Podcast | What Seattle’s past says about its future
In its season debut, Civic Cocktail hosts a discussion with local historians and a futurist on what was and what will be in the Emerald City.
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From left: Ron Chew, founder of Chew Communications; Leonard Garfield, executive director of the Museum of History and Industry; Jerry Large, president of Blackpast.org; and Civic Cocktail host Monica Guzman discuss Seattle's past. (Amanda Snyder/Crosscut)
There is a lot to talk about in this present moment. The pandemic continues to disrupt everyday life, while news of clashes on battlefields virtual and actual meet us every morning. Here in Seattle, meanwhile, we continue to struggle with homelessness, growth, inequality and public safety.
As we try to better understand this moment, the inclination is to zoom in. But we’re doing something different for this first episode of the new season of Civic Cocktail and the inaugural episode of Crosscut's Civic Cocktail podcast. We will be taking a step back. First, by taking stock of where we’ve been. And then, where we may be going — after some of the most tumultuous years we’ve ever known.
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How do we do that in just 60 minutes? With the help of four experts: Leonard Garfield, executive director of the Museum of History and Industry; Jerry Large, president of Blackpast.org; Ron Chew, founder of Chew Communications; and Glen Hiemstra, founder of futurist.com.
From well before the city’s founding in 1851, through war, migration, innovation and incredible growth, ours is a story of conflict and collaboration, of heartbreaking exclusion and steps toward more meaningful inclusion. In this episode we discuss where we’ve been, so we can know better where we ought to be going.
Civic Cocktail is a production of Seattle City Club and Crosscut.
