Defending Democracy – a Community Book & Discussion Group
the last Friday of the month
4:00 PM
February 28th, March 28th, April 25th, May 30th, and June 27th.
A community program hosted by First Parish Church in Weston
Open to the public
349 Boston Post Road
Weston MA 02493
Join us for a new community-wide discussion group informed by the latest book by historian and author, Heather Cox Richardson, Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America.
As our country begins a new chapter, the need to learn about our history, make connections, share ideas, and defend the institutions of our democracy become crucially important.
While this program is organized by First Parish Church in Weston, U.U., it is not religious or sectarian in nature. This is a community-wide program in the spirit of this region’s historic commitment to liberty, civil discourse, and democracy. All local residents are encouraged to participate.
For more information, or to join the group, email Minister@FirstParishWeston.org or call the office at 781-893-7798.
Schedule of Meetings & Readings
- Jan 31 – Part 1, Undermining Democracy – pp. 1-48
- Feb 28 – Part 1, Undermining Democracy – pp. 49-79
- March 28 – Part 2, The Authoritarian Experiment – pp. 83-126
- April 25 – Part 2, The Authoritarian Experiment – pp. 127-160
- May 30 – Part 3, Reclaiming America – pp. 163-209
- June 27 – Part 3, Reclaiming America – pp. 210-253
Resources
Recent interviews, programs and articles relevant to our discussion. These will be updated periodically.
Heather Cox Richardson – Interviews & Articles
.
Interviews, articles, or videos with “HCR.”
- Politics Chat with Heather Cox Richardson – this is usually posted once a week by HCR. The group viewed the first portion of her Jan. 31 video to start off our January meeting.
- Interview with Heather Cox Richardson with Tim Miller from The Bulwark
- Interview with Heather Cox Richardson (HCR) with Jon Stewart from The Weekly Show
- Interview with HCR on Amanpour & Co. with Michel Martin
● HCR Podcasts
Links to podcast episodes from Heather Cox Richardson.
- Letters from an American, almost daily short podcast by HCR
Videos
- Interview with Prof. Michael Sandel, “What Trump’s Win Says About American Society,” – from Amanpour & Company
- The Dignity Deficit – Inequality, Work and Recognition: a discussion between Thomas Piketty and Michael Sandel
- A video series based on “On Tyranny” by Yale Historian Timothy Snyder, 20 Lessons from the 20th Century.
- “The Tech Coup:” Expert Warns of Silicon Valley’s Influence on Washington – from Amanpour & Company
Podcasts
Podcast episodes or series from sources other than HCR.
The Opinion – NY Times, Interview with Masha Gessen, “There’s a Reason Even ‘Smart’ People Surrender to Trump,” Feb 13, 2025
Articles
- Information on the staff working for Elon Musk at the Dept. of Gov. Efficiency (DOGE)
- Interview with Robert P. Jones about a recent video that portrays the President as a “messiah-like” figure to his evangelical supporters.
- The role of media in our current state of politics – “The Real Reason Trump Won” by Michael Tomasky
- NY Times Editorial – “How to Remain a Reality Based Human in 2025,” by Pamela Paul.
- Misinformation and American Politics, Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, October 27, 2024
- Profile of Russell Vought, who was appointed as the Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for this Administration, by ProPublica, October, 2024
- Editorial by Thomas Edsall, The New York Times, Feb. 11, 2025, “Their Target Is ‘the Very Core of Modern American Liberalism.”
- “What Does Having a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on hold mean for Consumers?” AP News, Feb 12, 2025
- Stay tuned – We will try to share articles which are publicly accessible, but will link to articles behind paywalls if they are especially relevant.
Advocacy Groups & Ways to Get Involved
- Indivisible Project – “Indivisible Project (501c4) drives coordinated campaigns, powering the grassroots Indivisible movement to defeat the right-wing takeover of American government and win an inclusive democracy and bold progressive policies.”
- Common Cause (National) – Massachusetts Chapter – “Common Cause is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.”
Other Resources
- Project 2025 Tracker– This open-source effort tracking 290 Project 2025 initiatives finds it’s already more than a quarter of the way complete.
- Litigation Tracker – tracks legal challenges to Trump administration actions, hosted by Just Security.
- The Hamilton Project – tracking federal expenditures in real time
- First Parish has a page of Anti-Racism Resources which points to many additional organizations, articles, and podcasts.
- The “Seeing White” podcast from Scene on Radio was mentioned in one of the discussion groups; the podcast can be found here.
- The Lewis Powell “Confidential Memo” referred to at page 48
- An earlier speech by Powell, on which the Confidential Memo was substantially based. (“noteworthy for its ironic resonance to today’s ‘Attack on American Institutions'”)
Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out,
because this is your country.This is your democracy.
Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.
— Thurgood Marshall
