“If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny”

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“If America Fails?  The Coming Tyranny” is a new webcast series that examines “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu series) – the fictional story that explores the real potential of the U.S. as a failed state, through the lens and perspectives of the Black experience.  Co-hosts Janice Graham and L. Michelle Odom, together with subject matter experts, consider the events, characters, and capacity of the U.S. to fail, given conditions in the real world. We explore the potential of what a failed state that turns to authoritarianism, fascism, religious extremism and/or other odious, dictatorial strategies, might mean for Black people

Essentially, everything in the story has ALREADY happened in human history. This was a criteria established by the best-selling author, Margaret Atwood, who set the novel in Gilead, a fictional, totalitarian society in what used to be part of the United States. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats people, other than white men, as property of the state, and takes place following some environmental disasters that cause a plummeting birth rate. The new regime forces the U.S. system of democracy into failure, and plunges it into chaos and civil war. The areas where the “Gilead Republic governs,” in previous American regions, establishes strict caste and penal systems.

The “If America Fails?” webcast series features a weekly panel of subject matter experts in the themes presented by the book and Hulu series, The Handmaid’s Tale, and is followed by an open chat with the audience. Some of the themes are fascism, religion and civil war – and of course, the status of women in a highly controlled, authoritarian theocracy. If you’re a fan of the book or TV series, or an expert in the subject areas, let us know of your interest in appearing on the panel or joining the live public chat.

For more information: Contact L. Michelle Odom, Senior Producer, LMOdom@OurCommonGround.com – or TWN@TruthWorksNetwork.com @TWNtalk

TWN features LIVE Forums including The ALFO Show; Black Women in the Prism – Unleashing the Fury; Working While Black; “Truth for Our Youth: Teen Self-Empowerment” – EMPOWERING BLACK TEENS – THE MOVEMENT; Zero Tolerance for the School to Prison Pipeline (STOPP); Soul AFIRE with Dr. Matthew V. Johnson (“Spirit Matters Talk Radio”); and “Commentaries On the Times Radio with Playthell Benjamin and Dr. Basil Wilson.”  These and other LIVE & CALL-IN forums are offered with various subject matter experts.  All TWN programming is available ON-Demand.

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