The Deciding Decade with Pete Buttigieg

The Deciding Decade has featured a number of conversations with so many remarkable current and future leaders who have given us great hope for the decade and century ahead. For the final episode, Pete is joined by one of the most accomplished public servants this country has ever produced. Hillary Clinton talks to Pete about what it was like to cast her vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as a member of the electoral college, how the role of state and local government has evolved, and why there's been talk on both sides of the aisle across the political spectrum to bring back earmarks. Plus, Hillary's advice for Pete's next chapter with the Biden administration.

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In the years since the Flint water crisis began, the Michigan city is still grappling with the aftermath. Many have gotten involved and stepped up to offer support, including some of the community's youngest members. For the final episode in our series of conversations with youth leaders, Pete talks to our youngest guest yet: Mari Copeny, also known as Little Miss Flint, is a 13-year-old water rights activist who rose to international fame when, at age 8, she fought to help her hometown by organizing a mass bottled water drive. To date, she has donated over one million bottles of water and raised over $500,000 for school supplies for Flint-area families affected by the contaminated water.

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From the beginning, the Latino community has been a vital part of America's story and now represents the fastest growing demographic group in America. Leaders across the nation in politics, advocacy and entertainment are working to expand opportunity and build empowerment for Latinos so that everyone has a chance to benefit from and fully contribute to American life. Actress Eva Longoria joins Pete to discuss her work mobilizing and engaging Latinos to vote, why farmworkers should be considered essential workers, and the value of increasing opportunities for Latinas in STEM fields.

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Music represents such a vital perspective with the potential to cut across boundaries, habits, and prejudice, and musicians have a lot to offer, not just within, but beyond the world of entertainment. John Legend is a perfect example, having blessed our screens and ears with beautiful, powerful, and important music, television, and movies over the years. But he is also working passionately to restore rights and gain equality for so many in this nation. John joins Pete to discuss why he won't just "shut up and sing," the fine line between free speech and censorship on social media, and his work with his organization, FreeAmerica, which aims to tackle mass incarceration.

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It's important, but not often prioritized, that younger generations see themselves in the stories before them. Are there characters who have similar backgrounds, characteristics, and experiences to them? Do they see their families and neighborhoods reflected in what they read? Too often, the answer is no. But at 15, Marley Dias has already done a lot to change that. In 2015, she launched the #1000BlackGirlBooks drive to collect and donate 1,000 children’s books featuring Black female protagonists. To date, she’s collected over 12,000 books. Continuing our series of conversations with youth leaders, Pete talks to Marley about the lack of diversity in children's books, the importance of representation in the classroom, and the surprising pattern in the books she found.

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Athletes this year have had a tremendous impact on the election and on national conversations around equal pay, social and racial justice, and more. From the U.S. women's soccer team fighting for equal pay to LeBron James' More Than a Vote organization registering and turning people out to vote, there are so many inspiring athletes who are standing up and using their platforms for good. Among them is Atlanta Dream player Renee Montgomery, a WNBA champion who opted out of the 2020 season in the wake of the George Floyd murder to focus on social justice initiatives. Renee joins Pete to talk about the intersection between politics and sports, the expectation for athletes to stay quiet on social issues, and what happened when her team's co-owner publicly opposed the Black Lives Matter movement.

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As a new president prepares to take office and the country continues to reel from the effects of the pandemic, income inequality and workers' rights remain a central issues in our country. To speak more about these issues, Pete is joined by two of the most active and dynamic figures in the labor movement today: Missouri State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge and Mary Kay Henry, president of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), one of the largest labor unions in America. Together, they discuss the fight for a $15 minimum wage, the correlation between racial and economic inequality, and the importance of local governments for workers rights.

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Gun violence prevention has risen to the forefront of American politics because of the mass casualty events that have devastated our communities and the day-to-day violence that commands less attention but destroys even more lives. It’s also getting attention because of the phenomenal work being done from groups like March For Our Lives, co-founded by David Hogg. David is a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history took place in 2018. As part of our special series with youth leaders, David talks to Pete about dedicating his time fighting for gun legislation, approaching youth leadership with humility, and why gun violence is a symptom of a much bigger injustice.

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In politics, there’s always a heavy focus on making the country work for the middle class. But the stark reality is there are 140 million poor and low-income people in this country. And if we don’t figure out how to mobilize around poverty -- to name it, expose the truth of it, and fix it -- we won’t be able break it. Reverend Dr. William Barber II has been working on this moral cause for years and joins Pete to discuss the truth about poverty and systemic racism in this nation, his movement of fusion politics, and his success with political organizing during the pandemic.

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We are likely about to close the chapter of the Trump presidency and begin a new one. The road ahead is complicated, but filled with opportunity. Pete is joined by critically acclaimed author and journalist Jonathan Alter, an expert on presidential politics, to talk about how the next president’s first 100 days could compare to those of Roosevelt, Carter and Obama, what this election means as a moment in our history, and how the past isn’t necessarily a predictor of the future.

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