In May of 2018, my parents sat at what is presently an encampment for many young adults demonstrating in support of Palestine.
Where is this encampment, exactly? On the South Lawn of my alma mater, Columbia University in the city of New York.
Whether Edward Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance" will grace the grounds of the school on May 15, as is presently scheduled for its 270th academic year, is yet to be seen.
Since Israel's response to the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, which saw terrorists of Palestine's governing Hamas kill 1,139 Israelis and kidnap around 250 more, reports of demonstrations in cities, government buildings and universities have become commonplace on television, social media and newsstands.
Coming from within these demonstrations have been flagrant displays of antisemitism and even calls for violence, often under the guise of the vague Arab term "intifada." An intifada is not necessarily violent, but one doesn't have to look at the history of the term for long to see that invoking intifada is typically in the context of violent unrest.
Many universities, like Columbia, have had to account for these demonstrations before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce as concerns have been raised regarding the preservation of Title VI.
Established in 1964 as part of the Civil Rights Act, Title VI aims to protect individuals from discrimination, particularly when Federal funds are involved — as is the case for many students (even at a private institution).
Personally, I'm opposed to protest in general, regardless of the cause, but I support the rights of others to demonstrate peaceably.
During my first semester of grad school at Columbia in 2016, President Donald Trump was elected just as we were gearing up for finals.
While demonstrations were held by Trump Tower rather than on campus, in and outside of the classroom, there were still debates and discussions during that divisive political moment. Still, my ability to go to class was never impeded upon.
However, I did observe an instance in which my peers, in my opinion, squelched freedom of speech.
In 2016, NYU students prevented Gavin McInnes, co-founder of Vice Magazine and founder of the Proud Boys, from speaking on campus. The next year, Columbia students followed suit by preventing Tommy Robinson, a right-wing British activist of the English Defense League, from delivering a lecture at the request of the Columbia University College Republicans.
Admittedly, I was so caught up in my studies that I missed the drama, but I was dismayed by the enthusiasm of many I encountered as the event was derailed.
I'm a supporter of the free market of ideas. Why not let people who you disagree with speak? They have their First Amendment right, so long as they don't incite violence, so let them have their say, and when they make a fool of themselves, let each individual listener decide for themselves if they heard truth or farce.
In fact, if you go to school in any grade, and you only encounter ideas you agree with wholeheartedly, then you're doing education wrong — in college, especially.
As a Christian at an Ivy League school, I stayed true to my beliefs, and I left with greater knowledge and fortified values for having to defend my principles.
On Monday, April 22, Columbia announced classes were going remote in response to the anti-Israel protests. By Tuesday, the remainder of the semester was relegated to hybrid learning, even as negotiations to end the encampment are conducted.
While I imagine there are many students who just want to get on with their studies and move on with life, it's my sincere hope that those who are not participating in protests and demonstrations recognize the freedoms our country allots.
Appreciate that those you may disagree with are permitted to embarrass themselves — something the administration at Columbia has graciously allowed.
Should the students who are not disrupting learning be punished by not being able to attend classes? Of course not. Yet, I also understand that the school has an obligation to ensure the safety of its students.
As vile words are espoused at Jews and those who are "complicit" in genocide through their "silence," which is what the demonstrators would have everyone think, I hope this silent majority can persevere.
"For the advancement of the public good and the glory of Almighty God," reads the frieze on Low Memorial Library, which overlooks these demonstrations.
Under God, we are all equal.
(Grant Bromley is a staff writer for the Cleveland Daily Banner. He may be reached at grant.bromley@clevelandbanner.com.)
