S5 E2. Closet Civics

Democracy in Danger

07-09-2022 • 25 mins

In January 2017, millions of women marched in solidarity to oppose Donald Trump’s inauguration. But in a small Texas county, a growing network of like-minded ladies found each other — and began meeting in secret. Communications scholar Emily Van Duyn followed these women as they became improbable, undercover champions of civic engagement while keeping their activism hidden, from their husbands, families and neighbors. We ask what their story says about the politics of silence and the silencing of politics.