Heal Our Culture

On March 27, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wes Fryer shares a Heal Our Culture video update focused on staying resilient through hope, joy, and community, including family gatherings. He previews the nationwide No Kings 3 nonviolent protest on March 28 and describes his work with Indivisible Charlotte and livestream plans, while condemning ICE actions, detention facilities, and threats to representative government. He urges learning “hard history,” highlighting the Wilmington, NC 1898 coup and massacre, and recommends the American Experience documentary “American Coup: Wilmington 1898,” plus related podcasts and Black history resources. He discusses the month-long Iran war, critiques current U.S. leadership, and recommends analysis from Angry Planet and the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. He suggests curating news via Substack, Verity News, and his news.wesfryer.com site, promotes an April 6 Media Education Lab webinar, and warns of potential domestic violence, recommending Timothy Snyder and Adam Kinzinger as sources while encouraging cooperative resistance to “heal our culture.”00:00 Welcome and Agenda01:27 Hope and Joy Practices02:26 No Kings Rally Preview06:50 Hard History Wilmington 189812:00 Iran War Updates17:57 News Tools and Webinar22:14 Preparing for Domestic Violence26:41 Call to Heal and ResistReferenced Links* No Kings in Charlotte (Event, Saturday March 28)* Indivisible Charlotte* American Coup: Wilmington 1898 (PBS American Experience, November 12, 2024)* The Teacher’s Forum - Wilmington 1898: The Only Coup in American History (Buzzsprout)* UnderTold by CM* Follow Jesus - Black History* The Real March Madness: Dehumanization (Resist and Heal Substack)* Resist and Heal Note - Iran War Press Briefing (Substack)* Neutralizing Iran’s Nuclear Material During a War Is ‘Nearly Mission Impossible’ (Angry Planet, March 20, 2026)* Trump May Send US Troops to Neutralize Iran’s Highly Enriched Uranium (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, March 9, 2026)* Substack 101 (Media Education Lab)* Verity News* AI, News & Education: Who’s Building Our News Platforms? (MediaEd Club, April 6, 2026)* Filter Your News Feed - News with Wes Fryer* The Desire for Terror (Timothy Snyder, Substack, March 8, 2026)* The Open Hangar Problem: America Is Not Ready for the War That’s Coming (Adam Kinzinger, Substack, March 27, 2026)* Join Me in AdvocacyThis video is also available on YouTube and Facebook.#HealOurCulture This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healourculture.substack.com

On March 13, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wes Fryer shares a second video-style update for the Heal Our Culture Project, urging viewers to be “culture healers” and describing recent sources of hope through Zoom collaborations, the Thrive United for Democracy and Global Action conference recordings, and local work tied to the Charlotte Remembrance Project and Equal Justice Initiative memorial markers. He highlights the free Jesuit meditation app/site Pray As You Go on its 20th anniversary, then condemns the U.S.-initiated war with Iran as illegal and harmful to civilians, referencing a Resist and Heal Substack post and calling for congressional checks on presidential power. He describes using AI (Claude, Gemini) to craft kinder responses to polarizing Facebook comments, reflects on visiting the Lansford Canal and the burned Tivoli plantation as “hard history,” and recommends resources on “un-Christian nationalism,” including Kate Bowler’s podcast episode, the documentary God and Country, and Tim Alberta’s book.Also available on YouTube.00:00 Welcome and agenda02:00 Finding hope and community05:41 Praise as you go08:27 War in Iran concerns11:48 Resist and Heal post17:03 AI for kinder replies18:53 Hard history at Tivoli21:39 Unchristian nationalism resources25:19 Advocacy links and closingReferenced links:* Presentation / video slides (includes links)* Thrive: United for Democracy and Global Action (Conference March 4-5, 2026)* Charlotte-Mecklenburg Remembrance Project* Pray As You Go - 20th Anniversary* “Resist and Heal” Substack* Illegal War with Iran is an Immoral Dumpster Fire (Resist and Heal, 12 March 2026)* Claude AI* Exploring Landsford Canal and Tivoli Plantation History (William Richardson Davie) (Learning Signs, 7 March 2026)* The New Shape of American Religion with Ross Douthat and Molly Worthen (Kate Bowler, Everything Happens Podcast, 3 March 2026)* God and Country (2024 documentary)* The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta (2023)* News with Wes Fryer* Join me (Wes Fryer) in advocacy This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healourculture.substack.com

