Welcome to The Fulcrum’s daily weekday e-newsletter where insiders and outsiders to politics are informed, meet, talk, and act to repair our democracy and make it live and work in our everyday lives.
Podcast: Collage: "The talk"

Within African-American communities and families, "the talk" too often has been a cautionary tale of how to respond to the police – navigating the precarious relations between citizens and those who are supposed to protect and serve the community. Johnson reflects a talk of existential consequence.
“Agape” needed to resolve America’s divisiveness

Valentine’s Day is upon us when most people will express -- in some fashion -- one, two or three forms of the word “love.” But, many individuals will completely ignore the fourth type of love – agape – at a time we need that as much as the other three.
The first type of love is eros (AIR-ohs). It originated from the ancient Greek philosophy referring to physical attraction and romantic love.
Connecticut voters approved early voting. Here’s how their new secretary of state wants to make it happen

Last November, Connecticut voters made two choices with big implications for how they vote in future elections: They approved a ballot measure to institute early voting, and they elected Stephanie Thomas as their next secretary of state.
Thomas, a Democrat and former state lawmaker who campaigned on expanding voting access, defeated Republican Dominic Rapini, who questioned the 2020 election results and claimed without proof that voter fraud is rampant. In the process, Thomas made history as the first Black person to be elected as Connecticut’s secretary of state.
Video: Convergence live: Digital information and political polarization

From newsfeeds to comments sections, misinformation and conflict are hard to avoid while scrolling. Engaging with one another in unproductive ways and residing in deep echo chambers fuels dangerous polarization among Americans.
How can online discourse change to decrease toxic polarization instead? Convergence President & CEO David Eisner moderated this spirited conversation between Harvard Fellow and journalist Heidi Legg and first amendment attorney Ari Cohn.