Episode description

Playing for Team Human today: Penny Abeywardena.

In part one of a two-part live Team Human show, Douglas is joined by New York City’s Commissioner for International Affairs, Penny Abeywardena. Penny’s work looks at the synergies between local and global issues. Guided by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Penny is helping make New York City a significant player in global efforts to solve humanity’s most pressing issues of immigration, poverty, climate change, injustice, and inequality. 

In an era of virulent nationalism, racism at the border, and national disfunction; can cities like New York lead the way in solving global crises? Penny shares her insights and experiences, recorded live at the Civic Hall in Manhattan.

Learn more the Mayor's Office of International Affairs here as well as programs discussed on the show; Global Vision | Urban Action and OneNYC. 

Douglas opens the evening with a monologue questioning the very concept of the nation state. Rushkoff asserts that community, rooted in solidarity – not borders or ethnicity – must be the organizing principle to enact social change. 

Join us next week for part two which includes technology philosopher and mage Mark Pesce, plus a conversation and audience Q&A with Penny, Mark, and Douglas.

Team Human the manifesto is hot off the press! Order yours here. 

On this episode you heard Fugazi’s “Foreman’s Dog” and Herkimer Diamonds in the intro, plus original music thanks to listener Josh Sitron and the Team Human Band. We also played Team Human Episode 31 guest R.U. Sirius in the transition and outro music thanks to the mighty Mike Watt: beak-holding-letter-man. 

Check out Douglas’s regular column on Medium where you can read monologues like the one you heard on today's show.

Team Human is listener supported. To subscribe via Patreon go to teamhuman.fm/support. You can also help by reviewing the show on iTunes.

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