A Day of Unreasonable Conversation is an annual gathering that brings together television content creators—who are responsible for writing the script for the world—with frontline activists, thinkers, and changemakers to better understand and portray the greatest challenges and opportunities facing the world each year. This invitation-only gathering is expressly designed to equip television creators and influencers—including writers, producers, executives, and more—with fresh ideas and perspectives to develop more nuanced characters and storylines in the year ahead that will inspire a more empathetic, tolerant, and informed public. A Day of Unreasonable Conversation is a program of Propper Daley produced in partnership with Invisible Hand.
“Reasonable people adapt to the world; the unreasonable ones persist in trying to adapt the world to themselves. Therefore, all progress depends on unreasonable people.” George Bernard Shaw (adapted)
it is unreasonable…
9:30 am
To Toot Your Own Horn
Performance by TROMBONE SHORTY & HIS FOUNDATION
Co-Chair Welcome by KERRY WASHINGTON, Actor, Director, Producer, Author and Activist
Host Remarks by PHOEBE ROBINSON, Comedian, best-selling author, publisher and creator and star of “Everything’s Trash”
To Investigate The Labor Understory
DORIAN WARREN, Co-President, Community Change/Action
MAURICE MITCHELL, Working Families Party National Director
SINEAD BOVELL, Co-Founder of the Economic Security Project, Futurist & CEO at WAYE
Moderated by ADAM CONOVER, comedian
To Write New Stories about Women’s Health (Yes, That Includes Menopause!)
FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN
HALLE BERRY
To Address The Crisis in the Classroom—And The Opportunities Ahead
KERRY WASHINGTON, Actor, Director, Producer, Author and Activist
REBECKA PETERSON, National Teacher of the Year 2023
To Save the Sandwich Generation
STEPHANIE LAND, best selling author and economic justice advocate
YVETTE NICOLE BROWN, Actress, Host, Activist
11:10 am
To Take a Break
11:30 am
To Suffer Alone
U.S. SURGEON GENERAL DR. VIVEK MURTHY
PARIS HILTON, Entrepreneur, Activist & CEO of 11:11 Media
Moderated by SITARAH PENDELTON, SVP of Unscripted Content, MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks
To Say The Quiet Part Out Loud
CORD JEFFERSON, Academy Award nominated and Emmy award-winning writer and director
GLORIA CALDERÓN KELLETT, Showrunner, Director, Actor, Producer
JONATHAN METZL, Professor of Sociology and Psychiatry and Award-winning author of Dying of Whiteness
MICHELE NORRIS, Author of the New York Times best-selling book, Our Hidden Conversations
Moderated by W. KAMAU BELL, Stand-up comedian, Television host, Director, and Producer
To Talk to Yourself (or Selves!)
SARAH JONES, Writer, Actor, Director
To Reclaim The Algorithm
MARIA RESSA, Nobel Peace Prize-Winning Journalist; Cofounder, CEO, and President of Rappler PRENTICE PENNY, Emmy nominated, Peabody, and Golden Globe winning writer-director-producer TOBIAS ROSE-STOCKWELL, author Outrage Machine
Moderated by ALAPHIA ZOYAB, Campaigns & Media Director, Luminate Strategic Initiatives
Comedy by BEN PALMER
A Call to Action by CHARLI D’AMELIO, Digital personality, Dancer, and Co-founder of D’Amelio Brands
1:20 pm
To Gather Over A Meal
2:20 pm
To Give Space
AMY SPITALNICK, CEO, Jewish Council for Public Affairs
WAJAHAT ALI, writer and Senior Fellow, Western States Center
To Alchemize Your Emotions Through Pop Music
KESHA, Musician, Actress, Activist
To Reimagine Safety for Everyone. Yes, Everyone.
Keynote by ANGELA PATTON founder of Camp Diva Leadership Academy and CEO of Girls For A Change
CLARK KIMERER, retired Seattle Police Assistant Chief
DR. YUSEF SALAAM, member of The Exonerated Five
Moderated by ANA ZAMORA, Founder and CEO of The Just Trust
To Be Hopeful About Our Planet’s Future
Keynote by JANE FONDA, actor and activist
SAGE LENIER, climate activist and Executive Director of Sustainable & Just Future
SHARON LAVIGNE, Founder/Director, of RISE St. James
Moderated by X MAYO, Emmy-nominated writer, actor, producer, and comedian
To Communicate Through Expression
Performance by BRANDON KAZEN-MADDOX, American Sign Language Artist
3:50 pm
To Take Another Break
4:05 pm
To Tell The Truth
DR. CHRISTINE BLASEY FORD, professor, author
CHANEL MILLER, writer, artist
To Disagree—Profoundly—With People You Love
Keynote by PATTI DAVIS, author
BERNARDO GUZMÀN, bridge builder
LUPITA GUZMÀN, bridge builder
MÓNICA GUZMÀN, bridge builder, journalist, and author
Moderated by KRISTA TIPPETT, founder and CEO, The On Being Project
To Be A New Kind of Republican
NORTH DAKOTA STATE REPRESENTATIVE DAWSON HOLLE
FLORIDA STATE SENATOR ALEXIS CALATAYUD
Moderated by RACHEL JANFAZA, journalist and founder of The Up and Up
To Still Believe in Democracy
BARATUNDE THURSTON, Emmy-nominated host, producer, writer, and public speaker
U.S. SENATOR REVEREND RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA)
5:30 pm
To Let Loose
Cocktail Party
With music by THE CRENSHAW HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BAND