Bonus Episode: Ben Jealous — Never Forget Our People Were Always Free

Happy Black History Month! In this special bonus episode, we speak to Ben Jealous, Professor of the Practice at the University of Pennsylvania and former National President and CEO of the NAACP about his new book Never Forget Our People Were Always Free: A Parable of American Healing.

If you are an organizer or someone who aspires to make the world a better place, we highly recommend you listen to this episode.

0:00 Zahra & Hien catch up and recap the episode

3:46 Ben talks about the book and his inspiration for writing it

8:46 Ben shares about his parents’ interracial marriage in 1966

11:32 How Ben takes care of himself while doing this work, including wisdom from a yogi and his grandmother

16:49 Keeping nihilism at bay and what progressives can learn from the neighborly ways of the Evangelicals

21:14 Our need for a spiritual reckoning and revitalization and Ben’s hopes for the Democratic Party

36:16 Ben shares advice for young Millennials & Gen Z who want to make an impact, including stories about Stacey Abrams

54:32 Zahra & Hien share their reflections and admiration for Ben

Ben Jealous, scholar, journalist, civil rights leader, and philanthropist, was recently appointed as the first person of color to serve Executive Director of the Sierra Club. From 2008 to 2013, Ben led the NAACP as the youngest-ever president and CEO of the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization with more than 2,400 chapters. Currently, he is a Professor of the Practice, University of Pennsylvania, where Jealous teaches a course on Leadership and Racial Justice and works with students in mentorship settings. He was formerly Director of the Human Rights Program at Amnesty International USA, and Executive Director of the National Newspaper Publishers Association. He is also the New York Times bestselling author of REACH: 40 Black Men Speak on Living, Leading, and Succeeding. A Rhodes Scholar and a past Democratic nominee for Governor of Maryland, he lives on the Chesapeake Bay with his children, Morgan and Jack, and their dog, Charlie.

Get the book here

https://benjealous.com/

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Theme song: Katy Pearson