The inspiring Nina Turner joins me to talk about the state of the union, what the 4th of July means to her, and so much more. This woman has been a courageous activist on behalf of social justice and an undaunted voice of truth for years.
Here is a link to some of the books we mentioned on the show: Dumbing Us Down, The Underground History of American Education, Lies My Teacher Taught Me, A People’s History.
Throughout her career, State Senator Nina Turner has fought to improve Northeast Ohio and the lives of those who call it home. Continually devoted to the issues of education, employment, and building strong and safe communities, she has embraced a no-nonsense attitude toward confronting the problems that face our cities and state on a daily basis. An outspoken advocate of the disenfranchised and under-represented, Senator Turner believes that if individuals are provided with the means they will craft for themselves their own American dream.
Nina Turner is a self-described democratic socialist whose politics have been variously described as progressive, left-wing, or far-left.
Nina was also the Democratic nominee for Ohio Secretary of State in 2014, losing to incumbent Jon Husted. She supported Bernie Sanders in his 2016 presidential campaign, and became president of the Sanders-affiliated political action organization Our Revolution in 2017. She served as a national co-chair of Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign.
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The combination of a Fourth of July reflection with Nina Turner’s long focus on education, employment, and strong communities should make for a substantive conversation. I also appreciate that the episode provides a reading list, including Lies My Teacher Told Me and A People’s History, so listeners can examine the educational themes beyond the interview itself.
Nina Turner’s experience connecting education, employment, and community safety should give the discussion a wider frame than electoral politics alone. The reading list—particularly Dumbing Us Down, The Underground History of American Education, and Lies My Teacher Taught Me—also gives listeners concrete ways to continue exploring the episode’s themes. I would be especially interested in Turner’s view on how schools can expand both critical civic learning and strong science education without treating them as competing priorities.
Framing the conversation around both the state of the union and what July 4 means personally to Nina Turner should allow for a thoughtful mix of policy and reflection. The inclusion of books such as A People’s History and The Underground History of American Education is helpful because it lets listeners investigate the ideas discussed rather than stopping at the episode. It would be valuable to hear how Turner thinks media and education can represent under-represented communities accurately without flattening their experiences.
The discussion connecting social justice with education, employment, and safe communities sounds especially timely. I also appreciated the reading list, including A People’s History and Lies My Teacher Taught Me, because it gives listeners concrete ways to continue exploring the ideas after the interview.