Equality Policy Podcast Ep 2 – Rising Authoritarianism in Arizona and the U.S.
Welcome to the Equality Policy Podcast. This podcast explores all things public policy and the impact of public policy the state of equality for the American people.
Frances Wright, an early Scottish American feminist, abolitionist, and activist wrote, “Equality is the soul of liberty; there is, in fact, no liberty without it.”
We believe that equality is the cornerstone of a free society because the very definition of a free society is one that believes that all human beings are created equal, and as such are endowed with inalienable rights that no state is justified to infringe upon. This was a revolutionary idea in the 18th century, and it continues to be so today.
Today, in the early 21st century, it is clear that we are living through a time of rising authoritarianism and that means that the preservation and expansion of equality in every free society is more important than ever. This podcast examines policy today, at all levels of government, with the hope of helping us all understand how we are advancing or falling short of that great aspiration - equality, justice, and liberty for all.
On today’s podcast Dr. H.L.T. Quan and I discuss the rise of authoritarianism through policy in the federal and Arizona state governments, and most importantly, what we can all do to work against this concerning trend.
The majority of the audio for this podcast is a recording of our Community Policy Briefing from 2-16-2025. An AI generated transcript is available for you to read. Please note the transcript has been corrected for errors around names.
I hope this discussion helped to frame the first few weeks of 2025 and the ways the Arizona and U.S. governments are leaning into authoritarianism and away from freedom. Even though we live in a time of rising extremism, we hope that being informed helps you choose how to act during this time.
While we know there will be much work to do in the coming years, to defend equality and all of our inalienable rights, this is not a time to despair – it is a time for hope and opportunity. Let’s work together, in our families, neighborhoods, churches, schools, and workplaces, to champion the cause of equality and liberty for all.
This podcast is brought to you through a partnership with Equality Arizona, the statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization and I encourage you to get involved with Equality Arizona. You can learn more at www.equalityarizona.org and you can find this podcast on all Equality Arizona platforms.
I’m your host and the executive producer, Michael S.C. Soto, thank you for listening today and I’ll be back next week with another episode.
