If America Fails?

Dr. David H. Ikard Is On Twitter @blkeducator — Get to Know This IAF Guest Who Is Joining the 1/13/22 Premiere

@ASoulAFire @JaniceOCG Find Dr. David H. Ikard — @blkeducator — Prof. & Chair, African-American & Diaspora Studies, @VanderbiltU & chat with him before the PREMIERE of “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny.” on Thurs., Jan. 13, 2022, 8 pm ET, on the TruthWorks Network YouTube channel.

Find Dr. David H. Ikard, Professor and Chair, African-American and Diaspora Studies, Vanderbilt University — @blkeducator — on Twitter — and chat with this educator before he joins the PREMIERE of “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny.” on Thursday, January 13, 2022, 8 pm ET, on the TruthWorks Network YouTube channel.

The evening’s theme is Democracy as seen in The Handmaid’s Tale in comparison to its practice in present-day USA.

How thoroughly have African Americans experienced democracy in the U.S.?
What roles have African Americans played in promoting democracy in the U.S.?
Can democracy in America survive and flourish without the activism of African Americans?
How does Democracy differ from Autocracy – and what is likely to happen to African Americans if the U.S. sheds its democratic veneer?
What message should Black Americans receive from campaigns like “Stop the Steal?”
Is there a role for Black Americans to play in the voter suppression and election subversion campaigns currently sweeping the country?
How do the different political systems as seen in Canada and Gilead, in The Handmaid’s Tale, compare with our present reality?
What do you want to talk to Dr. Ikard about? Hit us up! — LMO

“Professor Ikard is Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies. His research and teaching interests include African American Literature, black feminist criticism, hip hop culture, black masculinity and whiteness studies. He is the author/co-author of four books, including Breaking The Silence: Toward a Black Male Feminist Criticism (2007), Nation of Cowards: Black Activism in Barack Obama’s Post-Racial America (2012), co-authored with Martell Teasley and winner of the Best Scholarly Book Award by DISA in 2013, Blinded by the Whites: Why Race Still Matters in 21st-Century America (2013), and Lovable Racists, Magical Negroes, and White Messiahs (2017). His essays have appeared in African American Review, MELUS, Palimpsest, African and Black Diaspora Journal, The Journal of Black Studies, and Obsidian III.” — Vanderbilt University

David Ikard also has a passion for creating Black art. Inspired largely by the motherland – Africa – and using acrylics, oils, wood, cloth, and archival paper for mixed media, Ikard focuses on creating images that have “something to do with black folks, social justice, self-determination, nature, and the rawness of our collective humanity.” You may see his artwork online at the Ikard Gallery. — If America Fails: The Coming Tyranny, a TruthWorks Network Production

CONTACT US “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny” for access to the Zoom chatroom—L. Michelle Odom, Senior Producer
LMOdom@OurCommonGround.com or TWN@TruthWorksNetwork.com
Watch Thursdays, 8 pm ET, January 13 to April 7, 2022, on the TruthWorks Network YouTube Channel. All Are Welcome!

FIND | Dr. David H. Ikard Is On Twitter @blkeducator — Get to Know This IAF Guest Who Is Joining the 1/13/22 Premiere | “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny”

See Dr. Cynthia Ann Baron’s Bio at Bowling Green

@ASoulAFire @JaniceOCG See the CV of Dr. #CynthiaAnnBaron @bgsu, joining “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny,” 1/20/22, 8 pm ET, discussing Cults, Cultures and Religions theme in @HandmaidsOnHulu on the TruthWorks Network YouTube Channel.

Dr. Cynthia Ann Baron, Associate Professor, Theatre and Film, Bowling Green State University, joins the Thursday, 1/20/22, 8 pm Episode of “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny,” focusing on the Cults, Cultures and Religions theme in The Handmaid’s Tale. Her CV is available at the BGSU website if you’d like to learn more about her before her appearance on IAF. — LMO

Dr. Cynthia Ann Baron is an Associate Professor in Theatre and Film at Bowling Green State University, where she researches and teaches; authors scholarly books and articles on subjects related to the discipline; and provides keynote speeches and other presentations at conferences both domestically and internationally. Her research and teaching interests include American Independent Cinema; Screenwriting; Taste Formation; Censorship; Food Studies; Women’s Cinema; and Actor Training, Stardom, and Screen Performance, among other subjects. She has taught courses on intersections between the film-media industry, national security, and cultural moments such as the Cold War and the Vietnam era. Some other courses Dr. Baron teaches are American Independent Cinema; Hollywood, Censorship, and American Culture; and Performance and Theatre in the Americas.

