Power Station
Power Station is a podcast about change making. Each episode features a nonprofit leader whose organization tackles injustice and creates equity and opportunity across the United States. Guests introduce listeners to communities that are often underestimated and share their strategies for building community, influence and power.
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I discovered in the U.S. something that I had learned in El Salvador, the power of community
04/15/2024
I discovered in the U.S. something that I had learned in El Salvador, the power of community
What compels men and women to leave their home countries behind to migrate to the United States? Oscar Chacon, executive director of Alianza Americas, has made it his mission to answer this question for our elected leaders whose policies determine the quality of life for some 22 million Latin American and the Caribbean immigrants, the largest segment of America’s foreign born population who now reside in the U.S. As Oscar shares on this episode of Power Station, until America’s leaders understand the political, economic, and environmental conditions in El Salvador, Venezuela, Honduras, and Mexico, and other countries of origin, they cannot fully appreciate what drives migration. He defies conventional advocacy strategies by sending American policy makers to embed with families and communities in Latin America and bringing Latin Americans to tell their stories in America. Alianza is a safe space for Latin American and Caribbean leaders of community based nonprofits here to tackle inequities both in the US and at home. Immigrants are a committed community, sending $156 billion dollars back home, an amount greater than any other form of U.S. assistance to Latin American countries. This, Oscar tells us, is the power of love and empathy.
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We have to be intentional about strategies that move people from crisis to stability, from stability to mobility and optimally to have the opportunity to thrive
04/01/2024
We have to be intentional about strategies that move people from crisis to stability, from stability to mobility and optimally to have the opportunity to thrive
Consider the implications of undertaking a 10-year strategic plan during a global pandemic. The Greater Washington Community Foundation did just that, bringing its intentionally diverse constituency of civic, business, nonprofit and community leaders together to inform the process and vision. In the Washington DC region, the pandemic exposed the thin economic margins, structural racism, and lack of access to resources that Black and other communities of color have grappled with in and around our nation’s capital for generations. As Tonia Wellons, President, and CEO of Greater Washington Community Foundation explains on this episode of Power Station, the moment created an opportunity to engage its unique cohort in building on the Foundation’s core competencies, identifying barriers to economic justice, investing in groundbreaking solutions, and aligning itself with change making, high impact nonprofits. Tonia breaks down how closing the racial wealth gap is embedded in every issue the Foundation tackles and in its robust investments in targeted guaranteed income initiatives and a brand new school-based Children’s Savings Account. Tonia Wellons see its convenings as the Foundation’s superpower, the space where communities have a voice, business leaders become allies and impact is an achievable goal.
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We are the break glass in case of emergency button for the AANHPI community
03/25/2024
We are the break glass in case of emergency button for the AANHPI community
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 and, when needed, demands to the White House, Congress, and federal agencies. This work is critical to raising the profile, needs and contributions of communities that too often have been invisible to decision-makers. In this episode of Power Station, National Director Gregg Orton, who learned the hard scrabble but exhilarating world of policy making as a Congressional staffer, shares NCAPA’s recent accomplishments. After decades of advocacy, the White House is on the brink of updating the collection of AAPINH data by standardizing data disaggregation. Gregg is savvy, hopeful and a consummate and welcoming bridge-builder. Hear him and share.
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We are the break glass in case of emergency button for the AAPI community
03/25/2024
We are the break glass in case of emergency button for the AAPI community
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 technology make recommendations and, when needed, demands to the White House, Congress, and federal agencies. This work is critical to raising the profile, needs and contributions of communities that too often have been invisible to decision-makers. In this episode of Power Station, National Director Gregg Orton, who learned the hard scrabble but exhilarating world of policy making as a Congressional staffer, shares NCAPA’s most recent accomplishments. After decades of advocacy, the White House is on the brink of updating the collection of AAPINH data by standardizing data disaggregation. Gregg is savvy, hopeful and a consummate and welcoming bridge-builder. Hear him and share.
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One mom said she no longer has to choose which of her children gets new shoes.
03/18/2024
One mom said she no longer has to choose which of her children gets new shoes.
