Sparky Abraham

Allen: This last note about “ostage,” or house arrest, is particularly fascinating—the use of the Catalan word in Hebrew letters. Sparky: One of the things I really appreciate about this text is that it complicates the idea of what the state is. This is a question about Torah law within a Jewish community that is also within the violent power of some broader Christian authority. Who has the power to enforce the contract?

Robert Peters is a 36-year-old Illinois state senator who represents the state’s 13th district. It’s a seat that was held from 1997 to 2004 by none other than Barack Obama. But Robert Peters does not share Obama’s centrist politics. Peters is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and a former delegate for Bernie Sanders. He has tried to steer a novel path, moving in mainstream Democratic party circles while grounding himself in movement politics.

This interview aired on the Current Affairs podcast in August 2019. You can listen to it here. As always, the following transcript has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. Vanessa A. Bee: Hello everyone. This is Vanessa A. Bee, and I am so excited to bring [you] a very special episode of this week’s Current Affairs podcast. We’re going to talk about tenant organizing in the District of Columbia, which is the place I have called home for seven years. I am so fond of Washington.