Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow, retold a well known parable in which a person rescues a baby drowning in a river–then another one, then another. How many babies would you have to rescue before walking upstream to address the root cause? How do you continue rescuing babies downstream while you walk upstream?
Fleshing out this and other metaphors, Sam and Abram lay out key concepts and themes they’ll explore in this first reason of The Radical Bureaucrat. Through discussion of articles and books, and interviews with thinkers and changemakers, they’ll explore many questions that follow from the premise of somehow creating fundamental change within a system that sets you up to do narrow, everyday tasks.
In this episode, Sam and Abram discuss the meaning of the terms “radical” and “bureaucracy,” share a bit about their own backgrounds, and list issues they’ll tackle this season, including: leadership, organizing communities, changemaking “from the middle,” democracy, what we want institutions to do vs. what they’re actually for, and imagining what institutions could be while continuing to serve the populations who rely on them.
If fascism is, as Hannah Arendt wrote, “organized loneliness,” then affirmation that other people grapple with the same big issues is integral to changemaking. Join us this season as we grapple out loud and affirm that, if you’re asking some of the same questions, you’re not alone.
Additional reading:
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander. January 2010; The New Press.
- A Collection of Various Versions of “The River Parable,” often attributed to Saul Alinsky.
- Hannah Arendt: German political theorist. 1906-1975.
- 3 Educated Brothas: A podcast about all things education through the experiences of Black men.
Show notes by Hannah E. Brown; “Aquarela” do Brasil by Ary Barroso, Performed by Peter Markowski, Luke Maurer, and Abram Guerra; Thanks to Chris Martinie for logo and all of you for your love and support.