Indivisible Charlotte hosts a webinar discussion with historian Timothy Snyder about his book On Freedom, contrasting “negative freedom” (freedom as removing barriers or acting on impulse) with “positive freedom” (collectively building social and political conditions—like education, healthcare, and solidarity—that enable dignified lives and moral self-creation). Snyder explains the book as an answer to what resistance to tyranny is for, arguing that imagining a future is essential and that “futurelessness” functions as a governing strategy benefiting oligarchs. The conversation links these ideas to current events: “superpower suicide,” the Supreme Court’s weakening of the Voting Rights Act, organizing and messaging for voters, possible pre-election “stunts” such as war, religious claims, or manufactured terrorism, and concerns about ICE and military politicization. Snyder cites anti-corruption coalitions and the protest–election connection in Poland and Hungary as lessons for U.S. democracy.

Listen: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Pocketcasts | Substack

Please subscribe to our podcast on Substack, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

To learn more about Indivisible Charlotte and participate in future events, visit www.indivisibleclt.org/events.