Wes Fryer in Charlotte shares a Heal Our Culture update focused on maintaining hope through community and wise voices, including a choir concert and Black History Month sermons he posted online. He discusses the U.S. attack in Iran that reportedly killed Iran’s supreme leader, warns about misinformation, and demonstrates an AI fact-checking “super prompt” by Mike Caulfield to rebut a viral meme about Clinton, Obama, and Biden enabling Iran’s nuclear program. He recommends the Straight White American Jesus podcast episode (Feb 27, 2026) to critique what he calls “un-Christian nationalism,” then covers Pentagon pressure on Scouts of America over DEI and the removal of the Citizenship in Society merit badge. He also describes an AI ethics clash involving Anthropic’s refusal to allow unfettered military use without guardrails, and invites viewers to advocacy resources and the March 4–5 Thrive Conference.00:00 Hope First01:32 Community and Wisdom04:28 War in Iran07:12 Fact Check Toolkit09:16 Limits of Debunking13:16 Unchristian Nationalism15:30 DEI in Scouting20:19 AI Military Ethics23:06 Advocacy and Thrive26:56 Closing HopeLearn more and follow Heal Our Culture on:* YouTube* HealOurCulture.org* healourculture.subsack.com* 2026 February Sermons from Caldwell Presbyterian Church (Black History Month)* Join me (Wes Fryer) in advocacy* Check out News with Wes Fryer* Information about the March 4-5, 2026 "THRIVE: United for Democracy and Global Action" Conference* Wes' Thrive February 2026 presentation, "Reclaiming Our News Feeds"This update is also available on YouTube and Facebook. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healourculture.substack.com

Wes Fryer records episode four of the Heal Our Culture podcast from Charlotte, North Carolina on February 15, 2026, framing it as a “letter to the future” for his unborn grandchildren. He shares a story from a November 2017 trip to Cairo, Egypt to speak at the Ed Forum conference, including visiting the pyramids, the Sphinx, and the Cairo Museum, and learning about the historic Hotel Mena meeting before the 1945 Yalta Conference. He credits the trip’s guidance and context to Ahmed Ragheb, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and family friend (Muslim married to a Jewish wife), whose career connects to Wes’s father’s Vietnam-era F-4 service and later pilot training leadership; Wes also recalls the Iranian hostage crisis era at Columbus Air Force Base. Wes recounts Ahmed’s explanation of Egypt’s post–Arab Spring politics, noting Mohamed Morsi’s 2012–2013 presidency and the subsequent military takeover that preceded President Abdel Fattah el‑Sisi’s rule beginning in 2014, and uses this to reflect on democracy’s fragility and the dangers of populism. He connects these themes to the United States in February 2026, describing concerns about rising authoritarianism, voter suppression, and challenges to democratic institutions, and references recent killings of U.S. citizens in Minneapolis by federal agents and reports of masked, unbadged arrests and detentions, including incidents in Charlotte. Wes describes his own oath to defend the U.S. Constitution as a 1992 U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, his path out of pilot training and into education, and his ongoing media literacy work since 2019, including the “Conspiracies and Culture Wars” inquiry project (medialiteracy.wesfryer.com/concw) and his effort to “reclaim our news feeds” through news.wesfryer.com using Flipboard and a Federated Reader project built with AI. He cites polarized narratives around the January 6 insurrection, presidential pardons for those involved, disputes over the 2020 election, and differing accounts across platforms as reasons for prioritizing trusted sources. He also points listeners to the “Wes and Shelly Share” podcast (episode 39) discussing snow days and resistance work, including involvement with Indivisible and Indivisible Charlotte through Caldwell Presbyterian Church. The episode closes with a call to be “culture healers” rather than “culture warriors,” to sustain hope and community, and to defend democratic values and rights—especially voting rights—while recognizing the long historical struggle for justice highlighted during Black History Month.00:00 Welcome + Why These “Letters from Granddad Fryer” Matter01:46 Cairo 2017: Invited to ED Forum & First Impressions of Egypt02:26 Pyramids, Museums, and WWII History at the Hotel Mina04:25 Meet Ahmed Ragheb: Family Connections, Service, and a Cross-Faith Marriage07:17 Egypt’s Arab Spring Aftermath: Morsi, the Coup, and Military Rule08:29 Democracy Is Fragile: Lessons for the U.S. in an Age of Populism11:14 My Oath, My Path: Air Force Academy, Career Turns, and Media Literacy Work19:11 Reclaiming the News Feed: Tools, Projects, and Competing Realities24:47 A Letter to the Future: Hope, Black History Month, and Choosing Culture Healing29:10 Closing: Community, Resistance, and Building a Healed WorldLearn more about “Heal Our Culture,” SUBSCRIBE and follow for updates on:* Substack* YouTube* HealOurCulture.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healourculture.substack.com

