Millennials are often seen as a progressive-minded generation – as 80’s and 90’s kids, they grew up in a digital landscape that exposed them to a diversity of perspectives. But while expectations were high that this generation would be on the frontlines in the fight for racial equality, recent research by  Associate Professor of Political Science Candis Watts Smith paints a different picture. During our conversation, Professor Smith discussed how white millennials’ really think about race  and the ways in which their views and beliefs have largely halted progress for Black Americans and other racial minorities in the United States. 

For more of Candis Smith’s work:

Check out her book on this research, Racial Stasis: The Millennial Generation and the Stagnation of Racial Attitudes in American Politics 

Read her latest book Stay Woke: A People’s Guide to Making All Black Lives Matter

Listen to her podcast, Democracy Works, to hear interviews with experts who study all different aspects of what it means to live in a democracy.

Conversations around climate change often focus on the consumption habits of everyday people: the cars we drive, the food we eat, our electricity bills. But according to geography professor Matt Huber, the carbon footprints of consumers are not what we should be so concerned about, despite all the rhetoric. During our conversation, Professor Huber focused on what (and who) he argues are largely responsible for our alarmingly high rate of carbon emissions – and offered solutions.

For more of Matt Huber’s work:

Check out his new book coming out on May 10th: Climate Change as Class War

Read his opinion article on this topic published in Jacobin: Rich People are Fueling Climate Catastrophe – But Not Mostly Because of Their Consumption 

Check out his new book coming out on March 8th Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics – and How to Cure It

Read another one of his recent books on this topic  Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to American Democracy

For more of Tova Walsh’s work:

Check out her recent opinion article published in NBC News: As COVID surges, health officials must remember that in-person postpartum care is essential 

Listen to her interviews about the experience of early parenting during the pandemic, on Wisconsin Public Radio and Slate’s parenting podcast.

Amidst the dizzying onslaught of crises facing the nation – and the world – over the past several years, we are starting the new year by reflecting on how Americans react and respond to traumatic events, both as individuals and as groups. How do frightening circumstances facing our communities impact us psychologically? Why does so much disparity exist in the ways we process the same harmful events? How can we connect and find unity amidst all the chaos? These are some of the questions we explored with Dr. Maurice Stevens, a professor of comparative studies whose critical trauma theory research focuses on ways individuals and communities react to overwhelming events.

For more of Maurice Stevens’s work:

Check out their SSN brief on this topic: Getting Beyond Trauma.

Read a similar piece they published in Oppositional Conversations titled Contesting Catastrophes.