Episode 58 of State of Water

Washtenaw County Commissioner, Yousef Rabhi, recently joined us as one of our guests for a special live State of Water podcast recording at Leon Lofts in Ann Arbor. Yousef tells the origin story of discovering his passion for the environment and public service in preschool that set the stage for a life of advocating for working class people, the water, and the environment through his roles as County Commissioner and State Represenative. Yousef shares many inspiring stories and reflections including about his deep belief in the power of 1 vote and the ability of working class people to come together across divisions in resistance to the wealthy’s exploitation of land, water, and communities.

Yousef also speaks eloquently about the challenges and opportunities that exist in the current data center battle in Washtenaw County, Michigan and beyond and describes how he views tech as a moral question – who is it helping and who is it hurting?

Learn more about Yousef’s current work here.

Featuring audience questions and comments by Tim Bruneau, Shelly Smith, and Todd Nissen.

Video by Charlie Steen
Live audio and mixing by Jameson Eisele of Sly Pup Productions.

Produced by Chris Good

Yousef Rabhi interviewed by State of Water host, Seth Bernard

Listen on Spotify, Soundcloud, or Apple Podcasts

State of Water is the official podcast of the Clean Water Campaign for Michigan, a program of Title Track.

Watch the full episode.