It’s easy to get cynical about Free Speech - many times, it feels like the party crying free speech is simply the party who is not currently in power. But there is another take - that free speech is and will remain a core tenet of our democracy. It’s a complex, multi-faceted issue across domains, and so we are hosting our first “series” of events with P&T Knitwear, an amazing bookstore in Lower East Side. Three salons, culminating in a debate on whether free speech can still be defended in a world of algorithms and anonymity.

Our first in this series is a salon on protests - it seems like every other month there is a new, divisive take on protesting, and whether it is free speech or obstruction. The Minnesota ICE Protests, Don Lemon, BLM, January 6th, No Kings, Columbia. The list goes on. Join us and talk with people who also want to have better conversations and respectful disagreement.

Upcoming UNMUTED Events

Wednesday, 3/4: An UNMUTED Dialogue: The Path Forward on Immigration (link)

Thursday, 3/12: An UNMUTED x P&T Free Speech Salon I: The War on Protest (link)

Monday, 3/16: An UNMUTED Dialogue: Crime and Punishment and Mamdani (link)

Check out all our events here

The events I’ve got my eye on in the next two weeks. Check them out!

Monday, March 2
•4:30 PM – An Archaeology of Plastics
Subject: Environmental Archaeology
Where: The New York Academy of Sciences, 115 Broadway, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10006
Who: New York Academy of Sciences Anthropology Section
What: Distinguished Lecture Series featuring Pamela Geller, bioarcheologist and professor of anthropology at the University of Miami, examining the lifecycle of plastic artifacts and arguing for plastics as the catalyst of a Synthetic Revolution. New York Academy of Sciences is a partner for an upcoming event with Jack Schlossberg, so gotta rep.

•6:00 PM – Handwriting the Constitution
Subject: Historical Perspectives
Where: Old Stone House of Brooklyn
Who: Morgan O’Hara
What: An interactive art workshop that encourages people to take human rights into consideration through handwriting important documents of the past. If you lean right, I will pay you $5 to go to this and report back.

•6:30 PM – A Nation In Conversation
Subject: Politics and Society
Where: The Robert H. Smith Auditorium at The New York Historical, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024
Who: The New York Historical
What: A timely discussion of race, democracy, and historical perspectives with Professor Heather Cox Richardson and Professor of African Studies at Princeton University, Khalil Gibran Muhammad.

🗓 Tuesday, March 3
•4:00 PM – Economics Seminar: Nikolaos Rodousakis
Subject: Economics 
Where: Wolff Conference Room 1103, The New School 
Who: The New School 
What: A political economic presentation of new dynamic research by Ph.d Nikolaos Rodousakis, a research fellow at the Centre of Planning and Economic Research. Seems very theoretical and heady, if you're into that, worth a shot. 

•6:30 PM – #MeToo and the Politics of Transnational Feminism
Subject: Politics and Culture 
Where: 20 Cooper Sq, New York, NY
Who: Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, NYU
What: A panel discussion and book talk covering the global context of the feminist movement. In law school, talks with titles this abstract tended to be really boring. But maybe, just maybe, I’m wrong.

🗓 Wednesday, March 4
•6:00 PM – The Long War on Iran
Subject: US-Iran Relations
Where: 40 Loisaida Avenue, New York, NY 10009
Who: OR Books
What: Book launch with author Behrooz Ghamari and Narges Bajoghli examining the decades-long standoff between the United States and Iran, exploring misunderstandings and conflicting ambitions. This is especially pertinent given this weekend’s attack and the death of the Ayatollah…

•6:00 PM – Supply Side Harm Reduction: Public Health Interventions in Drug Markets
Subject: Public Health
Where: Casa Hispanica, 612 West 116th Street, New York, NY 10027
Who: The Society of Fellows and Heyman Center for the Humanities
What: Discussion exploring public health interventions in drug markets and incorporating people who sell drugs into harm reduction research and intervention…Ed for real.

