Radical Imagination

Democracy isn’t dead, it just needs to be reimagined so that all of us can flourish. And that requires radical imagination! Angela Glover Blackwell, host of the Radical Imagination podcast, has a new podcast: Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life! In this six-part series, Angela, along with an array of guests, seeks to find the essential elements of a strong, inclusive multiracial democracy in, pe...

Ever wonder who will carry the torch of change into the future of American politics and environmental action?  Be inspired by two trailblazers whose leadership and determination exemplify what's needed to ensure a more equitable and sustainable future for all.  Juan Ramiro Sarmiento of Run for Something discusses how the organization reshapes the political sphere by supporting young, diverse candi...

Venture with us into an episode where  Rue Mapp of Outdoor Afro and Ronda Chapman from the Trust for Public Land discuss their efforts to reconnect Black communities with nature's joys and healing powers.  Their stories weave a narrative tapestry that celebrates culture, fosters community, and uplifts Black voices in the outdoor spaces. While both Rue and Ronda bring to light the systemic racism t...

Discover the powerful role of artificial intelligence in preserving indigenous languages in our latest episode, where I, Angela Glover Blackwell, engage in a compelling discussion with Keoni Mahelona, the talented CTO of Te Hiku Media. We delve into the rich history of the Māori people, uncovering the injustices they've faced and the ways AI is paving the way toward the revitalization of their lan...

Get ready to be inspired by revolutionizing education. Our guest, Ja'Sonta Roberts, the offsite programs manager for Assemble, takes us on a journey through a new STEAM curriculum that’s infused with Black history and Afrofuturism. This dynamic approach, developed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, helps students envision their future selves as innovators and leaders. We dive deep into the heart of this...

What if the nearest source of clean water was miles away from your home? Picture a world where access to this basic necessity is not a given, but a struggle. That's the reality for many in the Navajo Nation, and our guest, Cindy Howe, director of the Navajo Water Project at DigDeep, knows it all too well.  Yet her passion for bridging the water divide shines through as she talks about the importan...

Can you imagine a world in which we not only acknowledge the systemic injustices tied to housing and land disparities but actively rectify them? Join us as we engage in a profound conversation with Rasheedah Phillips, Afrofuturist and Director of Housing at PolicyLink to explore spatial reparations -- a transformative approach to rectifying historical wrongs. We journey through local initiatives l...

In this episode of Radical Imagination, we hear from Doris Brown, co-director of West Street Recovery, to unravel this mystery. She lifts the veil on how systemic inequities, housing, infrastructure, and government funding are all intertwined with climate issues. Her work in Houston, particularly in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, has led to community organizing that transformed devastation int...

If we are to realize a radically inclusive, thriving, multiracial democracy,  we must lay claim to that future, raise our voices, and use our collective power to redesign a nation that truly works for all. Tune in for a stirring discussion with Michael McAfee, President & CEO of PolicyLink, as we unpack the significant impact of President Biden's Executive Orders on racial equity and how they can...

Are you ready to be inspired, provoked, and galvanized into action? Prepare yourself for a stimulating journey, as we kick-start Season 5 of Radical Imagination! I’m your host, Angela Glover Blackwell, and this season, we dive deep into the minds of activists, artists, educators, and leaders who are not just dreaming big but are also crafting innovative solutions for transformative change. Our gue...

"If we have any hopes of fundamentally breaking away from the patterns of the past and rupturing the inadequate present, the future can no longer be envisioned only by those with the privilege of time and space to imagine. It can no longer be constructed within a bootstraps narrative of personal responsibility and self-determination that treats only some as deserving of a roof over their heads. Ou...

Non-police emergency response remains an extremely relevant topic, even though we're seeing strong pushback against the Defund the Police movement -- including from those who were initially supportive.  Yet police, throughout the country, continue to remain at odds with the communities they are supposed to protect. In this episode, Angela discusses the potential of emergency triage that doesn’t in...

