Midterm elections are today. To discuss, we SPOTLIGHT Deana Rohlinger. Rohlinger is a Professor of Sociology at Florida State University. She does research on mass media, political participation, and politics. She is the author of Abortion Politics, Mass Media, and Social Movements in America (Cambridge University Press, 2015) and dozens of scholarly and book publications that look at everything from the kinds of emails individuals sent Jeb Bush about the Terri Schiavo case to the Tea Party Movement. Her new book, New Media and American Society, was published by New York University Press and looks at how digital technology changes our relationships with one another and shapes our interactions with politicians, law enforcement, teachers, and religious leaders. Media includes: U.S. News & World Report, Fortune, NPR.
Republicans in swing states are pushing to disqualify thousands of mail-in ballots in swing states. To discuss, we FEATURE Khalilah L. Brown-Dean. Brown-Dean is Professor of Political Science and Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs at Quinnipiac University. With a keen eye toward the practical implications of democratic conflict, her research interests center on voting rights, criminal justice, election administration, and public policy. She is the author of Identity Politics in the United States. The book moves beyond the headlines to show how conflicts over group identity are an inescapable feature of American political development. There’s no question that the United States is incredibly divided. Brown-Dean shows us how we got here, and more importantly, how we move forward. She has published numerous academic and popular pieces including a co-authored report on the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that was presented during the 50th anniversary celebration of the historic Bloody Sunday March in Selma, Alabama. Media includes: The New York Times, Fox News Radio, Democracy Now, Al-Jazeera, The Hill, NPR.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case involving whether it is constitutional to prioritize Native American families in the adoption of Native American children. To discuss, we FEATURE Lael Echo-Hawk. Lael (Pawnee) represents tribes and tribal organizations across the United States. She leads the tribal advocacy group MThirtySix and is General Counsel for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah). After serving as in-house counsel for a tribe and its economic enterprises, Lael moved to Washington, D.C. to take a position as Legislative Director for the Native American Contractors Association and Counselor to the Chairwoman of the National Indian Gaming Commission. Lael provided advice on tribal internal governance issues and economic development activities and strategic policy analysis on national tribal legislative and regulatory proposals. Lael is a past-president of both the National Native American Bar Association and the Northwest Indian Bar Association. Media includes: Indian Country, Boston Herald, WMC Live with Robin Morgan.
Danny Masterson's rape trial is underway. Two of his victims have alleged that the Church of Scientology discouraged them from reporting the sexual assault. To discuss, we FEATURE Amber J. Keyser. Keyser has significant expertise in sex-positive and consent-focused sex education, rape culture and the #MeToo movement, and the commodification of the female body in history, fashion, and media. She is the author of No More Excuses: Dismantling Rape Culture, a deep dive into the #MeToo movement, dissects the beliefs, behaviors, and cultural norms that excuse and normalize male sexual aggression and violence. Extensive media experience.
Elon Musk has bought Twitter and within the first week he fired multiple Twitter employees before asking some of them to return. He also introduced a payment plan for people to buy blue checkmark verification on the platform. To discuss, we FEATURE WMC Speech Project Director Soraya Chemaly. Chemaly is an award-winning author and activist, she writes and speaks frequently on topics related to gender norms, inclusivity, social justice, free speech, sexualized violence, and technology. Soraya is also the author of Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger, which has been translated into several languages, and a contributor to multiple anthologies, most recently Free Speech in the Digital Age and Believe Me: How Trusting Women Can Change The World. Chemaly spent more than fifteen years as a market development executive and consultant in the media and data technology industries. After several years in market development at the Gannett Corporation, she moved into the datatech sector at Claritas, ending her tenure there as SVP of Marketing Strategy. Media includes: Huffington Post, Alternet, Salon, The Guardian, CNN.
On Monday, North Korea stated that their missile tests were practices to strike South Korea and the U.S. To discuss, we FEATURE Soo Kim. Kim is a former CIA North Korea analyst and currently a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. Her East Asia subspecialties include leadership and decision-making, authoritarian regimes, regional security, nonproliferation, and North and South Korea. Kim also has experience in the intelligence community and US homeland security issues, including immigration, border security, and illicit networks. She has appeared in television and radio programs including CNN, BBC, PBS NewsHour, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, CGTN, Turkish media, and South Korean radio and online programs.Kim has also been cited as an expert in US and international media, including Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Washington Post, NBC News, Financial Times, Voice of America (English and Russian), Bloomberg, Donga Ilbo, Radio Free Asia, and South China Morning Post.
The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP27, is from November 6th to 18th. To discuss, we FEATURE Dr. Achala Abeysinghe. Dr. Abeysinghe is the Asia Regional Director & Global Head of Programs, leading Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) country programme on green growth and climate resilience. Dr. Abeysinghe has over 16 years of managerial, advisory and research experience in leading high-performing teams to deliver complex, innovative and results oriented strategies and programmes. Prior to joining GGGI, Dr. Abeysinghe was the Head of the Global Climate Law, Policy and Governance Team at International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED-UK) as well as Head of the European Capacity Building Initiative (ecbi) Training and Support Programme for nearly 12 years. She was also lead author of the chapter on Climate Resilient Pathways in the 5th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In 2015, she was nominated as one of the top 15 female climate champions in the world in recognition of her role in negotiating the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Media includes: The Conversation, Dhaka Tribune, Inside Climate News.
WMC SheSource has a list of more environmental experts to discuss COP27.
November is American Indian Heritage month. To commemorate, we FEATURE Joy Harjo, the 23rd United States Poet Laureate. Harjo was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and is a member of the Mvskoke Nation. She has released four award-winning CD's of original music and won a Native American Music Award (NAMMY) for Best Female Artist of the Year. She performs nationally and internationally solo and with her band, The Arrow Dynamics. She has appeared on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, in venues in every major U.S. city and internationally. Her seven books of poetry include such well-known titles as How We Became Human- New and Selected Poems and She Had Some Horses. Her awards include the New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas, and the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America. She was recently awarded 2011 Artist of the Year from the Mvskoke Women’s Leadership Initiative, and a Rasmuson US Artists Fellowship. She is a founding board member of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation. Extensive media experience.
Liz Theran
