Hugh Taft-Morales, Leader Philadelphia Ethical Society Voting is the most fundamental power in any real democracy. Yet Americans have been killed for using the vote to challenge systemic racism. Octavius Catto in 1871. Herbert Lee in 1961. Vernon Dahmer in 1966. To honor those slain activists, we must overcome voter suppression and apathy, demand greater […]

Sarah Bush, Associate Professor of Political Science University of Pennsylvania Foreign influence on elections is widespread. Drawing on evidence from surveys of Americans and others over the past decade, Bush will explain how and why such outside interventions affect local trust. Bush’s research focuses on ways in which international actors try to aid democracy, promote […]

Hugh Taft-Morales, Leader Philadelphia Ethical Society Almost a third of Americans admit to being at least somewhat superstitious. People knock on wood, throw salt over their shoulders, and avoid walking under ladders. Should we challenge such remnants of magical thinking, as Freethought Society founder Margaret Downey does at her Friday the 13th parties? Do superstitions […]

Victor Pickard, Professor of Media Policy and Political Economy Annenberg School for Communication The plague of misinformation is a threat to democracy, made worse by the loss of local journalism. Pickard, co-director of the Media, Inequality & Change Center at University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School, explores the need for new approaches to mainstream news and […]