Episode 12: What's Your Path? Part 2

Four people take us on their emotional journey through the landscape of government. How do you manage the personal toll that comes with trying to make change? 

Part 2 Guests: Michael Quadrozzi and Cheniqua Johnson 

1:32: Introduction to Michael Quadrozzi 
5:18: Recently, you've been more cynical. Can you describe how your feelings have shifted?
9:58: Introduction to Cheniqua Johnson 
20:02: Have you ever had a moment in your career where you thought I cannot? 
22:42: Do you have advice for younger people wanting to find their place to affect change? 
24:02: Conclusion 

Transcript

CHORUS 

Welcome to the People’s House

Try to see another point of view

Look up, look out, look around

What would you see in another person’s shoes? 

 CHORUS

Is this the People’s House?

We need to face the harm that’s been done

CHORUS 

There’s inspiration in these halls

But it’s got to include everyone

Welcome to the People’s House

The people’s house is open

Now what is the role for me?

There’s inspiration in the halls

Set the power free!

Leah Cooper

Welcome to Our House, a podcast that pulls back the curtain on Minnesota State government. I’m Leah Cooper.

Alan Berks

And I’m Alan Berks. We’re the co-artistic directors of a theater company called Wonderlust Productions. This is part 2 of episode 12 in which we’re talking with four different people about their emotional journey with work at the state capitol. 

Leah Cooper

Because, ultimately, driving all the laws, bureaucracy, secrets, and legislative tricks–all the maneuvering, lobbying, and organizing–are people. 

Alan Berks

And those people have feelings.

Leah Cooper

So we asked people who have worked in various roles to actually tell us about their feelings.

Alan Berks

Michael Quadrozzi helped us a lot when we first decided to make the play. He had a background with theater but he was working at that time as a state Senator’s legislative aide. And he describes his journey, from a typical middle class white guy working within the status quo, to someone trying to make an impact outside of politics as we understand it.

Michael Quadrozzi

I'm probably the least involved in politics that I've been in years. You know, obviously, I'm voting and stuff, and I follow things and I... but I think the way that I've engaged especially in the past couple of years, you know, being aware of like uh, protests that are going. I feel like I'm, I'm the kind of person who would be constantly underfoot in any kind of street action, but... You know, the way that I tried to engage with my community, you know, I was in the part of Minneapolis where when there was property burned down and stuff like that, the supermarkets, you know, had no food, I tried to do things like get involved with food drives and stuff like that. That was, you know, a way of engaging where previously I would have been like, oh, is... people people do that, you know, there's people who do that kind of thing. And at that time, I was like, oh, it's probably this is probably something I should do. But yeah, I mean, I still I follow things that are going on. But I mean, for the most part, I think of myself as, like an artist now. And the way that I interact with people, or the way that I'm the way that I feel like I'm capable of giving back to my community, whatever that happens to mean, is, through this through this craft that I'm working on. As an actor, as something of a professional emoter, you know, bringing experiences to people, and of course, the politics of theater is a whole nother thing. Right? About who can afford it and who sees it and stuff like that. Which, obviously, you know. Um, so yeah, I mean, I'm definitely totally engaged more in that side, then than I was before. 

In the beginning, just living through the times that we're living through and being in my early 20s, back then there was a little a bit of a just like "in the room where it happens" kind of stuff going on, like I just, I saw this, like, historic thing happening. And I was like, I feel like I should be involved. The media that I was consuming and stuff, I've always been interested in government. I was always a history student. I'm a history major. I always watched things about it. I was always watching political campaigns and knowing who everybody was. The West Wing was a big show for me back in the day. I look back, and I kind of cringe at some of the naïveté of it now. But, you know, that was where I was at at the time. You know, Obama comes along and is like, making history and I was like, this is what I should do. So I got involved, I made some friends. I followed them around the country, I got involved in New Hampshire first, because I was in Massachusetts, and driving up north like an hour to do like, Get Out the Vote in New Hampshire. And then those people that I met up there went to like, South Carolina, and North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, and all these other states. I did like five or six states. And then, at some point, I was like, this is a great experience. But like, can I like get a job doing this? Because I was just like volunteering and following people around. And going down for like, a week or two at a time kind of thing. And then I met people from Minnesota when I finally got that job. I was on staff for the first time in North Carolina. Met people from Minnesota, and they were like - it was the primary in North Carolina - and these friends of mine were like, you should come out to Minnesota for the general election. And I was like, Can you get me a job doing that? And they were like, yeah, so that's what I did. And I was here I was here in Minnesota for the first time. First time coming to Minnesota was June, I think of 2008. And I was here through the election. And then the following year, I came back.

