Every week I learn something that moves me, changes me and informs me about how to act in support of democracy
Release Date: 10/21/2024
It is our duty to make sure that our people are safe
Power Station
Organizing is collective action. It is the tool we employ to overcome harms sanctioned by the state and committed against those who are perceived to be powerless. Organizing exposes inequities, identifies who perpetuates them, and generates solutions to systemic injustices. At a moment when our national leaders are leveraging their powers to undercut civil rights, detain and deport Latinx men, women and children without adherence to laws or norms, organizing is more than an option, it is a necessity. In this episode of Power Station, I am joined by Danny C, whose commitment to mobilizing...
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It's not just if we win, it is how we win that builds power
Power Station
Democracy is not just a concept; it is a practice. America’s belief in its citizenry’s right to self-expression, to dissent and to elect our political leaders is codified into constitutional amendments and federal laws. Those principles, which are fundamental to our national identity, have been severely tested by a history rooted in genocide, slavery and ongoing economic inequity. Now, we persevere, striving to create, through civic action, education, and the sanctity of our right to vote, a more perfect union. And, in a moment in which these rights are under assault by an authoritarian...
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Our power as citizens in this moment is to care
Power Station
For Ty Hobson-Powell, being a child of Washington DC goes deeper than living with the United States Capital and the White House as a backdrop. It is not just that politics is in his bones and that he has worked in national campaigns and in District government to generate policy change for people and communities. What motivates his fight for justice is the unique experience of living in the seat of this nation’s federal government while being one of 700,000 Washingtonians who raise families, work and build communities, all without statehood or full representation in Congress. In this episode...
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This is for everyone and everyone should be able to contribute
Power Station
The advent of the internet changed how we interact with friends, our nation and the world. We are all there now, accessing news and popular culture through social media apps, attending school, working and connecting with friends. At our best we are also engaging, as nonprofits and political campaigns, in mobilizing voters and organizing public policy campaigns that advance equity and strengthen democracy. All of this exists while social media companies profit from disseminating hate-based disinformation peddled by authoritarian politicians and their surrogates. In this episode of Power...
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All roads lead back to voting
Power Station
At the highest levels of government our elected officials are violating the Constitution, ignoring court orders and trampling societal norms to undermine decades of progress in America. They are demonizing schools, corporations and nonprofits that practice diversity, equity and inclusion, taking back federal grants intended for housing and climate change mitigation in communities of color and cutting nutrition programs in public schools. In this episode of Power Station I speak with Celina Stewart, the inspiring and unstoppable CEO of The League of Women Voters who is making history of her...
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Our job is to organize the veteran flank of a much broader progressive movement
Power Station
For José Vasquez, leading Common Defense, a national nonprofit comprised of 200,000 veterans who share progressive values, is an extension of the oath he took as a 17 year old enlistee. He swore to and has remained steadfast in defending the Constitution and advocating for the well-being of those who serve. He and a cohort of activist vets launched Common Defense in 2016 to provide a civic engagement platform for veterans who are anti-racist, pro-democracy and anti-authoritarianism. Collectively they are advancing progressive policymaking in state legislatures, on Capitol Hill and in the...
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We are contributors, we are not takers
Power Station
How is it possible that in 2025, America is funding and operationalizing daily raids on Latinos in the form of arrests, detainments, deportations and disappearances? What can justify the vilification of Latinos, a community that includes families that have been established here for generations and newer arrivals seeking citizenship in a broken immigration system? Meanwhile, Latinos, working across sectors, contribute $4.1 trillion dollars to this country annually. While the president and congressional leadership are the architects of this cruel, and often illegal campaign targeting 20% of the...
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Organizing is the Swiss army knife of changemaking
Power Station
Organizing is a superpower. It allows us to make our voices heard, to influence the decision-makers, from corporations to landlords to the elected officials who determine clean air standards, the cost of childcare, the minimum wage and whether voting rights will expand or become more restrictive. And in a moment in which politicians are defunding healthcare and other public systems to finance tax cuts for the wealthiest in our society, organizing provides a skillset and framework that prepares nonprofit organizations, their staff and community-based volunteers to lead impactful and...
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We all have mental health issues
Power Station
What makes culture change possible? Not the kind that divides people, which we are experiencing now but change that which empowers individuals, builds community and in some cases saves lives. Active Minds, a nonprofit founded by Alison Malmon after losing her brother Brian, a college student, to suicide 21 years ago demonstrates how normalizing conversations about mental health and prioritizing the well-being of youth and young adults is transforming America. Active Minds has activated student-led mental health advocacy chapters across 500 college campuses and high schools and is now expanding...
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We are straddling the social justice and banking worlds
Power Station
We have a long history in America of institutions and public systems that do not serve all members of the public equally. As Erin Kilmer-Neel shares on this episode of Power Station, the financial services industry, banks in particular, have routinely failed to approve loan applications for small businesses and mortgages from borrowers of color on par with their white counterparts. Perceptions of unworthiness is rooted in a well-documented history of racism in public and corporate policymaking. As executive director of the Beneficial State Foundation, the nonprofit that owns and partners with...
info_outlineI invite compelling people to be my guests on Power Station, the podcast I created to amplify the voices, solutions and stories of accomplished nonprofit leaders. Most know that a 40 minute episode can move and influence allies, policy makers and funders and are onboard. We break down the social, racial and economic injustices their organizations confront and the under-reported yet meaningful systemic changes they generate through community building and legislative advocacy. When an episode goes live I promote it and assume my guest does as well. Posts and reposts elevate the leader and organization and underscore that nonprofits are on the frontlines of ending homelessness and hunger and standing up to discrimination against immigrants, people of color and LGBTQ people. This week, when my guest did not show up, Podville Media super-producer Robb Spewak and I took to our mics. We talked through some distressing trends: ignoring invitations, showing up late or occasionally not at all and most baffling to me, failing to promote one's own episodes. Did isolation and changing work expectations during the pandemic or differing ideas about how to deploy communications staff explain this? It’s worth a conversation. Power Station is for building power together.