Most recently, she published Acting Indie: Industry, Aesthetics, and Performance (with Yannis Tzioumakis), (2020), which illustrates the many ways that actors contribute to American independent cinema and analyzes industrial developments; Modern Acting: The Lost Chapter of American Film and Theatre (2016), which, in part, highlights women’s key contributions to American film and theatre; and Denzel Washington (2015) where Baron traces the star’s persona and impact on mainstream society. Current book projects include: Recasting (White) Genres: Race, Ethnicity, and Performance in Contemporary Film and Television; Intersecting Aesthetics: Literary Adaptations and Cinematic Representations of Blackness, with co-editor Charlene Regester; and Imprisonment: Representation in Global Film and Media, with co-editor Karen Ritzenhoff. She is co-chair of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Caucus on Class and has participated in events such as the Rethinking Realist Acting Conference in New York, and the Acting in Film Conference in Potsdam. — If America Fails: The Coming Tyranny, a TruthWorks Network Production

SEE | Cynthia Baron | Bowling Green State University

Author Frank Schaeffer Joins 1/27/22 Episode of “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny”

@ASoulAFire @JaniceOCG @AtwoodSociety Join us 1/27/22, 8 pm ET when @Frank_Schaeffer explores gender roles in @HandmaidsOnHulu w/ “If America Fails?” Frank Schaeffer’s latest book, Fall in Love, Have Children, Stay Put, Save the Planet, Be Happy, seeks to alter the course we’re on. #DemocracyMatters

Mr. Frank Schaeffer, Author, Fall in Love, Have Children, Stay Put, Save the Planet, Be Happy, will join If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny – Lessons from The Handmaid’s Tale, on Thursday, January 27, 2022, 8 pm ET, on the TruthWorks Network YouTube channel, we are pleased to announce. This evening we explore the theme of Gender as it shows up in The Handmaid’s Tale, where there are strict and severely limited roles for both women and men, with this expert panelist who stands to #DefendDemocracy.

Schaeffer speaks frequently on the regrets he has about helping to grow the Religious Right and the impact this may have on the women and girls in his own family he will one day leave behind. Fall in Love is Frank’s blueprint for living happier lives and crafting a better future.

We don’t have to go down the road we’re on – the one that ends in trauma, tragedy, destruction and misery for all.

There are other paths!

Join us on January 27th to explore with Frank Schaeffer, “the road less travelled,” and let’s figure out how to Be Happy. — LMO

“Frank Schaeffer is a New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen books. Frank is a survivor of both polio and an evangelical/fundamentalist childhood, an acclaimed writer who overcame severe dyslexia, a home-schooled and self-taught documentary movie director, a feature film director of four low budget Hollywood features Frank has described as ‘pretty terrible.’ He is also an acclaimed author of fiction and nonfiction and an artist with a loyal following of international collectors who own many of his paintings.

“Frank has been a frequent guest on the Rachel Maddow Show on NBC, has appeared on Oprah, been interviewed by Terri Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air and appeared on the Today Show, BBC News and many other media outlets. He is a much sought after speaker and has lectured at a wide range of venues from Harvard’s Kennedy School to the Hammer Museum/UCLA, Princeton University, Riverside Church Cathedral, DePaul University and the Kansas City Public Library.” — FrankSchaeffer.com

MARK YOUR CALENDAR | Thurs., Jan. 27, 2022, 8 pm ET | Guest Panelist Frank Schaeffer, Author, “Fall in Love, Have Children, Stay Put, Save the Planet, Be Happy” | If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny | TruthWorks Network

Read “Dispatches From A Collapsing State,” the Substack Blog by IAF Expert, Jared Yates Sexton

@ASoulAFire @JaniceOCG See blog by @jysexton Dispatches From A Collapsing State, the #DemocracyDefender who joins “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny” on Thurs., Jan 13, 2022, 8 pm ET on the TruthWorks Network YouTube channel, examining threats to democracy. Join us for the premiere!

Jared Yates Sexton, an expert on threats to democracy, will join “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny” on Thursday, January 13, 2022, at 8 pm ET, on the TruthWorks Network YouTube channel, for the premiere!

