402. Cynthia Miller-Idriss and Jen Barnes: Man Up: The New Misogyny
Town Hall Seattle Civics Series
Release Date: 03/09/2026
408. Emily Galvin Almanza with Michele Storms: The Price of Mercy
Town Hall Seattle Civics Series
Have you ever wondered what really goes on in our country’s criminal courts? Many want to believe in the hallowed halls of justice, with ethical and equitable legal processes that pursue truth and enforce the law fairly. But one author argues that this perception hides the reality that the system is broken. Emily Galvin Almanza, also a former public defender, presents her latest work The Price of Mercy: Unfair Trials, a Violent System, and a Public Defender’s Search for Justice in America. The text takes us behind closed doors of America’s criminal courts, arguing...
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407. Blue City Blues with Anne Applebaum: Resisting Authoritarianism Here and Abroad
Town Hall Seattle Civics Series
Blue City Blues leads a conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and historian Anne Applebaum, as she addresses the escalating global threats to democratic institutions and explores pragmatic strategies to counter the rise of authoritarianism. Drawing on her extensive research, Applebaum discusses findings from her critically acclaimed works, including Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism and her latest book, Autocracy, Inc., offering insight into how free societies can prevent the worst-case scenarios now unfolding across the world. Anne...
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406. Brian Soucek: The Opinionated University
Town Hall Seattle Civics Series
Like many universities nationwide, the University of Washington is facing threats to federal funding, which they rely on for fundamental research and development. The erosion of federal support means universities like UW are facing decisions on how to survive and move forward, especially as today’s social and political climate becomes more divisive. UC Davis law professor Brian Soucek explores this pivotal moment in his book, The Opinionated University: Academic Freedom, Diversity, and the Myth of Neutrality in American Higher Education. One could argue that universities must remain...
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405. Speaking of Seattle: Who Tells Seattle’s Story? Local Media in a Broken News Economy: Hosted by Erica C. Barnett with Florangela Davila, Hannah Murphy Winter, and Naomi Ishisaka
Town Hall Seattle Civics Series
Seattle loves to think of itself as an informed, engaged, “I-read-the-footnotes” kind of city. But what happens when the institutions we rely on to tell our stories are shrinking, consolidating, or vanishing altogether? Join Marcus Harrison Green with Florangela Davila, Hannah Murphy Winter, and Naomi Ishisaka for a candid, no-spin conversation about the state of local media— and what it means for the future of civic life in Seattle. We’ll dig into questions like: Who gets covered, and who only shows up in the news when something goes wrong? What does it mean when neighborhoods lose...
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404. Evelyn Iritani with Frank Abe: Safe Passage: The Exchange of American and Japanese Civilians by Sea
Town Hall Seattle Civics Series
Across the water from Seattle, you can visit the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial. It’s a place to honor and learn from the past. Evelyn Iritani, a longtime Seattle resident and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, wants to remember – and learn from – another, lesser-known story from World War II. In her book, Safe Passage, she reveals the dramatic, behind-the-scenes efforts to bring U.S. and Japanese citizens home from enemy land. In 1943, during some of the Pacific theater’s bloodiest battles, the United States and Japan coordinated the exchange of civilians...
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403. We Hold These Truths: A Live Broadcast of the 1941 Bill of Rights Radio Special
Town Hall Seattle Civics Series
Celebrate the 234th anniversary of the Bill of Rights and the historic December 15, 1941, radio broadcast of We Hold These Truths with a live performance and radio event at Town Hall Seattle. Known as the poet laureate of American radio, Norman Corwin wrote We Hold These Truths months before its original airing. But after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, the program—created to honor the Bill of Rights on its 150th anniversary—took on new emotional depth and national significance. This production commemorates both the Bill of Rights and Corwin’s landmark broadcast, featuring a...
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402. Cynthia Miller-Idriss and Jen Barnes: Man Up: The New Misogyny
Town Hall Seattle Civics Series
As political violence, mass shootings, and the actions of radical extremists continue to be a devastating presence in our news cycle, academics and experts are compelled to look for connections. What things do most mass shooters, terrorists, or violent extremists have in common? In her newest book, educator and scholar of extremism Cynthia Miller-Idriss expands upon the roles of gender in this conversation – that not only are these violent acts almost always carried out by men and boys, but that evidence of aggressive misogyny, homophobia, or transphobia occurs at nearly the same rates...
