We need to be culture healers, not culture warriors. "Heal Our Culture" is an evolving project by Wes Fryer of Charlotte, North Carolina, seeking to amplify and share the voices of culture healers in our communities. Learn more and get involved on HealOurCulture.org. <br/><br/><a href="https://healourculture.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">healourculture.substack.com</a>
Heal Our Culture
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Podcast Overview
We need to be culture healers, not culture warriors. "Heal Our Culture" is an evolving project by Wes Fryer of Charlotte, North Carolina, seeking to amplify and share the voices of culture healers in our communities. Learn more and get involved on HealOurCulture.org. <br/><br/><a href="https://healourculture.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">healourculture.substack.com</a>
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2/2/2024
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Recent Episodes
July 6, 2026
A Small Group, A Big Story
<p>Yesterday marked the 250th birthday of the United States. Today, our small group gathered over Zoom for the first session of <a target="_blank" href="https://resistance500.com/">the 1526 Project</a>, also known as Resistance 500: a spiritual discernment curriculum created by <a target="_blank" href="https://pastorbenboswell.com/">Rev. Dr. Ben Boswell</a> and the team at <a target="_blank" href="https://collectiveliberationchurch.org/">Collective Liberation Church</a>.</p><p>I want to share a bit about what we experienced, and <a target="_blank" href="https://cw.wesfryer.com/">invite you to consider joining us</a>.</p><p>Why “1526”?</p><p>The curriculum takes its name, and its $15.26 price, from a moment most of us never learned about in school: the first rebellion of enslaved people in what would become the United States, which took place in 1526 in present-day Georgia or South Carolina. It’s a fitting starting point for a 20-week journey of remembering what our founding story often leaves out.</p><p>You can find the full curriculum at <a target="_blank" href="https://resistance500.com/">resistance500.com</a>.</p><p>What Our Gathering Looked Like</p><p>Our hour together each Sunday follows a rhythm: gathering words, a scripture reading, a historical reflection, a time of silent examen, a lament and remembrance liturgy, an action step, and a closing benediction.</p><p>Tonight’s historical reflection centered on <a target="_blank" href="https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/historic-document-library/detail/frederick-douglass-what-to-the-slave-is-the-fourth-of-july-1852">Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech</a>, often called “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”, delivered in Rochester, New York. I read the entire address, about 30 minutes worth, and we’ll keep sitting with it next week.</p><p>During our examen, we sat in silence and then shared, without fixing or advising each other, in response to questions like these:</p><p>* Where in my own body do I carry the Fourth of July? Pride, shame, nostalgia, grief, nothing at all?</p><p>* What was the first version of the American story I was told, and what did it leave out?</p><p>* When Douglass says “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine,” is it mine? Why or why not?</p><p>* What would it mean this summer to learn to mourn what I’ve been taught to celebrate, and celebrate what I’ve been taught to ignore?</p><p>Our action step was a “counter calendar” of historical dates in the struggle for freedom across the Americas. I linked each one to its Wikipedia article, since so many of these events, apart from the Amistad and the Nat Turner Rebellion, were new to me too. Deepening that knowledge feels like some of the most important work ahead of us.</p><p>A Personal Thread</p><p>This work reminds me of a class I took at Texas Tech while training to become a teacher: Children’s literature. Two books from that course have stayed with me for decades: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Encounter-Jane-Yolen/dp/0152259627">Jane Yolen’s </a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Encounter-Jane-Yolen/dp/0152259627">Encounter</a>, which retells the arrival of Columbus through Taíno eyes, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Sadako-Paper-Cranes-Eleanor-Coerr/dp/0698118022">Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes</a>, about the bombing of Hiroshima. Both quietly dismantled the flag-waving version of history I grew up with.</p><p>Reading Douglass the day after the 4th felt like part of that same lifelong unlearning and relearning.</p><p>Holding Both Things at Once</p><p>I still claim real pride in the aspirational values in our founding documents. But those words didn’t ring true for everyone when they were written, and we’re still living with that gap today, including the legacy of what’s now called Christian nationalism. I’d call it Christian un-nationalism: elevating any nation above the Kingdom of God isn’t a call I recognize as Christian.</p><p>An Open Invitation</p><p>Our group meets Sundays at 6:00 PM Eastern for 19 more weeks on Zoom. We’re not recording sessions, but I plan to continue recording short reflections each week to summarize some of my thoughts about my own experiences in this curriculum study and with our small group.</p><p>Wherever you are, keep building community, keep learning, and keep hope alive. Be a culture healer, not a culture warrior. Together, we can work toward a better tomorrow.</p><p>Please visit <a target="_blank" href="https://cw.wesfryer.com/">cw.wesfryer.com</a> learn more, as well as sign up if you’d like to join us! We are meeting on Sunday evenings over Zoom at 6pm ET / 5pm CT / 4pm MT / 3pm PT. </p><p>This video is also <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRDMNwO-ar4">available on YouTube</a>.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://healourculture.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">healourculture.substack.com</a>
March 28, 2026
Heal Our Culture Update: 27 March 2026
