The Dissidents

In this week’s podcast, Jennifer Richmond and Winkfield Twyman, Jr. talk with Pastor Dumisani Washington on his journey through his early years, his “God Walk” in Africa, a name change, and finally to Israel. The crux of our conversation centers on how he relates the African story to that of Israel and in particular to the current Israeli-Palestine conflict. Dumisani takes us deep into the KGB propaganda of the 1960s that created the illusion of black solidarity with Palestine, playing on settler-colonial themes and tying them to stories of Jim Crow. This propaganda underlines the current affinity between Black Lives Matter and Pro-Palestinian movements that we see playing out in the United States. But as you will hear, Dumisani speaks truths that unveil this disinformation, taking the co-hosts on an unexpected history lesson that spans the globe, and underlines our common humanity. Podcast Resources: Zionism and The Black Church: Why Standing with Israel Will be a Defining Issue for Christians of Color in the 21st Century, Dumisani Washington Africa-Israel Weekly, IBSI on Substack Islamic Terrorism is the Enemy Israel & Africa Share, Africa Israel Weekly, May 30, 2024 Ta-Nehisi Coates, Louis Farrakhan, & Black Apologists for Islamic Slavery & Genocide in Africa, Africa Israel Weekly, Dec 1, 2024 Disinformation: Former Spy Chief Reveals Secret Strategies for Undermining Freedom, Attacking Religion, and Promoting Terrorism, by Gen Ion Mihai Pacepa & Prof Ronald J Rychlak  The American Soviet Mentality, Dissidents Podcast with Izabella Tabarovsky Antisemitism's New Narrative, Dissidents Podcast with Asra Nomani and Izabella Tabarovsky Potemkin Villages: The Origin of Antisemitic Soviet Propaganda & it's Influence on American Education & Media, Dissidents Podcast with Izabella Tabarovsky

In this week’s podcast, Jennifer Richmond and Angel Eduardo launch a new series on faith and liberalism. They spent some time wrestling with where to begin with such a weighty topic, when they finally landed on simply sharing their own personal faith journeys. They embark on this discussion with curiosity and humility, neither trying to convert, correct or proselytize, but simply in exploration of the origins of their common humanity and shared values. We invite others to join in the conversation with suggestions and questions in the comments, which we will address in upcoming episodes. We will be inviting other guests to join us and look forward to further conversations on the complexities of faith, liberalism and the intersection of both in search of a strategy for human flourishing.

We’re back for another episode of the Free Speech Forward podcast! Today, Dr. Nafees Alam speaks with co-hosts Chris and Joia about his unique journey into the realm of free speech advocacy and viewpoint diversity. He emphasizes the importance of creating spaces for intellectual discourse and the necessity of viewpoint diversity for personal and societal growth. Their conversation explores the challenges faced in academia regarding differing viewpoints, the need for students to find their individuality, and the responsibility that comes with the privilege of free speech.

In this week’s podcast, Jennifer Richmond and Elizabeth Spievak speak with new ILV friend and (fingers crossed) advisor, Dr. Nafees Alam. Nafees is a heterodox social work professor who is bringing viewpoint diversity into his classroom. He is reinvigorating “point-counterpoint” strategies to get his students to explore different opinions and mindsets with compassion and empathy. He uses this style in a lot of his writing where he has considered different perspectives on issues such as mental health, “toxic masculinity” and trans sports. Be on the lookout for more from Nafees in our December Liberal Values Lab as as a panelist on our Liberalism in Practice Panel Discussion on trans sports with our guests from Genspect. Resources & other Articles from Dr. Nafees Alam: https://dcjournal.com/the-effect-of-shaming-simps-and-single-mothers-on-declining-birth-rates/ https://www.wvgazettemail.com/opinion/op_ed_commentaries/nafees-alam-loneliness-and-the-looming-demise-of-dating-apps-opinion/article_42a97d7b-9b6a-5754-ba82-7527f399cb97.html https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/pop-culture-mental-health/202405/the-ivory-tower-main-street-and-wall-street https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/pop-culture-mental-health/202405/the-value-of-defeat-in-developing-resilience https://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/05/01/opinion/opinion-contributor/a-novices-novel-ideas-for-resolving-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/pop-culture-mental-health/202404/how-concept-creep-is-stigmatizing-narcissistic-personality https://www.chronicleonline.com/opinion/columnists/cost-benefit-analysis-of-being-a-good-samaritan/article_04242835-3cad-5110-ada4-486d6310a054.html https://dcjournal.com/ai-romance-as-healthy-competition/ https://dcjournal.com/how-toxic-masculinity-becomes-necessary-masculinity/ https://www.chronicleonline.com/opinion/columnists/can-divorce-reform-save-marriage/article_4cd39622-2b26-5b99-96f1-ef94fb0a34c6.html https://heterodoxacademy.org/blog/discrimination-by-altered-expectations-opinion/ https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2023/04/03/benevolent-vicarious-tokenism/stories/202304030008 https://journals.shareok.org/jofsw/article/view/132

