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#183 Leigh Chapman, Deliver My Vote Sep 06, 2021

Show notes

The current assault on voting rights in America is both predictable and shocking. We saw it in full force during the 2020 presidential election when then President Trump's appointee Postmaster General Louis DeJoy stripped mailboxes and "lost" ballots in targeted areas. Right now, state legislatures are devising new maneuvers to subvert the ability to vote by people of color. They include almost insurmountable barriers to the ballot box, from requiring copies of ID with requests for a mail-in ballot to banning the distribution of food and water for weary voters at voting sites. National nonprofits are rising to this historic occasion, challenging these punitive measures in courts and advocating for passage in the US Senate of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. And new strategies are evolving and operationalizing. Leigh Chapman, a lawyer who has been on the frontlines of these legal challenges and national campaigns, now goes deeper as the executive director of Deliver My Vote. Leigh breaks down this hyper local strategy for educating and mobilizing voters who are most at risk. And she shares what we can do to make democracy possible.

#182 Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services Aug 30, 2021

Show notes

Sometimes an image is so powerful it breaks through political rhetoric, media noise and sears into the soul. A recent video of Afghani children being foisted over the Kabul airport wall and into the arms of American soldiers resonates in this way. What we don't see is the organized process underway by Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS) to help Afghans who supported the U.S. Military as translators, drivers and guards, flee Afghanistan and resettle in America. LIRS has been at the forefront of this work for 80 years and is now mobilizing a network of churches, nonprofits and volunteers to welcome these families. CEO Krish O'Mara Vignarajah knows that in these divisive times even resettlement work will be politicized and Afghan families will be demonized. LIRS not only resettles families it advocates in Congress for immigration policies that are long overdue. Having lived the refugee experience and served at the highest levels of the State Department during the Obama Administration she is committed to the mission and prepared for resistance. Krish perseveres to honor these families and her own.

#181 Dr. Marla Dean, Bright Beginnings Aug 23, 2021

Show notes

Bright Beginnings is so much more than a beautiful and inviting space for a first-rate day care center. It is a nonprofit organization founded 30 years ago to provide evidence-based education, therapeutic and social services to children and parents who are experiencing homelessness. And it is based in Washington DC's Ward 8, an historically Black and underinvested community that is now leading its own renaissance. Dr. Marla Dean, an exceptional educator, leads Bright Beginnings with a two-generation approach to breaking the cycle of poverty. It starts with caring for children from birth to 5 years old in ways that enable them to meet developmental milestones in a safe environment. The care extends to parents, giving them specialized support and resources. You can imagine how essential this connection is when parents, largely women, are raising children while homeless. Now they are working in frontline jobs, from hospitals to grocery stores during a pandemic. Dr. Dean and her team are also policy advocates, working to dismantle broken systems, enact progressive legislation, and empower parents to be a part of the journey. This is hard and often unseen work that should be celebrated.

#180 Arturo Vargas, NALEO Aug 16, 2021

Show notes

Over a long political life, Edward Roybal was true to a consistent theme. He fought for the material needs and civil rights of Latinos, both new immigrants and those with deep generational roots in the United States. When he was elected to Congress in 1963 he committed to making Latinos a force in the American political landscape. In 1976 Rep. Roybal founded the National Association for Latino Appointed and Elected Officials (NALEO), creating the infrastructure needed to spur community activism and support a new generation of civic leaders. This work, now led by NALEO's esteemed CEO Arturo Vargas is more relevant than ever. At a time in which our democracy is most fragile, Latinos need to be heard and counted. And no political party should assume their allegiance because Latino voters are consequential on both sides of the aisle. NALEO is unique in the civil rights eco-system for its dedication to Latinos at all levels of public service. And Arturo Vargas is uniquely suited to lead this challenging and essential journey.

#179 Rinku Sen, Narrative Initiative Aug 09, 2021

Show notes

The human brain, as Rinku Sen explains, loves and is even addicted to stories. A highly respected author, organizer, and political strategist driven to achieve racial and gender justice, Rinku has amplified the stories of many people whose voices are rarely heard, or communities fully represented in mainstream media. Now, as executive director of Narrative Initiative, Rinku is transforming the ways in which nonprofits communicate their stories to policymakers and the press. The work goes deeper than positioning organizations to be heard. Rinku and her team are a singular resource for nonprofits that are motivated to expand beyond strategic communications-the practice of setting short term policy goals supported by an organizing campaign and the communications strategy needed to advance it. They are experts in developing narratives that appeal not to supporters but to those whose minds must evolve to make big social change possible. It is a bold, ambitious and long overdue agenda. As America's history with slavery and suffrage reveals, it takes generations to change mind-sets and make the most egregious policies and practices morally indefensible. These are seeds of change we can all cultivate.

