Future Hindsight

We discuss the history of citizenship schools, their profound importance in the Civil Rights Movement, and the critical lessons they offer for our present moment.   Elaine’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Share the power of voting with your neighbors. Start your own community citizenship schools!   Elaine Weiss is a journalist, speaker, and author of Spell Freedom: The Underground Schools that Built the Civil Rights Movement. She’s also the author of The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote, which was a source for the Broadway musical SUFFS.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Elaine on X:  https://x.com/efweiss5    Read Our Guests’ Books!: https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Elaine Weiss Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We assess the first 100 days of the Trump administration and what we can expect going forward.   Skye’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Join a dinner for democracy or a coffee for change Resist isolation and say yes to building a future for ourselves.   Skye Perryman is the President and CEO of Democracy Forward, which uses the law to build collective power and advance a bold, vibrant democracy for all people.      Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Skye on IG:  https://www.instagram.com/skyeperryman   Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Skye Perryman Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss what’s happening in the AI space to augment human life in this moment, and what the potential intersections are with democracy.   Natalie’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Use AI and lean into it Explore the ways AI can empower you   Natalie Monbiot is a strategist and pioneer in AI and virtual human technologies. She is the Founder of Virtual Human Economy, the co-founder of Hour One, and writes the Augmented Human blog.   Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Natalie on X:  https://x.com/natlikethat   Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Natalie Monbiot Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss rethinking the Constitution as a way to reimagine democracy. In addition, we examine the role of constitutionalism in exporting the principles of democracy as the underpinning of American imperialism.   Aziz’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Join a union or a party formation or a tenants’ association in your community Get involved in shaping the terms institutions that serve as meaningful checks    Aziz Rana is professor of law at Boston College and the author of The Constitutional Bind: How Americans Came to Idolize a Document That Fails Them and The Two Faces of American Freedom.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Read The Constitutional Bind:  https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Aziz Rana Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the Green New Deal and how youth movements like the Sunrise Movement are the secret sauce in getting the federal government to drive the effort to stop the climate crisis.    Aru’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Hold on to a disciplined form of hope Join Sunrise Movement! Sunrisemovement.org/become-a-member   Aru Shiney-Ajay is the executive director of Sunrise Movement, a movement of young people to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process.      Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Aru on X:  https://x.com/aru_shineyajay    Follow Sunrise Movement on X: https://x.com/sunrisemvmt    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Aru Shiney-Ajay Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the great reshuffle of land in the last few centuries and the intersection of land, power, and democracy.    Michael’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Support conservation easements Learn about the indigenous communities that have been displaced from the land where you live and finds ways to support reallocation   Michael Albertus is professor of political science at the University of Chicago and the author of five books. His most recent is Land Power: Who Has It, Who Doesn’t, and How That Determines the Fate of Societies.      Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Michael on X:  https://x.com/mikealbertus    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Michael Albertus Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the anti-democratic and reactionary nihilistic nature of the Christian nationalist movement. Christian nationalism is an ideology that functions as a tool for a leadership driven organization machine that turns mythology into political power.    Katherine’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Mobilize the pro-democracy majority Stop purity testing   Katherine Stewart is the author of Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy. Katherine is an expert on religious nationalism and the assault on American democracy. Her previous book, The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism was awarded first place for Excellence in Nonfiction Books by the Religion News Association and was the basis of the Rob Reiner documentary feature film, God & Country.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Katherine on X:  https://x.com/kathsstewart    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Katherine Stewart Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss mobile voting as the definitive way to make elections more accessible for everyone — especially for Americans with disabilities and overseas citizens — and therefore finally increase turnout in significant numbers.    Bradley’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Sign up and get involved at mobilevoting.org Rally your friends and family to demand change.   Bradley Tusk is the co-founder of the Mobile Voting Movement, the founder and CEO of Tusk Holdings, and previously served many years in public service. He's the author of Vote with Your Phone: Why Mobile Voting Is Our Final Shot at Saving Democracy.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Mobile Voting Movement on X:  https://x.com/mobilevoting    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Bradley Tusk Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss whether executive orders can change the Constitution, the ongoing transformation of executive power, and the true intersection of the Constitution and democracy.   Julie’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Get a pocket Constitution and read it over with a red pen! Think about the kind of democracy you want to live in and decide how the Constitution will get us there.   Julie Suk is the Hon. Deborah A. Batts Distinguished Research Scholar, Professor of Law. She’s a legal scholar of constitutional amendment, equality, and feminism in the United States and globally, and the author of two books, We the Women: The Unstoppable Mothers of the Equal Rights Amendment and After Misogyny: How the Law Fails Women and What to Do about It.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Julie on X:  https://x.com/JulieCSuk    Sponsor:  Thank you to Lumen! Take the next step to improving your health: go to lumen.me/HOPEFUL to get 20% off your Lumen. Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Julie Suk Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss why joining a club or an association is the glue that binds civic society to democracy. They are the classrooms for our citizenship!   Pete’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Join a club! Re-inhabit the world that you’re in, by learning about it.   Pete Davis is a bestselling author of Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing, the founder of the Democracy Policy Network, and the co-director of Join or Die, a film about why you should join a club and why the fate of America depends on it.       Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Pete on X:  https://x.com/PeteDDavis    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Pete Davis Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss a vision for the Democratic Party that goes back to its roots and represents working people and champions issues such as healthcare, student debt, and wages through a class lens.  Faiz’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Call your member of Congress. Write a letter to the editor. Gather in civic organizations, host a house party and wrestle together with collective actions you can engage in. Faiz Shakir is Executive Director of More Perfect Union, formerly ran the Bernie 2020 campaign for president, served as the ACLU’s national political director, and also served as senior advisor to the late Senator Harry Reid.   Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Faiz on X:  https://x.com/fshakir    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Faiz Shakir Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the influence of Karl Marx in American politics and the continued relevance of Marxism today.   Andrew’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Form a reading group to change your collective political consciousness Read something challenging at an intellectual, political, or philosophical level   Andrew Hartman is professor of history at Illinois State University and the author of several books, including A War for the Soul of America: A History of the Culture Wars. His upcoming book is Karl Marx in America.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Andrew on X:  https://x.com/HartmanAndrew    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Andrew Hartman Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss that Americans should prize truth over tribe. A lot of disinformation is hiding behind the First Amendment – using the right to free speech to tell lies. The muddy media and information ecosystem is turning us against our neighbors.   Barb’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Meet people in real life because when we know them it’s harder to vilify them  Get accurate election-related information from your secretary of state’s office   Barbara McQuade is a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, co-host of the podcast #SistersinLaw, and a professor at the University of Michigan Law School. Her first book is Attack From Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America. We discuss the dangers of disinformation and how we can defeat it.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Barbara on X:  https://x.com/barbmcquade    Read Attack from Within:  https://bookshop.org/p/books/attack-from-within-how-disinformation-is-sabotaging-democracy-and-the-rule-of-law-barbara-mcquade/20068804?aid=11259&ean=9781644213636&listref=books-we-re-reading-in-2024    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Barbara McQuade Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss how the public interest movements in the 60s and 70s can be a source of inspiration for American democracy and why this movement was a formidable force in influencing public policy that benefits all of us, from traffic safety to the Clean Water Act.    Paul’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Focus on state and local government Make liberal cities and states compelling models for good governance to be replicated across the nation    Paul Sabin is the Randolph W. Townsend, Jr. Professor of History and Professor of American Studies at Yale University and previously served as the founding executive director of the non-profit Environmental Leadership Program. Paul is the author of Public Citizens: The Attack on Big Government and the Remaking of American Liberalism.