After October 7th there has been widespread disappointment in the way universities have chosen to respond to Hamas’s horrific attacks on innocent Israeli civilians as well as the mounting evidence that anti-Semitism that has been festering on campuses for years is reaching a breaking point. From alumni, major donors, prospective employers, and the general public, universities are being called out for their inability to take a strong stance against terrorism as well as the killing of innocent Israelis. All of this combined has brought up many legal questions regarding free speech, hostile environments, harassment, political retaliation, equal protection, and discrimination. Cherise is joined by Professor David E. Bernstein of George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School to discuss these legal questions as well as tease out areas that still lack clarity.

Cherise invites Jennifer Richmond, the Co-founder and director of the Institute for Liberal Values and Author of “Letters in Black & White: A New Correspondence on Race in America,” to join her in discussing some of the major barriers to debate and political discussion we are seeing on campuses and in our society today.

Cherise is joined by David L. Bernstein to discuss ever-relevant concepts outlined in his book “Woke Antisemitism: How Progressive Ideology Harms Jews.” As we have seen the horrific acts by Hamas on the people of Israel and we brace ourselves for what could be one of the bloodiest wars in the region, Americans have taken notice of the reactions of our universities and our college students who in some cases are actually defending the actions of Hamas and continue to advocate for more. David and Cherise will discuss the connections between far-left radical ideology, Marxist ideology, and the anti-Semitism we are seeing on college campuses today, as well as why higher education is at the center of these political agendas.

Cherise Trump sits down with Paula Scanlan, a recent graduate from the University of Pennsylvania who competed on U-Penn’s swim team. Paula is most recently known for speaking out against biological men participating in women’s sports. Inspired by fellow female athletes, Paula broke her silence in June 2023 on her experience as a teammate of Lia Thomas, formerly Will Thomas, and the efforts of her college’s administration and student body to silence her and suppress her right to free speech. Cherise and Paula discuss the attempts made to silence and intimidate her as well as how she hopes to inspire females, especially athletes, to come forward, share their stories, and join her in making change to protect women everywhere.

As we approach the new school year, join Cherise as she interviews students who stood up for their beliefs and spoke out despite the consequences. It takes tremendous courage to push back when your institution attempts to censor or coerce you and we are sorely lacking current day examples of what this can look like. Hopefully these stories will inspire other students to speak out and defend their right to express their ideas. In the first episode of this series, Cherise interviews @Brandubh4 who is a 14 year old student in Ireland. Brandubh recently spoke out at a women’s rally pushing back on the popular notion that gender is fluid which has made what it means to be a woman obsolete. Brandubh showed great strength and courage writing and reading aloud her poem, “I am not a Dress”, challenging the dogmatic thinking of the far-left. Social: 

Join Cherise and Lathan Watts from Alliance for Defending Freedom as they discuss a huge win in the U.S. Supreme Court last month in the case 303 Creative v. Elenis. Many of you know that June was a big month in the U.S. Supreme Court for higher education and free speech. With Biden’s unconstitutional tactic to buy votes by forgiving student loan debt without the approval of congress, or the Court finally calling out affirmative action practices in the universities for being down-right discriminatory. There was another great win for free speech and a big loss for government compelled speech. Here in America, an individual’s right to free speech is just as protected by the First Amendment as is their right not to espouse ideas or be forced to speak things they do not believe. Cherise and Lathan delve into the bigger questions this case answers and has brought to the forefront of policy discussions regarding protected speech.

Cherise sits down with Dr. Aaron Kheriaty to discuss his experiences with censorship in the medical field as well as during his career in academia. They then dive into a discussion regarding the well-established DEI apparatchik that has enforced various forms of censorship and coercion on students, faculty, as well as citizens around the country. This insidious leviathan of administrators, bureaucrats, programs and systems, and spread across various institutions, has created what is known as the  “censorship industrial complex”, and it is continuing to grow.

Join Cherise and her guest, founder of Legal Insurrection, William Jacobson as they discuss the how concepts like Critical Race Theory have taken over our educational institutions and are now being put into practice under the guise of “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” efforts. William discusses the work he has done with Legal Insurrection to expose and track the normalization of these insidious political agendas and how they are eroding the very meaning of higher education.

Join Cherise as she sits down with Yeonmi Park, a North Korean defector who escaped the authoritarian state when she was fourteen years old. Her journey from North Korea, through China, to South Korea, and eventually to the United States was a perilous one that you can read about in her earlier book “In Order to Live.” With the memories of the regime she grew up under in North Korea still on her mind, Yeonmi Park has taken note of some of the eerily similar behaviors she has seen in the United States both on college campus and off. Her time at Columbia University encouraged her to write her most recent book “While Time Remains,” where Yeonmi delivers a warning for Americans by highlighting the dangerous hypocrisies, mob tactics, groupthink, and anti-free speech sentiments in the name of social justice. 

Join Cherise as she discusses the appreciation of free speech with Jorge Andres Galicia. Jorge is a Venezuelan dissident who has been fighting since college to oppose the corrupt socialist regime currently led by Nicholas Maduro. Hear Jorge’s story and his warnings to Americans not to stop fighting to protect our most fundamental rights such as free speech. Jorge knows first hand what happens to a country where these freedoms are taken for granted.

Today’s guests are two Stanford University undergraduate students, Josiah Joner and Walker Stewart, who shed light on the coercion, censorship, declining standards, and wavering administrators at what is supposed to be one of the most elite academic institutions in the world. Walker and Josiah explain what happened in March where Stanford Law School students, supported by administrators and the Dean of DEI shouted down and ridiculed a sitting Circuit Judge who was invited to speak. They also dive into whether this was an inevitable result of the way Stanford has managed its DEI initiatives on campus and concerns for the future. 

Join Cherise and Lathan Watts of the Alliance for Defending Freedom as they discuss how legal action is one of the last lines of defense for our civil liberties. They will touch on some of the recent issues we’ve seen with law school shout-downs, the DOJ’s prejudices against conservatives, and how legal questions regarding free speech often intersect with religious liberty.

Cherise takes the time to provide information on the background, history, and intent of the infamous Title IX law that we frequently hear about, but never fully understand. As she demystifies Title IX, she also explains an often overlooked concern regarding our right to speech and how this right will be completely undermined with the newly proposed rule changes coming down the pike.

Cherise sits down with Dr. Matthew Wielicki to discuss his experiences as a professor at the University of Alabama as well as a geoscientist in the academy. Dr. Wielicki describes the challenges one faces when they resist or dissent from the woke dogma that was increasingly being forced upon all professionals in the field. Students and faculty are being told to prioritize DEI mandates over scientific research putting progress and education in STEM fields in jeopardy.

Cherise kicks off the new year with Ben Weingarten, an investigative reporter who has interviewed and written about many of the silenced members within the academy. They discuss how DEI is being promulgated throughout students’ education as well as the special role business schools are playing in pushing DEI and ESG initiatives.

As we wrap up 2022, enjoy the top moments from Well Said during the past year! We look forward to what 2023 has in store and can’t wait for you to be there with us!

Join Cherise as she sits down with Jessica Costescu and Kyle Clare, two college students who share their experiences as conservatives on campus.  You’ll hear Jessica and Kyle discuss freedom of speech and their first-hand exposure to political harassment, self-censorship, and even violence that is taking place at their universities.