Since there has been an uptick in racist vandalism and hate speech in the past few months, SpokaneFāVS will be hosting a Coffee Talk discussion this month on “Unlearning Hate.”
The forum will be today (Oct. 7) at 10 a.m. at Saranac Commons, 19 W. Main Ave.
Panelists are:
- Megan Caroll, who wrote, “Since election anti-Semitic and racist vandalism has plagued region” and “Writing about hate is heavy, but enlightening”
- Neal Schindler, who wrote, “Ask A Jew: Is it worth arguing with a Holocaust denier?” and “Ask A Jew: Pushing back against hateful stereotypes“
- Guest panelist Ben Faulkner, who wrote, “Unlearning hate“
- Guest panelist Kristine Hoover, of the upcoming International Conference on Hate Studies
All are welcome to attend this community discussion.
You can help support Coffee Talks with your tax deductible donation.

Tracy Simmons is an award-winning journalist specializing in religion reporting and digital entrepreneurship. In her approximate 20 years on the religion beat, Simmons has tucked a notepad in her pocket and found some of her favorite stories aboard cargo ships in New Jersey, on a police chase in Albuquerque, in dusty Texas church bell towers, on the streets of New York and in tent cities in Haiti. Simmons has worked as a multimedia journalist for newspapers across New Mexico, Texas, Connecticut and Washington. She is the executive director of SpokaneFāVS.com, a digital journalism start-up covering religion news and commentary in Spokane, Washington. She also writes for The Spokesman-Review and national publications. She is a Scholarly Assistant Professor of Journalism at Washington State University.