It’s the first weekend of 2015, and host Melissa Harris-Perry is back in #nerdland! And the first thing our host wants to do is talk, mainly about the power of talk.
Talking is not just the foundation of our individual learning and growth; it is also the foundation of our democracy. Last year’s events got the nation talking about race, policing, immigration, and so much more. Are there limits to what talk can accomplish? What are the dangers of talk? Will all this talk lead to real change? Our panel will dive into these questions. Panelists include:
- Christina Greer, assistant professor at Fordham University and author of “Black Ethnics”
- Alfonso Aguilar, executive director of American Principles Project’s Latino Partnership
- Marcus Mabry, editor-at-large at the New York Times
- Niels Lesniewski, staff writer at Roll Call
Harris-Perry will also give her take on the Steve Scalise controversy and pose this question: Is there value in talking to ALL of your constituents?
Then: a new year; a new you? Probably not, but we’ll take a look at New Year’s resolutions and our annual promise to be better. Lisa Lahey, author of “Right Weight Right Mind” will join us from Boston. And in the wake of the tragic death of Leelah Alcorn, a transgender teen who committed suicide, our first Foot Soldier of 2015 is a trans businesswoman helping trans tech workers.
All that, plus Julie Brown, the Miami Herald investigative reporter who brought us the story about suspicious deaths at Florida prisons, returns with updates.
Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Saturday at 10am ET on msnbc. Join the conversation—share your thoughts about these issues on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland. Your tweets and comments might even appear on the show!
Victoria Asbury