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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The deportation machine that has been unleashed in our communities would not be possible without tech companies like Palantir
01/26/2026
The deportation machine that has been unleashed in our communities would not be possible without tech companies like Palantir
In 2001, in the nascent days of the internet, activists came together to wrestle with a growing challenge, the impacts of an increasingly corporatized media ecosystem on communities of color. They set out to intervene in media and tech practices that harm people of color and reimagined how these sectors could better represent the aspirations of local communities. This led to the founding, in 2009, of Media Justice, an organizing, education and field building organization that has generated significant wins, from passage of the nation’s first facial recognition ban to another first, limiting the rates that families of incarcerated people could be charged for phone calls. As Steven Renderos, my exceptional guest on this episode of Power Station explains, where 25 years ago the villains dominating the field were Clear Channel and Comcast, they are now the tech oligarchy, billionaires whose influence is weakening our democracy and extracting local resources. But the public, in these harrowing times, is waking up and taking action. First-time protesters are showing up at public hearings to speak out against the economic and environmental harms of data centers. And Media Justice is powering their activism, developing leaders and connecting them across our nation.
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They want to round up people with disabilities and put them in institutions
01/19/2026
They want to round up people with disabilities and put them in institutions
We are experiencing an increasingly rapid erosion of civil and human rights in America. People with disabilities are one improbable yet frontline target. Their decades-long campaign to win protections in housing, employment and healthcare is now facing a shocking reversal of hard-won legal rights. As Theo Braddy executive director of the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) says on this episode of Power Station, discrimination against and the oppression of people with disabilities is largely invisible in our society until it happens to us. And because we are all aging into disability, we face a steep learning curve and a responsibility to become advocates for ourselves and others. That is the ethos that guides Theo’s leadership of the NCIL, the longest running disability-led association in the nation. Its membership is comprised of some 660 centers across the county that empower people with disabilities to thrive in their communities and Statewide Independent Living Councils that are mandated to create independent living plans. This powerful movement now faces Executive Orders that call for mass institutionalization into nursing homes and the US Department of Justice’s failure to enforce the Americans with Disability Act. Theo Braddy has a different plan. Hear him!
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We pride ourselves in bringing technical solutions to human problems
01/12/2026
We pride ourselves in bringing technical solutions to human problems
When Kat Guillaume-Delemar was six years old she was already an engaged community member. When a fire took the house next to her apartment building, she wondered about the elderly woman who had lived there and whether a new home would replace hers. As often happens in disinvested neighborhoods, that space became a vacant lot that remained the same for decades. Kat now leads the Center for Community Progress, a national nonprofit that brings technical solutions to human problems and failed systems, specifically bringing community-defined purpose to vacant, abandoned and/or deteriorated structures across the United States. As Kat explains on this episode of Power Station, Community Progress partners with municipalities and community leaders who have experienced the trauma associated with deteriorated and dangerous conditions and have a vision that will serve and strengthen their neighborhoods. These successes are not often highlighted in the media, but they are happening, nonetheless. The wins include the passing of progressive housing policies, the creation of affordable rental units, increased homeownership, centers for the arts and a beautiful park where an elderly woman’s home once stood. Kat brings heart, expertise and tenacity to making a more equitable America. Hear her.
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This is inhumane and it doesn't make us safer
01/05/2026
This is inhumane and it doesn't make us safer
What happened to Dakarai Larriett is shocking, horrifying even, and yet it is not entirely remarkable for a Black man in America. In 2024, Dakairi, an Alabama native who spent years on Fifth Avenue in NYC as a corporate executive, was unlawfully detained at a traffic stop in Michigan. What followed was hours of race baiting, an attempted planting of drugs and later, in a cell, literal torture. This is not hyperbole. It is the truth of what happened to him captured by the police officer’s own dashcam and bodycam. Video evidence notwithstanding, a judge declined to take action against the officers. In this first interview of Power Station in 2026, I speak with Dakarai about how his experience moved him to become an organizer, a champion for criminal justice reform and a 2026 Democratic candidate for the US Senate in Alabama. He is connecting with the families of incarcerated men in Alabama’s deeply corrupt prison system and developing policies to upend business as usual, from lawless police officers to a for-profit prison system that enriches wealthy individuals and the state’s coffers at the expense of uncompensated prisoners. His bravery is powerful.