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 these circumstances. It took a global pandemic and the death of George Floyd to push the philanthropic sector to deepen their investments in Black-led nonprofits, including Mothers Outreach Network. In this episode of Power Station, Melody shares stories about women who are blossoming as advocates who testify before the DC City Council to identify policy solutions. She explains how Mother Up, her new pilot project that targets $500 per month in guaranteed income to these moms provides security and builds confidence. This is a story about making change in real time.
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If policy achievements made over the last 4 years are rescinded, everyone's health, wallets, and even our democracy is at risk.
03/11/2024
If policy achievements made over the last 4 years are rescinded, everyone's health, wallets, and even our democracy is at risk.
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 health care. As Senior Director of Health Equity at Families USA, a powerhouse national nonprofit, recognized for its leadership in bringing the Affordable Care Act over the finish line and making Medicare drug price negotiations possible, Staci is driven to preserve and expand on these achievements. She talks about what is at stake in our upcoming elections, including women’s bodily autonomy and funding for community health centers. As Staci says, Families USA bring its policy advocacy superpowers to a high stakes fight for justice, health equity and democracy itself.
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For me, making sure that the Latina perspective is in the middle of all these conversations is critical
03/04/2024
For me, making sure that the Latina perspective is in the middle of all these conversations is critical
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 affiliates. On this episode of Power Station, Amy talks about MANA’s impactful initiatives, including Hermanitas, the only mentoring program in the nation created by Latinas for Latinas. It has been, most recently, a critical lifeline for middle and high school girls navigating mental health challenges spurred by isolation and social media during the pandemic. Over time it has generated thousands of Latina change makers, from educators to public officials and community leaders. It is no surprise that as MANA prepares to celebrate its 50th Anniversary, the festivities will include a get-out-the vote rally. This is a beautiful lesson in how lasting change is made.
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What is hard for for-profits is even harder for nonprofits because they are solving for problems that the market will not solve
02/26/2024
What is hard for for-profits is even harder for nonprofits because they are solving for problems that the market will not solve
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 grantees is not commensurate with their capacities or the urgency of their mission. This tired and harmful paradigm is being brilliantly disrupted by Andrea Levere, a legend in the field of asset building and now, the founder and CEO of Capitalize Good. In this episode of Power Station Andrea shares her experience with making wealth inequality a national talking point and breaks down her blueprint for Enterprise Capital, a new model for investing impactfully in the nonprofit sector. Andrea reports on what happens when the model is put into action. This is true change making, a breakthrough, in action.
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The Community Land Trust model comes out of the Civil Rights movement
02/19/2024
The Community Land Trust model comes out of the Civil Rights movement
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 Sherrod. Their founding of New Communities in Albany, Georgia, motivated by the violent displacement of Black farmers from their land and informed by their time on kibbutzim in Israel, galvanized a modern movement for the communal stewardship of land and housing whose affordability is permanent. In this episode of Power Station, Tony Pickett, CEO of Grounded Solutions Network, a powerdul cohort of CLT leaders, shares his own experience in the field and calls on philanthropy and government to make robust investments in a model, based in shared equity, that uplifts all communities. Hear him. His work and words are compelling and hopeful.
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Anyone who wants to be a part of electing progressive leaders to office is welcome to the table
02/12/2024
Anyone who wants to be a part of electing progressive leaders to office is welcome to the table
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 changemakers. Every election, whether for president, city council or state election administrators, is our collective opportunity to make our beliefs and expectations known. This juncture is where America Votes thrives. Now in its 20th year, America Votes is the coordination hub for the big tent, the apparatus that labor unions, national and community-based advocacy oriented nonprofits look to for guidance and to make their on-the-ground intel known. Daria, the first Black woman to lead America Votes, is a consummate political campaign professional who feels the stakes for the 2024 election cycle personally. She is also undaunted. Her call to action: Use your voice.
