Photo by Kate Mereand-Sinha
Over the next several months, Politics & Prose Bookstore will welcome prominent authors, activists, and nonprofit leaders to educate District residents about “relevant and urgent issues” stemming from President-Elect Donald Trump’s win.
The popular independent shop is bringing back teach-ins “in light of the new administration,” says Jon Purves, the store’s director of marketing and publicity. “We’re entering a period of uncertainty and unknowns” when it comes to issues like social justice and the environment, he continues.
This comes at a time of widespread uncertainty about how the incoming administration will deal with these issues. Politics & Prose is also among the D.C. businesses who’ve faced threats and harassment as a result of Pizzagate, a debunked online conspiracy theory.
Teach-ins were a popular strategy in the 1960s during the Vietnam War and civil rights movement, designed to educate people about an issue and then empower them to do things like advocate for policy changes. Other organizations have held them recently for issues like a potential Muslim registry.
The first event of the free series centers around civil liberties. It’s taking place on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Panelists include David Cole, the national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union; Todd Cox, the director of policy at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund; and Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law.
“We’re extremely grateful to these people for taking the time to come to the store,” Purves says. “We think it’s something pretty special for such authoritative voices to be in an environment where anyone can hear them speak and engage in the conversation.”
Another alternative inauguration event, the next teach-in will focus on women’s rights on January 20 at 4 p.m. Panelists include Fatima Goss Graves, senior VP for program at the National Women’s Law Center; Rebecca Traister, writer at New York Magazine; and Jennifer Klein, a Georgetown Law professor who served as an advisor to Hillary Clinton on women and girls issues.
The store’s organizers are currently working on teach-ins focusing on climate change and immigration, according to Purves. All of them will be live-streamed on Politics & Prose’ Facebook page.