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Let's Get Powerful
12/29/2025
Let's Get Powerful
This is my 401st episode of Power Station!! Reaching the 400 mark is a major milestone for me. because I created this unique platform and have sustained it throughout some very turbulent years. Power Station is an audio library of changemakers in America. My guests do the hard daily slog of building organizations, engaging community members in organizing and pushing for policies that that hold the power to meet material needs and generate generational wealth. The build confidence and power in communities that are so often inderestimated. I learn from my guests and others should to, including our vast and dispersed media networks and those elected to serve and govern. So, here are my parting thoughts about 2025 and where I see us going in 2026. Many thanks to all who listen and do the work!
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Own your power and show up
12/22/2025
Own your power and show up
At Live Free Illinois, the nonprofit she founded, Rev. Ciera Bates-Chamberlain advances a critical mission: ending gun violence and mass incarceration by employing a powerful trifecta of strategies: education, organizing and advocacy. It starts with mobilizing a network of over 130 congregations across the state to advocate for public safety and law enforcement accountability. And it requires standing up to recent federal threats, from the cutting of SNAP benefits to the militarization of law enforcement. Live Free Illinois partners with congregations to provide organizer training and to educate members about Project 2025, the blueprint behind our national leadership’s assault on Black and Brown communities. And as Rev. Ciera explains in this episode of Power Station, she always expects to win. Take the Clean Slate Initiative, a statewide campaign calling for the automatic sealing of arrest and conviction records for eligible Illinoisians. It united faith leaders, community organizations and allies in fighting for the removal of systemic barriers that burden those most impacted by generational racism and poverty. And It became law in October 2025! Rev. Ciera proves that a moral compass, owning your power and showing up for others makes change possible.
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Personnel is power
12/15/2025
Personnel is power
I consider Power Station to be a living library, one that contains the stories, strategies, struggles and accomplishments of some of our nation’s most impactful social change leaders. And I have been moved, enlightened and challenged in my thinking by many of my guests. This episode, featuring Chris Torres, executive director of Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice (LDSJ), is among the most meaningful to me. That is because LDSJ is devoted to studying, practicing, supporting and elevating the craft of organizing, which, although often undervalued, is at the heart of progressive policymaking and power building. Its Fellowships are academically rigorous, designed to bring savvy college graduates into the nonprofit sector and to reinvigorate mid-career organizers who are considering leaving the sector. As an institute within the City University of New York, a system that is home to over 250,000 students, many of whom are first-generation and students of color, LDSJ is positioning young people who have direct experience with injustice as leaders of long term movements for civil rights, workers’ rights and more. LDSJ is making possible what the conservative movement has mastered, an investment in long term leadership. Chris tells the story of building a powerful future here.
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Shane was my mission
12/08/2025
Shane was my mission
Tia Bell is a powerful, determined and impactful force for her community, city and this nation. She has taken her formative childhood experience, the shooting of her mother, who thankfully survived, and subsequent murders of other family members and friends as a blueprint for acting proactively to prevent the scourge of gun violence. Her academic grounding is at the intersection of youth development and gun violence, a public health crisis that is the consequence of historical and ongoing racism, disinvestment and under-representation. The TRIGGER Project, the nonprofit she founded and leads, is laser-focused on equipping young people to tackle interpersonal conflicts with words and reason instead of violence. When Tia asked me to interview Sharon Williams, the mother of her beloved mentee Shane who was murdered in 2023 outside of his home, I was honored. Sharon is strong, loving and hurt beyond measure, a woman whose losses have fueled her commitment to providing a different environment and future for Shane’s toddler son Princeton. Tia and Sharon are the closest of friends and their shared loss has shaken both to their core. Their voices matter. Science matters. Gun violence is not inevitable. Listen, comment and share.
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I was stuck in my cell for 20 hours a day
12/01/2025
I was stuck in my cell for 20 hours a day
Storytelling changes everything. It introduces us to other people’s life experiences and cracks open our capacity to care and connect. For the storyteller, it provides what may be a first in a lifetime opportunity to express oneself and be heard. Some of the most powerful stories illuminate aspects of society that we lack the will to confront. Glen McGinnis wanted the nation to know about young Black and Brown men like himself, sentenced to death row for a crime committed as a minor. He craved education, a resource the Texas prison system did not provide. His aspirations led to the launching of Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop, a nonprofit that creates community among currently and formerly incarcerated men and women through books and the conversations they spark. In this episode of Power Station, I speak with Deputy Director Julia Mascioli and Poet Ambassador Curtis McKnight about the unique challenges of DC residents who are incarcerated first in DC jails and then within the federal prison system. We talk about the Prison Book Club, which connects 900 incarcerated people in over 100 prisons and the looming threat of HR 5140, now headed to the Senate. Listen and share!