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The input into our kids is not equal so the outcome is not going to be equal
02/05/2024
The input into our kids is not equal so the outcome is not going to be equal
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 communities is a direct result of public policies rooted in racism, leaving a legacy of discrimination that is embedded in our public systems. DC Action is dissecting these systems to better understand what is working and where change is needed. It works with parents and young people to create policy solutions and push for their passage into law by the DC Council and Mayor. DC Action is both a resource to lawmakers and a formidable advocate for policies and programs that uplift young people. And Kim Perry is a powerful leader who leads with love and optimism.
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The hardest part of my job is trying to convince people that hunger is a real issue
01/29/2024
The hardest part of my job is trying to convince people that hunger is a real issue
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 of Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, a North Carolina based nonprofit, explains on this episode of Power Station, the hardest part of his job is trying to convince people, from policymakers to corporate leaders, that hunger is a real issue. At the Food Shuttle, Ron and his team have created an eco-system of programs that feed people in need today while advocating for the elimination of hunger tomorrow. Feeding, teaching, growing, and cultivating are the organizational pillars that make Inter-Faith Food Shuttle a lifeline to food equity in North Carolina and a partner in a growing national movement for ending hunger.
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There is nothing wrong with Black people that ending racism cannot solve
01/22/2024
There is nothing wrong with Black people that ending racism cannot solve
Facts matter. Data eclipses narratives steeped in bias, providing the foundation for policy solutions to economic inequities. At the Brookings Institution, a preeminent global think tank, scholars conduct research, generate data, and share knowledge for the purpose of improving policy and governance in America and around the world. That includes Senior Fellow Dr. Andre M. Perry whose research focuses on the value of assets, from homes to businesses and infrastructure, in American Black majority cities. His work exposes a devastating devaluation of assets, an underpricing of homes by 23%, robbing Black communities of some $156 billion in lost equity. As he shares in our conversation and in his tremendously important book: Know Your Price, Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities, these dollars could have financed millions of businesses, college educations, replaced water pipers in Flint, Michigan and more. His book bring policy to life by following his own trajectory as an infant raised by Elsie Boyd, a woman who chose to be his mother in a house considerably more valuable than its market price. His work on the devaluation of Black-owned homes by appraisers is a masterclass in the collaborative art of policy change. Hear him.
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There are lawyers who cannot wait to get that piece of paper that you don't understand
01/15/2024
There are lawyers who cannot wait to get that piece of paper that you don't understand
When Darryl Maxwell explains, on this episode of Power Station, that I in 7 Washingtonians are lawyers, I am taken aback. Yes, the federal government is our largest employer and many law firms are headquartered here but the abundance of expertise does not make access to justice equitable for all. The DC Bar Pro Bono Center exists to galvanize the legal community, from law firms to the Department of Justice, as volunteers, providing civil legal services to low-income people facing eviction, immigration challenges, child custody disputes, and denials of public benefits. It does the same for nonprofit organizations, a critical sector here, and small businesses striving to operate with limited resources in a regulated marketplace. As Director of Nonprofit and Small Business Legal Assistance, Darryl was my lifeline while establishing Power Station as an LLC. As he points out, supporting the legal needs of nonprofits that advocate for DC residents is another access to justice touchpoint. The same is true for small businesses that serve residents and build family and community wealth. The Center is also a voice for systemic changes in public policy that make access, justice and equity a reality for all.
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There are times I feel like a stranger in my own hometown
01/08/2024
There are times I feel like a stranger in my own hometown
Every person has a story to tell and the same is true for organizations founded by local leaders to tackle inequities in their communities. In Power Station’s first episode of 2024, the remarkable Lynn French shares both her own origin story and that of Hope and a Home, the changemaking nonprofit she leads. Her personal journey started in segregated Washington, DC where she grew up in a family of educators and civil rights activists who embraced the ethos of standing up for what is right. During her tenure in city government, Lynn pushed bureaucratic boundaries to bring equitable community development to Washington DC. She drafted the Homestead Preservation Act, allowing nonprofits to reclaim abandoned homes for families locked out of the housing market. When she retired from government, she was asked to lead Home and a Home, a nonprofit that emerged from the closure of Junior Village, an orphanage that systemically abused vulnerable children and families. Now Lynn French strengthens families by providing stable housing and multi-generational training, education, and support. These families, who may be your neighbors, are now thriving, and they have an important story of their own.
