At this week's Round Table, Divya, Eliza, Inica, Madeline, and Olivia spoke with Hardy Merriman, President and CEO of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict. At the Center, Hardy studies nonviolent movements that are fighting for freedom, justice, and independence all over the world, historically and currently. We talked about what sparks protests, why some movements succeed and others fail, how to quantify success, what strategies work, and what sorts of skills make a difference. We talked about the power of connecting activists and scholars in order to do work more effectively. Hardy helped contextualize protests and acts of civil resistance within a noble tradition. Democracy is more than government buildings and the legal system; some of the things our country can be proudest of--women’s suffrage, labor rights, civil rights-- were achieved through civil resistance. Over the last decade and a half, we’ve seen a backslide in democracy and an increase in authoritarianism internationally--and we’ve seen a commensurate rise in civil resistance, which inspires hope. Thank you for joining us!
