I'm Ashley C. Ford, and this is Into the Mix, a Ben and Jerry's podcast about joy and justice.

Produced with Vox Creative.

Let's get into it.

This is life or death for us that you value our lives, that you see our humanity, is life or death for us.

I think that what you're doing is one of the most important things that can be done right now.

We need people who can imagine better.

That's what artists should be part of,

is the imagination of the future.

It is imagining a better world

and creating art that shows people that.

That's a lot.

I'm... Late last year, I flew to L.A. to sit down with John Legend. I wanted to talk to him about his activism. He's so much more than an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winner.

Those are a lot of awards, okay?

I saw them.

But John, if I can go on a first name, Bases here, uses his creativity and his platform to push

for systemic change.

And he doesn't just talk about it.

He does something about it.

He supported restorative voting rights efforts,

performed to raise money for earthquake relief, and sat on various boards of directors.

I'm also someone who has a platform. I'm a writer who's interested in the power of personal

stories. I know that when people tell their stories, it opens up a whole new world of possibility and helps us imagine a better future.

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