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You, Me, Us, Now — Government
You, Me, Us, Now

I started this podcast in 2014 because I wanted to highlight people I met when I was Mayor of Seattle. I hoped that hearing stories from people on the front lines of social change – how they got started, what they cared about – would inspire others to take action. This spring I was the person deciding to take action – I’ve entered the race for Seattle Mayor. So the podcast has a new twist – It’s You, Me, Us, Now – Campaign Edition. Joined by the inimitable Hanna Brooks Olsen, we will take a look behind the scenes of a campaign. She’ll ask me not just about the issues, but about how campaigns work, and how it feels to be a candidate. If you want a closer look at what it’s like to run for office, sign up and follow along. A little background – the title is derived from the teachings of Marshall Ganz. Change ultimately comes from people sharing their stories to build a shared narrative of the world they want to see. I hope you’ll join me in this campaign, check out some of the prior shows, and get involved yourself in trying to change things for the better.

Latest Episodes:

Bill McKibben, Climate Activist and Author - "Paris is not the game, it’s the scorecard." Dec 18, 2015

Show notes

Just a few days after returning from the international climate talks, Bill McKibben shares his thoughts on what the international treaty means and what’s next. After success as an author, he took up activism, recognizing it’s not just an argument, it’s a fight. It led him to ask a bunch of college kids to launch 350.org, which has helped spurred an international climate movement. Mike and Bill discuss the nature of organizing in the internet age as well as the the conflict between compromising politicians and uncompromising nature. Mike expresses his love for the millennial generation, and Bill praises the gray hairs who joined them to get arrested at the White House. Final prognosis, the game is about to get more intense.

Bill McKibben, Climate Activist and Author - "Paris is not the game, it’s the scorecard." Mike McGinn

First time Seattle council candidates - "It was okay to say I don't know." Dec 08, 2015

Show notes

Did you ever think of running for office? Or have been curious about what it's like? I sat down with three first-time candidates just a few weeks after Election Day to get their take on it. Not the issues, but the personal side - what they went through. Michael Maddux, the politico who had to learn to stop swearing, Tammy Morales, the introverted food justice advocate who had to knock on doors, and Jon Grant, who had to contain his inner housing affordability wonk before it consumed all in its path! Outspent by their opponents and discounted by the pundits they still ran great races, coming up just a bit short. It's a nice peek inside the experience of running for office.

First time Seattle council candidates - "It was okay to say I don't know." Mike McGinn

Ardell Shaw, Felon Reentry in Seattle - "Your net has to be tight in order for it to work.” Oct 28, 2015

Show notes

Ardell fell into “the cycle” - tough childhood, anger, crime, jail time, release, jail again. Then the Black Prisoners Caucus helped break the cycle. Now he works on Seattle’s successful and groundbreaking “Career Bridge” program, creating the community net to help felon reentry. Ardell and Mike talk about the issue coming from opposite ends - a white politician confronted with the enormity of the problem, and a black man living it and fixing it. Give it a listen and share it. We need a few more folks, and politicians, working to remedy our failed policies of mass incarceration.

Ardell Shaw, Felon Reentry in Seattle - "Your net has to be tight in order for it to work.” Mike McGinn

Sarra Tekola - Black Lives Matter and Environmental Activist Oct 19, 2015

Show notes

In just a few years, 23-year-old Sarra has become well known in Seattle progressive circles for her work on fossil fuel divestment, fighting Shell Oil, and the Black Lives Matter movement, often being asked to speak. Her personal experiences growing up in a white community as a daughter of an East African immigrant shapes her work. Sarra and Mike talk about her causes, interning for the EPA and environmental groups, talking to Indiana country fairgoers for climate communications research, being profiled in school, and people of color in the environmental movement. Where is activism heading next? Listen in to get a better understanding of what people mean when they say 'intersectionality.' Sarra embodies it.

