As protests raged across the country in 2020 following the killing of George Floyd, radicals clad in black clothes and face masks emerged on the scene to stoke the chaos and incite violence; foot soldiers for a shadowy network known as Antifa. While its roots stretch back to World War II Nazi Germany, much public confusion remains today regarding Antifa’s philosophy and intentions. Join Kyle Shideler, a senior analyst for the Center for Security Policy, and CWTAI host Debi Ghate, for a...

The raging debate over racism and social justice is highly complex and there are no easy answers, “but if we’re not permitted to have a robust conversation about them, we will not fashion good social policy,” said David Bernstein, founder of the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values, on the most recent episode of “Can We Talk About It?” Bernstein joined host Debi Ghate to give his perspective on the race debate and discuss the consequences of dividing society into oppressor and oppressed, the...

Recorded in front of a live audience at Philanthropy Roundtable’s annual meeting in Colorado Springs, this episode of "Can We Talk About It?" features businessman and self-described “independent thinker” U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds Representative for Florida's 19th congressional district. Donalds talks with host Debi Ghate about how he rose from poverty to prosperity, why Congress is so polarized, what rapper Monebagg Yo can teach us about political decision-making and what critical race...

How do we end America’s new fascination with the failed and dangerous ideologies of communism and socialism, especially among our nation’s young people? For Wes Kemp, it’s all about education. Kemp became a passionate advocate for capitalism as he rose from the loading docks of a major trucking company to become its CEO. Now he teaches the “logistics of capitalism” to aspiring business leaders. Join Host Debi Ghate as she talks with Kemp about his fight to dispel the myths about capitalism...

Before nine Black students took their first steps inside Little Rock Central High School in 1957, testing the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling for the first time, the most important educational institutions for Black students in the South were the 4,977 Rosenwald Schools co-founded by philanthropist Julius Rosenwald. According to Robert Stanton, the vice board chair of the Julius Rosenwald National Park Campaign, these Rosenwald schools should be memorialized as national...

Threatened by a group of men outside a comedy club, Erik Weyant fired two shots in the air from his legal handgun to scare them off. No one was harmed, but Weyant was arrested for aggravated assault and given a choice. He could accept a plea bargain for three years in prison or fight the charges and risk Florida’s mandatory 20-year sentence. Weyant lost in court, but he kept fighting from prison and ultimately won his freedom. Hear his incredible story and what it tells us about the need for...

Do prosecutors hold too much power in our criminal justice system? Is their job like the job shown on “Law and Order”? In this episode, Alissa Marque Heydari, deputy director of the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution, joins host Debi Ghate to share her experience as a line prosecutor and her vision of the criminal justice system. They’ll discuss the range of decisions made by prosecutors in a system that relies so heavily on plea deals, plus the shift from incentives based on conviction...

Watch any late-night comedy show, and one state receives the brunt of the jokes more than the rest — West Virginia. For many, the state is synonymous with rural economic disadvantage, and unfavorable media coverage to this end dates back more than a century to the Hatfield-McCoy feud. This week, Executive Director of the Cardinal Institute Garrett Ballengee joins host Debi Ghate to discuss Americans' misconceptions about West Virginia. Then, they'll explore the successes and opportunities in...

In the flood of information on social media, both opinions and statements of fact are shared freely, accurate and inaccurate alike. When a false statement of fact about an individual damages his reputation, however, it could qualify as libel. This week, UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh, founder of the Volokh Conspiracy blog, joins host Debi Ghate to discuss what qualifies as libel, both civilly and criminally, the state of free speech in the university, and the ethical and moral...

When students and alumni raised concerns with the Rye City School District (NY) about their treatment as students of color, the school district responded by launching a task force, involving an organization that affirmed race-based programming to "settle the debts we owe for our overdue national sins." In this week's episode Julie Killian, mother of five children, former elected official and active member of her community, joins Debi Ghate to discuss the petition to remove the organization...

How did the man who launched Sears Roebuck & Co. into the distribution revolution also revolutionize education for Black students in the segregated South, establishing an astonishing 4,977 schools? In this week’s episode, Julius Rosenwald National Parks Campaign Board Member Curtis Valentine joins host Debi Ghate to share the incredible story of Julius Rosenwald’s philanthropy and Curtis’s personal connection to the schools, the campaign to establish a National Park for the Rosenwald...

In the 2020 election, Californians voted down Proposition 16 – a measure that would repeal the state constitutional amendment that prohibits preference or discrimination in public schools, public employment and public contracting (Prop. 209). Executive Director for Californians for Equal Rights Wenyuan Wu joins host Debi Ghate in this week’s episode to share the story of the campaign against Prop. 16 and affirmative action, the support of the Asian-American and immigrant community in their...

In this bonus episode, Philanthropy Roundtable President and CEO Elise Westhoff joins Debi Ghate for a special conversation about her experience in the philanthropic sector and what inspired her to lead Roundtable with its mission to strengthen a free society. Westhoff shares her direct experiences with both generous donors and with those in the philanthropic sector who are seeking to “bridge” across differences. Finally, Westhoff discusses some of the Roundtable’s recent work, including some...

Are socioracial dynamics reducible to two categories: The oppressor and the oppressed? Some argue that this reduction fails to recognize the depth of the complexity within each person. However, Chloé Valdary, founder of the Theory of Enchantment, believes that both the oppressor and the oppressed are suffering – and resentment and vengeance only cause more suffering. This week, she joins host Debi Ghate to share the ideas behind her antiracism program The Theory of Enchantment – and how,...

(Warning: This episode discusses sensitive themes such as sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised.) Victims of sexual violence often have a difficult time talking about their experiences, and this is true around the world. What happens when that violence is linked to immigrants and minorities, as it has in Europe? The topic becomes even more of a taboo. In her second appearance on Can We Talk About It? Ayaan Hirsi Ali joins host Debi Ghate to talk about the theme of her book “Prey:...

In 2020, crime statistics showed curious trends – while homicides spiked, property crime rates and jail populations both decreased. While the prediction of crime can be difficult, the data and trends can inform conversations and policies. This week, Jake Horowitz, director of the Public Safety Performance Project at Pew Charitable Trust, joins host Debi Ghate in a 2020-recorded interview. They’ll discuss the data, racial disparity in incarceration rates, the decrease in jail populations in...

Is it possible to seek diversity without labeling others? Honest diversity cares about seeking to understand the plurality within each other, says Irshad Manji, director of Moral Courage ED at Let Grow, their new course “Diversity without Division” and author of the book “Don’t Label Me: How to Do Diversity Without Inflaming the Culture Wars.” This week, Irshad joins host Debi Ghate to talk about this idea of plurality, leading by listening to understand and standing your ground with...

Is it possible to undo past discrimination through new discrimination? Professor of Law at Cornell University William Jacobson would argue "no," but his expression of this point of view has brought condemnation – first by outsiders to the organization, then by faculty and student boycotts in response to his writings on controversial topics at his blog Legal Insurrection (est. 2008). In this week's episode, he joins Debi Ghate to address mandated anti-racism training, critical race theory and...

For years, critics of philanthropy have called for increased regulations around the ways foundations choose to spend their funds. Those calls have increased recently. In this week’s episode, Carrie Tynan, a 5th generation executive director of the Adolph Coors Foundation joins Debi Ghate to discuss these criticisms. They discuss the realities of earning a position in a family foundation, founder Bill Coors’ intent to give people the opportunity to develop self-reliance, personal...

Rick Turner was the youngest child in his family and helping others was his way of life. After the loss of several family members, he struggled with mental illness and increased drug and alcohol abuse. During an undercover operation, at 37, he was arrested, convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison on four counts of drug crimes and having a firearm while dealing drugs. The gun did not belong to him, nor did he use it. He had no prior criminal record. Amid appeals for prison transfer, Rick...

As the political climate ebbs and flows, victories and opinions in the courtroom can often last for generations. This week, Carrie Ann Donnell of American Juris Link joins Debi Ghate to discuss the pro bono work of public interest litigation, the coordination between public interest firms to protect the rights of defendants, and the necessity of firms’ donor privacy, as they litigate on many sensitive and controversial issues. This interview was recorded on January  22, 2021

Having taken in 10 foster children and adopted four, CEO and founder of Gen Justice Darcy Olsen is intimately aware of the grim reality of the foster care system. In this week’s episode, she joins Debi Ghate to talk about both the joys and heartbreak of fostering – and the work she does with Gen Justice to ensure the legal protection and to protect the rights of the approximately 400,000 children in foster care. Read: Arizona Passes Law to Provide Lawyers for Abused and Abandoned...

Is there such a thing as a shared American identity? Is one even possible when we have a lack of shared vocabulary and interaction with those who think differently from us? John Wood, Jr., national ambassador for Braver Angels, joins Debi Ghate to discuss his close, personal experience with individuals of various beliefs and backgrounds. He describes the work of Braver Angels to reinvigorate conversation and reduce political polarization, by humanizing partisan opponents – and hopefully...

The mission of the American Contemporary Ballet is to "produce and present choreographic works of the highest quality that exemplify dance as a musical art form." Yet there have been loud threats and demands that the company and its troupe declare themselves aligned with political causes, sign statements or even change its dance repertoire. ACB's director Lincoln Jones talks with host Debi Ghate this week about the nature of ballet, his company and the ideas threatening the essential...