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I was stuck in my cell for 20 hours a day
12/01/2025
I was stuck in my cell for 20 hours a day
Storytelling changes everything. It introduces us to other people’s life experiences and cracks open our capacity to care and connect. For the storyteller, it provides what may be a first in a lifetime opportunity to express oneself and be heard. Some of the most powerful stories illuminate aspects of society that we lack the will to confront. Glen McGinnis wanted the nation to know about young Black and Brown men like himself, sentenced to death row for a crime committed as a minor. He craved education, a resource the Texas prison system did not provide. His aspirations led to the launching of the Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop, a nonprofit that creates community among currently and formerly incarcerated men and women through books and the conversations they spark. In this episode of Power Station, I speak with Deputy Director Julia Mascioli and Poet Ambassador Curtis McKnight about the unique challenges of DC residents who are incarcerated first in DC jails and within the federal prison system. We talk about the Prison Book Club, which connects 900 incarcerated people in over 100 prisons and the looming threat of HR 5140, now headed to the Senate. Listen and share!
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I've been hired, I've been fired, I've been the person with too many opinions
11/24/2025
I've been hired, I've been fired, I've been the person with too many opinions
This episode is...just me. I have some thoughts and some feelings (don't we all) to share about how nonprofits are perceived in our society. how their leaders are using their voices in this moment, the barriers they face and where true and consistent power lies. Not your traditional holiday messaging but then again, this is me speaking! What I hope comes through is the potential I see for this nation if nonprofits (the most change making and community-centered of them, of course) were considered and treated with the respect they deserve. They are not just a place that reporters can rely on for stories about this nation's woes and inequities, they are stewards of innovation, of creating policy solutions that generate housing, health systems that work for everyone, food, civil and immigant rights, public safety and access to clean water. They are not about imagining abundance, they are about building on the expertise and resources they have, demanding action from policy makers, pushing boundaries, meeting material needs, and building power in communities so that people are heard.
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I was uninsured for parts of my childhood
11/17/2025
I was uninsured for parts of my childhood
When we talk about healthcare in America, I mean among friends and family, not reporters and pundits, it is difficult to know which headline-making topic to tackle first. Some conversations focus on disparities in health outcomes, preventable gaps based on race, income and geography that require political will to overcome. Others focus on the profound impacts on the horizon for 22 million Americans facing spikes in their premiums, a feature of our current administration’s budget bill, that they cannot afford. The state of healthcare in America and the pathway to systems transformation is the life’s work and expertise of Anthony Wright, my guest on this week’s episode of Power Station. Anthony leads Families USA, a nonprofit that has been instrumental in advocating for and winning policy solutions, which include passage of the Affordable Care Act and the Children’s Health Improvement Program and the ending of surprise medical billing. He brings both personal experience with healthcare instability and nonprofit leadership in multiple states to this national role. Anthony wants legislators and reporters to hear more stories about the human impacts of these cutbacks and not just the political impacts. They can start by listening to Anthony Wright Anthony here.
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Once you have power you go from critiquing the budget to making the budget
11/10/2025
Once you have power you go from critiquing the budget to making the budget
Its theory of change may sound brand new, designed in response to this administration’s increasingly authoritarian agenda but California Donor Table has led with a power building model of philanthropy for over two decades. It starts with donors who are committed to using their resources to generate a more just California and nation by investing in progressive communities of color. Their funding produces the infrastructure that communities need to elect candidates who reflect their needs and values. That infrastructure also supports good governance and holds elected officials accountable. In this episode of Power Station, Ludovic Blain, the incomparable CEO of California Donor Table, breaks down how to not only build power but to wield power by funding progressive eco-systems across geographic boundaries and tax statuses. Ludovic reflects on the promise of a new generation of candidates running for offices from boards of supervisors to Mayors and the US Senate and how to prepare for inevitable voter suppression in the mid-terms. Ludovic reminds us that crafting the policies and building the society we want to see requires that we enable progressive leadership to take hold in all levels of government. Listen, be energized and share this episode.
