Carl Gershman is an American political activist and democracy advocate who served as the president of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) from its founding in 1984 until his retirement in 2021. Under his leadership, NED became a prominent organization supporting democratic movements and civil society groups worldwide. Carl describes the evolution of his career, from his work after college as a VISTA volunteer, to his work with Bayard Rustin, and to his leadership of the NED. You can hear his perspective on the Social Democrats movement and their ability to penetrate the Democratic party. He mentions the positive role of NED in a wide range of countries.