In episode #33 of In The Moment, Chief Correspondent Steve Scher talks with Sandro Galea (3:55) about reforming America’s way of thinking about health. Galea invites us to think beyond just insurance and access to doctors or medicine, instead widening our scope to talk about larger systemic issues: how diseases that are biological, environmental, are also inextricably related to stress, opportunity, and security. He asserts that we need to think about health economically and socially, as an issue related to larger political decisions. Galea says that experiences, opportunities, health are a product of our entire life—much of which we have no direct control over. According to him, it’s incorrect and unfair to assume that people have full autonomy over their health; we have to recognize that our collective well-being is a collective responsibility.

Correspondent Minh Nguyen talks with Nancy Fraser and Bhaskar Sunkara (14:02) about how America has been in a political state of neoliberalism roughly 30 years, and how this system is now being widely challenged and questioned. Fraser says that, by coupled terms like “feminism” and “anti-racism” with the progressive neoliberal agenda, neoliberalism led to the election of Donald Trump. She asserts that neoliberalism has contributed to union-breaking, financialisation, and policies that have hollowed the living standards of all working class Americans. Nancy underscores her hope that the public at large can gain a larger understanding that we live in a classist society—one which she hopes we can transform into democratic socialism. Sunkara outlines the idea of what democratic socialism means to them, emphasizing the need for the redistribution of wealth and power. He expresses the importance of the idea that things can change, entreating politicians to lay out clear agendas for reform rooted in real needs.

And host Jini Palmer shares her discussions with Ray Williams (25:08) of Black Farmers’ Collective, as well as other volunteers at our Town Green Day of Service. Jini talks with Ray about the Collective’s plans for creating a model for sustainable urban farming. Their current project is in its beginning stages, and Ray outlines plans for the farm to expand and include a gathering space, an ADA accessible path from the street, and a trench for collecting rainwater. He discusses his hopes for the involvement of local chefs, the gathering of compost and building supplies, and the increased support of local businesses and the community as a whole.

Still Curious?

-Sandro Galea expounds on his collective approach to health in an interview with WBUR.

-Town Hall’s event with Nancy Fraser and Bhaskar Sunkara is part of Red May, Seattle’s month-long festival of radical art and thought. We’re hosting two more of the festival’s events, one on May 17 and one on May 23.

-Want to get to know the work of the Black Farmers’ Collective? Check out their website!