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You either have endometriosis or you love someone who does
11/03/2025
You either have endometriosis or you love someone who does
Facts matter but facts alone will not influence change when the truthtellers are not believed. Millions of girls and women see their doctors about debilitating symptoms only to be told that what they are experiencing is not real. Such is the case with endometriosis, a medical condition that among other harms, is a leading cause of infertility in women. As Shannon Cohn, my guest on this episode of Power Station says, it is so prevalent that either you have endometriosis, or you love someone who does. As a teenager she sought help for incapacitating menstrual pain only to be told by a doctor that she was seeking attention. It took many years and countless doctors before receiving an accurate diagnosis. Eventually, she left a successful legal career to become a women’s health champion, using filmmaking to advocate for public and institutional investments in endometriosis research and treatment. Below the Belt, Shannon’s deeply instructive and moving documentary chronicles the struggles of 4 women living with endometriosis. It is the foundation of a social impact strategy that is disrupting the status quo and breaking through decades of indifference by public policymakers and the medical establishment. As Shannon demonstrates, stories matter.
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We are letting people know that they need to make a plan to vote
10/27/2025
We are letting people know that they need to make a plan to vote
It is one year before the mid-term elections of 2026, and America faces a high stakes scenario that goes beyond who will run for public office. The conversation now is about who will be able to cast a ballot and whether all votes will be counted. The threats can be found in state legislative actions and presidential executive orders that seek to limit access to the ballot box based on disproven accounts of election fraud. In this episode of Power Station I am joined by Rebekah Caruthers, CEO of Fair Elections Center, a national nonprofit staffed by experts in organizing, public education, policy advocacy and litigation, strategies deployed to preserve and expand the voting rights of all eligible Americans. As Rebekah says, when our voting rights are undermined, democracy is at risk. Fair Elections Center also works with HBCUs, public universities and community colleges to ensure that student voting is unimpeded. Rebekah is a powerful leader whose pursuit of voting and civil rights is deeply embedded in her family’s legacy. Her leadership at Fair Elections Center and collaboration with local, state and national advocates is critical to our democracy.
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I've always believed that investing in women is the best bet ever
10/20/2025
I've always believed that investing in women is the best bet ever
America has a long history of being a welcoming, if imperfect, home to those who have been forcibly displaced from their countries of origin because of conflict. persecution, and violence. And we are not alone. Nations across the globe have taken in millions of refugees—men, women, and children who have crossed international borders to survive. Some nations have developed systems that allow adults to start working right away, positioning their families and those national economies to thrive. On this episode of Power Station, I am joined by Suzanne Ehlers, Executive Director and CEO of USA for UNHCR (the United Nations Refugee Agency). Her unshakeable humanitarian values and understanding of the resettlement infrastructure, from government agencies to nonprofits and faith networks make her an outstanding champion of displaced families. We talk about Building Better Futures, a collection of women philanthropists who have stepped up to make higher education for women refugees possible, an initiative that will change lives, strengthen economies and create lasting social change across the globe. Suzanne and USA for UNHCR remains laser-focused on the well-being of refugees. It all starts with telling their stories.
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We bring people in one conversation at a time
10/13/2025
We bring people in one conversation at a time
Shannan Herbert is undeterred by the chaos, economic shifts and uncertainty of this moment in America. She remains laser-focused on building wealth and opportunity in the DMV, especially in communities that have been historically underserved. As CEO of Washington Area Community Investment Fund (WACIF) a nonprofit that brings financial education, coaching and capital to promising entrepreneurs working in or serving LMI communities, Shannan demonstrates what is possible when clients get out from under predatory lending schemes and receive the guidance and support need to achieve their goals. Clients who excel in WACIF’s accelerators and peer cohorts are now thriving small business owners. Their companies can be seen and touched at 3 WACIF operated sites, including the Anacostia Arts Center, an extraordinary cultural and commercial resource in Washington DC’s Ward 8. In this episode of Power Station, Shannan announces a new initiative, the PIVOT Project, a collaboration with longstanding community partner Latino Economic Development Center and their inaugural funder, Capital One. This catalyst fund will be lifechanging for men and women who have lost their place in the federal workforce and are moved to transition to full-time entrepreneurship. Shannan is a force in local communities and on national stages. Hear her.
