Student Strikes Powerful in Gun Debate/Author Vegas Tenold

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What to look for on SmartTalk Monday, February 26, 2018:

High school students across the country have been demanding stricter laws on guns after the shooting at a school in Parkland, Florida left 17 dead on February 14.

Since the attack, students across southern Flordia, Washington D.C. and other areas throughout the country have begun walking out of their classrooms as a form of protest. These massive protests seem to be just the beginning of the newly named “#NeverAgain” movement.

The student walk outs emulate similar demonstrations throughout U.S. history. During the mid-20th century, students used walk outs to protest civil rights issues, the Vietnam war and for better learning conditions. This tactic proved to be effective, as it forced Congress to act in order to have students return to the classroom.

However, because it’s been so long since having comparable protests, many wonder whether or not the protests will be as effective in inciting action.

Jonathan Zimmerman, education historian from the University of Pennsylvania, appears on Monday’s Smart Talk to discuss the effectiveness of wide scale protests.

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Professor Jonathan Zimmerman and Author Vegas Tenold

White nationalist groups like the Ku Klux Klan and National Socialist Movement often used to be perceived as not much more than part of a disorganized counter culture.  However, membership in these organizations has been rising. Racially motivated violence seems to be more and more frequent too.

In the past few years, Vegas Tenold, an award-winning journalist and author, has spent time internally researching these groups and has written a book about his experience titled Everything You Love Will BurnTenold joins us on Monday’s Smart Talk discuss his in depth experiences of the dark underbelly of America.

Vegas Tenold will appear at Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg Tuesday at 7 p.m.