"The other side of the free speech coin is listening well." Shaka Mitchell, senior fellow at the American Federation for Children and creator of the Come Together Music Project, believes we've "forgotten how to listen"—and music is his solution. A Nashville-based lawyer and education reform leader, Shaka uses songs to bridge political divides by asking simple questions: What song reminds you of being 21? What song reminds you of your dad? "Every memory has a soundtrack all its own," and when strangers share their musical stories—from Led Zeppelin's eight-minute "Cashmere" to whatever gets you through hard times—something remarkable happens: "we're sort of saying… that person, that's not an enemy, turns out, that's just another human." Shaka argues that free speech and conscience are "inextricably linked" in education, pointing to cases where school districts tried to silence parents who wanted to opt out of lessons that conflicted with their values. He warns that "squelching speech in that way is really dangerous" regardless of whose beliefs are at stake. His advice for finding your voice? "Lead with the pathos and not the logos"—start with your story, practice relentlessly, and use solitude (he's a runner) to workshop ideas. But most importantly, remember that music "forces us to actually sit in silence" for 45 seconds at a time in a world where "if things aren't happening in 12 second increments, we just lose attention." By humanizing one another through shared soundtracks, Shaka believes we can then "have the next conversation about something that's maybe a little more heavy, a little more fraught." Because education is nothing if not speech—and speech requires someone willing to truly listen.Find out more about Shaka’s work with the Come Together Music Project at: https://www.cometogetherpodcast.com/

"Is this going to be in my neck or in my back? And will it be fast?" Those were Carob Marcelle Bartholomew's thoughts as she lay on the ground during Charlie Kirk's assassination listening for bullets whizzing overhead that tragic day in Utah.

A homeschool teacher to 83 students and Utah State Director for Moms for America, Carob had been assaulted in the past in Seattle for holding a sign that said "character matters, reject CRT"—punched in the face by someone who "could have been a relative." Now she teaches her students that "the first place that you are enslaved is in your mind" and uses Peter Boghossian's techniques to get them debating everything from armed teachers to gun control, often keeping them 90 minutes past dismissal because "they're hungry for real conversation." 

After witnessing Charlie Kirk's murder, Carob organized a walk for students back to the shooting site, telling them to wear "I am Charlie" shirts because "another thing that we're constantly saying is our kids are resilient while we're watering them down and making them so weak and mentally fragile." Her message to anyone self-censoring: "I believe you have a right to say even the ugliest things. In fact, I want you to say the ugliest things because it gives me proof that it's happening." With her Mom's group declaring "I'm more in than ever" despite the violence, Carob's rallying cry is simple: "I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees."

Check out Carob’s YouTube channel “Be Not Afraid” at: https://www.youtube.com/@CarobMarcelle

This week Ryan Tsapatsaris is back and joins Elizabeth for discussion about bullying behaviors.  A recent study of Middle and High School aged participants revealed that bullied students admitted to also engaging in bullying behaviors.  The relationship was stronger for gender non-conforming students than for cisgender students.  Transgender identities were also more strongly associated with perpetration of bullying than subjection to bullying.  Ryan and Elizabeth describe the study and findings.  We also discuss some interesting aspects of the data set, which becomes a jumping off point for a summary of recent trends in gender identification: As of 2023, Generation Z survey respondents have been much less likely to identify as either trans or queer.  We also talk about the risks involved in doing this kind of research and secondary analysis of data.  Social scientists should be able to pose difficult and unpopular questions, and extend research and theory to contemporary social issues, without constant worries about interpersonal and professional cancellation campaigns.

Podcast notes

Topic article:

Heino, E., Ellonen, N., & Kaltiala, R. (2021). Transgender identity is associated with bullying involvement among Finnish adolescents. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 612424.  https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.612424/full

Mentioned articles:

Sex and the census: why surveys should not conflate sex and gender identity

https://www.queermajority.com/essays-all/academia-in-an-age-of-assholes

https://unherd.com/newsroom/why-are-fewer-young-people-identifying-as-trans/ (Kaufmann)

https://www.heterodoxcentre.com/research/chss-report-no-5/

Trans identification really is in free fall: New data (Twenge)

"If you can't state the truth, you can't really pursue it either." Scott, project coordinator with the Atlas Society and partner with the Free Society Coalition, left his comfortable career in financial services after a health scare made him realize it was "worth spending my time left advocating for the future I hope for." 

