Chicago’s late, legendary first African-American mayor, Harold Washington propelled his charisma and grassroots support to topple his city’s legendary machine and remake its government — a story brilliantly told in Punch 9 For Harold Washington, which The Citizen screened on the opening night of the Ideas We Should Steal Festival last month.  

What can Philadelphia today take away from Washington’s political courage in decades past?

On this episode of How to Really Run A City, hosts former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter, along with The Citizen’s Larry Platt, spoke with filmmaker Joe Winston and New Yorker writer/Macarthur “genius” Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor explored that question in a live taping of the podcast. 

“Fairer is harder,” Reed told the audience, “if you want a bold, inclusive form of politics, it’s just harder…all of us have got to show up.”

As cities go, so goes the nation!