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We have always been financial planners for our clients. Now we have to be security officers, finding the safest path to our offices
10/06/2025
We have always been financial planners for our clients. Now we have to be security officers, finding the safest path to our offices
Latino Economic Development Center was born out of the Mount Pleasant riots, an historic event in Washington DC ignited in 1991 by police violence and the city’s failure to meet the pressing needs of thousands of newly arrived Salvadorian civil war refugees. Since then, LEDC has been at the forefront of equipping Latino communities in DC, Maryland and Virginia with the knowledge and resources needed to create wealth through home ownership and entrepreneurship. Now, in another historic moment, the federal takeover of DC, LEDC is expanding its services into rural regions with immigrant populations and is guiding Latino federal workers who have lost their jobs and are exploring entrepreneurship by necessity. It is doing so while navigating the targeting, demonization and detention of community members and staff. Emi Reyes, my guest on this week’s episode of Power Station, is the most inspiring of nonprofit leaders. As the daughter of Salvadorian restaurant owners, she knows first-hand about the barriers immigrants face in building economic security. She knows that Latino economic power is on the rise and that her resilient community will survive. Emi is a macro thinker with deep community roots. Hear her.
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We are unapologetic about being here to support and advocate for Black and Brown communities and that is not going to stop
09/29/2025
We are unapologetic about being here to support and advocate for Black and Brown communities and that is not going to stop
Why would a president who speaks in dystopian terms about crime call for the Department of Justice’s cancellation of $820 million in grants to hundreds of community-based and national nonprofits with a track record of reducing violence, caring for crime victims and increasing public safety? The evidence is clear. He demonizes people of color and spends millions on the militarization of cities over evidence-based interventions and community informed policy solutions. In this episode of Power Station, I am joined by José Alfaro, the outstanding executive director of Community Justice, an organization founded to change the conversation about gun violence and its disproportionate impacts in communities of color. Gun violence, Jose explains, is the #1 killer for young Black men and boys and the #2 killer of Latino men and boys, a statistic that includes homicide, suicide, intimate partner violence and hate crimes. Community Justice approaches gun violence as a public health issue, calls on media to be accountable in their reporting and engages policymakers as partners in achieving peace. As José says, the administration’s actions are about power, not public safety. Community Justice and its counterpart Community Justice Action Fund are on the frontlines of truth telling and changemaking. Hear him.
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We are one of the few organizations that will represent you if you walk into court today
09/22/2025
We are one of the few organizations that will represent you if you walk into court today
Equal justice under the law may be a goal of our court system, but it is not a guaranteed outcome. There is no right to counsel in civil cases, making low-income tenants in Housing Court at great risk of eviction and potentially homelessness. These cases are high stakes, especially in jurisdictions where affordable housing is out of reach for most low-income individuals and families. Nationally, only 4% of tenants are represented by lawyers compared to 83% of landlords, a data point that has barely improved over the decades. In this episode of Power Station I speak with Chijioke Akamigbo, executive director of Rising Justice, a nonprofit organization whose game changing model for the provision of civil legal services is transforming the field. Rising for Justice, situated in the DC Superior Court is powered by a team of attorneys and the law students and social work students who take part in its clinical training program. These students learn not only the law but what it takes to secure justice for those who rarely feel seen or heard. Chijioke brings lived experience, empathy and a history of humanizing systems that fail those without means. Hear him!!
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It is our duty to make sure that our people are safe
09/15/2025
It is our duty to make sure that our people are safe
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 underserved communities was shaped by his lived experience as the son of migrant parents who struggled with housing costs and displacement. He co-founded La Colectiva, a nonprofit powered by Northen Virginia’s robust Latinx population. It is leading critical organizing campaigns about how ICE, Amazon and ICA-Farmville operate at the expense of and without accountability to Latinx people and all communities of color. It exposes how Democratic leadership fails to honor community over corporations. La Colectiva is making seismic shifts in Virginia’s power dynamics and its reports put that information in the hands of those who are empowered to do better. Hear him!
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It's not just if we win, it is how we win that builds power
09/08/2025
It's not just if we win, it is how we win that builds power
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 administration we must coalesce, flex our organizing muscles and use all available tools to preserve democracy. In this episode of Power Station, the invincible Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, breaks down how BISC positions grassroots coalitions to take on and win urgently important ballot initiative campaigns. It takes technical expertise, a command of organizing and a commitment to relationship-building among sometimes unlikely constituents to run and implement ballot campaigns calling for the right to bodily autonomy and to raising the minimum wage. Listen to Chris and I promise that that her story will resonate and inspire.
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Our power as citizens in this moment is to care
09/01/2025
Our power as citizens in this moment is to care
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 of Power Station, Ty shares what his activism looks like now, his call for less apathy and more care for others and how his book, The Fire This Time memorializes his message, especially for young people of color about leadership, courage and using your voice with purpose and power. At a time when our nation’s democratic principles and institutions are under assault and DC is under federal control this conversation brings, at least for me, urgency, clarity and a plan of action. Ty is building the world he wants his 4 year old daughter, who is his inspiration, to inherit.
