Ep. 35: On Institutions w/ Baroness Lola Young, Economist Gus O’Donnell, Journalist Gary Younge, System of Care w/@CPositivista; Musician and Composer Caribou

Gary Younge is an award-winning author, broadcaster and academic based in London. Formerly a columnist at The Guardian he has been appointed Professor of sociology at Manchester University. He has written five books: Another Day in the Death of America, A Chronicle of Ten Short Lives; The Speech, The Story Behind Martin Luther King’s Dream; Who Are We?, And Should it Matter in the 21st century; Stranger in a Strange Land, Travels in the Disunited States and No Place Like Home, A Black Briton’s Journey Through the Deep South. His views about how best minorities should navigate institutions inspired this episode.

Someone who knows a lot about running and trying to change institutions is Gus O’Donnell. After joining the Treasury in 1979, he held various positions at the British Embassy in Washington, International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and was Cabinet Secretary working alongside four Prime Ministers. He’s an economist and was a lecturer at the University of Glasgow. He tells us how he set out to diversify the Civil Service.

Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey is a force. She’s recently been appointed Chancellor of Nottingham University and has an interest in arts & culture, modern slavery, sustainable fashion and sport. I met her at Millbank to drill down into the culture of the many institutions she has worked with.

Lola Young’s journey from care leaver to the House of Lords made me think about what it must be like now in the care system. We visit two young women at Drive Forward Foundation headquarters, a charity helping and supporting care leavers, to find out more.

Caribou by Thomas Neukum - Mural, Stamford Hill Estate, by artist Amber Elise

Musician and Composer Caribou is back with a beautiful new album called Suddenly. The Grammy-nominated artist and Juno Award winner told us about the origins behind his new record.

Caribou - Suddenly album cover — Caribou - *Suddenly* album cover

Stance Cultural Shoutouts:
Podcasts:

Music:

(Don't Let The Dragon) Draag On by King Krule

Events:

Eric Hobsbawm Memorial Lecture delivered by Professor Catherine Hall: Racial Capitalism Across The Black Atlantic at Birkbeck University of London. Free event March 25th 6-8pm

TV:

Whatever Happened to the Boat People? presented by Rachel Nguyen for BBC

Theatre

Poet in Da Corner touring across the UK

Audio

Andrea Levy: In her own words by BBC

Sun King presented by David Dimbleby

We Need to Talk About the British Empire by Afua Hirsch.