Washington Today Weekend Edition: Author Series w/ Trymaine Lee, Greg Lukianoff, & Casey Burgat
Dec 27, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Trymaine Lee, a journalist known for exploring race and violence, shares his profound insights from his book on the costs of violence on Black life. Greg Lukianoff, a stalwart of free speech advocacy, tackles misconceptions about free speech in America and challenges the conflation of words with violence. Finally, Casey Burgat, a GWU professor, debunks long-held myths about political reform, advocating for transparency over total bans in campaign finance and illuminating the impact of AI on politics and media.
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Heart Attack Shifted The Book's Focus
- Trymaine Lee describes his heart attack at 38 as the turning point for his book and perspective on violence.
- The heart attack forced him to widen the aperture on violence to include its physical and psychic toll across Black life.
Meeting Kevin Sparked The Book
- Lee recounts meeting Kevin Johnson, a young man left paralyzed after a shooting, which sparked the book idea about costs.
- He realized survivors' expenses fall on public systems, framing gun violence as a public fiscal problem.
Guns Are Part Of A Larger Violent Continuum
- Lee argues guns shape Black life but are preceded by generations of systemic violence and historical cycles like guns-for-slaves.
- He links past and present to show firearms both oppressed and defended Black communities across eras.