Sexton’s blog is Dispatches From A Collapsing State, and it’s a great way to learn more about how he sees current challenges in the U.S. and world we all share. For example, in his latest commentary, CYNICAL SELF-DESTRUCTION: THE PANDEMIC AND ZERO-SUM POLITICS, he writes:

“The constantly changing narrative among the GOP’s base and the Right Wing population is telling. Something has happened in this country that made the pandemic deadly in new and frightening ways, but it also affected the way we make sense of things, the way we approach problems and current events. It riddles our lives, pushing us further and further apart and cementing a suspicion, among many, maybe most, Americans, that we are unfortunately chained together as we run headlong at the edge of a cliff.”

There are links to the Substack page and recent entry below. — LMO

Jared Yates Sexton is the author of three nonfiction books – The People Are Going To Rise Like The Waters Upon Your Shore: A Story of American Rage, The Man They Wanted Me to Be: Toxic Masculinity and a Crisis of Our Making, and American Rule: How A Nation Conquered the World But Failed Its People – as well as four works of fiction. He co-hosts The Muckrake Political Podcast with Nick Hauselnan, has a newsletter on Substack, live streams from YouTube, and is Associate Professor of Writing and Linguistics at Georgia Southern University-Statesboro. Sexton has gone undercover into the fascist world and documented the 2016 Presidential Election, gaining himself a national profile after a tweet on the campaign went viral. His political writing has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The New Republic, Politico, and Salon.com, and he is a strong voice warning Americans on threats to democracy. He is now working on a new book. — If America Fails: The Coming Tyranny, a TruthWorks Network Production

READ | CYNICAL SELF-DESTRUCTION: THE PANDEMIC AND ZERO-SUM POLITICS | by Jared Yates Sexton | Substack | 12/22/21

SEE BLOG | Dispatches From A Collapsing State | by Jared Yates Sexton | Substack

Listen to “The Muckrake Political Podcast” with Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman

@ASoulAFire @JaniceOCG 1/13/22 IAF guest @jysexton co-hosts TheMuckrakePoliticalPodcast w/ @CanYouHearMeSMH & it’s one of my absolute faves. Find out why! Join Thurs., 8 pm ET, 1/13 – 4/7/22, “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny.”

One of my very favorite podcasts is The Muckrake Political Podcast with Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman. The primary podcast posts on Tuesdays, with a special “Weekend Edition” available on Fridays for Patreon subscribers. Sexton is joining “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny” for the premiere on Thursday, January 13, 2022, at 8 pm ET, focused on threats to democracy – and I’m so excited! I listen on Spotify, but you can get it wherever podcasts are found.

Some recent episode titles, to give you an idea of the topics these hosts address, while defending democracy, include:

“Did Mark Meadows Plan The Coup?”
“GOP Working On Getting The Coup Right This Time”
“Chauncey DeVega On Why Democracy Might Not Survive”
“Tracing The Arc of Alex Jones Will Frighten You”
“Rittenhouse Verdict Signals A New Era”

OK, listening to the podcast can be a little scary if you’re the squeamish type – but if you prefer looking truth straight in the eyes, and like knowing there are others who see what you see happening to our democracy, this is a must-listen podcast every week. Find out why I love The Muckrake Political Podcast at the link below.

Find the Patreon page here. Memberships begin at $5/month. — LMO

“The Muckrake Podcast is the political podcast that promises to dig deeper. Political analysts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman tackle the news of the day but go beyond the stale and tired narratives to provide historical context and alternative perspectives, all to bring a little order to chaotic times.” — The Muckrake Political Podcast

LISTEN TO | The Muckrake Political Podcast with Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman

Dr. Cynthia Ann Baron Joins the 1/20/22, 8 pm ET Episode of “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny,” Focusing on the Cults, Cultures and Religions Theme in “The Handmaid’s Tale”

@ASoulAFire @JaniceOCG @Y_Strahovski @MargaretAtwood @AtwoodSociety Dr. #CynthiaAnnBaron joins Thurs., 1/20/22, 8 pm ET, “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny,” on Cults, Cultures and Religions Theme in @HandmaidsOnHulu. You’re invited! #DemocracyMatters

TruthWorks Network is pleased to announce Dr. Cynthia Ann Baron, Associate Professor, Theatre and Film, Bowling Green State University, will participate as an expert guest panelist in the January 20, 2022, 8 pm ET episode of “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny.”

