Laura Carlson
LightNews LightNews
banner
carlsonlj.bsky.social
Laura Carlson
@carlsonlj.bsky.social
90 followers 140 following 15 posts
Videos
Political science 51%
Law 28%
Posts Replies Media Videos

carlsonlj.bsky.social
Laura Carlson @carlsonlj.bsky.social · Sep 25
Over the next year, @AspenInstitute with support from @Pivotal_Ventures will lead @AspenWINChallenge, a nationwide $60M grant competition that’s looking for bold ideas to change the workplace.
Register to apply by 5pm ET on December 11, 2025: winchallenge.org

Reposted by Laura Carlson

kettering.org
Kettering Foundation @kettering.org · Aug 22
☝️ Democratic resistance takes shape in unexpected ways.

🗣️ “Every time you confront an authoritarian regime, society has to do a certain amount of throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing which strategies work.”

Reposted by Sherry Hamby, Steve Peers, Shawn Cole , and 10 more

Reposted by Laura Carlson

kettering.org
Kettering Foundation @kettering.org · Jul 29
💰 What does financial justice have to do with democracy?

Reposted by Andrew L. Whitehead, Laura Carlson

kettering.org
Kettering Foundation @kettering.org · Jul 22
bit.ly/3TU3ENs
Liberating the Headlines: How Media Can Cover Aspiring Authoritarians without Enabling Them
A sliver of good news has emerged, and signs are showing that newsrooms might be slowing their race to headline stories with everything Trump says and does. The press may be revealing a new willingnes...
bit.ly

Reposted by Laura Carlson

dwmbarker.bsky.social
Derek Barker @dwmbarker.bsky.social · Jul 17
How does No Kings represent a new form of protest, and why might it have the potential to reverse America's democratic backsliding? Social movements expert Deva Woodly joins our blog: kettering.org/no-kings-jus...
No Kings, Just Citizens: Civil Society Asserts Its Democratic Power
A call that came about amidst a long protest wave that started right at the turn of the century.
kettering.org

Reposted by Laura Carlson

kettering.org
Kettering Foundation @kettering.org · Jun 12
Read more about the dangers of unchecked presidential power in this latest installment of #FromManyWe: kettering.org/our-duty-is-...
Our Duty Is to the Constitution, Not One Person
The Trump administration's persistent preoccupation with their political opponents has led to the deployment of troops to US cities, disregarding the wishes of local and state authorities.
kettering.org

Reposted by Laura Carlson

kettering.org
Kettering Foundation @kettering.org · May 21
“There is nothing at all to stop this president for the next three and a half years other than the American people.”

KF Senior Fellow @judgeluttig.bsky.social joins us on #TheStakes to sound the alarm: Trump’s first 100 days mark a revolt against American democracy.

Reposted by Laura Carlson

kettering.org
Kettering Foundation @kettering.org · May 20
What if “getting back to normal” isn’t an option?

Tomorrow’s podcast guest, @sarahlongwell25.bsky.social, says we’re in a new political era where the old playbook won’t save democracy. Coalitions have shifted. Communication has changed. Even the word “democracy” has become polarized.

Reposted by Laura Carlson

kettering.org
Kettering Foundation @kettering.org · May 14
Navalny was an international symbol of courage who ceaselessly challenged authoritarian rule in Russia.

Their lives of activism and bravery reflect the purpose of this prize, which celebrates courageous dedication to democracy. kettering.org/judith-brown...
Judith Browne Dianis, Alexei Navalny Win Kettering Democracy Prize
A new prize to honor individuals who embody an uncommon commitment to democracy work despite real threats.
kettering.org

Reposted by Laura Carlson

kettering.org
Kettering Foundation @kettering.org · May 14
This new international award honors those who go beyond the ordinary to champion and defend inclusive democracy.

Dianis has spent a lifetime fighting voter suppression, racial injustice, and the criminalization of students in the United States.

Reposted by Laura Carlson

kettering.org
Kettering Foundation @kettering.org · May 14
With immense pride, the Kettering Foundation announces the first recipients of the Kettering Democracy Prize: Judith Browne Dianis (@jbrownedianis.bsky.social) and the late #AlexeiNavalny.

carlsonlj.bsky.social
Laura Carlson @carlsonlj.bsky.social · May 10
Oooph

carlsonlj.bsky.social
Laura Carlson @carlsonlj.bsky.social · May 9
fabriquebakery.com
Fabrique Bakery
fabriquebakery.com

carlsonlj.bsky.social
Laura Carlson @carlsonlj.bsky.social · May 9
Fabrique Bakery, 550 5th Ave. Recommend the cardamom buns.