<p>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 <a target="_blank" href="https://news.wesfryer.com">news.wesfryer.com</a> 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.”</p><p>00:00 Welcome and Agenda</p><p>01:27 Hope and Joy Practices</p><p>02:26 No Kings Rally Preview</p><p>06:50 Hard History Wilmington 1898</p><p>12:00 Iran War Updates</p><p>17:57 News Tools and Webinar</p><p>22:14 Preparing for Domestic Violence</p><p>26:41 Call to Heal and Resist</p><p>Referenced Links</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://NoKingsCLT.com">No Kings in Charlotte (Event, Saturday March 28)</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://IndivisibleCLT.org">Indivisible Charlotte</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/american-coup-wilmington-1898/">American Coup: Wilmington 1898 (PBS American Experience, November 12, 2024)</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://theteachersforum.buzzsprout.com">The Teacher’s Forum - Wilmington 1898: The Only Coup in American History (Buzzsprout)</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://www.undertoldbycm.com">UnderTold by CM</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://followjesus.wesfryer.com/black-history">Follow Jesus - Black History</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://resistandheal.substack.com/p/the-real-march-madness-dehumanization">The Real March Madness: Dehumanization (Resist and Heal Substack)</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/@resistandheal/note/c-233941660">Resist and Heal Note - Iran War Press Briefing (Substack)</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://angryplanetpod.com/p/neutralizing-irans-nuclear-material">Neutralizing Iran’s Nuclear Material During a War Is ‘Nearly Mission Impossible’ (Angry Planet, March 20, 2026)</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://thebulletin.org/2026/03/trump-may-send-us-troops-to-neutralize-irans-highly-enriched-uranium-there-are-no-good-options/">Trump May Send US Troops to Neutralize Iran’s Highly Enriched Uranium (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, March 9, 2026)</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://mediaeducationlab.com/events/substack-101">Substack 101 (Media Education Lab)</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://verity.news">Verity News</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://mediaeducationlab.com/events/ai-news-education">AI, News & Education: Who’s Building Our News Platforms? (MediaEd Club, April 6, 2026)</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://news.wesfryer.com">Filter Your News Feed - News with Wes Fryer</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-desire-for-terror">The Desire for Terror (Timothy Snyder, Substack, March 8, 2026)</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://adamkinzinger.substack.com/p/the-open-hangar-problem-america-is">The Open Hangar Problem: America Is Not Ready for the War That’s Coming (Adam Kinzinger, Substack, March 27, 2026)</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://wesfryer.com/advocacy">Join Me in Advocacy</a></p><p>This video is also available <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfaF1AqCgPE">on YouTube</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/4221484548161907/">Facebook</a>.</p><p>#HealOurCulture</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://healourculture.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">healourculture.substack.com</a>
March 14, 2026
Heal Our Culture Update: March 13, 2026
<p>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.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G6eoLBrNd4">Also available on YouTube</a>.</p><p>00:00 Welcome and agenda</p><p>02:00 Finding hope and community</p><p>05:41 Praise as you go</p><p>08:27 War in Iran concerns</p><p>11:48 Resist and Heal post</p><p>17:03 AI for kinder replies</p><p>18:53 Hard history at Tivoli</p><p>21:39 Unchristian nationalism resources</p><p>25:19 Advocacy links and closing</p><p>Referenced links:</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1rnYtQcAFHVeLl365lg2qA2KCT8R4-NKsxpKqSDkZ__c/edit?usp=sharing">Presentation / video slides</a> (includes links)</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://thriveedu.substack.com/">Thrive: United for Democracy and Global Action</a> (Conference March 4-5, 2026)</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://ithappenedhereclt.com/">Charlotte-Mecklenburg Remembrance Project</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://prayasyougo.org/">Pray As You Go</a> - <a target="_blank" href="https://prayasyougo.org/anniversary">20th Anniversary</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://resistandheal.substack.com">“Resist and Heal” Substack</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://resistandheal.substack.com/p/illegal-war-with-iran-is-an-immoral">Illegal War with Iran is an Immoral Dumpster Fire</a> (Resist and Heal, 12 March 2026)</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://claude.ai/">Claude AI</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://learningsigns.speedofcreativity.org/2026/03/07/exploring-landsford-canal-and-tivoli-plantation-history-william-richardson-davie/">Exploring Landsford Canal and Tivoli Plantation History (William Richardson Davie)</a> (Learning Signs, 7 March 2026)</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://pocketcasts.com/podcast/everything-happens-with-kate-bowler/f1c46230-e51c-0135-c259-7d73a919276a/the-new-shape-of-american-religion-with-ross-douthat-and-molly-worthen/1d576872-fd46-4c52-85c3-ed82cb78256b">The New Shape of American Religion with Ross Douthat and Molly Worthen</a> (Kate Bowler, Everything Happens Podcast, 3 March 2026)</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29259251/">God and Country</a> (2024 documentary)</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Power-Glory-Evangelicals-Extremism-ebook/dp/B0BTYWH2YP/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0">The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism</a> by Tim Alberta (2023)</p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://news.wesfryer.com/">News with Wes Fryer</a></p><p>* <a target="_blank" href="https://wesfryer.com/advocacy">Join me (Wes Fryer) in advocacy</a></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://healourculture.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">healourculture.substack.com</a>
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