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Scot Nakagawa

3 articles and 23 podcasts

Scot Nakagawa is a co-founder and co-director of the 22nd Century Initiative, a national strategy and action hub in the fight to defeat white nationalism and authoritarianism. Scot is also the founder of The Anti-Authoritarian Playbook, an online newsletter to the frontline of the growing movement to win a truly people-centered, pluralistic, multiracial and feminist democracy in the U.S.

Contributions from Scot Nakagawa

Democracy Lessons From an Evangelical Church, with Hahrie Han

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Scot and Sue are joined by award-winning author and professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University, Hahrie Han, to discuss her new book Undivided: The Quest for Racial Solidarity in an American Church. In the book, Hahrie visits a megachurch in Ohio that as it is going through a six week program, developed by church leaders and designed to cultivate meaningful relationships across race and to foster collective anti racist action. What Hahrie learns from the congregation and the participants she follows tells a powerful story about politics in the US and what we can do to protect democracy.

Media in America & the Pro-Democracy Media Ecosystem, with Laura Flanders

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In this episode Scot and Sue are joined by Laura Flanders, a media expert and host of the Laura Flanders & Friends show, to lay out the history of media in the US and the power the mainstream media has to frame issues. How has the media landscape changed since the civil rights movement, and what investments have authoritarians and their ultra-rich supporters made in media to give them the influence they wield today? What should our strategy and tactics be to  grow the pro-democracy media ecosystem?

Countering Active Clubs: Lessons from the Northwest Pro-Democracy Movement, with Lindsay Schubiner

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Over the past couple of decades white nationalists and authoritarians have become growing threats to democracy and peace in northwestern states like Oregon and Washington. Lindsay Schubiner of the Portland, Oregon based Western States Center joins the show to take us on a journey through history to learn not only how the situation became what it is today, but to also point out legacies and modern day efforts of resistance. Lindsay specifically gives insight on the new threats from “active clubs”, networks of local white nationalist groups that train together and often show up to target and intimidate the community. What can we learn from the pro-democracy movement in the Pacific Northwest to build a super majority and counter these active clubs around the country?

You Belong Here – Organizing White People for a Multi-Racial Democracy, with Erin Heaney

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Authoritarians and anti-democratic political elites attack democracy because a robust and equitable democracy is the ultimate regulator of wealth and power. But their bottom lines are drawn behind their own heels and in front of the toes of working families. So, how are they attempting to build a mass populist movement against democracy, popular enough to use the democratic process to take power?  By organizing down the class ladder to white workers; a move that use to legitimate their claim of being champions of "real" Americans. In this episode Executive Director of Standing Up For Racial Justice, Erin Heaney addresses the elephant in the room: how do we compete for the hearts and minds of white workers and build a counter-movement for progress and a multi-racial democracy? As executive director of the largest white anti-racist organization in the US, Erin shares the sometimes messy work of organizing in white communities that have been fed lies by authoritarian. How are race and gender weaponized to divide us, and how do we make the case that a multi-racial democracy means prosperity for everyone?

Shifting the Narrative – Protecting our Futures, with Malkia Devich-Cyril

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The stories we tell and how and to whom we tell them can be the difference between winning and losing in political struggle. Scot and Sue chat with Malkia Devich-Cyril from MediaJustice about the difference between communication strategy and narrative strategy. Short term communication strategy is helpful for the policy debates of today, but long term cultural change requires a deep understanding of narrative strategy. Authoritarians and political elites offer a false narrative rooted in fear and violence - how must we in the pro-democracy movement shift the narrative to protect our futures? What has worked for us in the past, and how might we adapt?

Community and Connection: The Antidotes to Authoritarianism, with Sulma Arias

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Authoritarians rely on scapegoat tactics to distract the public from root problems and isolate groups that have historically faced discrimination. Scot and Sue are joined by Sulma Arias, an immigrant herself who for decades has fought to block authoritarian policies, restore faith in democracy, and build a multi-racial majority that wins together. She reflects on her time organizing in Kansas against anti-immigrant and authoritarian politician Kris Kobach, and makes the case for how a revival of community and worker organizing is key to stopping authoritarianism.

Government Is the Prize: Working-Class Solidarity Wins Democracy, with Maurice Mitchell

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In this episode, Scot and Sue hear the wisdom of Maurice Mitchell, National Director of the Working Families Party. Maurice explains why working-class families feel ignored by politicians on both sides of the aisle as material conditions worsen, and how authoritarians weaponize fear to gain support for their ideas. So how do we overcome the two-party system that ignores root causes, and media feedback loops that spread misinformation and intentionally polarize us? We organize and build working-class solidarity. By finding common ground and achieving shared political commitment, we make government work for us.

Across the Lines: We Win Democracy Together, with Rachel Kleinfeld

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In this episode, Scot and Sue are joined by Rachel Kleinfeld, Senior Fellow for the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Rachel gives us insights into the authoritarian playbook and how over the past 20 years the Right has polarized our politics and our culture. How are they strategically fighting across race, place, and gender lines, and how must we counter this attack to overcome polarization and build the multi-racial democracy we deserve?

Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence, with Hardy Merriman and Naomi Washington-Leapheart

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In this episode, Scot and Sue discuss Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence (HOPE PV), a new report and training program from 22CI and the Horizons Project, with report author Hardy Merriman and Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart of Political Research Associates. The vast majority of people in this country do not condone the use of violence to settle political disputes, yet political violence is on the rise and some politicians and elites stoke these flames with their rhetoric. Hardy and Naomi help us define political violence, explain how large the problem has grown, and detail how participation in HOPE PV trainings can equip community leaders with the strategy and tactics to organize against political violence and make attempts to perpetrate it backfire.
cover for anti authoritarian podcast feature title text "how we got here" and photo of guest Suzanne Pharr

How We Got Here, with Suzanne Pharr

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In this episode, Scot and Sue sit down with Suzanne Pharr, a Southern queer feminist and anti-racist organizer, strategist, writer, community organizer, and educator. Over her decades of work, she has contributed to the advancement of many social justice movements and worked on historic campaigns against authoritarian attempts to exploit popular prejudice for political and financial gain. With much wisdom and experience, Suzanne paints a clear picture of how we have arrived at this political moment with authoritarians infiltrating our governments and communities, and the direction the pro-democracy movement needs to move.