Since the pandemic, people have quit their jobs in record numbers, with around 47 million people leaving their jobs in 2021.  Many of these workers are Black and Latinx; many of them women.   In this episode,  we examine what it means to have a healthy relationship with work, and we hear a radical new way to define the role of work in our lives. Angela speaks with Sarah Jaffe, the author of "Work...

The history of the trans-Atlantic trade of  enslaved Africans has been rewritten, sanitized, flat out misrepresented, and often obscured by the lens through which we observe history. As a society, when we need to get a more enlightened look at ourselves and the world around us, we turn to the vision of artists. This week’s guest Ashley Shaw Scott Adjaye is artistic director of the World Reimagined...

While reparations and reparative justice are just a talking point for some people, there is a growing movement in our country to reconnect Black people with land and property that was illegally stolen from them or their ancestors. In this episode of Radical Imagination, we learn about the radical movement for land justice– a blueprint for policy change that could pave the way for reparations for B...

Today on Radical Imagination, Clyde Prout III, chairman of the Colfax Todd’s Valley Consolidated Tribe in California, tells the remarkable story of how his tribe reclaimed land stolen by the government nearly half a century ago. Native people were violently displaced from their ancestral homelands throughout US history, as land was stolen and sold to private owners, made “public” in the name of pr...

Since becoming the first Sub-Saharan African country to win independence from a colonial power, Ghana has been an inspiration to Black Americans to return to Africa. For many, it's a brief journey. We're changed by what we learn about the culture and our collective past. And that informs our lives and our work when we return home. But other people stay. They make vital contributions to the culture...

Even today, when many of us are in pain because of systemic inequities, we tend to hold ourselves personally accountable for the trauma we bear.  And we think of healing as individual work. The season 4 debut of Radical Imagination upends these myths and frees us of the emotional burdens we shouldn't have to carry alone. Host Angela Glover Blackwell speaks with Prentis Hemphill, a writer, therapis...

Radical healing. Afro-futurism. Repatriation of stolen land. Housing justice. Black Americans returning to Ghana. Bold alternatives to work and policing. On Season 4 of Radical Imagination we transcend the borders of geography and policy to explore transformative ways of healing and repairing the sins of the past, and how they interconnect with the revolutionary work of creating a just, equitable...

Debt continues to drown millions of young people, families, and retirees, especially Black and Brown communities who bear a disproportionate impact. In this episode of Radical Imagination, host Angela Glover Blackwell speaks with Astra Taylor, a filmmaker, activist and the director of the Debt Collective, a membership union who are calling for the cancellation of all types of debt. Tune into Radic...

Last November Los Angeles County voted to dismantle the largest youth juvenile system in the country to create a new approach where care is prioritized over punishment. Radical Imagination host Angela Glover Blackwell speaks with youth grassroots organizer Kent Mendoza. He was incarcerated as a youth and was involved in the reimagining of a new system. We also hear from James Bell, the founding pr...

As Covid-19 continues to sweep the world and most countries, especially in the Global South, struggle to access vaccines, Radical Imagination takes a fresh look at how the US patent system keeps billions of people at home and abroad from obtaining life-saving medicines. Since our first episode on this topic, early in the pandemic, the situation has become more dire. In India, one of the world’s la...

Artificial intelligence and algorithms are increasingly used to make life-changing decisions in policing, lending, hiring, renting, health care, and many other realms. The technology has come under fire for encoding and intensifying racial bias. But what if AI could be transformed into a tool for fighting discrimination and inequality? Host Angela Glover Blackwell discusses this intriguing possibi...

Social justice activists tend to be so driven to fix tough systemic problems that we often overlook the obvious: We want to create a society filled with joy and satisfaction for all. In this episode of Radical Imagination, we celebrate pleasure and explore its importance in the work of societal transformation. Host Angela Glover Blackwell talks with adrienne maree brown, author Pleasure Activism:...

An economy that works for all depends on a robust system of caregiving. That has become all too clear during the pandemic, as 2.5 million women were pushed out of the workforce to care for family members. This episode of Radical Imagination looks at the growing movement to reimagine care across the lifespan, recognize it as essential infrastructure, invest in it, and improve wages and labor protec...