This evening’s focus is the Cults, Cultures and Religions theme found in The Handmaid’s Tale. Dr. Baron’s expertise in film studies will be of particular benefit to viewers who seek a more nuanced perspective on the subtle references and imagery of religiosity found in the book and television series.

For example, in the early episodes of the Hulu TV show, featuring an ensemble cast, led by Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes and Yvonne Strahovski, newly indoctrinated handmaids pass by a wall on which men have been hanged for crimes such as being gay, working in an abortion clinic, and being a Catholic priest. Also, while they are walking, they see St. Paul Catholic Church, their local church, being destroyed by the new régime, and Ofglen tells Offred that the régime bulldozed St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan to try to “erase” the fact that it ever existed.

What historical and real-life references are we seeing in scenes like these?
What subliminal messages do viewers receive about the permanence or transience of religion, the power of extremist ideas on the masses, or necessity of comporting one’s self to powerful social actors willing to violently impose their will on others?
Are we more likely to learn to “go along to get along” or the need to quash cult ideas in their seminal formation, from watching this show?
Are shows like The Handmaid’s Tale more harmful or helpful to our collective mental health and capacity to nurture a world where freedom reigns?

Are shows like The Handmaid’s Tale more harmful or helpful to our collective mental health and capacity to nurture a world where freedom reigns?

MARK YOUR CALENDAR | Dr. Cynthia Ann Baron Joins the 1/20/22, 8 pm ET Episode of “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny,” Focusing on the Cults, Cultures and Religions Theme in The Handmaid’s Tale | If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny | TruthWorks Network | 12/22/2021

IAF Has Updated Its Guestbook with Jared Yates Sexton’s Bio

@ASoulAFire @JaniceOCG We’ve added a bio on @jysexton to the IAF guestbook. Sexton co-hosts w/ @CanYouHearMeSMH, The Muckrake Political Podcast & joins premiere on Thurs., 1/13/22, 8 pm ET, of “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny.”

IAF has updated its guestbook with Jared Yates Sexton’s Bio. Learn more about the creative, popular and insightful guest who will join “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny” for the premiere on Thursday, January 13, 2022, at 8 pm ET, at the link below.

Sexton, who teaches courses on The Handmaid’s Tale, and whose podcast regularly analyzes threats to America’s democracy, is particularly well-suited to assisting our audience in drawing links between fiction and fact. Check out his background and leave a comment if there are particular questions you would like him to address. — LMO

SEE | Jared Yates Sexton’s Bio on IAF’s Website | Associate Professor, Writing and Linguistics, Georgia Southern University-Statesboro | If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny | 12/13/2021

Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith Will Join the 1/20/22 Episode of “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny”

@ASoulAFire @JaniceOCG @AtwoodSociety Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith @cassady2euca joins Thurs., 1/20/22, 8 pm ET, “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny” on theological implications of @HandmaidsOnHulu. You’re invited! #FaithMatters

Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith, Founder and Executive Director, Crazy Faith Ministries, will join TruthWorks Network, “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny” – Lessons from The Handmaid’s Tale on Thursday, January 20, 2022, 8 pm ET, we are pleased to announce. This evening we delve into the themes of Cults, Cultures and Religions presented by the book and Hulu TV series – areas Dr. Williams Smith is well-positioned to address. We are calling on her to assist our audience with fully grasping the theological implications of the TV series, as well as changes happening in religion today. Please join us in welcoming Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith. — LMO

Works by Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith

Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith is an ordained minister, pastor, musician, writer, activist and mother of two, living in Columbus, OH, where she now serves as Founder and Executive Director of Crazy Faith Ministries. This is a non-traditional church with faith ministries providing outreach and services for homeless people; services for children of incarcerated parents; and voter education and registration, among other things. Pastor Williams Smith also leads Freedom Choir that sings songs of freedom at marches and events offering messages of social justice through music. She previously served for 22 years as pastor of Advent United Church of Christ, also in Columbus, and maintains an interest in the relationship between politics, religion, and race. A prolific writer and author of several books, Williams Smith began her career as a newspaper reporter in Baltimore. Her books include Crazy Faith: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives (2009), and most recently, With Liberty & Justice for Some: The Bible, the Constitution, and Racism in America (2020), Dr. Williams Smith also blogs at Candid Observations and has written for the Washington Post and Huffington Post. With a Doctorate in Ministry, she maintains leadership roles in many national and community organizations and religious networks. — If America Fails: The Coming Tyranny, a TruthWorks Network Production

Listen in as Dr. David Ikard Offers a TED Talk on Black History Myths

@ASoulAFire @JaniceOCG Angry his son had to school his teacher on Black history, @blkeducator offers @TEDxNashville talk on importance of correcting myths & teaching history accurately, seen by millions. Join Thurs., 8 pm ET, 1/13 – 4/7/22, “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny.”