#178 Raul Raymundo, The Resurrection Project Aug 02, 2021

Show notes

Thirty years ago, six parishes in Chicago came together with a shared mission. They resolved to do more than pray about conditions that overwhelmed local neighborhoods, from drugs and crime to a lack of jobs and housing. Each parish donated $5,000 to jumpstart a safety-focused organizing campaign. They could not have foreseen that their investment would evolve into The Resurrection Project, a powerhouse nonprofit whose template for community development is based in putting faith and values into action. While the Resurrection Project has generated over half a billion dollars into neglected neighborhoods, from affordable housing to childcare centers, homeownership and leadership training, its success is measured in the relationships it fosters. Raul Raymundo, who stepped up to lead that campaign is now CEO of the Resurrection Project and he leads with singular purpose. He learned activism from his mother and maintains a faith, not only in his church but in his fellow Mexican Americans who have enriched Chicago for decades. As Raul explains, they are a microcosm of our future. As with all immigrant communities, their resiliency, cultural and economic contributions, are assets we should embrace.

#177 Dr. Akilah Watkins, Center for Community Progress Jul 26, 2021

Show notes

What do you think about when you see abandoned buildings and overgrown plots of vacant land? More importantly, how do you feel if they are fixtures in your own community? Dr. Akilah Watkins, CEO of the Center for Community Progress, sees the physical manifestation of housing segregation, disinvestment and other federal policies that have generated a devastating wealth gap in Black and Brown communities. And she has felt the despair those conditions evoke in people who experience them every day. Akilah envisions a better future for communities when deteriorated spaces are transformed into vital community assets. Her team is highly skilled in community organizing, real estate financing, land banking and bill drafting, all requirements in bringing the vision to life. The Center invites residents to reimagine deteriorated spaces as affordable housing, parks, businesses and land banks. And it partners with municipalities to identify the resources, changes in zoning ordinances and state enabling legislation needed to make these material changes achievable. The Center for Community Progress brings a perfect fusion of vision and technical know-how to the future of community development. More power to them.

#176 Christine Soyong Harley, Sex Ed for Change Jul 19, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Mary Calderone was a trailblazer in the normalization of contraception and family planning. Her tenure at Planned Parenthood Federation of America left her alarmed by how uninformed young people were about their bodies and human sexuality. In 1964, she founded SEICUS-Sexuality Information & Education Council of the US-to develop what are now regarded as our foremost guidelines for sex education from kindergarten through high school. Now rebranded as Sex Ed for Change, SEICUS is led by Christine Soyong Harley, an equally visionary change maker. Christine is navigating a shift in the sex education conversation and providing a seat at decision-making tables for all communities. Preventing unplanned pregnancies and disease transmission are still goals but there is a much broader landscape to tackle. Young people deserve curricula and public policy centered on LGBTQ and students of color, building a culture of consent, and developing interpersonal skill sets based in empathy, kindness and inclusion. Sex education is now under attack by conservative groups who characterize the curricula as containing "divisive concepts." And Christine is leaning in unapologetically to this historic challenge with a committed coalition of the willing.

#175 Kiki Louya, Restaurant Workers Community Foundation Jul 12, 2021

Show notes

Kiki Louya is a disruptor in an industry she loves and is determined to transform. She started working in restaurants at 15, learning every aspect of the business, eventually graduating from culinary school, becoming an executive chef and a restaurant owner. That journey included first-hand experience with injustices that are prevalent in restaurant life, from racial discrimination to sexual harassment and wage theft. And it propelled her into a more activist role within the industry. In 2018, Kiki became the first executive director of Restaurant Workers Community Foundation, which invests in nonprofits that serve and advocate for workers and organizes those in the industry, from managers to servers and cooks in determining how to fix broken systems. RWCF raised and distributed $7 million in relief funds for workers, including those not eligible for unemployment benefits and those struggling with mental health challenges. Most importantly, Kiki is energizing a powerful network of people and organizations who share a vision. They want to see businesses and the people who fuel them thrive.

#174 Dr. Bambi Hayes-Brown, Georgia ACT Jul 05, 2021

Show notes

There are many metrics for effective leadership touted by the corporate and nonprofit sectors, but I doubt that lived experience is among them. It is just one of many strengths that Dr. Bambie Hayes-Brown brings to her leadership of Georgia Advancing Communities Together (Georgia Act), a statewide association that advocates for safe housing and vibrant neighborhoods for all. The mission is critical in a state where 333,000 residents are very low-income, 72% pay more than 50% of their income on rent and utilities, and in rural communities, tarps often stand in for roofs. It matters that Dr. Hayes-Brown earned multiple degrees while homeless and a mother of three. She is also a licensed real estate broker and has managed residential properties, which deepens her conviction to make the industry more people centered. And she is an engaged member of the National Low Income Housing Coalition's Board of Directors. Even the aggression of white nationalists could not deter the caravan she led through rural counties to talk to Georgians about voting, the Census and their homes. This is how change is made.

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