Doug Baldwin and Macklemore discuss social change at the 2019 Crosscut Festival

The Seattle nonprofit news site Crosscut hosts a provocative annual festival. This year’s theme was “Big Issues + Bold Ideas.” Over two days, they packed in an impressive slate of speakers and topics.

We’re able to give you a small sense of what occurred in these sessions featuring presidential advisor Valerie Jarrett, Seattle Seahawk great Doug Baldwin and musician Macklemore.

Jarrett was the longest serving senior advisor to President Barack Obama. She talks here about her unlikely path from birth to American parents in Iran to an unsatisfying career in corporate law, single motherhood, a long stint at Chicago City Hall and ultimately the White House.

Her recently released memoir is “Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward.” She is interviewed here by New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie.

Doug Baldwin Jr. is an athlete and activist. He spent his entire NFL career as a receiver for the Seattle Seahawks. He joined Seattle-born musician and activist Macklemore for a nuanced discussion of how people who have achieved fame (and the rest of us) can best impact social change. They were interviewed by author DeRay McKesson.

These sessions were recorded as part of the Crosscut Festival 2019, held at Seattle University. More information about the festival and other recorded sessions are available at Crosscut Talks.

Please note: The Baldwin-Macklemore session contains unedited language of an adult nature.

Listen to the full versions below: