Since Oct. 7, 2023, social justice organizations on UNC’s campus have been pushing the university administration to disclose its investments and divest from Israeli-backing companies. In late April 2024, Students for Justice in Palestine organizers across UNC’s research triangle established an encampment on UNC-Chapel Hill’s main quad, which police stormed four days later. Following this moment of violence, UNC saw a rise in conservatism and nationalistic values, with the American flag’s symbology taking center stage in the national debate over free speech on college campuses.