In part 2 of our conversation with community activist Kwami Abdul-Bey, we hear about both his formal and atypical means of education that have led him to who he is today. He also outlines problems during his early times at the Air Force Academy due to his Muslim religion and related negative reactions occurring at a time when war with Iraq was breaking out. Some of his challenges during his early years included time being homeless. Subsequent choices about education were made with an eye to learning how best to help his community and to pass that information along to his fellow citizens. Emphasizing the importance of participation in democracy, Kwami asserts that “the fewer citizens that are involved in the process, the better off the people in power are.” He also reminds us that it is our responsibility to prepare our world to be in better shape for our children, relating it to the native American “7 generations rule”. Throughout the interview, Kwami focuses on the importance of all citizens getting involved and participating in democracy.

April and guest co-host John have a conversation with community activist Kwami Abdul-Bey, who has been a friend of Braver Angels in Arkansas for some time, co-founded or led local organizations, and serves as the Elections Coordinator & Organizer for the Arkansas Public Policy Panel. In this first part of our interview with Kwami, we explore his current involvement with several organizations locally. He provides his perspective on direct democracy and his concerns about recent laws that he believes raise barriers to Arkansas’s citizen initiatives process. A key response to him includes the importance of developing greater civic education. Kwami shares his worries about current challenges with democracy, which he sees as not now working as he was taught, something that especially troubles him as he seeks to answer questions his kids are raising about what is going on now, based on what they hear. Among his attempts to enhance community response to those challenges, he has helped create the Washitaw Foothills Youth Media Arts & Literacy Collective. Other aspects of our discussion include his views of dealing with both the “grass tops” and the “grass roots” in his community advocacy. Kwami also talks about his recent experience of running for public office as a Democrat, despite his history of being an independent. Despite much negative reaction to his association with the Democratic party, he tells us a story of one voter who sought him out and apologized to him recently for having been disrespectful to him because he ran as Democrat, after the winner the man voted for proved to not be who he thought. Kwami urges citizen involvement, stating “let’s stop being spectators, because democracy is not a spectator sport.”

In the second part of our conversation with Dr. Sherry Simon and Rev. Britt Skarda, we continue exploring what motivates their sustained civic participation and how people of faith can model engagement rooted in love and respect. Both guests describe the weekly gatherings in protest outside Congressman French Hill’s office as a diverse and committed community of citizens, consisting of veterans, teachers, parents, and neighbors, who come together out of concern for the country’s democratic health and future generations.

The discussion broadens to consider the challenges of political leadership, the tensions between principle and compromise, and the importance of maintaining dialogue even when disagreements run deep. Sherry and Britt emphasize the need for courage, empathy, and moral clarity in public life, noting that “we don’t have enough models for loving kindness” and exhorting listeners that “democracy is teetering on the edge… get out there… do something!”

We continue to seek Congressman Hill’s perspective for a future episode to enrich this conversation and deepen understanding across differing views.