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This is for everyone and everyone should be able to contribute
08/25/2025
This is for everyone and everyone should be able to contribute
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 Station, the awesome public interest technologist and social justice activist Mallory Knodel poses a vital question. What if we looked at the internet and social media apps not as the final arbiter of politics and culture but as a tool over which we, collectively and individually have choice and agency? What if the technical design of the platform we uses supported human rights and democracy? Mallory and her co-creators at the Social Web Foundation are building the infrastructure needed to make our connectivity more intentional, purposeful and creative. The are envisioning and implementing a Fediverse and ActivityPub as an open space for everyone. Hear her and share!
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All roads lead back to voting
08/18/2025
All roads lead back to voting
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 own. Celina, an expert in redistricting, the Census and voting rights is the League’s second African American CEO. She describes leading during a constitutional crisis, pushing back against harmful executive orders while supporting members tackling hyperlocal threats to their communities. The League of Women is fueled by people power, those who join school boards, testify at city council hearings, and stand with immigrants against unfounded deportations. The League’s newest initiative, Unite and Rise, 8.5. seeks to protect and preserve our democracy by mobilizing 8.5 million voters. This is the powerful non-partisan movement, centered in 700+ local leagues, that can change the course of history.
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Our job is to organize the veteran flank of a much broader progressive movement
08/11/2025
Our job is to organize the veteran flank of a much broader progressive movement
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 White House. Common Defense organizes around the issues that resonate deeply for its members, including climate change and healthcare. A current campaign demands accountability for the president’s dismantling of the Veteran’s Administration, which is putting the health of 16.5 million veterans at risk. On this episode of Power Station, I speak with José about his life’s journey, from joining the Army, to living out his family’s dream of a college education, to his evolving views about our military and his decision to organize his fellow veterans to use their voices for the common good. Hear him and share!
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We are contributors, we are not takers
08/04/2025
We are contributors, we are not takers
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 nation’s population, both political parties have failed Latinos as a whole. Neither has modernized our immigration system or fully recognized their economic, cultural and social contributions. I am honored that Sindy Benevides, founder of Aqui: The Accountability Movement, shared her organizational story on this episode of Power Station. Sindy explains that achieving a just future for Latinos in America requires a narrative shift around how Latinos are perceived, the leveraging of the their economic power, and accountability by all sectors for hiring and policies impacting Latinos and other communities of color. Sindy is a powerrful leader who is building a new path towards justice, one that we all can walk.
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Organizing is the Swiss army knife of changemaking
07/28/2025
Organizing is the Swiss army knife of changemaking
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 changemaking campaigns. In this episode of Power Station I speak with the invincible Elyssa Feder, who has trained thousands of new entries in the organizing field since launching Rising Organizers in 2016. She is positioning a new generation of organizers to save and strengthen our battered democracy and is creating the organizing infrastructure that nonprofits need to activate their communities and fulfill their mission. And Elyssa is committed to growing power, through organizing, in Washington DC where 700,000 people lack full voting representation in Congress. As she says, organizing takes many forms and there is room for all of us. Hear her and share this episode!
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We all have mental health issues
07/21/2025
We all have mental health issues
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 into middle schools. In this episode of Power Station I speak with Brandi Pretlow, Active Minds Vice President for Community Initiatives whose clinical expertise, deep empathy and strategic savvy is engaging diverse communities, from educational systems to influencers and athletes, in elevating mental health care as a shared value. Brandi speaks to the resources we all need, from housing to health, to maintain our mental health and to the imperative of meeting needs in the most marginalized communities. We talk about navigating federal budget cuts, expanding Active Mind’s advocacy voice and the promise of seeing culture change in action.
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We are straddling the social justice and banking worlds
07/14/2025
We are straddling the social justice and banking worlds
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 Beneficial State Bank, an equity-driven enterprise, Erin is powering a movement to unlearn the biases that undergird perceptions of risk and reimagine policies and practices that meet the capital needs of borrowers of color. Take Underwriting for Justice, an initiative that is upending racially discriminatory lending norms. It is engaging banks in signing on to methodologies that lead to systemic yeses. Erin is a bright light in the ongoing campaign to bridge the social equity and banking worlds. She credits the vision of Beneficial Bank co-founders Tom Steyer and Kat Taylor in creating an institution that builds power within, instead of extracting from, the communities it serves.
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