The global rise of authoritarian and even fascist movements and governments has taken many observers by surprise, but Yale professor and bestselling author Jason Stanley traces its inspirations and funding back to some of the most dangerous ideas in human history.

He says hearts and minds are won in our elementary schools, high schools, and universities—and that is where the authoritarian movement on the right is focusing its energies and its attempts to roll back gains on civil rights, equity and inclusion. Governments are currently ill-prepared to do the work of uprooting fascist policies he says are being foisted upon our children through school boards, in courtrooms, and in the boardrooms of the companies trusted to train our teachers and create the materials they’ll share with their students.

Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Vladimir Putin, Turkey’s Recip Erdogan, and Argentina’s Javier Milei have all reached the same conclusion: if you want to roll back the clock on liberal policies, a great place to start is in our schools.

Join us online for a provocative conversation with Professor Jason Stanley.