alzoslade

Scenes from @mothstories Mainstage event Saturday evening in New York. Shout out to the powerful storytellers and the @mothstories team for giving me the opportunity to be a part of something special. @ilianainocencio @zoewalk @alzoslade

On April 1st at Wilson Hall, we gathered for “Certainty Is Overrated,” a workshop led by Alzo Slade — a storyteller, journalist, comedian, and educator. Stemming from curiosity, courage, and connection, the conversation challenged us to question our own beliefs and step into vulnerability with strangers. We explored what it means to truly listen — beyond assumptions, insecurities, and in-group thinking — and reflected on preference falsification and the quiet ways we sometimes suppress our own voices. But more importantly, we practiced the opposite: speaking up, building bridges, and choosing community A reminder that curiosity isn’t passive — it’s brave Huge thank you to @alzoslade & @browngirldance and to everyone who made this event possible: Oratory Now, MiddCCI, Midd Black Studies, MiddCORE, Dance Department, Conflict Transformation, Education Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, the Rohatyn Center, Writing & Rhetoric, and the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs.

What does it mean to build a career that is both purposeful and responsive to the world around you? On this episode of People on Purpose, I sit down with journalist, storyteller, and cultural thinker Alzo Slade for a conversation rooted in curiosity, courage, and responsibility. We explore how his career has evolved across disciplines and platforms, guided not just by opportunity, but by a deep commitment to asking better questions and telling stories that matter. Alzo reflects on the role of social responsibility in shaping meaningful work, and how staying curious has been central to navigating complexity, culture, and change. This conversation is an invitation to think more expansively about your own path—how you move through the world, what you choose to amplify, and how your work can serve something larger than yourself. Tune in live today at 1 PM on YouTube LinkedIn or Facebook #link in bio @alzoslade

The quality of our questions determine the quality of our lives and no one is better at asking powerful questions than @alzoslade Curiosity is his default disposition. 🤔 In his workshop CERTAINTY IS OVERRATED student, faculty and staff are invited to be brave enough to be wrong 🫣 Having worked with VICE News, NatGeo, NPR, and a number of other catalyst for change it is my absolute pleasure to bring the brilliance of Alzo Slade to Midleburry College. And I could not have done it without the support of my colleagues, in @oratorynow @middcci @middblackstudies @middcore @dancemidd @middconflicttransformation Education Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, @middinnovation Rohatyn Center, Writing and Rhetoric and the Vice President of Student Affairs Collaboration equals Community💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾 #Curiosity #Education #Community #Workshop Dialogue

I’d like to think of myself knowledgable when it comes to certain parts of the world. Conflict in the ‘Middle East’ (loaded term) has been going on since ancient times…modern conflict since the Ottoman Empire. After seeing what’s happening there now, I recognized blind spots when it came to a simple understanding of the global economy around oil. The post-WWII world was organized around cheap Gulf oil before anyone fully understood what that dependence would mean. I went back to basics in a way that allows for further research in peeling away at how a 21 mile stretch of water affects billions of people who will never see it, probably pronounce it incorrectly, and have no say in what happens there. Never Stop Learning. References: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): Strait of Hormuz Checkpoint Analysis UNCTAD - UN Trade and Development - Strait of Hormuz Disruptions: Implications for Global Trade The Conversation - If Iran Conflict Shuts the World’s Most Important Oil Chokepoint Oil & Gas 360 - The Strait of Hormuz: A Historical Perspective IPS Journal - War at the World’s Oil Chokepoint Brookings Institution - How Higher Gas Prices Hurt Less Affluent Al Jazeera - Iran War Threatens Prolonged Impact on Energy Markets American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy - Low Income Households Spend Nearly 20% of Income on Energy #hormuz #straitofhormuz #iran #iranbombing #israel #trump #oil #war

The United States has entered a sovereign country and taken its leader. Various messages have been presented for justification. The president of Venezuela is a dictator. They don’t have fair elections. Venezuela is a Narco-state. There’s a humanitarian crisis there in need of US intervention. While all of these things could be true, it just so happens that Venezuela has a lot of oil the US wants. When it comes to US foreign policy and geopolitics, it just so happens to be a strong correlation between countries that have oil and those same countries needing aid and intervention. I took a quick look at this correlation, the messaging used and our paradoxical connection to it all. References: Stephen Kinzer - Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq Stephen Kinzer - All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror William Blum - Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II David S. Painter - Oil and the American Century (Journal of American History) History.com - 10 Times America Helped Overthrow a Foreign Government Daniel Yergin - The Prize #venezuela #trump #oil #government #coup #unitedstates #maduro #neverstoplearning

