Radical Imagination

No major institution in America has wrestled more deeply with the question of reparations for African Americans than Georgetown University. Five years ago, a student discovered that  Maryland Jesuits sold 272 slaves in 1838 to save the school from financial ruin. That forgotten history sparked an anguished conversation about Georgetown’s complicity in slavery and the school’s responsibility to the descendants of the 272 enslaved people. In this episode of Radical Imagination, Angela Glover Blackwell speaks with one of the descendants, Melisande Short-Colomb, who is now a a student at Georgetown. We also hear from Howard University history professor Ana Lucia Araujo about what it will take for our nation to finally reckon with and atone for slavery and its legacy. Tune into Radical Imagination as we dive into the stories and solutions that are fueling change. www.radicalimagination.us

In this episode of Radical Imagination we visit Stockton, California. It was known as the nation’s foreclosure capital during the 2008 recession. Today,  it’s the first city in the country to try universal basic income as a strategy to reduce inequality and boost economic security. This bold experiment gives residents a minimum monthly salary regardless of income or employment status. Angela Glover Blackwell sits down with Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, who became  the first black mayor in the city’s history at age 26, to talk about his income initiative and what lessons holds for the nation. Tune into Radical Imagination as we dive into the stories and solutions that are fueling change. www.radicalimagination.us

As cases of police abuse and misconduct gain attention, activists have moved beyond calls for reform to advocate for the abolition of police.  It’s a controversial and widely misunderstood idea. How would police abolition work, exactly? How would we protect public safety? Radical Imagination host Angela Glover Blackwell explores these questions with humanitarian hip-hop artist Jessica Disu, a.k.a. FM Supreme, who has publicly called for police abolition. And we hear from Rachel Herzing, co-director of the Center for Political Education in Oakland, California, about the racialized history of policing and innovative community-driven alternatives for public safety. Tune into Radical Imagination as we dive into the stories and solutions that are fueling change. www.radicalimagination.us

The United States once had open borders. Migrants from all over the world would arrive fleeing war, escaping poverty and seeking opportunity. Open borders made our country strong. But many Americans today are horrified — or frightened — by the idea of “open borders.” Harsh new immigration policies are making it more difficult than ever to come to the U.S. or even ask for asylum. Nevertheless, violence, oppression, poverty, desperation, and hope continue to drive migrants to our borders. Last year, more than 1,000 migrants from Central America gathered near the border of Guatemala and Mexico to travel north in search of asylum. Radical Imagination host Angela Glover Blackwell sits down with Roberto Corona, founder of People Without Borders, an organization that assisted this refugee caravan. We also hear from New York Times Columnist Farhad Manjoo, who has called for open borders. Tune into Radical Imagination as we dive into the stories and solutions that are fueling change. www.radicalimagination.us

A podcast focused on stories and solutions that are fueling change.  Features conversations with thinkers and changemakers from multiple fields who are wielding instruments of influence — academia, activism, media, government — to deliver equity wins at scale.  Tune into Radical Imagination as we dive into the stories and solutions that are fueling change. www.radicalimagination.us