Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Liberation comedy: May laughter set you free

Liberation comedy: May laughter set you free
Liberation Comedy

Pedro Silva is the Founder of Liberation Comedy and Director of Engagement for YOUnify. Nevins is co-publisher of The Fulcrum and co-founder and board chairman of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund.

Laughter is the embodiment of depolarization. Just consider that in order for something to evoke laughter, it has to both have the capacity to hold tension and release tension at the same time. Like some kind of cognitive dissonance yoga, laughing requires one to hold a posture long enough to realize the benefits of the subsequent release. That’s why many folks in the bridging movement have begun to explore the power of laughter to bring people together across differences.


It’s no secret that pop culture in America has amazing healing and connecting powers. Throughout history, we’ve seen how artists, entertainers, athletes, and creators of every kind invite us into a space of transcendence that leads to connectivity. When harnessed, we see that when we join people together their energy for good can be amplified and scaled.

Toward that end, Liberation Comedy (LibCom), a brand new comedy concept founded by former pastor Pedro Silva, who currently works for a non-profit organization YOUnify as the director of Engagement, has launched an effort to use laughter as a scaffolding for building social cohesion. Liberation Comedy is based on the principle that comedy is an effective tool to bring people together through listening and laughing their way into embracing our common humanity.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

In this time of social media and the divisive way that many of us use the internet, comedy can help us realize the absurdity of the “us versus them" mentality in our country and understand that we’re all in this together. To quote comedian critic Ronald K.L Collings:

“Comedy can be erudite or entertaining, or both, and yes, it can be rude and ridiculous, just as life itself can be. But in its finest moments comedy is the enemy of fanaticism, the foe of tyranny, the adversary of strident know-nothings, the nemesis of the pompous, and the friend of skepticism in an overconfident world. Then again, sometimes comedy is no more than the source of a full belly laugh.”

The hope of LibCom is that through the power of raucous laughter, we can drown out the voices that divide us as a nation by turning the rhetoric down a notch, listening and laughing more together and eventually hating less. Ultimately the goal is to harness the positive power of comedy to support constructive debate and encourage people to engage with people who think differently.

Liberation Comedy, if channeled responsibly, can be one component of pop culture along with music, theater, poetry, and other art forms to reach people’s souls so we can engage them to join in grassroots movements that scale and amplify our victories and advance our values for lasting impact.

To hear more about Pedro’s thoughts on the power of comedy, check out this post entitled, If We Can Laugh Together, Maybe We Can Last Together.

Click here to enjoy Liberation Comedy’s inaugural stand up set, “May Laughter Set You Free,” featuring Pedro Silva.

Read More

Historic Bipartisan Reform Passed Into Law

A voter receiving information.

Getty Images, SeventyFour

Historic Bipartisan Reform Passed Into Law

On April 8, 2025, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed SB 16 into law, a historic bipartisan reform that gives more than 330,000 independent voters—who make up nearly 25% of New Mexico’s electorate—the right to vote in the state’s primary elections, starting in 2026. This continues an overall nationwide trend of states opening their primary elections to more voters.

“New Mexico’s open primaries law will ensure that every eligible voter has a say in every taxpayer-funded election, not just those who choose to affiliate with a party,” said Nick Troiano, Executive Director of Unite America. “For too long, a quarter of New Mexicans have been locked out of their state’s primary elections—which in most cases are the only elections that matter. Ending closed primaries is an important step toward increasing participation and representation in our democracy.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Beginning To Explore the Pro-Democracy Arena
a large white building with a flag on top of it

Beginning To Explore the Pro-Democracy Arena

The Fulcrum presents The Path Forward: Defining the Democracy Reform Movement. Scott Warren's interview series engaging diverse thought leaders to elevate the conversation about building a thriving and healthy democratic republic that fulfills its potential as a national social and political game-changer. This series is the start of focused collaborations and dialogue led by The Bridge Alliance and The Fulcrum teams to help the movement find a path forward.

Over the last two months, I’ve been privileged to speak with a diversity of stakeholders who work within the pro-democracy ecosystem. These leaders are focused on improving the democratic fabric of this country through tackling issues like structural reform, bridge building, organizing the ecosystem, and place-based work. I’ll continue this series with the Fulcrum over the next few months, and welcome your feedback (and additional potential individuals to interview).

Keep ReadingShow less
The FEC Has Opened the Floodgates for Big Money To Flood Elections. Here’s How We Can Fix It.

A miniature White House on top of coins and bills.

Getty Images, Max Zolotukhin

The FEC Has Opened the Floodgates for Big Money To Flood Elections. Here’s How We Can Fix It.

Elections are getting bigger.

2024 was a blockbuster year in campaign spending, shattering the previous record—set just four years prior—as donors across the nation and the economic spectrum swooped in to pull control of every branch of government their way.

Keep ReadingShow less