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401. Black Thoughts: An Evening With Martellus Bennett, Michael Bennett, and Jesse Hagopian
Town Hall Seattle Civics Series
Three voices at the intersections of art, education, and social critique come together for an evening of readings and conversation. Jesse Hagopian will share from his forthcoming book Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education, while Martellus Bennett (MR. TOMONOSHi) and Michael Bennett will read from their own works, including Black Thoughts and Things That Make White People Uncomfortable. Together, they’ll engage in a wide-ranging conversation on race, creativity, justice, and liberation, offering perspectives that draw from literature, design, sport, and...
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400. Clyde W. Ford: Who's Left Out of Black History
Town Hall Seattle Civics Series
How much do you know about Black history? From African women’s rebellions on slave ships to a former enslaved man whose account of the first Juneteenth differs from what we hear today, to Benjamin Banneker’s life, to how Islam found its way into American popular music in multiple genres, there is a lot of information that doesn’t necessarily make it into your average curriculum. In A High Price for Freedom: Raising Hidden Voices From the African-American Past, author and historian Clyde W. Ford addresses these and other topics, seeking to illuminate and amplify little-known...
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399. Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Turning Adversaries into Tribal Allies to Save Salmon
Town Hall Seattle Civics Series
Our region is facing tremendous setbacks for salmon populations and Northwest tribal treaty rights. Fish runs continue to fall short while Indigenous communities bear the brunt of climate change, political polarization, and existential threats to their way of life. Tribes can’t overcome these issues alone, but it’s not just a matter of finding allies — it’s how to get them in the game. The Billy Frank Jr. Salmon Coalition, formed by Salmon Defense, has taken an innovative approach to protect salmon, restore ecosystems, and build climate resilience by uniting unexpected allies, who...
info_outlineAs political violence, mass shootings, and the actions of radical extremists continue to be a devastating presence in our news cycle, academics and experts are compelled to look for connections. What things do most mass shooters, terrorists, or violent extremists have in common? In her newest book, educator and scholar of extremism Cynthia Miller-Idriss expands upon the roles of gender in this conversation – that not only are these violent acts almost always carried out by men and boys, but that evidence of aggressive misogyny, homophobia, or transphobia occurs at nearly the same rates within the perpetrators of these crimes.
Man Up: The New Misogyny and the Rise of Violent Extremism seeks to shed light on an increased presence of gender-based violence across a range of incidents and forms extremist groups. Through extensive research and five distinct case studies, Man Up draws attention to violent events where motivations of racism, antisemitism, or xenophobia are still supported by throughlines of misogynistic aggression. From the misogynistic language in the plot to kidnap and execute Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer to the prior reports of stalking, harassment of women, and domestic violence by the men behind the mass shooting events at Virginia Tech and Pulse nightclub. Miller-Idriss also provides her analysis on the centering of gendered discrimination within far-right and male supremacist culture – a rising misogynistic force that has resulted in increasing numbers of attacks internationally, specifically targeting women and citing feminism or sexual frustration with women as motivation.
Miller-Idriss posits that these interconnected threads of misogyny have been underrepresented in the media and with experts in a way that leaves us vulnerable to hate-fueled violence of all forms, both online and out in the world. From interpersonal instances of sexism to extreme far-right ideologies and mass violence events, Miller-Idriss explores how an epidemic of misogyny and a patriarchal backlash can act as driving factors in this rise in violence. Man Up aims to give insight on how this culture shift has developed, how to recognize the misogyny in our everyday lives, and presents strategies that everyone – including parents, teachers, and counselors – can use to push back against these forms of violence.
Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss is an internationally recognized scholar, speaker, and author on the subjects of extremism and radicalization. She is the founding director of the Polarization and Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL) at the American University in Washington, DC, where she is also a Professor in the School of Public Affairs and in the School of Education. She regularly testifies before the U.S. Congress and works with agencies globally on trends in domestic violent extremism and strategies for prevention and disengagement. Her work and expertise have been featured by MSNBC, CNN, NPR, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, and more. Her previously published books include Hate in the Homeland and The Extreme Gone Mainstream.
Jen Barnes is the CEO and founder of Rough & Tumble. She is an advocate, entrepreneur, and life-long athlete committed to building community around gender equity and visibility for women’s sports.