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Paul on X:  https://x.com/paulesabin    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Paul Sabin Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss what we can all do to say "no" to Project 2025, including getting Democrats to play hardball in local, city, and state offices, and to protect and win elections this year and in the midterms next year.   Ezra’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Organize in your community with like-minded Americans  Use your constituent power to influence the political calculus of your elected representative   Ezra Levin is the Co-Executive Director of Indivisible, which he co-founded with Leah Greenberg in the wake of the 2016 presidential election. He’s also the co-author of We Are Indivisible: A Blueprint for Democracy After Trump.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on BlueSky:  https://bsky.app/profile/milaatmos.bsky.social    Follow Ezra on BlueSky:  https://bsky.app/profile/ezralevin.bsky.social    Check out Indivisible: https://indivisible.org/    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Ezra Levin Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss many of our rights that are at risk under the new Trump administration, what our rights actually are–like due process and the 1st amendment, and an action plan for when they come under attack.    Monica’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Know what your rights are and speak up. Talk to your friends and family about DC statehood   Monica Hopkins is the Executive Director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia (ACLU-DC).   Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow the ACLU D.C. on X:  https://x.com/ACLU_DC    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Monica Hopkins Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the long history of organizing as a tool for fortifying American democracy, making it more equitable and just. Americans live from the benefits of organizing every day, whether that’s women’s suffrage or disability rights.  Organizing is the tool for everyday people who are not in positions of power to solve the problems their communities are facing.    Elyssa’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Get clarity on what you’re good at and what brings you joy. Organize for the long haul.   Elyssa Feder is the co-founder and executive director of Rising Organizers, which has trained nearly 4,000 activists and held fourteen intensive fellowship cohorts on community organizing skills.      Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Elyssa on X:  https://x.com/elyssafeder    Check out Rising Organizers: https://www.risingorganizers.org/    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Elyssa Feder Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the role of political parties in representing your interests and turning those interests into public policies that meaningfully make a difference in your life. Since the 1980s, both major political parties have adopted neoliberal policies, marked by declining responsiveness to major policy areas, and instead prioritizing pro-market and anti-state policies for economic growth and reliance on the private sector.    Didi’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Get engaged on the local level so you can be part of the solution. Support the party builders!   Didi Kuo is a Center Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University and the author of The Great Retreat: How Political Parties Should Behave and Why They Don’t.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Didi on X:  https://x.com/didikuo1    Read The Great Retreat: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-retreat-how-political-parties-should-behave-and-why-they-don-t-didi-kuo/21705105?aid=11259&ean=9780197664193&listref=books-we-re-reading-in-2025&new-list-page=true    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Didi Kuo Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss why now is the time for a third political party to really take center stage in American democracy.   Maurice’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Organize! Join an organization. Create conditions where people can govern and decide the direction of their country and their democracy   Maurice Mitchell is the National Director of the Working Families Party. He's a nationally recognized social movement strategist, a visionary leader in the Movement for Black Lives, and a community organizer for racial, social, and economic justice.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Maurice on X:  https://x.com/MauriceWFP    Check out the Working Families Party: https://workingfamilies.org/    Sponsor:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Maurice Mitchell Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We’re sharing an episode from our friends at Latino USA! In this episode, producer Reynaldo Leaños Jr. travels to southern Arizona where one of the first major concentrations of surveillance towers on the southern border were built, and he looks at what these towers mean today, and for the future of those crossing, and living, there.   The “virtual wall” across the U.S.-Mexico border is made up of things like drones, sensors, cameras and… surveillance towers. Both Democrats and Republicans have supported border technology through the years, but advocates and researchers argue that a virtual wall can be as controversial, and deadly, as a physical wall.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Listen to Latino USA:  https://www.latinousa.org/    Sponsors:  Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Thanks to SelectQuote for supporting Future Hindsight! Go to SelectQuote.com/hopeful now!   Need a gift idea? Head over to Masterclass.com/HOPEFUL for the current offer. Thanks to MasterClass for supporting Future Hindsight!   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Featuring: Latino USA Podcast Host: Mila Atmos Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis