Victory & Values Initiative

NNPA NEWSWIRE — NBA Hall of Fame nominee and Basketball Legend Terry Cummings was administered the official member’s oath and ceremonially pinned during a special induction ceremony held on Friday, February 20th.

Published

6 days ago

February 27, 2026

admin

Cummings becomes an honorary member, joining other role model sports stars

NBA Hall of Fame nominee and Basketball Legend Terry Cummings has officially become an honorary member of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County, marking a powerful new chapter for the 100 Black Men and youth development across the region.

Cummings was administered the official member’s oath and ceremonially pinned during a special induction ceremony held on Friday, February 20th. The moment signified more than membership — it marked the launch of the organization’s transformative new platform, the Victory & Values Initiative.

The Victory & Values Initiative is a groundbreaking youth development program designed to empower elementary and middle school students through a dynamic blend of sports, mentorship, and STEM exposure. The initiative focuses on building health, discipline, character, leadership, and access to opportunity — creating pathways for long-term academic and personal success.

“This is about more than sports,” said Cummings during the ceremony. “It’s about using the platform of athletics to teach life lessons, create access, and build the next generation of leaders.”

The induction ceremony also featured notable guests including NASCAR’s newest Star Driver, Lavar Scott and NASCAR Director of Athletic Performance, Phil Horton, who joined Cummings for a powerful Victory & Values Town Hall discussion. The Town Hall was moderated by renowned Sports Emcee John Hollins and focused on leadership, resilience, discipline, and the importance of mentorship in shaping young lives.

A “Day at NASCAR” for 75+ Youth

Cummings wasted no time getting to work. On his first full day as an honorary member, he joined his new brothers of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County to host a “Day at NASCAR,” escorting more than 75 youth to a once-in-a-lifetime experience at EchoPark Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway).

The youth participants received behind-the-scenes access including: an exclusive tour of Pit Row, access to the Garage Area and exploration of the interactive Fan Zone.

The experience culminated with a surprise meet-and-greet and Q&A session with NASCAR Superstar Bubba Wallace, who shared insights on perseverance, preparation, and breaking barriers in professional sports.

The day served as a living example of the ‘Victory & Values’ Initiative in action — exposing youth to new industries, expanding their vision for the future, and connecting them directly with high- level mentors and role models.

Building Leaders Through Access and Mentorship

The 100 Black Men of DeKalb County – a chapter of the largest, national mentoring organization in the county – continues to expand its footprint with programs focused on academic excellence, economic empowerment, leadership development, and health & wellness.

The launch of ‘Victory & Values’ represents a strategic expansion of the organization’s impact

intentionally integrating athletics and STEM to engage youth at an early age while reinforcing core principles such as integrity, accountability, teamwork, and perseverance.

“Our mission has always been to mentor the next generation,” said Vaughn Irons, President-Elect of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County. “With Terry Cummings joining the brotherhood, along with partners in NASCAR and professional sports, we are creating unprecedented access and exposure for our youth. Victory & Values is about turning inspiration into structured opportunity.”

By connecting elementary and middle school students to professional athletes, executives, STEM professionals, and community leaders, the initiative aims to:

Increase youth exposure to careers in sports business, engineering, and performance science
Strengthen mentorship pipelines
Promote physical wellness and mental resilience
Build character-driven leadership at an early age

Open Invitation to Youth and Families

All youth are invited to participate in the Victory & Values Initiative, along with the other countless, impactful programs offered by the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County.

Parents and guardians seeking mentorship, leadership development, academic enrichment, and transformative exposure opportunities for their children are encouraged to connect with the organization.

As NBA Legend Terry Cummings’ induction demonstrates, Victory & Values is more than a program — it is a movement designed to build champions in life, not just in sports.

For more information about the Victory & Values Initiative or to enroll a student, contact: 100 Black Men of DeKalb County at Phone at 404.241.1338, info@100bmod.org or Tee Foxx at 404.791.6525,