About this episode
So if democracy is under pressure, what role do stories, culture, and imagination play in defending it?In this episode, we're joined by Alan Jenkins, civil rights lawyer, former Ford foundation program director, Harvard Law School professor, and now comic book author, for a wide ranging conversation about story making and telling as a tool for social change. From Supreme Court litigation to graphic novels, Alan Jenkins traces how law, narrative, and culture intersect when democracy is at stake.So in our conversation, we explore three big ideas I think matter a lot right now:First, why is story inseparable from power?And how law, policy, and culture work together, whether we acknowledge it or not, to shape public belief and behavior.Next, how popular culture and art have historically been used to confront authoritarianism. From Superman and Captain America to global protest movements that borrow symbol, humor, and myth.And finally, what hybrid 21st century leadership looks like and why flexibility, empathy, and imagination may be as important as specialized expertise in this moment.NOTABLE MENTIONSPeopleBill ClevelandHost of ART IS CHANGE and founder of the Center for the Study of Art & Community.Alan JenkinsHarvard Law School professor; former civil rights and DOJ lawyer; former Director of Human Rights at the Ford Foundation; co-author of 1/6: The Graphic Novel.Anthony S. FauciFormer Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; referenced in discussion of ACT UP and activist pressure shaping public institutions.Charles LindberghAviator and political figure cited in discussion of American isolationism and authoritarian sympathies prior to World War II.Pablo PicassoArtist whose painting Guernica is referenced as a defining cultural response to fascist violence.Organizations & Institutions
