1968 or 2024?
Michael Ansara spent the better part of the 1960s and 1970s protesting the Vietnam War as an organizer for Students for a Democratic Society.
His memories of those protests decades ago are present in his mind as students on campuses nationwide demand their institutions cut economic and political ties with Israel amid its war in Gaza.
Now 77, Ansara said he isn’t any less “radical” than he was half a century ago. Like many, Ansara sees striking similarities between 1968 and 2024 – flourishing antiwar protests, a contentious upcoming presidential election and Democrats heading for Chicago in August to formally select their White House nominee.
Ansara understands the mindset of college-aged voters who have expressed disillusionment with President Joe Biden and his handling of America’s role in the Israel-Hamas War all too well. He and other antiwar activists Paste BN spoke with said they won’t make any of the same mistakes.