Below are links to materials written by WMU WeTalk speakers and information about their work and causes.
See WMU's Past WeTalk Events webpage for more information about specific events.
This forum brought together former U.S. Congressman Fred Upton (R), former U.S. Congressman Mark Schauer (D), and former Michigan Elections Director Chris Thomas. Moderated by Jeff Breneman, Western Michigan University’s Vice President for Government Relations, this panel explored the critical issue of election integrity amid a broader erosion of trust in institutions such as elected bodies, higher education, and the media.
Dissecting the dilemma of homelessness: A panel discussion the Wall Street Journal article "She talked like a millionaire, slept in a parking garage and fooled nearly everybody". Speakers: WMU Trustee Emeritus George Franklin, WSJ reporter Jon Kamp, Kalamazoo Mayor David Anderson, and professors from the School of Social Work, Dr. Shane Brady and Dr. Don Cooney (also serving as City Commissioner for Kalamazoo).
Foundation for individual rights and Expression (FIRE) Visit - September 27, 2023
We Talk hosted the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)'s Legislative and Policy Director Joe Cohn and Student Press Counsel, Lindsie Rank at WMU to promote free speech protections. We had productive dialogues on why free speech is important in the higher education landscape and how we can improve on it. There were the sessions:
We Talk and the Fetzer Institute were pleased to bring Dave Isay, founder of StoryCorps, an ongoing national oral history project, and the One Small Step initiative to Kalamazoo on March 28 and 29, 2022. Isay spoke about this work in a public presentation held in the Fetzer Center’s Kirsch Auditorium on March 29.
Dr. Lisa Gale, StoryCorps chief program officer, led an inspiring discussion with WMU students on how to discover the humanity in the people we disagree with through conversation to ease polarization at home, in the classroom and the workplace.
WMU We Talk hosted a stop on U.S. Congressional Representative Debbie Dingell and Fred Upton's Civility Tour at Heritage Hall. President Edward Montgomery served as the moderator of an engaging and enlightening conversation about how the two members of the Problem Solvers Caucus have reached across the aisle in recent years to pass important legislation and foster civility.
The founding leaders of Interfaith America, author Eboo Patel, and Manu Meel of BridgeUSA, visited Kalamazoo October 5 and 6, 2022 to share how their organizations work with institutions and individuals to build a more diverse and just democracy. They hosted student-focused events and a campus/community conversation.
We Need to Build by Irshad Manji brought her message of moral courage to WMU in September 2021, boosting the We Talk movement among students, faculty and staff. The Brooklyn-based educator and founder of Moral Courage College challenged her audiences to think differently about how they handle conflict. In classroom, panel, presentation and social settings, Irshad prepared young people to engage honestly about contentious issues rather than shaming or canceling each other.
Don't Label Me by 
The Trouble with Islam by