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Podcast: How to have better conversations about race

Podcast: How to have better conversations about race

There are many challenging issues to talk about in American society, but those that involve race are among the most difficult. For many there is anger, confusion, and uncertainty. Rather than participating in a conversation, many people avoid it or come armed for an argument.

Tensions around the topic of race suggests that there are still problems that need to be solved. In a recent Civil Squared podcast, Dr. Erec Smith, an Associate Professor of Rhetoric at York College of Pennsylvania, addresses how we can have better conversations about race in this country.


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AI literacy isn’t just about jobs. Learn why schools should teach students to question AI outputs, verify claims, and think critically as citizens.

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Almost everyone I know is talking about artificial intelligence. Teacher friends say it helps with administrative tasks, then describe their frustration when students use it to complete assignments. Principals wonder whether teachers are using it effectively. Colleagues past and present worry about how it will shape their students’ lives. And among parents in my kids’ circles, the chatter is mostly about jobs: Do we need AI literacy to stay relevant at work? What does AI mean for our children’s future careers? How much should we trust it?

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Fund the Community DataBank

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I believed deeply then — and still do — in James Madison’s warning, contained in an 1822 letter to William T. Barry: “A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both.” If an educated electorate is essential to protecting democracy, helping people be informed voters felt like a valuable way to contribute.

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Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a campaign rally on November 01, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan

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You Can’t Buy Authenticity

Elon Musk spent an estimated $474 million trying to keep Congress Republican. On Wednesday morning, he joked that his “election-interfering space lasers didn’t work this time.” Neither did the money.

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