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We are an unapologetically Black-led CDFI
12/26/2023
We are an unapologetically Black-led CDFI
On this 300th episode of Power Station, I am joined by my friend and colleague John Holdsclaw. Over the twenty plus years I have known John he has excelled as an organizer, public policy advocate, and leader in financial services that deepen racial and economic equity in under-resourced Black, Latino, Indigenous and AAPI communities. John launched Rochdale Capital, an emerging CDFI, with its strategic partner, National Cooperative Bank, to provide capital to enterprises, from affordable housing to health centers and grocery stores, structured as cooperatives and other forms of shared ownership. He views CDFIs not as an industry but as a movement that uplifts communities traditional banks have failed to serve. Take Rochdale’s investment in a line of credit for All-In Groceries, a store that was 58 years in the making in Waterloo, Iowa’s East Side, a neighborhood marginalized by decades of redlining and racism. This is the community and life-changing work that motivates Rochdale Capital’s fully engaged staff and board of directors. And John announces our thrilling partnership, Power Station powered by Rochdale Capital. Expect more stories from leaders who invest financial and human capital to build community, influence and power.
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The beauty and opportunity in drawing on our faith traditions is to give one another courage
12/18/2023
The beauty and opportunity in drawing on our faith traditions is to give one another courage
At a time when even faith is politicized it is essential to our nation that the national nonprofit Faith in Public Life persists. It is a safe space for leaders from diverse faith traditions to find common ground and speak out in support of a more just democracy. For almost 20 years FIPL has spoken up for equity and inclusion as champions of LGBTQ equality, immigration rights and strategies for reducing gun violence. Its focus now is on safeguarding voters and election administrators and all who participate in civil life from political violence. And it is supporting the right of all people to comprehensive reproductive healthcare. In this episode of Power Station, Faith in Public Life CEO Jeanné Lewis shares how she is driven by her own faith and a passion for empowering those who have not experienced the confidence and agency needed to act and lead. She further lives her values as a member-owner of Community Grocery Cooperative, a new economic model for bringing groceries to Washington DC’s under-resourced Wards 7 and 8. Jeanné exemplifies what it means to believe in the power of the collective to strengthen our democracy. Hear her.
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We are making advocates from multiple sectors into housing advocates as well
12/11/2023
We are making advocates from multiple sectors into housing advocates as well
If you were to construct an organization with the capability to move bold public policy forward it would have to look like the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC). It starts with a critical mission, to ensure decent and affordable housing for lowest income renters. The fact that 7.3 million Americans experience extremely low incomes, or put another way, that this nation has available and affordable housing for only 33 of every 100 extremely low income households has challenged NLIHC to create an infrastructure that optimizes its reach and impact. Opportunity Starts at Home (OSAH) is one such initiative, launched in 2018 to make affordable housing champions out of leaders from the civil rights, education,’ and health sectors. On this episode of Power Station, Chantelle Wilkinson, OSAH’s exceptional National Campaign Director, tells a powerful story about the national partners, from the NAACP to UnidosUS and the National Education Association that are embracing housing advocacy and elevating affordable housing on their own organizational policy agendas. This and other game changing NLIHC strategies are making affordable housing, finally, a topline political issue. All power to Chantelle who brings her heart, lived experience and organizing rigor to this vital movement.
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I thought I had a really strong work ethic and then I jumped over to the nonprofit sector
12/04/2023
I thought I had a really strong work ethic and then I jumped over to the nonprofit sector
A conversation with Steve Storkan is an education in the potential of employee ownership to build community, family, and intergenerational wealth. His passion for building a better future for workers was shaped by seeing his own father work multiple jobs to cover a mortgage. He knew that a strong work ethic is not a substitute for the assets needed to ensure a secure life and a viable retirement. When Steve became a certified financial planner, he introduced business owners whose families were not prepared to continue their legacy to the Employee Stock Ownership Plan, a retirement plan that allows employees to purchase a company from the selling shareholders. As founder and Executive Director of the Employee Ownership Expansion Network, Steve advances the mission of worker ownership through the creation of state-based centers. They are a resource for business owners to learn about this formula for wealth transfer and for new businesses to begin their journey as worker owned cooperatives. This episode of Power Station explores the power of profit-sharing and worker voices in wealth creation. The call to action is for national funders to fund centers everywhere, an investment in a more equitable national economy.
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Hunger is a symptom and it has root causes
11/20/2023
Hunger is a symptom and it has root causes
There’s more to Capitol Hill than elbow jabs between elected officials and performative press conferences. Every day, members of Congress who take public service seriously take on our most consequential social and economic challenges. Pull the curtain back further and you will see nonprofit leaders who bring shared values, expertise, policy solutions to these decision makers. On this episode of Power Station, Eric Mitchell, President of the Alliance to End Hunger, shares his organizational strategies for tackling hunger at home and across the globe. It starts with building a powerful coalition of leaders from the corporate, faith-based, NGO, agricultural and academic sectors who are unified in their support for anti-hunger and anti-poverty policies and investments. Their work is vital to the futures of the 44 million Americans and 780 million people globally who experience hunger. Right now, the Alliance is laser-focused on modernizing the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), a highly effective nutritional and education lifeline for our next generation. And because, as Eric says, hunger is a symptom of deeper historical ills, the Alliance champions the EITC and Child Tax Credit, anti-poverty game changers. What an eye-opening and heartening conversation.
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Mindfulness is the ability to pay attention to the current moment with curiosity and kindness
11/13/2023
Mindfulness is the ability to pay attention to the current moment with curiosity and kindness
We are in a moment of conflicting expectations about the workplace. Blurred lines between work and personal time, toxic behaviors, including discrimination have long been pervasive in the workplace. The pandemic made working from home possible for a segment of the population and many are resisting a return to the physical workplace. The question of what makes a workplace desirable, however, goes far deeper than the work from home debate. In this episode of Power Station, Mo Edjlali shares his journey from tech entrepreneur to nonprofit leader with a mindfulness mission. Mo relates what happened when his company imploded, and he confronted his role in its ending. The hyper aggressive approach that he equated with success had in fact hurt others and fostered an unhealthy environment. He stumbled upon and then dove into the practice of meditation and learned, despite his skepticism, that focusing on his breath could change the way he perceived reality. He created Mindful Leader to enable people to foster mindfulness and compassion in the workplace. Listen and learn about the resources and community Mindful Leaders provides to reimagine our collective corporate, public sector and nonprofit cultures.
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We see affordable housing as a distribution platform for digital adoption and technology solutions
11/06/2023
We see affordable housing as a distribution platform for digital adoption and technology solutions
It takes exceptional people and organizations to solve our nation’s purportedly intractable problems. In this episode of Power Station, Marta Urquilla, who has led social justice initiatives in community groups and the White House, shares how the pioneering organization she leads, the Centri Tech Foundation takes a housing centered approach to bridging our nation’s digital divide, the deep gulf between those with access to the internet and those without. The need for digital access spans from urban centers to rural regions, and Indian Country, where infrastructure cannot deliver water or electricity, let alone broadband service. This reality sidelined millions of children from participation in online schooling and their parents from accessing vital information during the pandemic. Centri Tech Foundation partners with nonprofit affordable housing developers to embed connectivity to residents’ homes and guide them along a pathway to economic opportunity. It measures the state of digital access and provides a blueprint for improvement through its Muni Index. And its Social Justice Innovation Awards invest in Fellows whose projects leverage technology and cultural expression for the public good. This is a story about building a more just future that needs to be heard.
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How being illegally evicted made me an organizer and advocate
10/30/2023
How being illegally evicted made me an organizer and advocate
This may sound unconvincing coming from someone who speaks into a microphone every week, but I don’t love talking about myself. What I do love is speaking with and amplifying the voices of those who confront and generate solutions to injustice in America. They are leaders of nonprofit organizations who use their values, know-how and expertise to bring capital to under-resourced communities, compel Congress to fund housing for lowest-income renters, educate the children of farmworkers; the list of accomplishments goes on. In this episode of Power Station, my friend and producer Robb Spewak asks about the illegal eviction that displaced me from a gentrifying block in Brooklyn and propelled me into a lifetime of organizing, policy advocacy and nonprofit leadership. We talk about how the best (in my opinion) nonprofits are those that build community power and press state legislatures and Congress to enact legislation rooted in racial equity. And I share my personal run-ins with sexism in nonprofits, which, along with racism the sector is not immune to. Mostly we celebrate the amazing guests that tell their stories each week on Power Station. And we tease some exciting changes to come.
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It's about supporting families whose lives have changed forever
10/23/2023
It's about supporting families whose lives have changed forever
When Liz O’Donnell, a first-grade teacher in Washington DC, arrived at the hospital to give birth she could not have imagined that she would leave without baby Aaliyah or the resources she needed to recover. She had experienced a change in fetal movements a few weeks before and did not realize, after an easy pregnancy, the urgency of her situation. The nurse could not detect a fetal heartbeat and Liz delivered her daughter, a stillbirth. In this episode of Power Station, Liz shares how she founded Aaliyah in Action to help families impacted by perinatal and neonatal loss grieve and to advocate for the recognition of stillbirths as a public health imperative. She partners with over 40 hospitals to provide care packages to women at their most vulnerable time. And when her employer, the DC Public School system, denied her paid leave she pushed back and won the inclusion of stillbirth in the District’s Paid Family Leave and Family Bereavement Acts. Liz is deepening her engagement in the public health sphere, exploring inequitable systems in women’s maternal health care. Aaliyah remains Liz’s powerful North Star.
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What we are hearing is the loudest people, not the majority of people
10/16/2023
What we are hearing is the loudest people, not the majority of people
Rajiv Vinnakota, president of the Institute for Citizens and Scholars, is testing a hypothesis. He wants to know whether the right interventions, from mentorship to education and opportunities for putting ideas into action will yield effective citizens, young people with the will and capacity to strengthen our embattled democracy. The Institute’s recent survey of 18-24 year old’s reveals an alarming lack of understanding about civics and also that they are not particularly ideologically driven or party aligned. They care about the state of their communities and the world, are open to people with different points of view and are looking for people and institutions that are ready to get the work done. Building great citizens is a shift for what was founded in 1945 as the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. Its mission, to build a pipeline of college professors to educate returning G.I.’s, grew into what is now a remarkable fellowship of 27,000 scholars, innovators, and artists. Now rebranded as the Institute, with Rajiv as its leading force, it is demonstrating that informed and engaged young people can be remarkable citizens when we give them the tools and get out of their way.
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Small nonprofits are on a survival treadmill
10/09/2023
Small nonprofits are on a survival treadmill
Small community based nonprofits are some of the most powerful change agents in America. They solve for inequities in education, childcare, mental health, and other needs in communities that have been marginalized by racism, discrimination, and poverty. These nonprofits are underestimated by national foundations and their accomplishments are underreported by the media. In this episode of Power Station, Gretchen Van der Veer explains how Fair Chance, the organization she leads, partners with small community based nonprofits in Washington DC, whose budgets are often less than $500,000, to strengthen their sustainability and impact. It has flipped the conventional model of capacity building, which imposes fixes to perceived deficiencies and instead partners with groups to create a plan for reinforcing their organizational systems, from fundraising to board development and financial management. These interventions, once assessed, validate the theory that a robust infrastructure produces greater benefits for the children, youth, and families these nonprofits serve. Local and regional foundations that fund small community based nonprofits are essential supporters of equity. Fair Chance is singular resource that invests its time, expertise and commitment to organizations that go all-in for their communities. Gretchen Van der Veer is an exceptional changemaker.
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It is our civic duty, our humanistic duty, our Muslim duty to vote
10/02/2023
It is our civic duty, our humanistic duty, our Muslim duty to vote
This is a story about civic engagement and political power that should be headline news. In 2020, EMGAGE, a national nonprofit, was instrumental in motivating over one million registered Muslim American voters to cast a ballot in one of our nation’s most consequential elections. This milestone is particularly meaningful because Muslim Americans have been marginalized, underrepresented and subject to hate crimes and government persecution since the shared national tragedy of 9-11. EMGAGE energizes the Muslim American electorate by investing in state-based organizing that builds networks among diverse populations, including Black Muslim Americans, who share a strong desire to preserve our embattled pluralistic democracy. In this episode of Power Station, Wa’el Alzayat, shares how his whose lived experience as a Syrian immigrant, Middle East expert, and American diplomat, informs his leadership of EMERGE. He listens to and champions public policy priorities, from tackling gun violence to expanding economic opportunity, that move Muslim Americans, like other Americans, to advocate for policy change and to vote. At a time when democracy in America and across the globe is alarmingly fragile, we are all strengthened and inspired by EMGAGE’s inclusive approach to community and power building.
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Just one major grocery store serves the 85,000 residents of Washington DC's Wards 7 and 8
09/25/2023
Just one major grocery store serves the 85,000 residents of Washington DC's Wards 7 and 8
Sometimes numbers speak louder than words. In Washington DC, a single grocery store serves the 85,000 residents of Wards 7 and 8, the historically disenfranchised neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River. Zooming further out, 35% of people living in our nation’s capital are designated as food insecure, lacking an adequate amount of food for a healthy life. Again, the data tells the story. The legacy of racism in public policymaking is borne by people of color, from food to housing and healthcare. In this episode of Power Station, Tiffany FitzGerald explains how DC Greens, the nonprofit she leads, created The Well at Oxon Run, an acre of land in Ward 8 dedicated to growing produce and providing communal green space for all Washingtonians. DC Greens also runs Produce Rx, a program that enables doctors to prescribe healthy food as a medical intervention and provides a food allowance to make access possible. All of DC Greens strategies, including their policy advocacy, is informed, and driven by the community. A truly entrepreneurial nonprofit, DC Greens is shifting these initiatives to DC government’s ownership, ensuring their ongoing fiscal support. This is how change is made.
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Violence is not love
09/18/2023
Violence is not love
In 1996, a group of Asian/Pacific Islander women came together to confront gender-based violence in their communities. As survivors themselves they knew that mainstream social service organizations lacked the linguistic and cultural knowledge needed to meet their diverse needs. They persevered, eventually launching the Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project, which remains the sole Pan Asian provider of trauma-informed and survivor centered services in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. The team includes social workers, trainers, and a mental health professional and their collective language capacities include Japanese, Hindi, Thai, Mongolian and Mandarin. DVRP is an essential resource for women, and sometimes men, experiencing gender-based violence, including abuse by intimate partners, in-laws, and employers emboldened to exploit workers whose immigration status is precarious. In this episode of Power Station, I am joined by Krittika Ghosh, executive director of DVRP and a globally recognized champion of Asians, Pacific Islanders, and other marginalized people, including the LGBTQ community. Her experience as an immigrant and survivor fuels her inventive approach to culturally based healing, including sessions that explore what constitutes a heathy relationship and workshops in mindfulness. A conversation with Krittika is too valuable to miss.
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Elections have consequences
09/11/2023
Elections have consequences
If we have learned anything since 2016 it is that elections have consequences. Donald Trump was not the first politician whose worldview is steeped in racism, misogyny, and anti-immigrant ideology. But he is an outlier in using his platform to undermine our democratic systems and encourage violence. In this episode of Power Station, Daria Dawson, Deputy Executive Director, and National Political Director of America Votes, recalls her path to her current role, including her parent’s commitment to voting and civic engagement and her life as an on-the-road political campaign warrior. America Votes, the coordination hub for progressive organizations whose missions include protecting and expanding the right of all Americans to vote, sees itself as a behind-the-scenes player. It makes sense when you understand that it was founded by and continues to grow a powerful cohort of progressive local and national organizations, from labor unions to Black, Latino and AAPI civil rights groups, trusted messengers for their constituencies. Daria reminds us that every election matters, not just the presidential race, and America Votes is there for all of them, even investing in year-round staffing in battleground states. Hear her!
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