Alan Berks 

. . . But, but lately when I ran into you recently, you were like, you know, I'm fully cynical. You said your your feelings had had shifted? Can you describe?

Michael Quadrozzi 

Yeah, and I think yeah. Yeah, I think that's totally right about centrism in the left in this country. Like I mentioned, you know, the West Wing is just, in a lot of ways, a terribly paternalistic and naive way of thinking. But yeah, and I maybe just the fact that five years have gone by, the time in my life that I'm in, the things that have happened with the pandemic and the previous president, and all this stuff. Yeah, I'm probably quite a bit further outside the center than I was back then. I think now my position would be not exactly burn it down, but like, maybe, to like circle back on theater and borrow a theater term? Yes and. It's everything. The people who are earnestly doing work? Yes. The people who want to break in and change the rules, yes. Things that aren't working, yeah, rip them out, do something else. I think people both have good intentions, and are very naive, and are gatekeepers and are exclusionary, possibly, with the legacy of white supremacy. And all it's like, it's all true, like everything's true. And I think that's what makes it really hard. Is that everybody's point of view, you can't just tell people who are looking from the outside that they're wrong. That is horribly paternalistic and insulting. And it's absolutely what I used to do as a naive, sheltered, middle class, white person. And I was just like, oh, just go by the rules, and it'll be okay like it was for me. Yeah. Right. A lot of these rules are set up to exclude people. A lot of these systems where we're like, "what's gone wrong?" Nothing has gone wrong. It's doing exactly what it set up to do by keeping people out or keeping people incarcerated or keeping people whatever. And it's like, yeah, all these problems are legitimate. Like, it's all true. So like, the good stuff is true, and the bad stuff is true. And it's like, what do we do?

Because like, yeah, for every good intention, there's also, and I mean, I think it gets that gets touched on in the show, too, is like that human institution thing means that the people inside of the system think that their system is it. Their system is the only system that they need to understand. And since they're in the system, and they control access to the system, that's it. That's the whole world: The elected officials, their staff, the nonpartisan staff, the lawyers, everybody. If you know how all that works, you're golden, you can just get stuff done, or you can not get stuff done, or whatever you want to do. Just like any other group of people, where it's like, if you control the keys, and you know the process... people spend their whole lives doing it, you know, you get to you get to the people who are there, sometimes 70s and 80s. And they're masters of it, and they don't want to leave because they know how to do everything just like anybody else who masters any other kind of process, whether it's politics, or making noodles, or whatever it is. You know, it's like you don't want to stop because it's what you know how to do. Right? No, and like, as far as like, it's a game. It's a show, I think that's just part of it. For everybody who understands what's happening, it feels since this is the whole world, nothing else really matters. And so I understand all these steps, I understand the rules. And from the outside, it looks disingenuous, or it looks manipulative, and sometimes it is, I think, because it's all part of whatever this process is that people feel like they control.

People with power behave in a certain way. And not necessarily in any kind of smoke filled back room. But just because money and power do stuff. You know, you don't need like a grand conspiracy for rich people to agree. You know? Like, people with money and power are going to have the same goals and the same ways of doing things. And they went to the same schools and they do all the same stuff. So they get it. And they know, you bring it back to understanding the levers of power. And they all everybody knows how to affect people and how to do stuff. And it's like, it just keeps happening. So it's like yeah, that's, that's the thing. That's the issue. And some of those people are good and some of them have bad intentions. So I guess it's kind of like my, my lens. My... I've zoomed out, which is what a lot of us probably need to do in our lives is like, zoom out, and see more stuff and also focus at the same time, like focus on on what you are affecting.

Leah Cooper 

Like your sphere of influence.

Michael Quadrozzi 

Yeah, you can zoom out and see the world's problems. You can't necessarily do anything about all of them, but like, you can be a better version of yourself.

Leah Cooper

While Michael moved from being a political animal to trying to make the world better in a different way, Cheniqua Johnson moved from many, often non-partisan roles, into the political arena. She just recently was elected to the St. Paul City Council, representing Ward 7. . And she describes how none of it was planned, but all of it has helped to inform her career, skills, and accomplishments.

