ON THE ROAD TO CHANGE: LEGACIES OF MISTRUST
Video Release: April 6, 10am PT; 7pm CET
On the road in LA: Thomas Mann Fellow Mohamed Amjahid joins Robin Stevens, professor of communication at the University of Southern California, and artist Joel Garcia in conversation about what structural reforms are needed to increase minority trust in politics. The three are on the road together in a truck, visiting places as diverse as COVID testing sites, social housing projects, and a cemetery in East Los Angeles. The video is part of On the Road to Change series which brings together experts in Los Angeles, Berlin, Athens, and Delhi to explore how democracy can be reimagined and renewed today.
Mohamed Amjahid was born as the son of so-called guest workers in Frankfurt am Main in 1988. He studied political science in Berlin and Cairo. After completing his master’s degree Amjahid worked for several large German newspapers. He is now a freelance investigative journalist currently working on several new book projects. His latest book is Der weiße Fleck (Piper Verlag). Amjahid is a 2022 Fellow at the Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles.
Joel Garcia is an artist, arts administrator, and cultural organizer with over 20 years of experience working transnationally focusing on community-centered strategies. His approach is rooted in Indigenous-based forms of dialoguing and non-hierarchical decision making that uplifts non-institutional expertise. Joel uses art and organizing to raise awareness of issues facing underserved communities, inner-city youth, and other targeted populations.
Robin Stevens is the director of the Health Equity & Media Lab at the University of Southern California. She is a health communication scholar working to achieve health equity in African American and Latinx communities in the United States. Stevens uses digital epidemiology to investigate youth well-being, sexual health, mental health, and substance use in the context of the digital neighborhood. She received her AB from Harvard College, MPH from the University of Michigan, and PhD from the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania.