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New Faces of Democracy — Government
New Faces of Democracy

Welcome to the New Faces of Democracy podcast, hosted by Nancy Bynum.

This podcast features inspiring interviews with people who have transformed their lives since 2016 and who are transforming our political landscape. These are not career politicians or former cabinet members, but ordinary citizens who are starting organizations, running for office for the first time, using their creative skills and otherwise stepping outside of their comfort zones to stand up for our democracy. Along the way, they are discovering new skills and talents and creating new communities.

Nancy felt her own personal call to action in the aftermath of the election of 2016, when it became painfully clear how important it is to use our voices to stand up for the America we believe in. As she became increasingly politically active, she witnessed the emergence of an awe-inspiring phenomenon: people changing their lives to defend our democracy. She decided that the best way for her to help would be to share the work of these change-makers, and New Faces of Democracy was born. Since then, she has dedicated herself to both spreading the word about this new wave of activism and chronicling the tremendous political and patriotic energy of this time.

This podcast elevates and celebrates these new faces, and in the process, will hopefully inspire you and maybe even galvanize you to take action on your own. These are unprecedented times, but there is a silver lining. As we become more engaged citizens, our democracy will become stronger and more resilient– in fact, it’s already happening. So if you’ve had enough depressing news and are ready to feel hopeful and maybe even optimistic about the future, head over to newfacesofdemocracy.org where you can subscribe to the podcast, watch the videos and follow New Faces of Democracy on social media.

Copyright: © Copyright 2026 Nancy Bynum

Latest Episodes:

Alyse Nelson and Gayle Kabaker: Empowering Women at Vital Voices Mar 03, 2021

Show notes

This episode features Alyse Nelson, President and CEO of Vital Voices, and renowned artist Gayle Kabaker, talking about their artistic collaboration in the name of women’s empowerment around the world. Self-described as "two crazy women with bold ideas," this dynamic duo came together to create a book and exhibition entitled “Vital Voices: 100 Women Using Their Power to Empower.” The project includes portraits of 100 global women leaders redefining power and celebrates Vital Voices’ mission to support women’s leadership to solve the world’s greatest challenges. Alyse, Gayle and Nancy talk about how women lead differently and how that leadership style is sorely needed right now; the power of art to transform the way we think about things and shift culture; and the gratification in creating art that makes an impact and inspires others. To purchase the book and learn more about Vital Voices and Gayle Kabaker, see the links below.

https://www.vitalvoices.org

http://gkabaker.com

Elizabeth Fernandez of Movement Voter Project Feb 24, 2021

Show notes

This episode features a conversation with Elizabeth Fernandez of Movement Voter Project. Movement Voter Project is based on the ingenious concept of empowering local grassroots groups that work in and are trusted by their communities to bring home important wins for Democrats during elections. MVP provides local groups around the country with support and training and frees them up from time-consuming fundraising to focus on their important work helping and advocating for their neighbors. And when elections roll around, these organizers are perfectly positioned to get out the Democratic vote in ways that no outsider could replicate. MVP may fly under the radar but its reach is deep and wide, having raised $100 million in the last election cycle. Nancy and Elizabeth talk about MVP’s astonishing impact in 2020; why the key to lasting progressive change lies in empowering local community organizers; and why they need support all year, every year and not just during the big elections.

https://movement.vote

Katie Michel of Victory Garden Collective Feb 17, 2021

Show notes

This episode of the podcast features a conversation with Katie Michel, owner of Planthouse Gallery in New York City and a member of Victory Garden Collective, a group of women artists using their craft to exercise their patriotic duty. While the group started in 2016 to support Hillary Clinton in anticipation of her victory, it morphed into an act of political resistance under Trump. Just as victory gardens in WWII provided sustenance and nurturing, so has the Victory Garden Collective in providing sustenance to both the artists and their audience during a challenging four years while nurturing the resistance through works that unite activism with a tongue-in-cheek domesticity. Nancy and Katie talk about the power of political art to unite, console and inspire us; finding joy in being part of the conversation; and the multitudes of women who have discovered their political voices in the last four years and made them heard.

https://planthouse.net/print-editions/

Lisa Guide on the Caregiver Vote Feb 10, 2021

Show notes

This episode features a conversation with Lisa Guide, co-founder of the Women Effect Action Fund, a group dedicated to achieving economic equality for women in our country. Lisa and her colleagues have spent the last four years focused on turning out the caregiver vote, and thanks to them women came out in force to vote in this past election, motivated by care economy issues. These are working moms, who have silently struggled for decades to fulfill their historical caregiver roles while also holding down jobs, often as the primary wage earners in their homes. Lisa and Nancy talk about why everyone loses when women must choose between staying home with a sick child or losing a day’s pay; why policies like paid family leave and childcare are just as important to our economy and infrastructure as bridges and roads; and how Covid has made the situation exponentially worse. This emergent caregiver voting bloc is urban, suburban and rural, Democrat, Republican and Independent and is a force to be reckoned with. In other words, I am woman, hear me roar. You can learn more about the Women Effect Fund at the link below.

https://womeneffectfund.org

Aditi Juneja of Protect Democracy Feb 03, 2021

Show notes

This episode features a conversation with Aditi Juneja of Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting efforts to undermine our right to free, fair, and fully informed self-government. In other words, while you spent the last four years calling your senator and phone banking, the superheroes at Protect Democracy have been doing nothing less than preventing our country from sliding into authoritarianism. Nancy and Aditi talk about the work the group did to protect the guardrails of democracy, what accountability should look like, and what changes we need in our government going forward to win back the faith of its citizens. If you’d like to learn more about Protect Democracy or support their work, you can do so at the link below.

https://protectdemocracy.org/donate/

Season 2 trailer Jan 27, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to Season 2 of the New Faces of Democracy podcast, hosted by Nancy Bynum. In this season, Nancy will look back at the gains we have made in protecting our democracy, the healing and rebuilding that needs to take place, and an optimistic look ahead at the opportunities for real progress under the Biden administration. Join Nancy for inspiring conversations with people at the grassroots and the grasstops who are making this all happen, political newcomers and policy leaders alike, all of whom share a common goal of bringing us closer to a more perfect union and the America that we believe we can be.

Martha Shockey on the State of Georgia Dec 16, 2020

Show notes

This episode features a conversation with Martha Shockey of the grassroots political action group, Indivisible Georgia. A soft-spoken powerhouse, Martha talks about all the hard work that groups like hers put into Biden’s win in the state and what they are doing for the two Senate runoffs on January 5. Martha and Nancy discuss the tremendous hurdles created by the Republican’s sophisticated voter suppression tactics executed with surgical precision; how she and others are working to rebuild the Democratic infrastructure in a state that national Democrats had written off; and why it’s important for all of us to do what we can to help get out the vote in the runoffs. If you’d like to donate to help Martha’s group continue to get out the vote, you can do so at the link below. There are also links for phone banking and postcard writing.

To donate: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/IndivisibleGA04.

To phonebank: https://swingleft.org/events/t/ga-runoff-all

To write postcards: https://postcardstovoters.org

Catherine Vaughan of Swing Left Dec 09, 2020

Show notes

On this episode, Nancy welcomes Catherine Vaughan back to New Faces of Democracy. Catherine is Co-Executive Director of the Democratic political action group, Swing Left, and she was one of the first people Nancy profiled at New Faces of Democracy in 2018. Catherine and Nancy do an election debrief and discuss lessons learned this year. Catherine talks about all the progress we have made over the last four years and the work that remains, making democracy a habit, and reasons to be hopeful. She also tells us the most impactful ways we can help in the upcoming Georgia Senate runoff, no matter where we live.

Swing Left’s Georgia program: https://swingleft.org/p/flip-georgia?refcode=sl_homepage

Catherine’s video on New Faces of Democracy: https://newfacesofdemocracy.org/catherine-vaughan/

The Sheriff Sequel: What Happened in the Elections Dec 02, 2020

Show notes

Nancy follows up on her conversation about sheriffs with Max Rose on Episode 13 of the podcast to explore what happened in the sheriff elections last month.

Sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/election-graham-north-carolina-protest/2020/11/01/beee5d8c-1c64-11eb-90dd-abd0f7086a91_story.html

https://www.npr.org/2020/11/18/935873090/for-immigrants-election-promises-relief-from-an-atmosphere-of-terror

https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/local/gwinnett-county-elects-its-first-black-sheriff-result-likely-means-gwinnett-will-end-participation-in/article_7c38ed66-1eaf-11eb-a288-2b0ea359bfce.html

https://cobbcountycourier.com/2020/04/craig-owens-candidate-for-cobb-county-sheriff/

https://www.advocate.com/election/2020/11/06/lesbian-running-sc-sheriff-defeats-male-boss-who-demoted-her

https://www.vox.com/2020/11/17/21558400/sheriff-ice-north-carolina-georgia-287g

https://theappeal.org/politicalreport/guide-prosecutor-sheriff-elections-2020/

https://twitter.com/Taniel/status/1329907283271225347

Mike Berland on Polls, Momentum and What Just Happened Nov 25, 2020

Show notes

This episode features a conversation with data and analytics expert and political polling thought leader Mike Berland. Mike is the founder & CEO of research, data, and analytics firm Decode M and is an expert on how people think and behave as voters and decision-makers. Mike has appeared extensively on national television to speak about elections, candidates, and business issues. He has served as a strategic advisor to politicians like Michael Bloomberg and Hillary Clinton. and MSNBC has called him a “genius pollster.” Mike has also recently authored the book, “Maximum Momentum.” Mike and I talk about how polls should really be used, what the heck happened in the election, and how to harness the power of momentum to effect positive change in our society.

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