Cheniqua Johnson 

In Minnesota, because we are still a very network based state. Meaning, it is not only what you know, but it is who you know, in more ways than one. I think that's something that people, especially millennials, and like, young professionals have talked about a lot is like some jobs don't get posted. Some jobs, truly, you get a phone call and Thanksgiving. And it's the Congressman on the other line, and he tells you, you should look into applying for his office, because there's an opening coming up. And by you, I mean me, sit there during Thanksgiving holiday and like, contemplate, did I just get a call from Keith Ellison? How does he know my phone number? And then being like, I can't believe that just happened. And you know you freak out and then you're like, Okay, call him back. Hi. Yeah, thank you for the call, I appreciate it. I'll consider the job. And you're just like. So there's a lot of stuff that happens where you're just like you don't, I can't foresee that. I couldn't foresee working for Angela Conley and Hennepin County as her district average coordinator. I didn't know a district court outreach coordinator existed. I couldn't tell you that I would be working for the Subcommittee on Aviation as a legislative aide, because I never thought I'd actually work on aviation anything. But that's I feel like the beauty of it all is like in politics, there's no job description for a lot of these roles. There are maybe prerequisites, or things that people define is what they would prefer. But often in government, so many of these positions, including the the positions that people run for are not defined by some like actual governing document that this is what it takes to be a Senator, this is what it takes to be a city council member, this is what it takes to be a legislative aide. Those can be defined often by the office, by the leaders, by the people and by the folks taking the position. And so like in politics, I've kind of  rode that wave of discovering that for myself, and what that looks like. I started as a Program Officer, because I genuinely was tired of the federal government. I was there during I would say one of the most awkward times to be a hill staffer. When you're thinking about the global pandemic. I never thought I'd see the day that Congress shut down and became remote, and that we were doing congressional hearings on WebEx, and teaching congressional members how to stand back from the camera, how to mute and unmute, how to make sure that their face was presented in the camera so it could be on record, how to make sure that we had everything just electronic. In a job that I bet you if you ask people five years ago, if that would ever be a reality, they would have told you no. So there's just certain things where I'm like, I've been adaptable just like our... I feel like the last 20 years of being an American has been adaptable. Yeah, it's been interesting. And I've had a lot of titles, but it's been just truly like the timeline. You know, I couldn't have foresaw that Keith would become our next attorney general. And when you become attorney general, your office closes. You can choose to stay and potentially apply for to work with our congressional member, I chose not to. Went over to county government. The same thing, didn't think I'd go into DC to work in DC. I did. And some of those things are just like, I don't necessarily plan my next step. I feel like people mistake that a lot for young people and for millennials, in particular, they're like, oh, they, they do stuff, because they want to build their career. And it's like, actually, you know, I think people take opportunities that are given to them because they're trying to learn something different. And I never think about the angle. I don't know what my- the worst question you can ask me is where do you see yourself in 20 years? I have no idea. It's like where do you see yourself in five? Ask me five minutes. So in five minutes you know, it's like... I know for a fact this is where it will be. But so much of this journey for me has been figuring out what I like and don't like, and I don't I'm not shy to take a position to see if that's something that interests me. And if it doesn't, I'm not there long. If it does, I stay. In November, I'll be three years at the foundation because I've actually enjoyed my job. I enjoy what I do. That doesn't mean that it'll be the only thing I do. I feel like I feel I've been actually able to be the most effective when I am both in a space talking through change, but actively looking to try and transition. I have found myself not as effective, like I have worked collectively about two and a half years in federal government work. One year with Keith, one year with the Subcommittee on Aviation. At the federal government it is a lot of moving pieces, but one thing we don't talk about often is the implementation of changes. Now some people may have had a different experience with that, but that was my experience. It was very, like, here's the routine. It is set. Your day is the same, like pretty similar, you wake up, go to your work, come back home, and you redo the cycle. I enjoyed it, but I would also find other things that would allow me to be creative, allow me to be innovative and allow me to actually see like, why we do things a certain way. And so, I did not feel like I was living out my full purpose there. And so, when I think about now even being in philanthropy, I may not have may have known going into philanthropy the impact that people can have, truly, you talk about the impact of a program officer. Often program officers are kind of the beginning step for a nonprofit to be able to access thousands of dollars a year. The foundation gives away millions. And in a space where I'm able to be not a gatekeeper for somebody, but like an access-way. Or to talk to them and give honest feedback about their application, or give them honest feedback about what I'm hearing from the board of directors, or from just overall, like what I'm seeing be successful, what I'm seeing maybe have some hiccups that is so helpful to nonprofits across the sector that are trying to make sure they're able to bank on twenty thousand, thirty thousand, forty thousand dollar grants in the future. But that process, we've spent several conversations over the last three years for me and several of my colleagues just on how to make the process better. And so, I enjoy that, I also feel like that has been really helpful for me. And in spaces where I feel like I can be the most impactful is when people care about my opinion. And they  don't just ask em to be there for the fun of it. I don't know. And like locally, in like local government too, I think tha'ts what makes me the most optimistic is kind of running for city council. Taking the step towards actually thinking about running actually took a lot because a lot of thought for me because for the first time I have a job that I really enjoy. I have a pretty healthy life, I'm getting married, I'm like all of these moving pieces that I wanted to make sure that if I was stepping up to do something it was truly because, like, one I could represent community the way that we deserve to be represented, give it the due diligence it's due, and like the work and the time that it's going to take for any person to do anything. And that I was the right person, because there are some phenomenal people on the East Side. A lot of people who they didn't want to run, or they didn't want to do this, they didn't want to campaign, they didn't want too.. They were very like, I am quite successful, currently, I am being fulfilled currently. And now I'm kind of like, me too! And also I know that we need very strong representation on the east side of St. Paul. And so having those internal spaces, bringing my family, asking my mom how she felt about it again, asking you know my fiance who has nothing to do with politics about how he felt about being with a pretty active politician. You know, and just going through those conversations again because everybody has to be along for the journey in that.

But it's because I do think that the city government is a space that's supposed to be the closest to the people. In my experience working for the county and there were so many positions we made everyday that you would see the immediate impact. Not like four years, not six years, not eight year plans, but like, starting now, in effect, whereas now. We are implementing these things and people are going to have whole conversations about the next few months, let alone the next few years. We were making staff changes, we were maneuvering 1.2 billion dollars in funding, $1.4 I think now, but like 1.2 billion at a time in Hennepin County's budget. These are decisions we're making right now that were impacting people immediately. But not every, everyday were we seeing everyday people just come to the County board meetings on the 24th floor of Hennepin County. Like, people that didn't actually even know sometimes the discussions we were having. And so like, I think there's a lot of opportunity, not only in county government but in the city, too. Like there's a lot of local government things that for me, is that, for me is that more immediate impact, like you see what changes you implement. But also we spent a long time in the city, as well, like moving people along to be ready for change. And there's still some resistance, but in a space where I'm like, I hope it's 7 people, it's not 435 members. We have to go through several steps to see direct impact of all these dollars that are starting at the federal level. It's not, degrees removed, it's like hopefully people stop me at the grocery store and tell me what they think about it. Maybe I'll get tired of that eventually, but for now, I'm kind of excited about it. Because I can't go to the grocery store and just bump into my congresswoman. But I might be able to, you know, see my councilperson several times in a given month if we're at the same event. So some of that stuff, I'm like, I have found that I enjoy more when it's like, when people or the system I'm in - because I'm often in systems - like, I think that's where I'm supposed to be, honestly. I don't think I'll ever not work within the system to change it. Or to make it better, or to continue stuff that works really well. That's probably where my passion lies. Whether it's like government, philanthropy, higher education. THe institutions in which I am able to occupy, my calling is being in those spaces, because I recognize not often are people who look like me or have my experience in them. And I don't necesarilly feel like it's my responsibility. I just think it's the  work I was sent to do.

Leah Cooper 

You sound like you have an indomitable spirit. I mean, like, nothing gets you down. I mean, you know when to pick a different opportunity where you can be more effective, but it doesn't seem like anything ever gets you down. Have you ever had a moment in your career where you thought I cannot, I cannot?

Cheniqua Johnson 

Oh yeah, yeah everyday. No, I mean I honestly hate like, well not hate that's a strong word, but like public, being a public facing person, and I've been like in the, I've been, like there's a lot. You Google my name, there's a lot there's a lot of interviews, a lot of like, things that come up. I've shared my story  several times. It also means that often sometimes people like, I don't even read comments on social media anymore. Or like, but yeah, you have your trolls, you have people that have their thoughts and they have their decisions made up all about you. That is tiring, that is very taxing. Sometimes that can be so loud. Resistance to you personally, because it feels personal. Maybe it's not personal, maybe people are just like, maybe are just like "we're reacting to.. she's DFL, she's a Democrat, so we're reacting to her party, or she's young. So we're reacting to her age. Or she's had so many different careers, she's opportunistic." All these things.

Then you go on the one Reddit thing or something, like on next door and you're like, how could these people think these things about me? Like I don't know, I don't, I don't even know you. But in that part is like, I have, I've become kind of completely cut off to that. I personally  can't go and read it, like I'm not in a space where I'm just like, not built out of, built out of steel or something like that. Like it's like negative people, negative comments, they still hurt. Like opposition still, like makes you humble for sure. There are many moments where I'm just like why are your opinions of me so strong? I would love to just sit down and talk to you because I don't understand how you can think, like how can you possibly have these many thoughts? You know? So that part, that part is difficult. And there are many nights where I am tired, like everybody else. Like you go through the work day, for this last week like most of my days started in the morning for work, and ended at 10 pm. And so you're thinking like, 8 am to 10 pm, I'm running a sprint right now. And so coming into those spaces, where yeah, you do get tired. I do need to sleep. I have worked, especially on my sleep lately That is very difficult sometimes. Because you've, sometimes it feels like you can never do enough. And then sometimes it feels like you can do nothing else. That day, I can't do anything more. I have to knock out and go to sleep. 

Leah Cooper  

So, for other people. Millennials and younger coming up who want to have an effect, who want to advocate for community, do you have any essential of advice how you find your place? How you how you get into spaces where you can have an effect? 

Cheniqua Johnson
 Yeah, I mean I would say that for me, what has been helpful is to recognize my space is wherever I am. In the places that are set, so like the tables, everybody talks about having a seat at the table. You have your seat with you everywhere you go, right? You're going to these different tables that are already set up. Some of them will make space for you, some of them will not. But the table is there. But your seat moves. So like, you... you're holding a chair, you're going around to these different tables with people who may or may not have already had the table figured out. People they want there, they're inviting you because they believe that they're making that seat happen. The seat was with you the whole time. And so like, as like someone who is 28, who is still figuring it out, who... I feel like I've had a lot of experience and sometimes none at all. And then being like, OK... pick it back up. You gotta take your seat with you. Because this is not it. 

Alan Berks
I love that image of carrying your seat around with you and pulling up to the table. 

Leah Cooper
 I love Cheniqua’s take on being a millennial - getting lots of experience in different jobs, while staying connected to why she’s doing what she’s doing.

Alan Berks
So.  In theater and other storytelling art forms, like podcasts, there is a certain pressure to find or create resolution.

Leah Cooper
Audiences like satisfying endings. They get to go home feeling good about the world.

Alan Berks
We’re ending this episode with a young woman who might be considered in some ways the future of our state. 

But, unlike theater, the point of government is that the machinery keeps running day after day after day through politics, through controversy, through disasters, through the mundane.

Leah Cooper
 Yet, we still have to find an ending for this podcast.

Alan Berks
 In the play, people finally do uncover the mistaken identity, that Sheila is not the new chief of staff–

Leah Cooper
 And immediately go back to ignoring her.

Alan Berks
And yet, something has changed - for her daughter.

Leah Cooper
Who is, Like Cheniqua, a young millennial Minnesotan.

 SHEILA

I guess you were right, Honey. You can’t make change inside the system.

                                                                 REPRESENTATIVE

I want you to know that your story is important. Your issue matters. 

                                                                 SHEILA (cynical)

Please.

                                                                 REPRESENTATIVE

Sometimes, through all the noise and clutter, we do hear the voice of the people. I’m going to tell you the truth. The Minnesotans you’re talking about don’t show up to vote. And when they do show up, their vote is predictable. I don’t have to change my vote to know how theirs will be counted. If you can find allies across the aisle who believe they have a reasonable shot at earning some of those votes, maybe--maybe, eventually—you can build coalitions and move people closer to your positions. We can want this culture to be more kind and inclusive but it isn’t designed to run on wishes. . . It may not be the way it should be, but it is the way it is. This is still the white male power structure on steroids. People have their biases. They learned history a certain way. Don’t shoot the messenger.

Good luck.

           (REPRESENTATIVE leaves.)

                                                                 SHEILA (to ANGELA)

Sign me up for the revolution.

                                                                 ANGELA

Why? She just told us what we need to do. And we've been able to see how people behave around here. We know what motivates them. We need to activate our community. We can overwhelm the ballot box. We need to force those legislators to listen. And we need to build coalition inside this building, and we’ll keep at them, however long it takes, until they do what they need to do because we've made them do it. She just told us how to make them listen. 