Dr. David Ikard, who will join the TruthWorks Network 1/13/22 premiere of “If America Fails,” offered a TED Talk on Black History Myths. Motivated by the history his son was learning in school, and needing to confront the teacher on the matter, instead this proud father witnessed his son influence how his teacher taught lessons on Rosa Parks.

“But then I thought about it. And I got angry. And I got real angry. Why? Why would I get angry? Because my nine-year-old son had to educate his teacher about his history, had to educate his teacher about his own humanity. He’s nine years old. He should be thinking about basketball or soccer or the latest movie. He should not be thinking about having to take the responsibility of educating his teacher, his students, about himself, about his history. That was a burden that I carried. That was a burden that my parents carried and generations before them carried. And now I was seeing my son take on that burden, too,” said Ikard.

“…it’s a lot easier to digest an old grandmother with tired feet who doesn’t stand up because she wants to fight for [in]equality, but because her feet and her back are tired, and she’s worked all day. See, old grandmothers are not scary. But young, radical black women who don’t take any stuff from anybody are very scary, who stand up to power and are willing to die for that — those are not the kind of people that make us comfortable,” he continued. Join millions of other viewers who have seen this talk. — LMO

“David Ikard explains why the whitewashing of black history should be a major concern for us all, even self-identified white liberals…Black history taught in US schools is often watered-down, riddled with inaccuracies and stripped of its context and rich, full-bodied historical figures. Equipped with the real story of Rosa Parks, professor David Ikard highlights how making the realities of race more benign and digestible harms us all — and emphasizes the power and importance of historical accuracy…This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxNashville, an independent event. TED’s editors chose to feature it for you.” — TED Talks

See the full transcript or watch the video at the link below.

WATCH 18:13 | The real story of Rosa Parks — and why we need to confront myths about Black history | David Ikard | TEDxNashville | 2/3/2020

Limiting Corruption in the Oval Office Requires Active Engagement in Democracy: Are Americans Up to the Task?

@ASoulAFire @JaniceOCG Editors @BostonGlobe challenge Americans to consider commitment to limiting corruption in the Oval Office. Join Thursdays, 8 pm ET, from 1/13/22, “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny.”

The unprecedented level of corruption Donald Trump brought to the American Presidency – and flaunted in our faces – was a challenge modern Americans were ill-equipped to handle. In Part 2 – “Who owns the president?” of The Boston Globe’s six-part series on “Future-Proofing the Presidency,” the Editorial Board considers helpful reforms to prevent a repeat of Trump’s shameless performance. Subtly, they challenge citizens to consider just how committed we truly are to preventing corruption and protecting democracy at the highest level in the land. — LMO

Consider these tidbits:

“The 45th president was in bed financially with foreign governments, a precedent for America’s enemies to wield influence over the Oval Office. Lawmakers and voters must prevent this from becoming common practice…

“… Trump faced no legal consequences and was able to continuously violate both the foreign and domestic emoluments clauses throughout his time in office…

“. . . That’s just scratching the surface of Trump’s unprecedented conflicts of interest. He was also hundreds of millions of dollars in debt — to whom, the public only partially knows. That’s why Congress ought to ensure that future presidents have as few conflicts of interest as possible. And in order to do that, it should start with two reforms. . .

“The first is to require all future presidents to divest themselves of their businesses and other assets that could pose a potential conflict of interest. . .

“The second is to require all future presidents to publicly release their tax returns. . .

“. . . Saving our democracy from corruption will always rely in part on voters taking conflicts exposed in financial disclosures seriously.

“. . .while Trump was historically corrupt, neither the courts nor Congress held him accountable; in the end, only the voters did.” — The Editorial Board, The Boston Globe

READ | Part 2 – Who owns the president? of “Future-Proofing the Presidency” | The Editorial Board, The Boston Globe, June, 2021 | 6/1/2021

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