From ACT UP to Palestine: Sarah Schulman on How to Build Solidarity Across Difference [Episode]

In a powerful interview, author Sarah Schulman reflects on decades of activism, from fighting AIDS to advocating for Palestinian liberation, revealing key lessons learned along the way.

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Description: What is “solidarity” and what does it require? Giving up on perfection, for one thing, says Sarah Schulman, author of “Conflict is Not Abuse,” and so much more. Award-winning writer, teacher, playwright and activist, Schulman’s latest book is “The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity”, in which she reflects on years of experiments and learning, from the 1980s to today. In this episode, find out what role GRITtv, an earlier iteration of Flanders’ show, played in the movement for Palestinian liberation, and hear a discussion of the Harlem artist Alice Neel. Schulman sits on the advisory board of Jewish Voice for Peace. Her non-fiction books include “Conflict is Not Abuse: Overstating Harm, Community Responsibility, and the Duty of Repair” and “Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993”. Also in this episode, a commentary from Laura on the assassination of Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman, a strategic progressive who practiced solidarity.

“When I confronted the Israeli occupation of Palestine, something resonated for me emotionally between that and the AIDS experience. What I felt was similar was that people who were endangered were being falsely depicted as dangerous.” - Sarah Schulman

“Right now we're in the middle of a cataclysm of fascism and there's no quick fix. And we have to understand that the idea that you can go in and just fix it is a supremacy concept.” - Sarah Schulman

Guests:  Sarah Schulman, Writer & AIDS Historian; Author, The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity

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Watch the special report released on YouTube June 20th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel June 22nd, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast June 25th.

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Full Episode Notes are located HERE.

RESOURCES-

Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes:

•  Organizing for Ceasefire Through Policy & Protest: Meet the People of JVP & NY Assemblymember Mamdani:  Watch, Listen:  Full Conversation,  Episode

• Jacqueline Woodson & Catherine Gund: Breathing Through Chaos & the “Meanwhile”:  Watch, Listen:  Full Conversation,  Episode

•  GRITtv: Sarah Schulman: Emerging Palestinian Queer Movement: Watch

Related Articles and Resources:

•  ‘They’re Coming After All of Us.’  You Might as Well Tell the Truth. The longtime activist and writer Sarah Schulman on why now is the time to stand up to people you oppose. By Lydia Polgreen, Produced by Vishakha Darbha, April 10, 2025, The Opinion - New York Times

•  The Vault:  ACT UP protesters tue up traffic in lower Manhattan in 1988, NY Eyewitness News ABC 7

•  Jewish peace activists hold sit-in protest at Grand Central to demand ceasefire in Israel-Hamas conflict, October 27, 2023, PIX11 News-NY

•  Alice Neel Documentary on the life and work of Alice Need (1900—1984), American portrait painter.  November 18, 2009, Official Trailer

•  Jim Hubbard and Sarah Schulman Present, United In Anger, A History of ACT-UP, a film by Jim Hubbard. Learn More

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