                                                                 SHEILA

Wait. You’re optimistic now?

                                                                 ANGELA

You just testified in front of a joint committee in the Senate Hearing room in the state Capitol, Mom. 

 SHEILA

That was an accident, Angela.

 ANGELA

It happened. And it was cool. And I know that Representative heard you. I saw it. I saw it.

                                                                 SHEILA

What she was describing takes a long time, and it shouldn’t. It should have been done by now.

ANGELA

It’s ok. I’m young, and I have a good role model. 

Now that I know those doors are open, they’re not locking them on me again. I’m going to come here and use the bathroom everyday just to make up for lost time.

 CHORUS

Welcome to the People’s House. . .

The State of Minnesota,

My North Star, My Dear

There’s so much happening behind the scenes that you don’t know.

Take time to get to know, don’t judge before you learn.

 CHORUS 

Welcome to the People’s House

Try to see another point of view

Look up, look out, look around

What would you see in another person’s shoes? 

 CHORUS

Is this the People’s House?

We need to face the harm that’s been done

CHORUS 

There’s inspiration in these halls

CHORUS 

But it’s got to include everyone

Welcome to the People’s House

The people’s house is open

Now what is the role for me?

There’s inspiration in the halls

Set the power free!

 ANGELA

Whose house?

(Pause)

 SHEILA

Our house

 ANGELA

Whose house?

A FEW VOICES JOIN IN

Our house

 ANGELA + SHEILA

Whose house?

A FEW MORE VOICES JOIN IN

Our house

 ANGELA + SHEILA

Whose house?

 ALL (and audience)

Our house

ANGELA +SHEILA

Whose house?

ALL

Our house

(The chant repeats. And the crowd grows.)

CHORUS (over the chanting)

Welcome to the People’s House

Welcome to the People’s House

Welcome to the People’s House

Alan Berks
I think that what we've learned is that people need to feel like they have some power to affect the laws that affect them, and what we've seen is the opaqueness of the system, the different levers, and buttons and age of the machinery does make people feel like they have no power. 

Leah Cooper
And yet, it's the people who work there that can make you feel like something is possible. Because all of that bureaucracy, all of that historic exclusion, it comes from the flaws of human beings.  So showing up can make you see how change is possible.

Alan Berks
That’s what the character of Angela sees in the play and, in addition to that, what she sees is that who shows up, who talks to those people, who's in the room together, who pulls up their chair at the table, actually does matter.

Leah Cooper
And you have to keep showing up.

Alan Berks
Yes.  

Leah Cooper
Thank you for listening to Our House. I’m Leah Cooper. And thank you to all the guests we had here throughout this season who were willing to speak honestly about their experience working in state government.

Alan Berks
And I’m Alan Berks. I just want to point out again that a lot of the incentives in the system act against hearing the real story. We’re grateful that people helped us build a play and now a podcast that can illuminate a lot of the hidden realities in the culture of state government. We know that the lack of information is a part of what contributes to political apathy, so please share this podcast with everyone you know.

Leah Cooper
“Our House '' is a podcast of Wonderlust Productions. Our production assistant is Frances Matejcek, our editor is Marianne Combs, and our sound designer and audio engineer is Peter Morrow with help from Rachel Briese. Music was composed by Becky Dale. Lyrics by myself and Becky Dale. For additional details, as well as credits on the making and performing of the play, visit our website at wlproductions-dot-o-r-g.  If you enjoyed this podcast and want to support more work like this, click “donate” while you’re there. Or give us a nice review wherever you read podcast reviews. 

Alan Berks

The professional actors who recorded the play are Laurel Armstrong, Latanya Boone, Ernest Briggs, Antonio Duke, Kevin Fanshaw, Pedro Juan Fonseca, Bradley Greenwald, Megan Kim, Siddeeqah Shabazz, Adam Whisner, and Andrea Wollenberg. Musicians were Elise Butler Pinkham and Dee Langley and the Music  Director was Jill Dawe.

Leah Cooper
Big thanks to our partners and supporters who have made this podcast possible, including the Minnesota Humanities Center, Eastside Freedom Library, In Progress Studios, MinnPost, The Theater of Public Policy, and the Elmer L. and Eleanor J. Andersen Foundation. See the thank-you page on our website for a full list of the donors and foundations who make all of our work possible. 

Alan Berks
Thanks for listening!