Drawing parallels between Thomas Paine's revolutionary Common Sense and today's censorship crisis, Scott argues the Declaration of Independence isn't just nostalgia—it's "a kind of reset button for dialogue" that can help us overcome our increasingly fractured society. He explores how John Locke's "life, liberty and property" evolved into Jefferson's pursuit of happiness, why "at a certain point, you're a slave" if you can't say what you want, and how the wars of religion ultimately birthed the Enlightenment ideas that shaped America's founding. Scott envisions massive "Liberty Revival" gatherings where citizens hash out ethical principles and free speech guidelines—holding everyone to a single standard without double standards based on historical grievances. 

**Note: Scott also wants to clarify that in his comments on Michael Jordan that he “was making a point about how a health or any other kind of scare can sometimes be useful to reassess our values.”

From the financial services industry to blues band frontman to freedom advocate, Scott reminds us that sometimes you need to get yourself "worked up" and ready to fight for the world you want to live in, because waiting for perfect conditions means liberty loses by default.

Learn more about the Free Society Coalition at: https://www.freesocietycoalition.org/

This week the Dissident's Podcast highlights our partner, Prosocial Workers, ProSocial Podcast. ProSocial Workers executive director and ILV senior advisor Matt Watson invites licensed clinical social worker Paul Stayback to discuss the intersection of social work, gun violence, and mental health. They explore the challenges of engaging with firearms owners in therapy, the importance of viewpoint diversity in social work, and the need for nuanced conversations about gun control and safety. Paul shares his journey into social work, his experiences with veterans, and the cultural barriers that prevent effective dialogue around firearms. The conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding and humanizing different perspectives to foster productive discussions and ultimately enhance community safety.

This week Mike Burke is back and joins Elizabeth for discussion about the neuroscience of polarized attitudes.  A recent article suggests that regardless of which side of the political aisle we inhabit, those with more extreme views may experience similar neural activity and physiological responses to the same political content and emotionally charged language. Research participants who self-identified on the most extreme ends of the ideological spectrum exhibited the most so-called  "neural synchrony effects."  Mike and Elizabeth talk about the implications of these similarities as well as other examples of what is often called the horseshoe theory, which suggests that those at the far ends of the political spectrum may view the world through a shared lens and that their behaviors and strategies are nearly indistinguishable. Mike describes his relevant article in which he argues that too often "those who claim to be the defenders of Western civilisation seem not to notice that they are the ones burning it down from within." 

Podcast notes

Topic article: de Bruin, D., & FeldmanHall, O. (2025). Politically extreme individuals exhibit similar neural processing despite ideological differences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

A brief description of horseshoe theory appears here: https://vanderbiltpoliticalreview.com/12168/us/horseshoe-theory-in-american-politics/

Mike's recent article can be found here: https://www.queermajority.com/essays-all/the-kremlins-lgbt-smokescreen

This week Elizabeth is joined by librarian and frequent contributor, Pamela Hayes-Bohanan who, in anticipation of Banned Books Week, gives us the latest news on attempts to remove books from our libraries. The majority of book censorship attempts now originate from organized movements, pressure groups, and government entities, including elected officials. While concerns about content or appropriate category for shelving used to come from individuals, book bans are now most commonly initiated by activists who may never have seen the book or patronized the library they've targeted.  The titles most frequently targeted for censorship appear on partisan lists. Websites provide a forum for sharing author names, book titles, and tools to demand censorship of more titles in more libraries.  Pam helps us understand what that means for our public, private, K-12 and college libraries.  We also discuss what it means for education and society more broadly.  Pam encourages us to celebrate the right to read.

Podcast notes

The American Library Association sponsors Banned Books Week annually to promote awareness, remind us that censorship has no place in contemporary society, and most of all to celebrate the right to read. More information about Banned Books Week can be found here:  https://www.ala.org/bbooks/banned 

Since our podcast this happened: Texas School Administrators Use A.I. To Ban Books.  Read about it here: https://bookriot.com/leander-sb-13/

A couple of reports from PEN America can be found here:Cover to Cover: An analysis of titles banned in the 23-24 school year
https://pen.org/report/cover-to-cover/

The Blueprint State: Lessons from Parents Left Behind by Parental Rights Policies in Florida
https://pen.org/report/the-blueprint-state/

"I'm that person you hate." That's what attorney and activist Kofi Montzka says when coworkers start ranting about conservatives—and it stops them in their tracks. After being told she couldn't speak anymore at a mandatory anti-racism training (despite being one of only two Black people in the room), Kofi fought back by organizing a political civility presentation that drew over 350 state employees. Now she's on a mission to prove you can "hold your strong convictions and still come here and be loved and accepted." 

