We Talk

Our Why

We Talk aims to foster a culture of responsible and respectful civic, social, political, and policy engagement. Our goal is to raise awareness about free speech protections and promote the value of open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement within the academic setting and learning environment, so that all may learn.

Game Changer: Powered by Moral Courage

In a world where AI can write your emails and answer your questions, there's one thing it still can't do: build genuine trust with someone who sees things differently than you do. Game Changer is a new peer mentorship program at Western Michigan University that teaches students the practical skills to navigate disagreement, communicate with confidence, and lead with empathy — skills that matter in every relationship, on and off campus. Developed with Moral Courage founder Irshad Manji, this first-of-its-kind initiative (and the first at an NCAA Division I athletics program) invites upper-class and graduate students — especially Kalamazoo Promise Scholars and WMU student-athletes, though all are welcome — to become Certified Moral Courage Mentors who guide incoming first-year students through their first year at Western. Join us for a hands-on training day this fall and help shape a program built to strengthen our campus community, one relationship at a time.

Learn more and get involved

A Conversation with The Honorable Carlos Gutierrez

He fled Cuba at six years old, never finished college, and rose to become the youngest CEO in Kellogg's hundred-year history — before serving as U.S. Secretary of Commerce. This October, We Talk welcomes The Honorable Carlos Gutierrez to campus for a fireside chat with WMU President Russ Kavalhuna, exploring leadership, resilience, and the uncommon paths that shape real success. Join us for a VIP reception and luncheon in Kalamazoo.

Learn more and get involved

Lifting a Leader and Voice for All Sides

A Conversation with Tiffany M. Moore

At the intersection of policy, technology and diversity, along a road that starts in Detroit and ends in Washington, D.C., lies WMU esteemed alumna Tiffany M. Moore's remarkable career. Her path to WMU was fueled by the commitment to education of her hard-working single mother. The first in her family to attend college, she studied Spanish and Japanese at WMU, although her mother had hoped she would pursue a business major.

This mini documentary, based on an interview with Tiffany by LA Times opinion columnist LZ Granderson, follows her journey from the suburbs of Detroit to Kalamazoo, to her post-graduation leap to D.C., where for 30 years she has worked with people on both sides of the aisle and across multiple perspectives to help shape public policy. Tiffany has worked in the Halls of Congress, with several Presidential administrations, and with corporate and industry leaders, always intent on finding common ground on difficult issues. What’s made her a great leader is her genuine curiosity to learn from others who may think differently and her ability to build trust.