Episode 14: The World Keeps Turning

Episode 14: The World Keeps Turning

From The Persistence by Angélica Cordero

January 10, 2026 · 38 min

About this episode

Angélica Cordero explores how significant historical changes often stem from moments of stillness and noncompliance rather than overt actions.

In this episode of The Persistence , Angélica Cordero traces how some of the most consequential changes in history didn’t begin with explosions or speeches, but with stillness. Opening with a personal memory of watching Jurassic Park alongside her grandmother (who always knew exactly when someone was about to make a terrible decision), Cordero draws a sharp line between moments we recognize as obviously reckless and the real-life systems we’re taught to trust long past their breaking point. From Mahatma Gandhi’s strategy of non-cooperation to the Greensboro sit-ins, the rise of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the Freedom Rides, and the student-led confrontations that defined the early 1960s, this episode explores how quietly refusing to play along can expose the lie underneath power. With wit, cultural fluency, and a clear-eyed look at how systems react when compliance runs out, The Persistence invites listeners to reflect on the moment their own script cracked and what happens when stillness turns into momentum. This episode was written by and produced by Angélica Cordero, with a little help from ChatGPT. Our theme song is Don’t Kid Yourself Baby by Fold , used…

People in this episode

Host: Angélica Cordero

Topics covered

  • historical change
  • nonviolent resistance
  • social movements
  • cultural reflection
  • power dynamics
  • personal narrative

Keywords

  • non-cooperation
  • social justice
  • historical events
  • activism
  • cultural commentary

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Fold

Books & works: Jurassic Park, America Dreaming, Legendary Children: The First Decade of RuPaul’s Drag Race

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