Speakeasy With John Harwood

At age 39, John Legend has carved a major role in American culture. He has found success as a singer, songwriter and actor with hits like “Ordinary People” and “All of Me” and in movies such as Selma and LaLa land. He is one of just 15 entertainers to win individual Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. Born John Stephens into a blue-collar family in Springfield, Ohio, Legend studied English at the University of Pennsylvania and worked for a global business consulting firm. While building his music career since then, Legend has become unusually informed about, and active in, American politics. He sat down with editor-at-large John Harwood during a political swing to promote Stacey Abrams, the African-American woman running for governor of Georgia, and the Florida ballot initiative Amendment Four to restore voting rights for felons who’ve completed their sentences. Over drinks at The Abbey, an Orlando entertainment venue, they discussed criminal justice reform, Democratic presidential politics and the Twitter f