"Why would someone get involved in politics?" "Why should LGBTQ+ individuals care about our political system?" "What inspires you to keep going in a seemingly rigged system?" "How do we make real change in our political system?"
On this episode, I'm joined by Congressman Sam Park (he/him) of Georgia House District 101 to discuss the current state of the American political system. Born and raised in Georgia, Sam is the grandson of refugees from the Korean War and the son of immigrants. It is largely due to his mother--who worked tirelessly to provide for her family and make sure her kids had a fair shot at the American dream--that he decided to run for office in 2016. Just after Sam passed the bar exam in 2014, his mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Luckily, due to public health insurance, like Medicaid and Medicare, she had access to healthcare and a fighting chance. Because she had this access, Sam and his family were able to have a long goodbye with her, and she lived to see her son become the first Asian American Democrat and first openly gay man elected to the Georgia State Legislature. It was through the process of taking his mom to chemotherapy appointments and caring for her that he realized the life and death importance of healthcare. In 2016, he unseated a three-term Republican and made history with a grassroots, people-powered campaign.
In addition to discussing Sam's political journey, we also talk about the importance of knowing our history in order to create the future we want, the current backlash we are seeing with Jim Crow-like legislature being passed nationwide, the importance of working to enfranchise those who have been disenfranchised by the political system, and the necessity of using our voice by casting our vote at all levels of elections.
Follow Sam:
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Organization of the week: Southerners On New Ground
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Resources for Further Learning:
- Danica Roem's Message to LGBTQ Youth: 'You have to care' about politics
- Georgia’s restrictive new voting law, explained
- Meet Sam Park, First Openly Gay Man Elected to Georgia Congress
Show Produced by Nick Eibler
Co-Produced/Edited by Addison McKissack
Theme Song written by Matt Gregory, Colin Egan, and Mike Hubbard
Produced by Colin Egan and Mike Hubbard
Logo Design by David Pavón
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