In the latest episode of the “Yes, And Cafe” podcast, entitled “Creating New Possibilities”, the hosts welcome 2021 with an episode that offers hope despite the state of a polarized political landscape.
Dr. Omar Ali (Lloyd International Honors College), who typically co-hosts the show, steps over to the other side of the microphone as guest. A historian and scholar of independent politics, Ali has been a long-time community organizer. He shares his insights on the heels of the release of the new edition of his book, “In the Balance of Power: Independent Black Politics and Third Party Movements in the United States.”
“I’m optimistic because I’m seeing cultural changes afoot that are creating new possibilities,” he says.
Matt Bryant (University Communications), who is the producer of the podcast, joins the show as co-host, and offers a story about collaboration between unlikely fellow travelers.
“Just as race was created as a way of dividing and conquering poor people… across American History in order to control labor and power, ideology has been used in the same way to divide people against each other who actually have much in common,” says Ali. “To me, we’ve been bamboozled, hoodwinked, as Malcolm would say, into thinking that there are these great divides between us, when in fact they’re relatively superficial… The more important thing, that is, being a fellow human being, a fellow citizen, these things are much more important than ideological differences.”
You can find the episode at:
UNCG News: https://news.uncg.edu/yes-and-cafe-podcasts/
PodBean: https://uncg.podbean.com/e/yes-and-cafe-episode-13-creating-new-possibilities/
The podcast is also available on major platforms such as the Apple Podcasts app, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.
