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The February 2025 Free Press Salon was held over Zoom on February 8. This is what happened.
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Free Press Board member Mark Stansbery started out the February 2025 salon by leading a discussion on the topic of Black History Month, highlighting the importance of understanding the struggle for liberation and recognition.
The first speaker was Theresa Hice-Fromille, an assistant geography professor at Ohio State University. Her Ph.D. is in sociology, with emphasis on critical race and ethnic studies and feminist studies. Theresa discussed the precarious position of academics, particularly in the context of the current political climate and the potential threat to tenure. She also shared her research on alternative frameworks of counter narratives of black history and the importance of approaching youth as equitable members of society. Theresa expressed concern about the apathy she sees in students and the flawed foundation of academia, which she believes is enabling this apathy.
Next Essam Elkorghli, a native of Libya, spoke. He is a PhD student at the University of Illinois, at the School of education, policy, organization, and leadership. He shared his perspective on the education system, highlighting the issues with the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the consequences of neglecting these values. He also discussed the shift in the political landscape, with the current administration promoting a more nationalist and patriotic education.
Essam discussed the United States' foreign policy and its impact on the Palestinian plight, highlighting the country's tendency to prioritize economic interests over human lives. He also touched on the role of USAID in promoting American hegemony globally, particularly through the promotion of liberal values such as diversity, equity, and inclusion. Theresa shared her experiences with the left's shortcomings in addressing issues like religion and its role in leftist organizing, particularly in the context of Springfield, Ohio. She also discussed her research on speculative Afro and African Futurism and the need for collaboration between anti-religion leftists and religious communities. Mark emphasized the importance of research and the need to understand the world we want to live in, rather than just reacting to current events. The group also discussed the potential impact of the current administration's policies on the economy and the rise of fascism.
The next speaker was Julialynne Walker, a local activist describing herself as passionate about pan Africanism. She has been involved in the Black Liberation movement for a number of years in different forms, both of the United States, Africa, and the Caribbean. She’s currently a member of the global pan-African movement and locally involved in food security. Julialynne contextualized the event within Black History Month, tracing its origins to Carter G. Woodson's founding of Negro History Week in 1926. She emphasized the importance of understanding the discussion in the context of a century-long struggle for equality. Julialynne addressed various topics, including changes in academia, the lived experiences of people of color, and the need to recognize willful denial alongside apathy in addressing racial issues. She also highlights the importance of inclusive organizing and critically examines the role of USAID and DEI initiatives pointing out USAID is less than 1 percent of the budget, so there is no reason to go after it to cut the nation’s budget.
Mark initiated a discussion about the importance of listening to young people and honoring the Liberationists while they're still alive. He also mentioned a new book by Tennessee Coats about who controls the narrative. Julialynne shared her observations on how narratives are created and manipulated, particularly in the context of political incidents. She suggested that instead of responding with outrage, they should focus on presenting facts and building a narrative. Essam added to the discussion, emphasizing the need to avoid overlapping with Imperialist narratives and to outsmart them by presenting their own narratives more aggressively.
Upcoming events:
The Communal Garden: Popular Indigenous African Botanicals, speaker Julialynne Walker
Tuesday, February 11, 6-7:30pm, Wells Barn, Franklin Park Conservatory
1777 E. Broad Street Columbus, OH 43203
Learn about those plants that we use every day in our homes and gardens that are originally from Africa. Class members will learn about how to plant and how to use these botanicals in their own backyards or community gardens. Seeds will be shared with the class to take home.
Conversation with Reverend John Wagner
February 11, 2025, 7:00 PM
Jewish Voice for Peace Meeting. Reverend John Wagner will be speaking about his recent protective presence trip to the West Bank and the work of the United Methodist Church in Palestine. Reverend Wagner is a founding member of United Methodists for Kairos Response and served as its first convenor. There will be a question-answer-time following his presentation. Facebook Event.
Register here
WCRS has new shows coming soon. Go here for more information.
Special WCRS Playlists:
Tomorrow 2/09 at 2 and/or 5PM, Big Game Playlist
And Saturday 2/15 (late night Valentine's Day Friday) from 2AM to 6AM, Valentine's Night Mix.
Simply Living Free Movie
Join or Die
Sunday, February 23, 12:00 - 2:00pm
"Join or Die" is a film about why you should join a club—and why the fate of America may depend on it. Follow the story of America's civic unraveling through the journey of legendary social scientist Robert Putnam, whose viral "Bowling Alone" research into the decline in American community lights a path out of our democracy's present crisis. Flanked by influential fans and scholars—from Hillary Clinton and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to Eddie Glaude Jr. and Pete Buttigieg—as well as inspiring groups building community across America, join Bob as he explores three urgent civic questions: What makes democracy work? Why is our democracy in crisis? And, most importantly: What can we do about it?
All ticket proceeds go directly to support Simply Living and their many exciting local initiatives!
buy tickets
(Also available on Netflix)
Green Grassroots Emergency Election Protection call
Monday, February 10, 5pm
Registration link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqfuygpjIiHtc20uIOxdeqYRiAicjSLWUc
HOW 2024 WAS ….
Speakers: Greg Palast, Ray Lutz, many more
THE 4 DEAD HORSES of AMERICA’S GLOBAL COLLAPSE:
Cars, Solar, AI, Drones…
The Short March to Fascism: In Another Weimar Collapse
ECO-BROADCAST NETWORK (3)
Podcasts, Radio, Zoom,
Websites, Social Media, More
Myla Reson et. al.
Check out freepress.org and columbusfreepress.com
Write for the Free Press, send to: colsfreepress@gmail.com (put SUBMISSION in subject line)
Send your activist events for the Free Press calendar to Bob Roehm at this email address: bobroehm@gmail.com.
Thanks to Steve Caruso for being our engineer.
See you next month on Zoom Saturday, March 8, 2025.