Sarra Tekola - Black Lives Matter and Environmental Activist Mike McGinn

Alex Lenferna - Fossil Fuel Divestment - the Activists Oct 05, 2015

Show notes

Born and raised in South Africa, Alex there started a nationwide coalition of college students to work on climate change. After coming to Seattle to work on his Ph.D, he became involved in the fossil fuel divestment movement, inspired by the success of the South African divestment movement. He helped lead the successful University of Washington divestment campaign, and writes on the intellectual underpinnings of divestment, including a report to the Gates Foundation. So what the heck is fossil fuel divestment about? Alex can break it down for you!

Alex Lenferna - Fossil Fuel Divestment - the Activists Mike McGinn

Kshama Sawant, Socialist City Council Member - “Fight the Power!" Jul 08, 2015

Show notes

Kshama Sawant surprised political observers in Seattle, upsetting an incumbent with a campaign based on her support for a $15 minimum wage. Since taking office she has challenged the status quo and the politicians that support it. Mike and Kshama share their experiences of activists who became elected officials and the unwritten rules that are supposed to govern political behavior in a one-party town. Can you fight the power, represent average working people and win? Kshama has done it so far. Listen in as Mike and Kshama do their best to suppress their earnest lefty rhetoric to deliver an entertaining show.

Kshama Sawant, Socialist City Council Member - “Fight the Power!" Mike McGinn

Emily Johnston, kayaktivist - “If everything goes as planned, this week I'll be committing a crime." Jun 15, 2015

Show notes

After a 25 year hiatus from activism, Emily Johnston decided to get arrested at the White House to protest the Keystone XL pipeline. She is now the communications director for 350Seattle, an organization fighting climate change. She drew international attention to that fight by helping organize the kayak protest against Shell Oil’s Arctic drilling rig, the Polar Pioneer, harbored in Seattle. This interview was recorded as she awaited word of the Polar Pioneer’s departure, as she and others planned to try and stop it through civil disobedience. Why? Well, listen to the podcast.

Emily Johnston, kayaktivist - “If everything goes as planned, this week I'll be committing a crime." Mike McGinn

Sharon Maeda, movement activist - "I am not sure if I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown." Jun 10, 2015

Show notes

Sharon, the daughter of Japanese-Americans interned during World War 11, chose to try and make a difference for the marginalized no matter where she worked. Sharon tells great stories about her early activism in the 60’s, integrating Seattle public television, rescuing Pacifica Radio, working for the Clinton administration, and most recently, supporting undocumented young immigrants. Mike and Sharon also talk about how Sharon convinced Mike’s wife to get arrested, and Sharon’s attempt to get appointed to the City Council. It’s fun to hear how Sharon’s mix of resolve, diplomacy and well-timed provocation helped build a meaningful career.

Sharon Maeda, movement activist - "I am not sure if I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown." Mike McGinn

Lisa Daugaard, civil rights attorney - "If there is no expectation of winning, there is not a good enough plan." May 11, 2015

Show notes

As a grad student Lisa worked to keep her college from kicking out anti-apartheid activists. Having found her calling, she went to law school instead. While there she worked to bring the rule of law to Guantanamo, where the US was warehousing Haitian refugees with AIDS. As a public defender in Seattle she successfully defended WTO protesters, and fought the police at every turn to end excessive use of force, bias in policing, and the war on drugs. Now she is at the table helping to implement Seattle Consent Decree with the Department of Justice. With cities around the country now going through DOJ investigations, Mike and Lisa talk about their experiences in Seattle, what works and what doesn’t, and what it means for places like Ferguson and Baltimore. It might surprise you.

Lisa Daugaard, civil rights attorney Mike McGinn

Saitoti Parmelo, African pastoralist rights - "This is, what we say, land-grabbing." Apr 27, 2015

Show notes

Saitoti Parmelo is a Masai who went off to University then returned to help protect his people from being pushed off their grazing lands in Tanzania. The Masai are pastoralists who rely on on their cattle, who are now working to hold off government officials and foreign investors who want their land.

Saitoti Parmelo, African pastoralist rights - "This is, what we say, land-grabbing." Mike McGinn

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