Power Station
In 1996, a small group of Asian American civil rights leaders in Washington, DC stepped up to launch a new and inclusive organization, the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans. The vision was to create a home for, and combine the forces of, a diverse constituency that includes South Asians, East Asians, Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders and more to ensure that their voices and expertise were heard and included at public policy making tables. NCAPA is now where 40+ national AAPI nonprofits with expertise in healthcare, education, immigration, housing, and technology make recommendations...
info_outline We are the break glass in case of emergency button for the AAPI communityPower Station
In 1996, a small group of Asian American civil rights leaders in Washington DC stepped up to launch a new and inclusive organization, the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans. The vision was to create a home for, and combine the forces of, a diverse constituency that includes South Asians, East Asians, Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders and more to ensure that their voices and expertise were heard and included at public policy making tables. NCAPA is now where 40+ national AANHPI nonprofits that advocate for advancements in healthcare, education, immigration, housing, and...
info_outline One mom said she no longer has to choose which of her children gets new shoes.Power Station
The story of Mothers Outreach Network is about what happens when women stand up for other women who live in poverty and are entangled in the child welfare system. It is about being a Black mother in Washington DC where 13% of families live under the federal poverty guidelines and face a loss of benefits when they get a job or their income increases. It is about moms who lack the basic resources, including strollers, needed to navigate their daily lives. Melody Webb, a Harvard trained public interest lawyer, founded Mother’s Outreach Network to build economic security and power among women in...
info_outline If policy achievements made over the last 4 years are rescinded, everyone's health, wallets, and even our democracy is at risk.Power Station
The most powerful advocacy begins at home. This is the case for Staci Lofton, who loved growing up in Queens, New York but realized as she got older that her family and neighbors had to leave their community to buy groceries, find a doctor and connect to the many resources needed to maintain their lives. As Staci explains on this episode of Power Station, her experience is shared by countless other underinvested Black and Brown communities that lack what research has determined is necessary to thrive: clean air, open spaces, healthy food, a safe environment, and access to community-based...
info_outline For me, making sure that the Latina perspective is in the middle of all these conversations is criticalPower Station
There is power that comes from privilege and position and there is power that communities who have been excluded from decision making tables, claim. It is built over time with a commitment to meeting needs, creating personal bonds, and deepening community connections. This is the origin story of MANA, the oldest and largest Hispanic Women’s nonprofit organization in the nation. Amy Hinojosa, MANA’s dynamic, and inspiring CEO knows that her influence in the halls of Congress and in the White House is powered by MANA’s impressive footprint of on-the-ground Latina-led chapters and...
info_outline What is hard for for-profits is even harder for nonprofits because they are solving for problems that the market will not solvePower Station
Let’s be real: If you work for a nonprofit with a social change mission you are probably not averse to taking on challenges. Whether a nonprofit’s charge is tackling hunger, homelessness, or access to healthcare you must be prepared to help people in crisis, provide resources, build community power and advocate for policy solutions. The truth is that nonprofits exist to take on deep-rooted problems that the private market will not solve. But where corporations are capitalized at levels needed to build a robust infrastructure and attract expertise, philanthropic support for nonprofit...
info_outline The Community Land Trust model comes out of the Civil Rights movementPower Station
America’s housing affordability crisis is a well-documented reality not just in gentrifying cities but in virtually every corner of this nation. The persistence of the problem is particularly frustrating because we have proven policy solutions in hand, largely generated by nonprofits and community leaders. What is lacking is full-on political will at the federal level to break through barriers and make housing an accessible and affordable resource. Community Land Trusts, which have deep roots across the globe, were put on the map in the United States by civil rights icons Charles and Shirley...
info_outline Anyone who wants to be a part of electing progressive leaders to office is welcome to the tablePower Station
America’s progressive movement is a big tent of organizations and leaders whose passion for democracy runs deep. Imagine a Venn diagram with one circle representing these organizations and the issues they tackle, from choice, the environment, healthcare and housing to LGBTQ rights, labor rights, and immigration. A parallel circle would display the legislation and public investments needed to protect people and the earth. What is in the intersecting circle? As Daria Dawson, executive director of America Votes, explains on this episode of Power Station, it is voting for progressive...
info_outline The input into our kids is not equal so the outcome is not going to be equalPower Station
We want to believe that all children in America, from birth through high school, are equally positioned to learn, dream, and thrive. The reality, which is well-documented through unassailable data collected by Kids Count, a national initiative funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is starkly different. As Kimberly Perry, executive director of DC Action says on this episode of Power Station, the input into our children isn’t equal so the outcome isn’t going to be equal. A failure to invest in quality childcare, public schools and out-of-school resources in Black and Brown...
info_outline The hardest part of my job is trying to convince people that hunger is a real issuePower Station
The data tells the story: In the United States, 44 million people, including 1 in 5 children are food insecure, lacking the food and nutrition needed to thrive. This population includes not only individuals and families living in poverty and experiencing homelessness; it also extends to our employed neighbors, family members and the co-worker in the next cubicle. Until our national leaders fully invest in policy solutions that lift families out of poverty and make our transportation, health, and housing systems more equitable, hunger will persist. In fact, as L. Ron Pringle, President and CEO...
info_outlineMississippi Votes starts with an awe-inspiring mission, the registration of 400,000 eligible unregistered residents, and then goes deeper. It is building a culture of civic engagement in Mississippi, where access to the ballot box is a high hurdle, from the archaic requirement to print, fill out and mail in registration forms to lifelong disenfranchisement for 23 categories of former offenders. Equally daunting is the disconnection that many Mississippians of color feel from civic life, a legacy of racism and marginalization. But the dynamic cohort of young people of color leading Mississippi Votes are reframing how voter registration, voting rights and civic engagement is done. Executive Director Arekia Bennett explains that everything at Mississippi Votes starts with listening to the community and creating the infrastructure needed to support their aspirations. That includes a footprint on 17 college campuses where students are informing a policy agenda and shaping outreach strategies. Change is happening, from 30,000 people registered since 2018 to research and policy centering the restoration of voting rights. Listen to Arekia tell the story. She is powerful in the very best sense of the word.