Ep 423 - High School Students Unite! w/ Aaron G. Fountain, Jr.

Ep 423 - High School Students Unite! w/ Aaron G. Fountain, Jr.

From Nostalgia Trap by David Parsons

January 21, 2026 · 1h 1m

About this episode

David Parsons interviews Aaron G. Fountain, Jr. about his book on high school activism in postwar America.

This week we're talking with Aaron G. Fountain, Jr. about his new book High School Students Unite! Teen Activism, Education Reform, and FBI Surveillance in Postwar America (UNC Press, 2025). By shifting focus from college campuses to American high schools, Fountain's work uncovers a whole world of 1960s and 1970s activism by young people around the country, who fought for their own rights within a larger struggle for social, racial, and economic justice. In this conversation, he shares some of the most compelling revelations he's discovered in oral history interviews, underground newspaper archives, and FBI records, and reflects on the role that high schoolers play in today's chaotic political landscape. Become a Nostalgia Trap Patron to access all our bonus episodes, including weekly News Trap updates.

People in this episode

Host: David Parsons

Guest: Aaron G. Fountain, Jr.

Topics covered

  • teen activism
  • education reform
  • FBI surveillance
  • social justice
  • oral history
  • political landscape

Keywords

  • high school activism
  • teen activism
  • education reform
  • FBI surveillance
  • social justice
  • oral history
  • political landscape

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UNC Press

Books & works: High School Students Unite!

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