Town Hall Seattle Civics Series 383. Ron Wyden with Liz Berry: It Takes Chutzpah
“If you want to make change, you’ve got to make noise.”
A call to action in the political sense conveys boldness and focus. It’s about drawing attention and speaking loudly about one’s convictions, with a sense of urgency and persistence. To longtime outspoken advocate and US Senator Ron Wyden, that’s what you’d call chutzpah – and his upcoming book sets out to inspire that same quality of action-driven audacity in Americans of all ages.
It Takes Chutzpah: How to Fight Fearlessly for Progressive Change acts as a reflection of Wyden’s decades of public service and as a motivational manifesto to push people forward. Noted throughout his career in government for championing civil rights, sensible ideas, and strategic alliances that strive to get pressing bills passed, Wyden understands the importance of strong, loud community and charting new pathways. In It Takes Chutzpah, Wyden explores the long history of the Yiddish word chutzpah, the many interpretations of it across Jewish culture, and how he sees the trait as a tool to reclaim idealism and enact positive change.
Wyden compels individuals and groups alike to look at the objectives before them with this boldness in mind, as well as conviction in their values. Wyden touches on the importance of free speech, healthcare, reproductive rights, a clean environment, and regulating the impacts of Big Tech throughout his political tenure. He explores how campaigning for the preservation of those values has been bolstered over the years– and even offers “Ron’s 12 Rules of Chutzpah” as a guide to defying convention and achieving progress. It Takes Chutzpah stresses that unapologetic volume and the nerve to keep fighting can prove crucial in accomplishing goals, creating allies, and moving brazenly forward together.
Ron Wyden is an American politician and longtime advocate in the areas of civil rights, internet freedom, healthcare, and more. He currently serves as the senior United States senator from Oregon and Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance. He has previously held positions in the U.S. House of Representatives and as the Chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
State Representative Liz Berry represents Washington’s 36th Legislative District, located in the shadow of Seattle’s Space Needle. She is a passionate advocate for ending gun violence, combating plastic pollution, and standing up for working families and consumers against powerful special interests. A lifelong champion for women in leadership and reproductive justice, Rep. Berry served as president of the National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington and as a board member for Pro-Choice Washington. She is the former Legislative Director to U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords. Rep. Berry lives with her husband and two young children in Queen Anne.
Buy the Book It Takes Chutzpah: How to Fight Fearlessly for Progressive Change