Reposted by Michelle Dion, Patrick S. Forscher, David C. Kimball , and 2 more

donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · May 9
New from me: Everything feels overwhelming. But here is a tangible thing you can do: write a comment to oppose Trump's plan to convert 50,000 career civil servants into political appointees. Deadline is May 23. Please share!
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/here-is-a-...
Here is a specific thing you can do to fight Trump's politicization of public services
Plus: what I wrote in Science about the revised Schedule F
donmoynihan.substack.com

carlsonlj.bsky.social
Laura Carlson @carlsonlj.bsky.social · Apr 24
"There is a profound difference between liberty and power. When you have power, you certainly experience it as freedom. You can do what you want to do. Liberty, by contrast, protects people against power. Liberty is what grants you freedom of action even when you are not in control."

carlsonlj.bsky.social
Laura Carlson @carlsonlj.bsky.social · Apr 24
The Anti-Woke Right Has a Lot to Answer For www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/o...
Opinion | The Anti-Woke Right and the Free Speech Con
DeSantis walked so that Trump could run.
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Laura Carlson

kettering.org
Kettering Foundation @kettering.org · Apr 22
Because silence may feel safer in the short term, but courage is what carries us forward. Full episode: bit.ly/4jGWGWJ
Sharon L. Davies: Someone Has to Be Willing to Say “That’s Not Right”
US institutions are being pressured into compliance with the Trump administration’s capricious demands. Many law firms, philanthropic organizations, and higher education institutions are choosing the path of least resistance. But will it keep them safe? Sharon L. Davies is the president and chief executive officer of the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. Davies’ career experiences span both academic and nonacademic fields. From 2017–2021, she was provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Spelman College. She joined Spelman from The Ohio State University, where she was vice provost for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer. Davies was also a member of OSU’s Moritz College of Law faculty for 22 years, serving as the Gregory H. Williams Chair in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. In addition, she directed the university’s Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity. Davies has an undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a law degree from Columbia University School of Law.
bit.ly

Reposted by Laura Carlson

kettering.org
Kettering Foundation @kettering.org · Apr 14
“For Those Who Would Govern” is a reminder that leadership begins with humility, listening, and a reverence for all people. In a time of challenge and change, watch the short reading as a standard we should uphold for every leader: bit.ly/4jieEiM
For Those Who Would Govern | U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo Reading
Joy Harjo is the nation's first ever Native American Poet Laureate. In this clip, she reads a poem from her new book "An American Sunrise". We're also giving away one First Edition Copy of "An American Sunrise." We'll pick a winner at random on December 19th. Enter here: https://www.newmexicopbs.org/joy-harjo-book-giveaway/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=joy_harjo_book_giveaway -- Want more New Mexico in Focus?  Subscribe for new videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL4sBd69WbC2JyeOF7kC-4g Visit our website: https://www.newmexicopbs.org/productions/newmexicoinfocus/ Connect with us:  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nminfocus Twitter - @NMinFocus - https://twitter.com/NMinFocus Instagram - http://instagram.com/newmexicopbs Join the conversation with: #NMinFocus
bit.ly

Reposted by Laura Carlson

dwmbarker.bsky.social
Derek Barker @dwmbarker.bsky.social · Apr 8
New: Kettering's Melinda Gilmore reacts to the erasure of Black Lives Matter Plaza in D.C. "Sometimes attacks on inclusive democracy are subtle. And sometimes they are in your face."
kettering.org/i-came-to-dc...
I Came to DC for Work. I Left Remembering What We’re Fighting For.
kettering.org

carlsonlj.bsky.social
Laura Carlson @carlsonlj.bsky.social · Apr 5
#Handsoff rally in Xenia, OH. About 500 people turned out in the pouring rain.
People holding protest signs at Greene County Courthouse as cars drive by honking in support.

Reposted by Laura Carlson

kettering.org
Kettering Foundation @kettering.org · Apr 1
Poetry and democracy start with empathy.

We’re proud to honor Dayton’s poet laureate and our artist-in-residence, Sierra Leone, this #NationalPoetryMonth. From Dunbar’s legacy to the voices of today, poets speak to the issues of their time.

We're ensuing that work continues.

carlsonlj.bsky.social
Laura Carlson @carlsonlj.bsky.social · Mar 31
From @peterlevine.bsky.social:
“[T]he eerie quiet on many campuses probably reflects a realization that the usual toolkit won’t work.”
peterlevine.ws?p=33839
how to engage our universities in this crisis | Peter Levine
Many of us are familiar with a framework in which the university is a powerful institution with resources and discretion. For example, it decides whom to admit to the middle (or upper) class and what ...
peterlevine.ws

Reposted by Laura Carlson

benjaminweiss.bsky.social
Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · Mar 28
NEW: Internal staff email from Smithsonian secretary Lonnie Bunch addressing Trump’s executive order.

“As always, our work will be shaped by the best scholarship, free of partisanship, to help the American public better understand our nation’s history, challenges and trumphs.”

Reposted by Laura Carlson

kettering.org
Kettering Foundation @kettering.org · Mar 27
Political economist @gscheiring.bsky.social warns that speeches about courts and constitutions won't fix this on the latest episode of #TheContext.

Real change comes from addressing economic struggles and social inequality before authoritarians step in with false promises.
Gábor Scheiring: Saving Democracy Is about Saving People
Learn more about The Context → https://www.kettering.org/thecontext/ Subscribe to The Context: Apple → https://apple.co/3YhVv8J Spotify → https://spoti.fi/3Wm778f Amazon → https://amzn.to/3yczEoE RSS → https://bit.ly/3WfZ0Kl A former member of the Hungarian Parliament tells us what interventions Americans need to take right now to avoid the authoritarian backsliding that has dismantled democracy in Hungary since Prime Minister Viktor Orbán came to power in 2010. Gábor Scheiring served in the Hungarian Parliament from 2010–2014. He is an assistant professor of comparative politics at Georgetown University, Qatar, and author of The Retreat of Liberal Democracy: Authoritarian Capitalism and the Accumulative State in Hungary. He is also a Charles F. Kettering Global Fellow. Show links: https://www.gaborscheiring.com/ https://kettering.org/fellow/gabor-scheiring/ The Context is a podcast from the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, about the history, trends, and ideas shaping democracy in the United States and around the world. Every episode, host Alex Lovit, a senior program officer and historian with the foundation, interviews someone who has seen it all—scholars, politicians, journalists, and public servants. We’ll get their take on how we got to where we are, and what they’ve seen through their experience, not only watching the news unfold, but sometimes even being the news itself. In these conversations, we’ll talk about things like inclusive democracy, citizen engagement, government accountability, and the threat of authoritarianism. Every question has its reason, and every answer has its context. Find new episodes Tuesday, every other week.
bit.ly

Reposted by Laura Carlson

timmiller.bsky.social
Tim Miller @timmiller.bsky.social · Mar 27
"The use of prisoners for propaganda purposes is as old as war itself. ISIS made extensive use... The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese...This is what evil, illiberal regimes do."

Now that's us.

Must-read @JVLast

thebulwark.com/p/this-is-th...
This Is the Land of Wolves Now
Masked agents snatching people off the street. Government officials using caged prisoners for propaganda videos. We are the villains.
thebulwark.com

carlsonlj.bsky.social
Laura Carlson @carlsonlj.bsky.social · Mar 24
"[T]he only way to win is people power. That’s it...If the authoritarians can be stopped then the Democratic party will be the vehicle through which people wield power. But...It will have to be pushed into fighting by a mass popular movement." www.thebulwark.com/p/how-to-thi...
How to Think (and Act) Like a Dissident Movement
AOC, solidarity, and people power.
www.thebulwark.com

Reposted by Laura Carlson

kettering.org
Kettering Foundation @kettering.org · Mar 21
In America at a Crossroads, @kettering.org Fanning Fellow Judy Woodruff highlights how one California community is fighting for its comeback one round at a time.

Discover their inspiring journey and see how everyday people are driving change by watching this PBSNewsHour segment: to.pbs.org/4iyH4nQ
How San Bernardino is fighting for a comeback after decades of decline
Political scientist Robert Putnam told Judy Woodruff that strengthening the country’s democracy would begin with grassroots efforts by people stepping up in their own communities. Those efforts will b...
to.pbs.org