Campus Voices: Civil Engagement in an Era of Division
Overview:
Campus Voices is a podcast series dedicated to equipping college communities with the tools, strategies, and inspiration to engage respectfully across differences, including confronting the rise of Jew-hatred on campuses. Across five episodes, distinguished guests including scholars, journalists, filmmakers, lawyers and public intellectuals share their expertise in civil discourse, debate, and conflict navigation. Each conversation offers actionable insights, models constructive dialogue, and highlights the real-world experiences of those fostering understanding in polarized environments.
Why This Matters:
College campuses today face heightened tension, where students, faculty, and administrators often struggle to discuss challenging topics without conflict or disengagement. Online discourse, social sensitivity, and ideological polarization can inhibit meaningful conversation. Campus Voices empowers listeners with practical strategies, amplifies courageous voices, and strengthens the capacity of communities to engage thoughtfully, respectfully, and with confidence.
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Brought to you by Trauma Informed Learning Alliance. Our Stories Matter uplifts personal and collective stories as pathways to healing. Each guest brings forward a narrative that celebrates resilience, fosters recognition of our shared humanity, and helps change the narrative toward empathy and unity. Through these conversations, we cultivate connection and community healing.
As journalist Lauren Gilger profoundly states, “the power of the story will save us all.”
Thank you to the Academic Engagement Network for supporting Our Stories Matter; Courage on Campus. We hope this initiative can help advance DEI efforts in colleges and universities, fostering unity and reducing polarization.
In honor of Jewish American Heritage Month and Jewish Heritage Month in Canada, the Our Stories Matter; We Will Dance Again podcast has been selected for inclusion in the Artists Against Antisemitism gallery.
Please click link to view the gallery.
🚨 What happens when college campuses stop being places for open dialogue, civil discourse, and student safety?
In this episode of Campus Voices: Civil Engagement in an Era of Division from Our Stories Matter, Dr. Ayal Feinberg, Director of the Center for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights at Gratz College and Associate Professor of Political Science & Antisemitism Studies, and Anila Ali, Pakistani Muslim American peace leader and Holocaust education advocate, discuss rising antisemitism, campus radicalization, free speech, student safety, and the growing challenges facing higher education.
This conversation explores:
• Antisemitism on college campuses
• Campus radicalization and political polarization
• Holocaust education and human rights
• Student safety and freedom of expression
• Civil discourse in higher education
• Muslim-Jewish dialogue and bridge-building
• Hate speech, extremism, and institutional response
• The role of universities in protecting open dialogue
Dr. Feinberg examines research and data connecting global conflict to rising local hate incidents while addressing how universities are responding to antisemitism and discrimination on campus.
Anila Ali shares her perspective as a Pakistani Muslim American advocate for peacebuilding and Holocaust education, emphasizing the importance of real human connection, empathy, and face-to-face dialogue in divided communities.
✨ This episode asks an urgent question: What responsibility do universities have when students no longer feel safe expressing who they are?
If you care about higher education, antisemitism awareness, free speech, campus culture, civil engagement, human rights, or difficult conversations across differences, this episode is for you.
🎧 Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen on your favorite podcast platform.
❓If campuses can’t protect open dialogue and student safety… what are they becoming?
Our Stories Matter is honored to share the stories of a diverse group of activists, artists, and healers.
Our Stories Matter is proud to work with these fierce co-hosts.
Meet the team that makes the Our Stories Matter podcast possible!
We are raising money for Trauma Informed LA’s new podcast, Our Stories Matter, which celebrates the complex lived experiences of activists and healers by sharing their inspiring stories. We are invested in its mission to foster resilient communities that promote healing and well-being.
Our Stories Matter is proud to work with these fierce co-hosts.
