Looking Back to Look Forward: Reflecting on Seattle’s Evolution

This edition of Crosscut Talks features the season debut of Civic Cocktail, featuring a discussion with local historians and a futurist on what was and what will be in the Emerald City.

There is a lot to talk about in this present moment. The pandemic continues to disrupt everyday life, while news of clashes on battlefields virtual and actual meet us every morning. Here in Seattle, meanwhile, we continue to struggle with homelessness, growth, inequality and public safety.

As we try to better understand this moment, the inclination is to zoom in. But we’re doing something different for this new season of Civic Cocktail, and the inaugural episode of the Civic Cocktail podcast. We will be taking a step back. First, by taking stock of where we’ve been. And then, where we might be going — after some of the most tumultuous years we’ve ever known. 

How do we do that in just 60 minutes? With the help of four experts, including Leonard Garfield, executive director of Museum of History and Industry; Jerry Large, president of blackpast.org; and Ron Chew, founder of Chew Communications, as well as Glen Hiemstra, founder of futurist.com. 

From well before the city’s founding in 1851, through war, migration, innovation, and incredible growth, ours is a story of conflict and collaboration, of heartbreaking exclusion and steps toward more meaningful inclusion. In this episode we discuss where we’ve been so we can know better where we ought to be going.

Civic Cocktail is a production of Seattle City Club and Crosscut. To subscribe to the Civic Cocktail podcast, go here.

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Credits

Host: Mónica Guzmán

Podcast production: Mark Baumgarten

Event production: Jake Newman, Andrea O'Meara

Video Production: Stephen Hegg

Audio support: Seth Halleran