In this week’s podcast, Jennifer Richmond and Ken Pope speak with Jany Finkielsztein about her immigrant experience and what drove her passion for working in education. Jany’s family immigrated from Poland to Colombia during the Holocaust, and one of her grandfather’s sayings was, (Outside of packing light and running fast) "nobody can take your education from you." Jany took that to heart and carried her passion for education with her, when safety concerns led her family to immigrate to the United States. As an educator, Jany focused on finding ways to give back to the Hispanic and immigrant communities. However, as the focus of educator professional development began to prioritize activism over learning, she reevaluated her approach. Now working with the CAMERA Education Institute, Jany researches and exposes activists, organizations and curricular materials that present false accounts of Israel and Zionism in K-12 education. In addition, Jany helps to provide educational materials that tackle the anti-Israel bias that has captured much of the American education landscape. No one can take your education away, but we ask Jany: Do we want to preserve the kinds of education that are increasingly contributing to division and polarization among students? Bio: Jany is originally from Bogota, Colombia. She has worked as a middle school teacher, curriculum coordinator and instructional coach across charter, public and independent schools in Massachusetts. She has experience planning and facilitating professional learning opportunities for K-12 teachers. In addition, Jany has been an adjunct faculty teaching pre-service courses for teacher preparation programs at Boston University and Simmons University. Jany is a board member of the Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies (MCSS), and the Jewish Affairs Caucus of the National Educators association (NEA). She is currently a senior education analyst at the CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy for Middle East Reporting and Analysis) Education Institute. Resources: One -Pager research based Timely topics: https://www.camera-edu.org/timely_topics/ History of the Jewish People in the Land of Israel - curriculum for schools: https://www.camera-edu.org/5379-2/ The CAMERA Education Institute's (CEI) expert literature program team has curated a list of fiction and non-fiction recommended books for K-12 students that provide accurate information about Israel, its history, current events, Zionism and Israelis: https://www.camera-edu.org/resources/recommended-books/books-for-elementary-school/ https://www.camera-edu.org/resources/recommended-books/books-for-middle-school/ https://www.camera-edu.org/resources/recommended-books/books-for-high-school/ We also exposethe anti-Israel K-12 books infiltrated into schools to promote the ideology: ProblematicBooks After Oct 7, the efforts to have these types of books in classrooms intensified. To see the scope of the CAMERA Education Institute's (CEI) work: https://www.camera-edu.org/

In today’s Free Speech Forward podcast episode, hosts Chris and Joia speak with Wai Wah Chin, the charter president of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Greater New York. They discuss the critical role of free speech in advocating for equal rights, particularly in education. Wai Wah shares her experiences with the specialized high schools in New York, emphasizing the importance of merit and objectivity in academic standards. Their conversation also touches on the ideological shifts in education and the need for civil discourse and courage in expressing diverse viewpoints.   Find out more about Wai Wah and the work of CACAGNY at: http://www.cacagny.org/

In this week's episode Elizabeth and Matt Watson discuss orthodoxy and student disaffection in social work education. A recent survey project revealed that, while most students report a positive social work education experience, the feeling is by no means universal.  Some students  perceive that their religious beliefs, political ideology, or even their gender identity may be incompatible with social work, Some students reported that they actively self-censor or misrepresent their thoughts and opinions out of fear. Not surprisingly, they also reported that their professors were not open to alternative ideas or perspectives. Matt and Elizabeth discuss the study outcomes in the context of ethical responsibilities in social work education and practice.  We express our hopes that recent trends toward narrow definition of diversity pedagogy will expand to include viewpoint diversity that welcomes more students to fully participate in social work education.  We reached out to the author and Dr. C.J. Sorenson joined us for a follow up on his findings. We asked CJ about provisions for protecting religious and political views, and how social work faculty can avoid alienating their less progressive students at a time when the field needs more good candidates. C.J. expressed openness and commitment to viewpoint diversity in social work classrooms and practice.  We all agree that these are the kind of difficult conversations we need in the fields of social work and social work education. Podcast notes C.J. Sorenson, Tiffanie Jones & Rachel Casey (24 Jan 2024): The In-class experience of social work students based on their political ideology, Social Work Education.  https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2024.2307527 LCSW Matt Watson cohosts from our ILV partner, ProSocial Workers. ProSocial Workers is committed to creating a viewpoint inclusive and politically diverse environment for social workers and other helping professionals.  Professionals can find support and continuing education at ProSocialWorkers.com.   Get access the full author Q&A here. Second part of the series: Left Turn in Social Work Education: The Harmful Effects of a Narrow Political Ideology First part of the series: Critical vs. Classical Social Justice in Social Work

In On Censorship James LaRue issues a balanced and reasonable call to action for all citizens. It is a combination of personal reflection and deep dive into specifics of book banning. James LaRue has been a public library director for many years, and was director of the Freedom to Read Foundation, and ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. He has written, spoken, and consulted extensively on intellectual freedom issues, leadership and organizational development, community engagement, and the future of libraries. Resources: On Censorship Book Club: Episode I: https://youtu.be/fAsyMQ5pP5M On Censorship Book Club: Episode II: https://youtu.be/j1L-bg7SH3w On Censorship Book Club: Episode III: https://youtu.be/8jjgiXg_DF8 On Censorship Book Club: Episode IV: https://youtu.be/pmLiCcjzTYc On Censorhip: https://www.amazon.com/Censorship-Librarian-Examines-Culture-Speakers/dp/1682753476/

Welcome to the latest episode of the Free Speech Forward podcast in which hosts Joia and Chris engage with Ilana Cohen, the Community Engagement Director at the Alliance for Constructive Ethnic Studies. They discuss Ilana's background as a child refugee from the Soviet Union and her journey towards advocating for free speech and critical thinking in education. The conversation highlights the importance of free speech in fostering a healthy free society as well as the challenges faced in the current educational environment. Ilana emphasizes the critical role of education in promoting discourse and understanding among diverse perspectives.   Find out more about Ilana’s work with the Alliance for Constructive Ethnic Studies at: https://www.calethstudies.org/

This podcast features a recording of a live-stream event hosted by Maccabi Lec-Ari and Mike Burke. The discussion focuses on Israel, liberal democracy and rising Antisemitism, particularly within the UK.