•6:30 PM – Strategies for a New Era of Policing and Public Safety in NYC
Subject: Policing Reform
Where: Elebash Recital Hall, The Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Who: GC Public Programs
What: Panel of leading scholars and practitioners examining cutting-edge research on improving public safety through police-community interactions, non-police responses to mental health emergencies, and procedural justice.

•6:30 PM – Soho Forum Debate: Terence Kealey vs. Jeffrey Flier
Subject: NIH Policy
Where: The Sheen Center, 18 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 1001
Who: The Soho Forum
What: Debate on the resolution: The National Institutes of Health should be abolished. We actually looked into hosting Jeffrey Flier for an upcoming trust in science event…..if anyone was planning to go to this, let me know how it goes!

🗓 Thursday, March 5
•6:00 PM – Book Launch: Liquid Handcuffs: Policing & Punishment in Methadone Clinics
Subject: Public Health
Where: The People's Forum, 320 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018
Who: Methadone Clinic Abolition Collective
What: Expert panel on how the methadone clinic system oppresses people who take methadone and the case for clinic abolition to save lives….you’re probably either going to hate this or love this, entirely based on your politics.

•7:00 PM – Diversity Vs. Unity: In a nation of immigrants, what makes us ‘one people’?
Subject: Political discourse 
Where: Unitarian Universalist Society
Who: Braver Angels 
What: A conversation about multiculturalism, diversity, and unity as a shared moral framework and value. A day after our own immigration event….

🗓 Friday, March 6
•3:00 PM – March Political Madness
Subject: local government 
Where: John Thompson Jr. Court @ Nike, 855 Sixth Ave, NYC 
Who: City and State New York 
What: A basketball tournament where New York’s Political leaders will be pitted against one another, like Super Mario basketball… or actual basketball 

•6:00 PM – Black Study(ies) at Columbia University 2026 Zora Neale Hurston Lecture
Subject: Black Literature
Where: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture - New York Public Library, 515
Who: African American & African Diaspora Studies - Columbia U
What: Jamaica Kincaid, Antiguian-American novelist and essayist, and Edwidge Danticat, Haitian-American novelist and short story writer, in conversation as part of the annual Zora Neale Hurston Lecture honoring Black intellectual tradition.

🗓 Saturday, March 7
•11:00 AM – Faith, Ethics & Artificial Intelligence
Subject: AI Ethics
Where: Grace Church, Brooklyn Heights, 254 Hicks Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Who: Grace Church, Brooklyn Heights
What:  Lecture with Dr. Isaac B. Sharp exploring what Christian ethics have to say about the promises and pitfalls of AI, engaging questions of justice, agency, and moral responsibility.

🗓 Sunday, March 8
•3:00 PM – Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement
Subject: Legal 
Where: Housing Works Bookstore Cafe 
Who: Housing Works Bookstore 
What: A book talk with authors Deborah Zalesne and Christopher Blackwell, who question the ethics of solitary confinement and possible alternatives, like many of the events this week, I feel like this could go either way. Report back if it's decent.

•3:00 PM – Winter Salon
Subject: Conservative/ Social
Where: Event Location Information Upon Registration
Who: New York Young Republican Club
What: The 2nd annual NYRRC winter salon featuring conservative musical acts, culture, and discussions. If you are a fellow patron of the arts and a conservative, this is up your alley.

Monday, March 9
•6:30 PM – Chris Hayes Discusses “The Siren’s Call” with Alondra Nelson
Subject: Contemporary thought
Where: Center for Brooklyn History
Who: CBH Books
What: A timely discussion with MSNBC host Chris Hayes and Sociologist Andora Nelson on how the ‘attention economy' has reshaped our inner lives, politics, and democracy. This is based on Hayes’ newest book, ‘The Siren’s Call’. This topic has been popping up on my feed a lot recently, its hot button, but a little over saturated, but if you go, please share your thoughts.

•6:30 PM – Declaration: Little-Known Stories of American Independence
Subject: History
Where: Fraunces Tavern Museum, 54 Pearl StreetNew York, NY, 10004
Who: Liberty 250 Lectures and the Legal History Committee of the New York City Bar Association
What: A conversation and lecture with Robert Watson on some of the untold stories of the Declaration of Independence. My intern watches these kinds of YouTube videos all the time, hell, probably be there.

