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How does humor help democracy?

How does humor help democracy?play icon
How does humor help democracy? (feat. Trevor Noah)
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The Fulcrum
By The FulcrumFeb 22, 2022
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
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As far back as Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain, humor has been used to call into question the actions of those in power. And that tradition continued throughout our nation‘s history in humorists such as Mort Sahl, Lenny Bruce, Dick Gregory, Jonathan Winters, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah and many, many more.

At the National Democratic Institute’s Democracy Gala in 2019 Trevor Noah, Madeleine Albright and NDI President Derek Mitchell provided their thoughts on how humor helps democracy.

Mitchell said, “The core of humor and laughter is a freedom of spirit, certainly of speech, an irreverence, an assertion of individualism that are essential to a democratic culture.”

Watch this video from the event and see if you agree with us that comedy can be a powerful force to raise awareness to the realities of the political and social imperfections in our country, and by doing so can open our minds to the corrective actions needed.

If you have current or past examples of how political comedy has been more civil, please email us at pop-culture@fulcrum.us.

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A Place for Women of Color: Woman Made Gallery

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A Place for Women of Color: Woman Made Gallery

While the Trump administration seeks to erase places for those with historically marginalized identities, Woman Made Gallery offers more than representation—it offers response. Through exhibitions like the most recent Acts of Care, the gallery creates an intentional space where women, women of color, and nonbinary artists don't have to ask for permission to belong—they build that belonging themselves. As a nonprofit rooted in justice and community dialogue, Woman Made Gallery continues to model what inclusive, women-of-color-led spaces can look like: ones that honor lineage, complexity, and care as forms of resistance.

For Program Coordinator Corinne Pompéy, the mission of Woman Made Gallery is more than just representation—it’s about creating an entry point for connection and care. “Our goal is to ensure women and nonbinary artists are seen in the art world,” she said. “But more than that, we want people to feel something when they walk in—whether that’s reflection, joy, or even release.”

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Combating ICE Through Sound and Solidarity

"Juan Carlos Vargas, frontman for the Southwest side hardcore band Augment, performs to an energetic crowd at the "No One Is Illegal On Stolen Land" benefit show in Pilsen on February 27, 2025."

Photo taken by Felix Gama

Combating ICE Through Sound and Solidarity

In late February, Chicago cold- a little over a month into Trump’s second term as president- a hundred or so eager hardcore fans crowded in the cramped basement of a skateboard shop in Pilsen for a benefit show raising money for immigrants affected by Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests.

Amid dust flying up from the cold concrete floor, sweaty bodies shoulder to shoulder, and a violent mosh pit, Yaretzi, an undocumented young Latina college student from the Southwest side of Chicago who frequents the city’s hardcore scene, was in the crowd, standing in solidarity with her community that is under attack.

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Trump Slams Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians Over Name Changes

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(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump has reignited controversy surrounding the Washington Commanders football team, demanding the franchise revert to its former name, the “Redskins,” a term widely condemned as a racial slur against Native Americans.

In a series of posts on Truth Social this past weekend, Trump declared, “The Washington 'Whatever's' should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team.” He went further, threatening to block the team’s $3.7 billion stadium deal in Washington, D.C., unless the name change is reversed.

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Musician Nimo Patel Reminds Us To Take Our Time

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So far in 2025, we honored and celebrated culture as a bridge to the latest news and analysis of politics, policy, and the birth of a new civic and political voice to build greater social cohesion, civic engagement, and problem-solving.

We hope you have taken the journey with us as we shared stories, music, poetry, and dance to inspire our better angels as part of our continuing coverage of the problems and solutions of our times.

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