Future Hindsight

We discuss the importance of shifting our mindset to one that is infused with hope. Positive change comes when we choose hope. Though nobody can fix it all, we can all do something and make an impact. Sharon reminds us that if something is worth doing for everyone, it’s worth doing for one person.    Sharon’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  1) Choose hope. 2) Get involved in an issue that is important to you because your actions do matter.   Sharon McMahon is the creator of “Sharon Says So” and host of the “Here’s Where it Gets Interesting” podcast. She's also the author of The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Sharon on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sharonsaysso/    Read The Small and the Mighty:  https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Sharon McMahon Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

Hajar Yazdiha, an Associate Professor of Sociology at USC Dornsife, dives into the fascinating intersection of collective memory and American exceptionalism. She dissects how historical narratives shape contemporary movements like Black Lives Matter, emphasizing the need for truthful storytelling. Hajar advocates for a civic action toolkit—Advocate, Relate, Create—to inspire change. She also challenges listeners to confront uncomfortable truths about America’s racial history, revealing both the struggles and hopes of a multiracial democracy.

We discuss how ungoverning is the equivalent of a bull in a china shop. We have already seen the destruction of many institutions and many functions of the administrative state, but we don't yet know how much there is still to come.   Nancy’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  1) Don’t let unpredictability strip you of your agency 2) Vote in local, county, and state elections   Nancy Rosenblum is the Senator Joseph Clark Professor of Ethics in Politics and Government Emerita at Harvard University, and the co-author of Ungoverning: The Attack on the Administrative State and the Politics of Chaos.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Nancy on X:  https://x.com/Nlrosenblum    Read Ungoverning:  https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Nancy Rosenblum Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the long history of vigilante democracy in the US and its return in our current politics. The playing field is currently tilted in favor of these vigilante policies, but blue states can level the playing field by playing constitutional hardball. David reminds us that the American people have beat back movements to use vigilante power to enforce a reactionary agenda time and again.   David’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  1) Get involved in local politics 2) Resistance works and there are a lot of opportunities to resist authoritarianism    David Noll is the co-author of Vigilante Nation: How State-Sponsored Terror Threatens Our Democracy. He’s also the Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Development and a professor of law at Rutgers Law School, as well as an academic fellow of the National Institute for Civil Justice.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow David on X:  https://x.com/davidlnoll    Read Vigilante Nation:  https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: David Noll Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss how out of date immigration laws are and why the only cure is comprehensive immigration reform from Congress. In the face of rising arrests and deportations by ICE, this is the perfect episode to remind us that we still need immigration reform.   Aaron’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  1) Be welcoming and model inclusion in your communities 2) Contact your member of Congress and demand comprehensive immigration reform   Aaron Reichlin-Melnick is the Policy Director at the American Immigration Council, a non-profit organization that strives to strengthen the United States by shaping immigration policies and practices.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Aaron on X:  https://x.com/ReichlinMelnick    Follow the American Immigration Council:  https://x.com/immcouncil    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Aaron Reichlin-Melnick Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss how certain radical acts of justice by everyday people challenge the legitimacy of the criminal system and form the underpinning of a new collective legal thought, demosprudence. Collective understanding of justice and safety is changing away from the concept that justice equals cages.    Jocelyn’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: 1) Be a court watcher! 2) Learn about your city’s or county’s budget    Jocelyn Simonson is Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, a former public defender, and the author of Radical Acts of Justice: How Ordinary People Are Dismantling Mass Incarceration.      Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Jocelyn on X:  https://x.com/j_simonson    Read Radical Acts of Justice:  https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Jocelyn Simonson Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss deliberative polling as a way to assess the will of the people and then to make it consequential. This is what democracy is all about.    James’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  1) Question your own beliefs and assumptions 2) Learn to listen to people whom you would not normally talk to   James Fishkin is the Director of the Deliberative Democracy Lab at Stanford University and the author of Can Deliberation Cure the Ills of Democracy?     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Read Can Deliberation Cure the Ills of Democracy?:  https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: James Fishkin Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the main goals of copaganda: narrowing our conception of safety and threat, constantly warning us that those harms are increasing, and telling us that the solution to our fears is more investment in the punishment bureaucracy.   Alec’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  1) Educate yourself on how copaganda works 2) Read the Copaganda book in a group!   Alec Karakatsanis is the founder and executive director of Civil Rights Corps and author of Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Alec on X:  https://x.com/equalityalec/    Read Copaganda:  https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Alec Karakatsanis Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

Elizabeth Sawin, Director of the Multisolving Institute and author, discusses her innovative concept of multisolving, which tackles interconnected challenges like climate change and civil rights. She emphasizes the power of solidarity in driving systemic change, particularly through initiatives such as the Green New Deal. The conversation unveils the crucial links between climate activism and democratic rights, showcasing how marginalized communities bridge both struggles. Sawin's insights offer a hopeful vision for a more equitable future through collective action.

We discuss Inclusive Constitutionalism, a fresh way to interpret the Constitution that makes inclusive democracy real. By contrast, originalism interprets the meaning of the Constitution as fixed in time in the 1800s and ignores the constitutional amendments during reconstruction that were designed to foster a multiracial democracy.   Madiba’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:   Join or form a local union!  Pay attention to state and local courts.   Madiba Dennie is Deputy Editor and Senior Contributor at the critical legal commentary outlet Balls and Strikes. Her debut book is The Originalism Trap: How Extremists Stole the Constitution and How We The People Can Take it Back.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Madiba on X:  https://x.com/AudreLawdAMercy    Read The Originalism Trap: https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Madiba Debbie Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis