Thirty-one members of the Patriot Front, a white nationalist terrorist group, were arrested in Idaho over the weekend and charged with conspiracy to riot. The group had planned to interrupt a Pride event. To discuss, we FEATURE Constance Paige Young. Young is a former Goldman Sachs contractor and economic development specialist, who the racist, terrorist attack in Charlottesville. Through her storytelling and presentations, she teaches anti-racism and the dangers of white nationalist radicalization. Informed and transformed by a dynamic journey, she now devotes her energy to anti-racist activism, advocacy for survivors of sexual violence, and her desire to find truly restorative justice options for crime victims by building radically loving community in the here and now. Young speaks about how radical love can see us through even the most trying aspects of our human condition and why punitive measures don’t equate to justice for survivors of crimes. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, FiveThirtyEight.

Ukraine is asking Western allies for more help with providing arms in order to combat the Russian invasion. To discuss, we FEATURE Katarzyna Kubiak. Kubiak is a Senior Policy Fellow on nuclear and arms control policy at the European Leadership Network (ELN) in London. Previously, she was a Transatlantic Post-Doc Fellow for International Relations and Security at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS), an associate at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), a research assistant at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH), a field researcher for the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) and a fellow in the German Bundestag. Following her PhD thesis on NATO nuclear extended deterrence, her research areas include nuclear arms control and disarmament, non-proliferation as well as ballistic missile defense. Media includes: Russia Today, Deutsche Welle.

The second public Jan. 6 insurrection hearing focused on Donald Trump's claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him and how those claims directly contributed to the riot at the U.S. Capitol. To discuss, we FEATURE Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza. Buckwalter-Poza is a cultural commentator, social activist, and attorney barred in Virginia and before the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. She most recently served as Senior Strategist at The Justice Collaborative. Prior, she was Daily Kos’s first Judicial Affairs Editor and a Fellow at the Center for American Progress. Rebecca also served as Deputy National Press Secretary of the Democratic National Committee during the 2008 presidential election and worked for the Progressive Accountability Office, where she directed the polling and analytics program as well as special projects; the Center for American Progress; and the Office of James Carville. Media includes: Democracy Journal, Washington Monthly, The Daily Beast, Pacific Standard, The Nation, The Atlantic, Politico, CNN, NPR.

As the metaverse has become more prominent in the lives of everyday people, more people—primarily women—have spoken up about being assaulted and harassed in virtual reality spaces. To discuss, we FEATURE Cecilia Abadie. Adabie is currently Product Manager of Augmented Reality at Google. Previously, Abadie, who is the founder and former CTO of 33Labs, was part of a global development team that researches and develops wearable and mobile applications to deliver experiences that innovate and disrupt the personal and the enterprise realms. Abadie is the builder of LynxFit, a personal fitness trainer for Google Glass and other wearable devices, that launched as a featured application on the My Glass store. When she's not busy pushing the boundaries through technology, getting the first ticket in the U.S. for driving with Google Glass, and beating it in court, Abadie is a passionate evangelist about everything digital, a metaverse explorer, and a pioneer who spreads the word about wearable devices and the many ways they can change our world. Media includes: The Daily Show, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, CNN.

An article published by The New York Times has shown the grim reality of abortion bans by looking at the negative—and sometimes deadly—impact that Poland's 29-year abortion ban has had on pregnant people. To discuss, we FEATURE Kelly Baden. Baden brings nearly two decades of experience in the nonprofit and advocacy sector, to her work building power with progressive state legislators. Since she joined State Innovation Exchange in 2017, Kelly launched the country’s only cross-state cohort of state legislators committed to reproductive freedom with more than 400 state legislators from around the country, built a team of five, and piloted game-changing programs like convening a delegation of state legislators to visit El Salvador to understand the devastating impact of abortion bans. Media includes: The Los Angeles Times, Cosmopolitan, Time, MSNBC.

The final round of the French parliamentary elections is on Sunday and President Emmanuel Macron’s party is neck and neck with a left-wing alliance. To discuss, we FEATURE Amanda Phalin. Phalin, who is also fluent in French and well-versed in French and European politics and current events, has a wide range of expertise in international economic and political issues. She is available to speak about trade and tariffs, global economic activity and political issues that may affect the U.S. and worldwide economy. Phalin’s research covers several areas, including gender issues in international business and economics; educational technology, pedagogy, and outcomes; and intellectual property rights, particularly in the green sector. Media includes: Wall Street Journal, Newsbreak, Gainesville Sun, Slate, WFTV9.

June 20th is World Refugee Day. To discuss, we FEATURE Lamis Abdelaaty. Abdelaaty is Associate Professor of Political Science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Her research focuses on refugees in international relations. Her book, Discrimination and Delegation: Explaining State Responses to Refugees (Oxford University Press, 2021), asks why countries open their borders to some refugees while blocking others, and why a number of countries have given the United Nations control of asylum procedures and refugee camps on their territory. Abdelaaty's research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the American Philosophical Society, and her articles have appeared or are forthcoming in Annual Review of Sociology, International Interactions, International Journal of Human Rights, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, Journal of Refugee Studies, and Political Studies. Media includes: The Washington Post, Mother Jones, Vox, CNN.

Juneteenth is coming up and will commemorate the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans. To discuss, we FEATURE Janet Dewart Bell. Bell is the author of Lighting the Fires of Freedom: African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement. She is a social justice advocate, activist, executive coach, and motivational speaker, with a doctorate in Leadership and Change from Antioch University. She has been a key strategist and senior executive at a number of national organizations including PolicyLink, the National Urban League, and National Public Radio (NPR). She was the Director of Communications at the National Urban League, where she redesigned, edited, and marketed the League’s signature annual publication, "The State of Black America." Her special projects included the Stop the Violence campaign and the National Urban League/Merrill Lynch Scholarship Builder program. Bell is also the Chair of the Women's Media Center Board. Extensive media experience.

June is LGBTQ Pride Month. To commemorate, we FEATURE Reverend Irene Monroe. Monroe is an ordained minister, motivational speaker and she speaks for a sector of society that is frequently invisible. An African-American lesbian feminist public theologian, she is a sought-after speaker and preacher. She’s a podcast host, weekly commentator on New England Channel News (NECN) and Huffington Post blogger and a syndicated religion columnist. Her columns appear in 23 cities across the country and in the U.K, Ireland, Canada. And she writes a weekly column in the Boston home LGBTQ newspaper Baywindows. Monroe stated that her "columns are an interdisciplinary approach drawing on critical race theory, African American, queer and religious studies. As an religion columnist I try to inform the public of the role religion plays in discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. Because homophobia is both a hatred of the “other ” and it’s usually acted upon ‘in the name of religion,' by reporting religion in the news I aim to highlight how religious intolerance and fundamentalism not only shatters the goal of American democracy, but also aids in perpetuating other forms of oppression such as racism, sexism, classism and anti-Semitism.” Media includes: Huffington Post, The Advocate, Boston Globe, NPR.

WMC SheSource has a list of additional experts for LGBTQ Pride Month.