Episode 6 – In One Lifetime
Richard is overwhelmed with feelings about the appointment of his daughter Erika to the Biden/Harris transition team for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Richard follows the thread of his early experiences—growing up in the tenements of Manhattan—that led to his lifetime commitment to tackle the justice issues of housing, jobs, and healthcare for people. This thread connects Richard to Erika, who has devoted her career to addressing the root causes of poverty in America. Erika recounts how Richard opened her eyes to the injustices in America in the same way Richard’s father Ernest opened his eyes when he walked him through the shantytown in Central Park to see how poor people were living during the Great Depression.
Links
- Richard Poethig’s writings: http://www.richardpoethig.com/index.html
- Inclusive Recovery Insights newsletter, by Erika Poethig
- Rising Star by David Garrow
Music Credits
Blue Dot Sessions: The Crisper; Borough; Taoudella; An Unknown Visitor
Conversations between a dad and his children capture the sheer joy of talking, singing, and laughing with Richard, a man of simple pleasures, expansive intelligence, historical perspective, and progressive politics. In Season 1, Richard is living under lockdown in his senior living residence during the coronavirus pandemic. It tells the story of Richard’s resilience and of the family’s efforts to ease the psychic impact of his isolation. In Season 2, Margaret asks Richard why he talked so much about vocation when she was growing up. Richard offers the wide arc of his theological understanding—from the need to care for working people to the cosmic Spirit that holds the universe together. They decided to devote an entire podcast season to vocation.