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Invitation: Messy Conversations—Race, Politics & Media: Today @ 12pm PST

  • Writer: Ashley Haynes-Gibson, MA, LMFTA -- Legislative Committee Co-Chair
    Ashley Haynes-Gibson, MA, LMFTA -- Legislative Committee Co-Chair
  • 8 hours ago
  • 3 min read

You’re warmly invited to join today's Messy Conversations dialogue exploring the intersection of race, politics, and media—a timely and deeply relevant topic in today’s social climate.


Hosted by Antioch University’s Messy Conversations initiative, this event offers a space for thoughtful, respectful, and honest dialogue across perspectives. Rather than a lecture, this gathering is designed as a participatory conversation where community members can listen, reflect, ask questions, and engage with complex issues together.


Event Details

Topic: Race, Politics & Media

Date: Monday, February 23, 2026

Time: 12:00–1:00 PM PST / 3:00–4:00 PM ET

Format: Live via Zoom (free and open to the public)



What to Expect

This conversation will explore how media narratives shape public understanding of race and political life, including:

  • How news and social media influence perceptions of race, identity, and power

  • The role of bias, framing, and representation in shaping public discourse

  • The impact of media ecosystems on civic engagement and democratic processes

  • How individuals can engage critically, thoughtfully, and compassionately with information

Messy Conversations events are designed to be collaborative rather than performati—a place to grapple with complex topics in community, without pressure to “have the right answers.”

Featured Guests

Erin Aubry Kaplan is an acclaimed journalist, columnist, and author whose work centers on race, justice, politics, and culture. She writes The Arc, a regular column on race and justice for the progressive news outlet Capital & Main, and has contributed to the New York Times opinion page. Kaplan previously served as a weekly op-ed columnist for the Los Angeles Times — the first African American in the paper’s history to hold that role.

Her career spans decades of influential writing on race and public life, including work for Politico, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Ms. Magazine, Salon, and The Guardian. She has authored books such as Black Talk, Blue Thoughts and Walking the Color Line and I Heart Obama, and her essays have been widely anthologized. Kaplan holds degrees in English and Theater Arts from UCLA and has taught writing and journalism at Antioch University and the University of Redlands.

David G. Brown is an award-winning artist, educator, publisher, and nationally recognized political cartoonist. His work combines visual storytelling with social commentary, often highlighting issues of race, politics, and community with insight and humor.

Brown currently serves as political cartoonist for the Los Angeles Sentinel and has contributed to publications including the Washington Post and San Francisco Bay View. He received an NAACP Image Award for his book Barack, Race and the Media: Drawing My Own Conclusions, a collection of cartoons reflecting on Barack Obama’s historic presidential campaign.


In addition to his editorial work, Brown has taught arts and media through the Los Angeles Unified School District and the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). His commercial art and design work includes projects for organizations such as Warner Bros., Wells Fargo, the City of Los Angeles, and the California African American Museum.


Why Attend?

If you are interested in social justice, mental health, education, media literacy, public policy, or simply want a space to reflect with others about the world we’re living in, this conversation may be especially meaningful.


Whether you prefer to actively participate or simply listen, all are welcome.

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