On today’s show, host Ali Muldrow welcomes Steven Olikara back to WORT to talk about building narratives with the power to unify the US political terrain. Olikara has roots in Wisconsin and ran for Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2022. He is now working to reinvent political media through storytelling.

Olikara says that music is a good metaphor for how to engage in the political sphere. He says we should be like jazz musicians because they’re expert listeners, skilled improvisers, and actively engaged in call and response. In the face of the fear, hostility, and dysfunction that the federal government is sowing, Olikara advocates for listening to people with different views (when it’s safe to do so) and finding ways to connect with people across differences, like with music. 

Steven Olikara is a nationally recognized changemaker working at the intersection of media, politics, and culture. He is the CEO of Bridge Entertainment Labs (BEL), an organization leveraging the power of entertainment to help transform America’s deep divisions. He also founded Future Caucus (formerly Millennial Action Project), the largest cross-partisan network of young elected officials in the United States. Steven currently serves as Senior Fellow for Political Transformation at the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. A frequent political commentator on national and Wisconsin media, he has been a leading voice for bridging divides and renewing American democracy. In 2022, he made history as the first South Asian candidate for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin, earning national recognition for his unifying approach to politics. His story is featured in the documentary film The Reunited States (Amazon Prime and PBS), and he is the co-author of JFK: The Last Speech. A proud Wisconsin native and former radio DJ, Steven is a Truman Scholar and has been honored as a Forbes 30 Under 30 leader and a World Economic Forum Global Shaper.

Featured image of Ali Muldrow and Steven Olikara in conversation.

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