Dialogue Across Difference

In the aftermath of the 2020 elections, election audits have taken center stage. They have been used to demonstrate the integrity of an election and, conversely, used in an attempt to demonstrate an election was flawed. Jennifer Morrell, an expert in election audits, will moderate a conversation with election officials that will explore the changing landscape of election audits - best practices, challenges, and opportunities.

Judge Steve Leifman of Miami-Dade County, Florida, has transformed the way the criminal justice system and police in this huge county deal with those with serious mental illness, saving lives and saving money at the same time. The best practices he and his team have crafted, embodied in a film called Definition of Insanity (www.doifilm.com), can be adapted to the needs and resources of every community. Judge Leifman moderates a conversation with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Norman Ornstein, whose family foundation spearheaded the documentary, about criminal justice reform, police reform and mental illness.

Joe Biden is walking a tightrope. He was elected on promises of effectiveness, empathy, and unity. Yet, his unpopularity now rivals Donald Trump's after the public backlash against his handling of the bloody Afghan withdrawal, persistence of Covid surges, threats of inflation, and Democratic infighting over his ambitious legislative agenda. Prominent Republican conservatives Rich Lowry and Vin Weber stop by.

Health reform is a big part of President Biden’s Build Back Better plan. Sweeping proposals have been negotiated carefully among Democratic leaders and party factions. Join us to hear how these changes may impact access, the cost of health care, and state and federal budgets. This program brings together keen observers of health reform in Washington DC, Jim Capretta from the American Enterprise Institute and Sabrina Corlette from Georgetown University to dissect what is happening.

Organizing communities of color, working people, the disaffected, and politicos on the left and right has lit up our politics - from protests around George Floyd to the January 6th mobilization. What separates these different forms of organizing and are they improving public life or threatening it? A leading progressive organizer - Marshall Ganz - reflects on the high points of success, disappointments, and disasters. Damon Shoholm will discuss community organizing in Minnesota.

Rent stabilization is on the ballot in both Minneapolis and St. Paul next month. How does rent stabilization work? What are advocates hoping to see come from the ballot initiatives and are those hopes realistic? And, how are groups in the two cities organizing to influence the outcome? Professor Edward Goetz of the Humphrey School, and the lead author of the report to the Minneapolis City Council on rent stabilization will be speaking with Jennifer Arnold, director of Inquilinxs Unidxs por Justicia and a leader of the campaign in favor of the Minneapolis ballot initiative.

Dr. Alvin Tillery, Dr. Michael Minta and Dr. Jamil Scott discuss the growing power of Black and Latinos in Congress in relation to the BLM protest movement and if Congress and more mainstream Black and Latino civil rights organizations are addressing the priorities of the BLM movement.

When Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the National Anthem in 2016 to protest police violence and racial inequity, he did more than shake up the NFL and the world of pro sports. His actions also sparked an unreported movement in high schools and colleges across the country. Join us to consider Kaepernick's impacts on sport, politics, and culture.

Professor Douglas Hartmann moderates a conversation with Dave Zirin, who is the author of "The Kaepernick Effect".

Many Democrats would like to wish away the large portion of the country that remains enthusiastic supporters of former President Donald Trump. That won't work. Trump loyalists are among the most likely to vote in the 2022 midterm elections and may help flip Congress to Republican control. Why are they loyal to Trump? Can Democrats lure them away?

Democratic pollster and former Yale University Professor Stanley Greenberg joins us to talk about his research on Trump voters.

We are accustomed to words and numbers as forms of communication. Photography is a visceral medium to express love, outrage at injustice, and a future of righteousness and morality. Nationally acclaimed multidisciplinary artist Bobby Rogers joins award-winning poet Douglas Kearney for a searching conversation.

To see the photos, view this event on Youtube at z.umn.edu/Photography2021,