American Public Square At Jewell's Student Program Panel Explores Cancel Culture

We're living in an age of the 24-hour social media news cycle and a challenge to escape it. Subsequently, welcome to what's been coined as 'cancel culture'- defined a social climate in which a person or organization is likely to be ostracized in response to a perceived wrongdoing. Don't like what a public figure says or is doing? Just cancel them!

Explore this fascinating phenomena on Thursday evening, Nov. 17, as American Public Square at Jewell's Student Initiative presents the virtual program "I Got Canceled - What's Next." The 6 p.m. program will feature a moderated panel of young adults as APS seeks to understand when cancel culture materialized as a form of social justice and the arguments for and against 'cancelling'. The lively program will consider whether organizations or people should be written off or cancelled without the opportunity for redemption. Is there any right that can undo or heal wrongdoing? Is Cancel Culture a dangerous harbinger of a society that does not protect freedom of speech?

Those wanting to attend the program should register at: https://americanpublicsquare.org/event/canceled/.

This program is the result of months of planning by APS' 11-member Student Planning Committee. Members come from various institutions including the University of Missouri-Kansas City, WIlliam Jewill College, Park University, Emory University and Pembroke Hill High School. Working closely with the APS professional staff, student committee members pulled together the various aspects of the program. A special APS Student Podcast about cancel culture is now available to complement the upcoming program. A link to this podcast is available at https://americanpublicsquare.org/ep-cancel-culture/ or wherever you get your podcasts.

"This student initiative enables us to bring our mission of elevating the tone of public discourse to college and high school classrooms in the metro area with two objectives-to help educate students about why civil discourse is critical to a thriving democracy, and to equip young people in our community with the tools and resources they need to develop and lead impactful programming on issues that matter to them," said Claire Bishop, APS' Executive Director.

Moderator for APS' Cancel Culture program is Allison Koelzer, APS's Student Initiative Coordinator and Digital Media and Communications Associate. In her role at APS, Koelzer works with high school and college students to develop student-led programs and manages APS internships. In addition to empowering student voices at APS, Koezler produces and curates our podcast channel, At the Square.

Panelists for the program include:

• Kylie J. Holman is Director of Marketing & Digital Communication for Appsky, an Omaha-based mobile app development company. She holds a B.S. in Journalism & Media Communication and M.S. in Communication from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Her research focuses on cancel culture in conjunction with the #MeToo movement, redemption, and the components necessary for an appropriate "comeback."

• Korri Palmer is a recent graduate from The College of Wooster. During her senior year, she wrote her required senior thesis about cancel culture. Her study worked to analyze and define cancel culture as a form of social activism. Currently, Palmer is working on her first poetry book.

• Sam Ahmed, aka WebsterX, is a recording artist from Milwaukee whose music delivers a message of hope with stories from his path to finding his own identity. WebsterX is a co-founder of a youth organization called FreeSpace. With impressive national press coverage and award winning music videos WebsterX has put a spotlight on Milwaukee's budding music community.

• Justice Horn has personal experience with cancel culture in his work as a local community leader, social justice activist, and political analyst. Horn was the youngest political consultant for the 2020 Joe Biden Presidential campaign in the African American, LGBTQ+, and Pacific Islander division. Horn serves on a number of community, county, and boards and commissions.

Those attending the virtual panel will be to submit questions for consideration during the program. To register for "I Got Canceled-What's Next?" please visit:https://americanpublicsquare.org/event/canceled/.