🗓 Tuesday, March 10
•5:30 PM – Nothing About Us Without Us: Community Policy Summit
Subject: Local Policy
Where: BronxWorks Classic Community Center
Who: The Bronx Defenders
What: An annual dinner and conversation where participants are asked to discuss their policy priorities regarding their neighborhood. This is what civics looks like. We need more of this.

•All Day – Student Movements and Social Justice: Histories and Futures
Subject: History and Contemporary Policy
Where: Elebash Recital Hall, The Graduate Center, New York, NY
Who: The Center for the Humanities at The Graduate Center, CUNY
What: An all-day conference bringing together higher education advocates and organizations to discuss free education, affordable housing, cops off campus, campus labor, accessible childcare, Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. I think higher-ed policy is a really underexplored space in contemporary politics; it could be worth checking out some of the panels.

Wednesday, March 11
•8:00 AM – 2026 State of the NY Women in Business & Women Economic Forum NY
Subject: Modern Policy and Economics
Where: 605 W 125th St, New York, NY
Who: New York Women’s Chamber of Commerce
What: The Women's Economic Forum and the New York Chamber of Commerce, among others, are teaming up to host a forum focused on New York entrepreneurs and the steps needed in the space. Normally, I don't post about morning events, but this is a great opportunity for new or seasoned entrepreneurs in politics, government, or business at large.

🗓 Thursday, March 12
•7:00 PM – Garry Kasparov in Conversation with Bret Stephens: The World of Fake Values
Subject: Contemporary thought
Where: Weill Art Gallery
Who: 92NY
What: Garry Kasparov is a former Russian chess legend who left it all behind in opposition to Putin's regime. Since then, he has devoted his years away from chess to analyzing democracy. Now, in a conversation with Bret Stephens, New York Times Opinion Columnist, he discusses the perversion of democracy through technology, isolation, and fear. We might be working with Garry Kasparov’s org - Renew Democracy Initiative - for a four part event series this year…worth checking out!

•7:00 PM – New Public Forum
Subject: Contemporary thought and politics
Where: Frederick P. Rose Auditorium, The Cooper Union, 41 Cooper Square, New York, NY 10003
Who: Cooper Union Art School
What: A student-led policy forum aimed at promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration among the arts, government, and hard sciences. I’m a bit skeptical of student-led forums but….too interesting to pass up!

🗓 Friday, March 13
•7:00 PM – The Earth is Flat, And Other Facts
Subject: Comedy
Where: Caveat NY
Who: Caveat NY
What: A conspiracy filled comedy show. From flat earthers to brand new theories, four comedians will take you through a journey of the bizarre ‘truths’ populating our airwaves. Maybe Alex Jones will show up.

•9:30 PM – Drinking Buddies
Subject: Comedy
Where: Grove 34 Comedy Club
Who: Grove 34 Comedy Club
What: A comedy night dedicated to poking fun at the liberals, the red hats, the conservatives, and everything in between.

🗓 Saturday, March 14
•9:00 AM – Exiting Egypt Economic Conference: Preparing for Uncertainty Part II
Subject: Economics
Where: Emmanuel Baptist Church
Who: A Better World Community Development Corporation
What: The 2026 Annual Socio-Economic Empowerment Conference that will prepare you for any situation in the face of oncoming economic uncertainty.

🗓 Sunday, March 15
•11:00 AM – Sunday Platform with Judge Machelle Sweeting
Subject: Ethics and society
Where: Ceremonial Hall (4th Floor), 2 W 64th St, New York, NY 10023
Who: The New York Society for Ethical Culture
What: A long-standing weekly event, this forum is a discussion about promoting a virtuous society through self-reflection and discourse. This installation features Judge Machelle Sweeting, who is the judge for the Manhattan 10th Municipal Court District of the New York City Civil Court, New York County. I might go to this - text me if you want to join (978 302 5849)

Show up, think deeper, and as always, stay Unmuted!

The Unmuted Team