This is an extraordinary moment.

When the Radical Imagination podcast launched in September 2019, episodes addressed issues that, at the time, modeled our aspirations for a just, fair, and inclusive society, a nation free from policing, the provision of widespread economic supports such as guarantees for both jobs and basic income, and the urgent need to treat housing and clean, affordable, and accessible water as human rights. Over the past year, though, the Covid-19 pandemic and its disparate health and economic impacts on communities of color, as well as the murder of George Floyd, have brutally further exposed the breadth of widespread structural racism, and public opinion has swung heavily in favor of meaningful change. 

We’re now living in an unprecedented era where there is demand to finally deal offensively with racial inequities. From Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s Job Guarantee Bill to cities all over the country adopting guaranteed income pilots targeted at those who have been made most vulnerable by our systems, to a far-reaching recovery plan that seeks to make huge investments in infrastructure that has often failed people of color, we’re seeing these conversations move from ideals to actual policy discussions that dominate contemporary discourse. 

Now, in its third season, and rapidly approaching 100,000 downloads, Radical Imagination continues to build on and challenge our notion of what’s possible. This season’s guests ask us to envision what it would look like to rewrite history, expand our definitions of economy and infrastructure, push us to an understanding of what a better society rooted in joy and satisfaction looks like, and more. Season 3 also introduces a new segment, Reflect & Respond, in which listeners are invited to collectively imagine new possibilities for achieving equitable economies, healthy communities of opportunity, and just societies.

Episode 4 – The Radical Politics of Pleasure, featuring writer extraordinaire adrienne maree brown and accompanied by a Pleasure Pack – is out today on all streaming platforms. Listen, subscribe, share, and participate in these conversations that challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of our imagination.