Our Stories Matter

💔 How do you choose peace, humanity, and coexistence in the face of devastating grief?

In this episode of Campus Voices: Civil Engagement in an Era of Division from Our Stories Matter, Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, Gazan-American writer, peace advocate, Founder of Realign For Palestine, and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, shares a deeply personal conversation about grief, identity, extremism, coexistence, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Proudly pro-Palestine and pro-peace, Ahmed speaks openly about growing up in Gaza, losing family members in airstrikes, and navigating the pain, trauma, and political complexity surrounding Israel and Palestine.

This conversation explores:
• The Israeli-Palestinian conflict
• Gaza, grief, and personal loss
• Peacebuilding and coexistence
• Anti-Hamas perspectives from Gazan voices
• Human rights and civil discourse
• Extremism and political polarization
• Israeli and Palestinian dialogue
• Turning trauma into purpose and advocacy

Rather than embracing hatred or division, Ahmed discusses his decision to connect directly with Israeli survivors and hostage families while advocating for empathy, accountability, dignity, and long-term peace.

✨ This episode challenges reductionist narratives and asks what it means to keep humanity at the center during conflict and loss.

If you care about peacebuilding, Middle East dialogue, coexistence, civil engagement, human rights, resilience, or difficult conversations across divides, this episode is for you.

🎧 Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen on your favorite podcast platform.

❓If grief can fuel hate… can it also fuel peace?

#CampusVoices #OurStoriesMatter #Peacebuilding #IsraeliPalestinianConflict #Coexistence #CivilDiscourse #GazanVoices #DialogueOverDivision

🤐 What happens when students and professors are too afraid to speak honestly on college campuses?

In this episode of Campus Voices: Civil Engagement in an Era of Division from Our Stories Matter, journalists Maya Sulkin and Frannie Block of The Free Press discuss free speech, self-censorship, academic freedom, ideological echo chambers, and the growing culture of silence in higher education.

This conversation explores:
• Free speech on college campuses
• Self-censorship among students and professors
• Academic freedom and open inquiry
• Political polarization in higher education
• Ideological echo chambers
• Campus culture and civil discourse
• The “silencing majority” phenomenon
• Restoring dialogue and debate in universities

Maya Sulkin shares how social pressure, fear of backlash, and campus culture are causing students and faculty to stay silent rather than express unpopular opinions or challenge dominant narratives.

Frannie Block examines how institutions that claim to protect inclusion and safety may also contribute to suppressing open dialogue, curiosity, and honest debate.

✨ This episode raises an urgent question: What happens to truth, learning, and democracy when people no longer feel safe speaking openly?

If you care about free expression, civil discourse, higher education, journalism, academic freedom, student voices, or difficult conversations in today’s polarized climate, this episode is for you.

🎧 Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen on your favorite podcast platform.

❓If people are too afraid to speak honestly… can truth still survive?

#CampusVoices #OurStoriesMatter #FreeSpeech #AcademicFreedom #CivilDiscourse #HigherEducation #StudentVoices #DialogueOverDivision

🚨 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?

#CampusVoices #OurStoriesMatter #AntisemitismAwareness #HigherEducation #CampusSafety #CivilDiscourse #HolocaustEducation #StudentVoices

Can people with deeply different identities and perspectives still stay connected through dialogue?

In this powerful season premiere of Our Stories Matter: Campus Voices – Civil Engagement in an Era of Division, Heidi Basch-Harod and Nada Higuera share an intimate conversation about identity, grief, and the possibility of understanding across one of the most difficult global divides.

Heidi, the daughter of Israel and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, and Nada, the daughter of Palestine, reflect on how their unlikely friendship began in the aftermath of October 7th—and how it has been shaped by honesty, emotional vulnerability, and a commitment to listening without erasing difference.

Rather than trying to win arguments, they focus on staying in relationship, even when the conversations are uncomfortable.

In this episode, we explore:
 • Civil engagement on college campuses
 • Israel–Palestine dialogue across difference
 • Difficult conversations and emotional regulation
 • Empathy, listening, and perspective-taking
 • Friendship across political and cultural divides
 • The role of higher education in public discourse

This conversation challenges the idea that agreement is required for connection. Instead, it highlights what becomes possible when people choose curiosity, accountability, and humanity over polarization.

If you care about civil discourse, conflict resolution, education, or bridge-building, this episode offers a deeply human example of what dialogue can look like in practice.

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation.

Join us for the next season

In this riveting episode, we sit down with Lara Burns, a former FBI counterterrorism expert, for a deep dive into the evolution of terrorism—from the attacks of September 11, 2001, to the emerging threats we see on today’s college campuses. With decades of experience tracking radicalization and confronting violent extremism, Lara brings a sharp, informed lens to the disturbing parallels between global terror tactics and the ideological warfare now playing out in academic institutions.

Together, we trace the shifting landscape of terrorism, explore how misinformation and propaganda fuel hate movements, and discuss the impact of geopolitical trauma—like the events of October 7—on students, particularly Jewish and  Israeli, that increasingly face intimidation and silencing.

Lara’s insights offer a wake-up call: the front lines of extremism are no longer just abroad—they’re here, where the next generation is being shaped. This episode challenges listeners to examine what safety, free speech, and moral responsibility mean in today’s educational spaces.

In this riveting episode, we sit down with Lara Burns, a former FBI counterterrorism expert, for a deep dive into the evolution of terrorism—from the attacks of September 11, 2001, to the emerging threats we see on today’s college campuses. With decades of experience tracking radicalization and confronting violent extremism, Lara brings a sharp, informed lens to the disturbing parallels between global terror tactics and the ideological warfare now playing out in academic institutions.

Together, we trace the shifting landscape of terrorism, explore how misinformation and propaganda fuel hate movements, and discuss the impact of geopolitical trauma—like the events of October 7—on students, particularly Jewish and  Israeli, that increasingly face intimidation and silencing.

Lara’s insights offer a wake-up call: the front lines of extremism are no longer just abroad—they’re here, where the next generation is being shaped. This episode challenges listeners to examine what safety, free speech, and moral responsibility mean in today’s educational spaces.

Former FBI counterterrorism expert Lara Burns reveals how the radicalization she once tracked overseas is now taking root on America’s college campuses. Full episode premieres on June 26th. 

Yasmine Mohammed, author of Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam, shares her harrowing story of escaping religious fundamentalism and an arranged marriage to an Al-Qaeda terrorist. In this episode, Yasmine opens up about risking everything for the safety of her daughter, the emotional toll of living in hiding, and her ongoing fight for human rights. She draws powerful parallels between the extremism she fled and the rising hatred seen on college campuses today. Through her organization, Free Hearts Free Minds, Yasmine supports ex-Muslims facing persecution and advocates for freedom of thought. This conversation explores resilience, liberation, and the urgent need to challenge radicalization in all its forms.