Eric Ward (@BulldogShadow) is the Executive Director of the Western States Center, a social change organization that works to strengthen inclusive democracy. He’s also a former member of the band Sublime and has firsthand experience with racism and violence in the 1980’s LA punk scene. On the show, we talk about how songwriting is a form of “courageous conversation”, which Eric firmly believes is how we move forward as a society. We end by going through a playlist of Eric’s favorite “courageous conversation” songs that got him through the pandemic. For a playlist of Eric's music and links to his work, visit https://petermarks.us/podcast/24