Please consider joining me for the 9 week course, “Confronting Whiteness,” starting in January 2026. My spouse and I participated in this transformative course 2 years ago, and I’m looking forward to leading my first cohort this spring as a trained facilitator.There are many things we can’t do today to change current events, but we CAN “work on ourselves” and build community with others. Educational as well as community-building experiences like this course are part of the prescriptions we need today to maintain hope in the face of so much difficulty.I hope you’ll consider joining me. Several more videos are available which can help you learn more and decide if this is for you.More details are available on cw.wesfryer.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healourculture.substack.com

I (Wes Fryer) created this 3.5 minute story on with Google Gemini’s experimental “Storybook” mode, using the following prompt:Tell an adventure story of the golden retrievers, Rosie and Moose, who found a way to help the United States transcend this moment of political polarization and rising fascism, by moving toward an ethic of kindness, love, and caring for our neighbors. The creation of an open source and federated social media platform engineered to promote good local news in the feed was key to this process! Make the images of people ethnically diverse.You can also read, listen to and view this storybook directly on Google Gemini.See the post on HealOurCulture,org, “Reclaiming Our News Feeds,” for more details. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healourculture.substack.com

James Baldwin’s timeless ideas on race, identity, and healing are more relevant today than ever. In this third episode of the "Heal Our Culture" podcast, I (Wes Fryer) discuss Baldwin’s lasting legacy and why his centennial is a crucial moment to revisit his work. Drawing from personal experiences and recent cultural discussions, I share eight resources that I am personally committing to reading, listening to, or watching in the weeks ahead. These include Baldwin’s iconic essays like A Talk to Teachers and the transformative documentary I Am Not Your Negro. These works offer profound lessons for those seeking to foster understanding and healing in our divided world. Listen in to discover how Baldwin's legacy can help us all engage as culture healers.Learn more about the “Heal Our Culture” project on HealOurCulture.org.The eight essays, books, podcasts and videos referenced in this episode are:* CBS Sunday Morning: “James Baldwin at 100” (5 min)* The Teacher’s Forum Podcast from 3 Sept 2024: “James Baldwin at 100: Teaching Race, Identity, and the Power of Truth” (56 min) – David Harris, Dr. Yven Destin and Tyron Dandridge* WikiPedia article on James Baldwin (English)* On Hulu: “I Am Not Your Negro”* “A Talk to Teachers.” Article by James Baldwin. October 16, 1963.* “James Baldwin: The Last Interview” (PDF)* “Here be Dragons” by James Baldwin (PDF)* “The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin (book)This podcast episode (28 min) is also available as both an audio recording on Spotify and a video on YouTube. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healourculture.substack.com

In this heartfelt second episode of the “Heal Our Culture” podcast, Wes Fryer delves into the critical need to heal our culture amidst today’s polarized climate. As a middle school STEM and media literacy teacher, Wes emphasizes the importance of becoming “culture healers” instead of “culture warriors.” Through three personal stories, he illustrates the power of community, family, and media literacy in bridging divides and fostering understanding. From his experience with emergency preparedness and media consumption to a moving church service for a Nicaraguan friend and a discussion about the impact of institutional racism, Wes advocates for intentional, positive engagement in our communities. He invites viewers to join the Heal Our Culture project, which aims to promote uplifting content and meaningful connections, encouraging everyone to contribute to cultural healing. Referenced links and shownotes from the episode are available on HealOurCulture.org. Also available as a video on YouTube. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healourculture.substack.com

Reflections and takeaways by Wesley and Shelly Fryer from the Racial Healing Retreat hosted by Caldwell Presbyterian Church of Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday, January 27, 2024. The retreat was facilitated by Kimberlee Yolanda Williams, author of “Dear White Woman, Please Come Home: Hand Me Your Bias, and I'll Show You Our Connection.” Her website is engagingacrossdifference.com⁠. The retreat was sponsored by ARCC (the Anti-Racism Council at Caldwell.) Access referenced episode links and show notes on HealOurCulture.org. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healourculture.substack.com