What Could Have Been – Insurrection and Democracy in Crisis, with Alan Jenkins and Gan Golan

Anti Authoritarian Podcast

Scot and Sue have a conversation with Alan Jenkins and Gan Golan, co-authors of the graphic novel 1/6, which speculates on what could have happened if the insurrection on January 6, 2021 had been successful. After the insurrection, Alan and Gan were concerned with how quickly the nation was forgetting--and, more troubling still, reinventing history. They retell this history in a compelling way that can reach everyday people. It's not just the story of what happened, but of what could have happened and how close we came to losing our democracy. How can this moment in history be a warning sign and call to action for us all?

Guest Bio

Alan Jenkins is a Harvard Law School professor, a writer, and a human rights advocate. He teaches courses on racial justice, strategic communications, and Supreme Court jurisprudence, and is a frequent commentator in broadcast and print media. Alan was selected as a Blacklist Google Screenwriting Fellow and named a 2022 top 25 screenwriter to watch by the International Screenwriters Association. Before joining the Harvard Law School faculty, he was president and co-founder of the Opportunity Agenda, a social justice communications lab.

Gan Golan is an activist, illustrator, and New York Times best-selling author who has been working for decades to help movements for civil rights, equity, and democracy. His critically acclaimed graphic novel, The Adventures of Unemployed Man, played a role in the Occupy Wall Street movement. He was a lead designer of the People's Climate March, one of the largest climate mobilizations in history. He is a co-creator of the Climate Clock, a global art project that counts down the critical time window remaining for humanity to act on the climate crisis.