Loretta Ross: Fighting Nazis Should Be Fun

All Ears with Abigail Disney

This week on All Ears, Abby goes deep with professor and long time activist Loretta Ross. As an outspoken critic of cancel culture, Loretta’s sharp insights have made her class “White Supremacy in the Age of Donald Trump,” one of Smith College’s most popular. Loretta tells Abby that social media shaming is counterproductive to her long-sought goal of building a human rights movement; while it can be an important tool for holding the powerful accountable, more often than not “we're spending our best bullets on each other.” And besides, Loretta reminds Abby, the revolution should be fun! Instead of calling people out, Loretta describes the practice of "calling in." "It's not that deep," she tells Abby, "It's a call out done with love and respect." In her efforts to build a movement for all people, Loretta is always looking for ways she can partner with others, even her ideological opposites. Loretta also tells her own story of sexual assault and sterilization at a young age, experiences which helped propel her into a lifetime of activism.

EPISODE LINKS
Up From Hatred (LA Times)
What if Instead of Calling People Out, We Called Them In? (NY Times)
Loretta Ross Keynote Address - Hampshire College Commencement 2018
The Dalkon Shield Disaster (Washington Post)
Reproductive Justice (SisterSong)
LorettaRoss.com
Loretta Ross on Twitter: @LorettaJRoss