Seeing MLK's Legacy at the Gaza Solidarity Protests.

The article examines the parallels between contemporary student protests against Israel's war in Gaza and the civil rights activism of the 1960s, particularly the disruptive tactics employed by Martin Luther King Jr. and others. It highlights how current student demonstrators at institutions like Columbia University and the City University of New York (CUNY) face criminalization and police violence despite invoking the legacy of civil rights dissent, which was similarly condemned as disorderly and dangerous in its time. The piece also details historical protests at CUNY, including demands for racial justice and academic reform, and critiques how modern university administrations and political leaders selectively reference civil rights history to delegitimize present-day activism. Ultimately, it underscores the continuity of protest as a necessary tool for challenging systemic injustice across decades.