What Voting Means To Me

Mara Suttmann-Lea

A podcast about democracy

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Episodios

Episode 7. Jason Amos
12-06-2020
Episode 7. Jason Amos
In this episode we hear from Jason Amos, a gifted violist, who tells us a beautifully complex story of how his own musicianship, upbringing, and living as a black gay man in America has shaped his perception of what it means to engage in a democracy. Jason and Mara discuss how the act of making music in collaboration with others can be deeply reflective of what it feels like to engage in deliberative democracy. They muse over whether Barack Obama is a better viola player than Jason, and bond over their shared love of Mara’s Congressional Representative in Connecticut, Jahana Hayes, and Jason's in Massachusetts, Ayanna Pressley. Jason talks about how, despite growing up in a middle-class black neighborhood, he still felt the sting of racism as a child, being constantly on alert for how his presence made white community members feel. Jason opens up about the existential dread he feels every time he is pulled over by the police, and the generational trauma his family experiences today as a result of police brutality. Jason expresses worry that too many people are voting out of fear, willful ignorance, and greed. As for himself, he ultimately sees his vote as an act of great hope, and looks to cast ballots for those he feels will deliver more just and equitable outcomes for American democracy. With Jason’s permission, and in solidarity with and recognition of the protests happening all around the world in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and far too many others, there are 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence before the interview with Jason begins. This is the amount of time it took to end George Floyd’s life. Mara encourages you to sit in this silence, notice what you feel, sit with any discomfort, and breath deeply into it before journeying into Jason’s story.
Episode 4. Pia Deshpande
27-04-2020
Episode 4. Pia Deshpande
After months of contentious primaries, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominating process came to a close in Philadelphia. Nominating the first female candidate for president of a major political party, the Democratic establishment sought to facilitate unity amidst the enmity that had been simmering between Hillary Clinton’s supporters and progressive allies of Independent-turned Democrat Bernie Sanders, a senator from Vermont. In the middle of this thicket was Pia Deshpande, a then 17-year-old, now graduating senior at Columbia University, who made an impressive run to become a delegate to the Democratic National Convention that summer. In this episode, Pia walks us through the path that lead her to that point, and all that has come for her since: enrollment at the University of Texas and then a transfer to Columbia University as a political science major, an abiding curiosity of the American political system, and a participation in that system as a regular voter. Pia shares the experience and impact of her first vote—on November 8, 2016—and the aftermath of that election on the campus at the University of Texas. As the daughter of parents who immigrated to the United States from India, she also talks about the different paths her parents took with their own engagement in the political system, paths that were shaped, in part, by her father’s survival in one of the buildings hit during the September 11th attacks, as well as subsequent threats she and her family felt as Hindu Indians living in the United States. Ultimately, Pia is a passionate voter who wants others to engage in politics, but recognizes the barriers to participation that many people face. Having experienced first-hand high costs in the process of voting absentee in particular, Pia recognizes how, even today, the vote is not something that is self-evident or a given for so many in the United States.
Episode 3. Gabriela De Golia
20-04-2020
Episode 3. Gabriela De Golia
In this episode we reflect on the interconnectedness between faith and politics, taking a spiritual journey as we hear from to Gabriela De Golia, a pastor in training Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. Growing up in a politically active neighborhood in San Francisco, Gabriela takes us from her time as a resident in this progressive community, to her early teenage years in France, and her political and spiritual activism during and beyond her college years. For Gabriela, political participation has always been a part of the fabric of her life, raised to be engaged in politics from a young age. But as she grew older and broadened her horizons, she realized that, while she deeply values the act of voting, not everyone has been afforded the same kind of access and efficacy from this act that she has. Ultimately, for Gabriela, the vote ties back to her relationship with her communities and a belief that she exists in systems where there are larger forces at work than herself alone.  She reflects on how the inescapable connections between communities and individuals has become painfully apparent in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Offering ministerial comfort and guidance, Gabriela gently challenges listeners to recognize the ways in which this crisis is revealing how deeply interconnected we are, and how we might support that interconnectedness through our political efforts, voting and otherwise. She offers hope for the possibility of rebirth and reconnection—politically, economically, and spiritually—as we emerge from this pandemic.
Episode 2. William Lea
13-04-2020
Episode 2. William Lea
In 2016, voters in the state of Michigan played a decisive role in determining the outcome of the presidential election in the United States. Winning by a tiny margin of about 0.23%, Donald Trump’s upset victory was a shock to the Democratic political establishment who had long thought of Michigan as a part of the “blue wall” Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton could count on come election night November 8, 2016. Our episode today takes us back to the state of Michigan, as William (Will) Lea, a choir teacher and musician, reflects on his time growing up in Shiawassee County, a conservative leaning jurisdiction that tilted substantively in Trump’s favor on Election night in 2016. Hailing from this oft-battleground state, Will makes for a fascinating first official entry in “What Voting Means To Me.” He tells us about his experience growing up in Owosso, a former bedroom community for workers at the automobile factories in Flint. He speaks about his politically engaged grandparents and parents who grew up in nearby Montrose, and talks about the evolution of his identity from an all American boy with dreams of becoming a politician, to the humble, hardworking, talented musician and teacher he is today. We discuss his very first vote—for John Kerry in 2004—and how he pushed forward with voting and political engagement after experiencing what he describes as shock over the defeat of his candidate. We talk about ballot design, voting for judges, engaging in discussion with folks who disagree with you, and what it means to establish your convictions as you age. And in the end we get a picture of what democracy—and voting—means to Will.