When SNAP gets suspended during a government shutdown, interests of the wealthy and powerful are insulated, while the poor and working class bear the fallout. For politicians and elites, a shutdown is political theater. It’s leverage, messaging, optics. They don’t feel the shock because they don’t rely on public systems to survive. For ordinary people, it’s rent, groceries, and medicine at stake. Billionaires get tax breaks, corporations get bailouts and working people get a “hang in there” from the same folks who caused the mess. But the people are resilient and always prove to show up for one another. In anticipation of SNAP benefits freezing, folk are pitching in. Resources: Mutual Aid Hub - Map of local and national mutual aid networks across the U.S. Feeding America - National network of food banks; real-time resources and volunteer info. WhyHunger - Focuses on grassroots and systemic solutions to hunger. News References U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) SNAP Updates AP News (Oct 2025) - Trump administration posts notice that no federal food aid will go out Nov. 1. Politico (Oct 2025) - rump administration says it won’t tap emergency funds to pay food aid. TIME Magazine (Oct 2025) - A Man-Made Disaster’: Food Banks and Experts Issue Grave Warning as SNAP Benefits Set to Run Out Amid Government Shutdown. Sociological References: C. Wright Mills — The Power Elite (1956) Stanley Cohen — Moral Panics and Folk Devils (1972) Pierre Bourdieu — Forms of Capital (1986) Robert Putnam — Bowling Alone (2000) #snapbenefits #governmentshutdown #snapbenefits #grocerybuddies #shutdown #usda #trump #congress #ebt #foodstamps

With this government shutdown going the distance I wanted to understand the reasons republicans and democrats are at each other’s throats. Of course there are several but one of the main reasons has to do with keeping health care affordable. #neverstoplearning References: AP - FACT FOCUS: Democrats did not shut down the government to give health care to ‘illegal immigrants’ NPR - What’s behind the health care fight that led to the government shutdown WSJ - White House Senses Political Risk on Healthcare Despite Shutdown Bravado Washington Post - The health care subsidies at the heart of the government shutdown CBS News - Why ACA tax credits for 22 million Americans are at the center of the government shutdown drama Reuters - Most Americans back extending ACA tax credits, KFF poll shows Associated Press - As the shutdown drags on, these people will lose if health care subsidies expire #shutdown #governmentshutdown #congress #health #healthcare #taxcredits #subsidies

Don’t miss this. I asked @AlzoSlade if there is anything in this current (political) climate that he is afraid of becoming unmanageable. His answer is both poetry and philosophy. Listen TWO Me pod, Ep. 3 is out now! #Lincoln

There’s a lot of talk about what’s happening in Texas around voting districts. This is one of those issues that could easily slip through the cracks from news fatigue. But I’m paying attention to this for a couple reasons… 1 - The stakes are pretty serious considering how it could impact voters around the country. 2 - I got love for Texas…spent part of my formative years there and I’m a proud grad of @PVAMU . I rep H-Tine! 3 - I think gerrymandering should be illegal with indifference to which party does it. References: Texas Tribune – “Texas GOP aims to expand House majority with mid-decade redistricting”
The Guardian – “Texas Republicans try to redraw congressional map to help Trump take House”
Washington Post – “Texas Democrats flee state to block redistricting vote”
TIME – “Why the Texas Redistricting Plan Could Help Trump in the Midterms”
Brennan Center for Justice – “Redistricting and Gerrymandering Explained”
National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) – “Redistricting Systems: A 50-State Overview”
Lee Drutman – Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop
Ezra Klein – Why We’re Polarized
Max Weber – “Politics as a Vocation”
Yascha Mounk – The People vs. Democracy
SCOTUSblog – Redistricting Docket
Campaign Legal Center – Redistricting Litigation
 #texas #gerrymandering #redistricting #trump #voting #votingrights

Stepped in for legendary Bill Kurtis as announcer and judge on the road for @waitwaitnpr in Salt Lake City! Always a good time working with the team there! Support Public Radio!!! Photos: @deseretnews

🚨Giveaway Time!🚨 From NY to Charlotte to LA and every city in between… we couldn’t have made it 15 years without YOU, the Kinfolx 🖤 To everyone who’s showed up, helped plan, supported, or attended — y’all made #gritsandbiscuits the movement it is today 🙌🏾 To show our love, we’re giving back: 🎉 We’re picking 5 Kinfolx in the comments to win 2 FREE tickets each to the 15th Anniversary Party! Here’s how to enter: 1️⃣ Make sure you’re following @gritsandbiscuits 2️⃣ Tag your +1 in the comments (each tag = an entry) ⏳ You’ve got 24 hours to submit — winners announced tomorrow! 🎉 Grits & Biscuits 15th Anniversary Party 🗓️ Saturday, August 9th, 3pm - 9ish 📍 The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC 🎟️ Tickets moving — don’t wait to grab yours Let’s celebrate 15 years the way only the Kinfolx can 🔥 #gritsandbiscuits #weoutside #kinfolxonly #dirtysouthset #giveaway