Ep. 13: Government data scientist John Stevenson overcame homelessness and plans to run for governor

Chinatown 2.0

John Stevenson is a Black American who grew up home-insecure, but later graduated valedictorian of his high school. He went to Dartmouth and later graduated from the Political Science program at the University of Chicago. He now owns a yoga studio, does contracts for various government agencies. And he has ambitions to run for governor of Maryland.

Today we talk about his experience as a homeless person growing up. So he would be adding his unique perspective from that particular angle as well. His views of China from his vantage point, having worked in Washington DC, the state of Black politics, including his views on Black Lives Matter, and his plans to run for office and the reason for choosing Maryland at his home base. This will become apparent as the conversation unfolds.

You will notice that in future conversations, including this one, we might deviate from China, Chinatown or Chinese diaspora topics. Enjoy!

0:00 Intro

5:05 Ambition for Political Career: reasons to go into politics

8:38 Questions on the relative competitiveness of the US in the world stage

18:53 America's vs China's foreign policy

21:02 Government Systems: Reflections on Democracy and Autocracy in the US, China, and other parts of the world

26:51 Decades of white nationalist rule in high black population density areas

30:15 Comments on Multiracial and cultural heritage

33:57 Inequality and Desegregation

39:16 Born in Louisiana, Family, Childhood, and grown-up stories

44:18 “No shared vision of the future” as one of the reasons of Most American Divorce

1:01:57 What does homelessness and food security mean to you?

1:08:22 Biased assumption toward people of homelessness at different levels

1:13:38 Critique on the tendency in which people take poverty as the proof that there is something wrong with them

1:26:15 Distrust toward public institutions

1:39:18 John’s plan in pursuit of his political vision

1:41:53 Politics in Graduate School: Black people did not graduate from UChicago, political science department, for 14 years because they all dropped out

1:50:47 Anti-fascist movements

1:53:51 Left wing vs Right wing activities: should we be alarmed

1:59:17 Black Lives Matter

2:03:57 There should be a pluralist vision on “Black Live Matter”

2:07:07 What do you think are the Reasons that black folks support Donald Trump?