Scot Nakagawa: Humor, Humanity, and the Fight for the 22nd Century

Jun 19

Scot Nakagawa: Humor, Humanity, and the Fight for the 22nd Century

On this episode, Kristine Michie sits down with activist, strategist, and co-founder of the 22nd Century Initiative, Scot Nakagawa, joining our chorus of brave voices. With decades of experience confronting white supremacy, fascism, and authoritarianism, Scot shares his deeply rooted belief in joy, humor, and community as vital tools for resistance. Listeners will find both inspiration and grounding in Scot’s stories and strategies for building a just, vibrant future—while protecting body, mind, spirit!

Key Takeaways:

The 22nd Century Initiative was co-founded by Scot Nakagawa and Urvashi Vaid to help activists imagine and build a democracy that can endure and evolve.
Political theater and humor, like pranks and absurdity, are critical tools for deflating authoritarian power and inspiring resistance.
The “ratchet effect” in U.S. politics means right-wing polarization pulls the political center further right, not just swinging a pendulum.
Creating emotional and recreational space—like dance clubs and fishing groups—was essential in the success of Hawaii's sugar workers’ strike.
Rural organizing through localized “human dignity groups” can build strong pro-democracy bases, even in deep-red counties.
Mutual aid and joyful communal gatherings are not distractions but essential infrastructure in resisting authoritarianism.
Scot emphasizes the necessity of imagining long-term democratic futures to escape the short-term reactive cycles.
The Anti-Authoritarian Playbook Substack encourages activists to think creatively and playfully about strategy and resistance.
Election protection and organizing at the local level are critical to safeguarding democratic infrastructure.
The emotional life of movements—including joy, humor, and recognition—is what keeps people engaged over the long haul.

"We really need to start to reimagine governance… times like these call for prophets, for visionaries, for people who are thinking big." — Scot Nakagawa

“…there is more space (to maneuver) than you think there is." — Scot Nakagawa

"This four years should be viewed as just one phase of a kind of much longer process… understand that we the people have the power to turn this around." — Scot Nakagawa

More about Scot Nakagawa:

Scot Nakagawa is a 42-year veteran of social and economic justice advocacy, working since 1988 as an organizer, political strategist, and social movement analyst in the fight against authoritarianism and for inclusive democracy. He has collaborated with groups like the Coalition for Human Dignity, the National Anti-Klan Network, the National LGBTQ Task Force, the Highlander Research and Education Center, and others to counter the influence of racist, antisemitic, patriarchal, and fundamentalist movements. Scot co-founded ChangeLab, an Asian American think/act lab recognized by the Association of Asian American Studies with a Community Leader Award. He is a past Open Society Foundations fellow and was Senior Fellow on Nationalism, Authoritarianism, and Race at Race Forward. His essays can be found in The Anti-Authoritarian Playbook on Substack.

Connect with Scot:
Website: https://www.22ci.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scot-nakagawa-53ba674/

Connect with Kristine:

Website: https://www.impactfullinc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impactfull_inc

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristine-breese-michie/