Kofi shares her strategy of tackling the strongest arguments from the other side, why personal stories matter more than she ever wanted to admit, and how simply being present with people who disagree with you—whether in a running group or at school board meetings—creates change that grand speeches never could. Her advice on counting the cost before speaking up, being "faultless in disputes," and the power of getting to know people before revealing your views offers a roadmap for anyone tired of choosing between their principles and their relationships. If we can't figure out civil discourse, Kofi warns, "we're going to be at civil war"—making free speech and diversity of thought not just ideals worth fighting for, but essential survival skills.

Find out more at: https://freeblackthought.com/voices/kofi-montzka

This week Elizabeth is joined by Mark Horowitz. We discuss two very different articles about viewpoint diversity. In one (unpublished) paper the authors examined thousands of college course syllabi for evidence that diverse perspectives were being introduced. In all 3 areas of focus (racism in the criminal justice system, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the ethics of abortion), faculty overwhelmingly assigned works representing a single perspective. There was very little evidence that students were formally introduced to books or articles identified as well known with respected alternative views. Based on our personal experiences in academia, we were more surprised about the magnitude of the effects than the general findings. While we could find little to criticize about the first article, we were less enamored with the second, which argues against viewpoint diversity. The author's focus is more political than scientific, and her examples are primarily extreme, unrelated to traditional academic goals, and may reveal more about her bias against Heterodox Academy than the futility of viewpoint diversity. She rightly argues that hiring individuals solely because they have unusual views would likely do little to advance science, but we find little else to admire about her narrow arguments and examples.  Mark shares his own research findings regarding groupthink in academia, the benefits of viewpoint diversity, and briefly describes the rewards and challenges of incorporating controversial topics and perspectives in the classroom.  

Podcast notes

The (unpublished) Shields, et al. syllabus working paper can be found here: https://roseinstitute.cmc.edu/academic/faculty/profile/jon-shields 

The authors were interviewed by the Chronicle of Higher Education here: https://www.chronicle.com/article/these-scholarly-topics-are-hotly-debated-so-why-dont-syllabi-reflect-that and the paper was referenced in this New York Times editorial here:  https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/opinion/conservative-professors-viewpoint-diversity.html

The Siraganian op-ed for the American Association of University Professors Academe Magazine, which argues against viewpoint diversity, can be found here: Seven Theses Against Viewpoint Diversity | AAUP

Other episodes with contributor Mark Horowitz: 

Top of the Class: Teachers with Lenient Grading get Higher Ratings: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s5-e6-top-of-the-class-attractive-teachers/id1537516628?i=1000699222059

Contrarians at the Gate: Publishing Controversial Topics in an Era of Academic Progressivism: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s4-e26-contrarians-at-the-gate-publishing/id1537516628?i=1000668944697

Making Up the Grade: A Call for Educators to Openly Address Eroding Standards: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s4-e19-making-up-the-grade-a-call-for-educators/id1537516628?i=1000661206148

In this urgent and unplanned episode of Free Speech Forward, hosts Joia and Chris respond to the shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025—the most horrific attack on free speech on US soil in their lifetimes. Recording in the immediate aftermath of this tragedy, they grapple with what Kirk's murder means for America's future as we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. As the founder of Turning Point USA, Kirk was killed while doing exactly that to which he dedicated his life: engaging in civil discourse and debate on a college campus. Joia and Chris examine the dangerous ideology that equates "words with violence," tracing how this academic concept has escaped universities to radicalize ordinary Americans into justifying—or even celebrating—political murder. They explore the troubling reactions from some Americans who are rationalizing Kirk's death, and issue an urgent call for all who value civilization to defend the bright line between speech and violence. This episode serves as both a tribute to a fallen advocate for free expression and a rallying cry for defending the foundational freedoms that make peaceful disagreement possible in a diverse society.

Learn more about Charlie’s legacy with Turning Point USA at: https://tpusa.com/