What Can I Do
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What Can I Do
You voted (again), you protested (again), you posted on social media (again), yet you’re still reeling from all the terrible news. But…what else can you do? We’ll help you figure that out! Each week hosts Kelly Therese Pollock and Lila Nordstrom interview activists working on a range of issues, from...
Nedávné epizody
43 epizod
“There will be a November 6th.” (w/ Sara Guillermo, CEO of IGNITE)
Has anybody ever told you that you should run for office? What did you do or say in response?
This week we spoke to Sara Guillermo...
“How does my message align with this person's cultural identity?” (w/ Kelsye Adams, Director of DC Vote)
Do you remember the slogan of the American colonists "no taxation without representation" and want to ensure that American citizens today all have tha...
“Government’s not the problem, it’s the prize.” (w/ DaMareo Cooper, co-Executive Director of Popular Democracy, formerly CPD)
Are you interested in learning more about coalition-building and how to contribute to the creation of a more representative government?
...
“Work doesn’t feel like work when it’s fun.” (WCID Jr. w/ Joan Galat, author of Make Your Mark, Make a Difference)
It’s a special episode of What Can I Do Junior, hosted by Teddy and Arthur!
Are you a young person looking to make a difference? D...
"Find the joy in today." (w/ Dr. Deborah Vinall, psychologist, Author of Gaslighting and the Trauma Recovery Workbook for Teens)
Wondering how to protect your mental health during this election season?
This week we spoke to Dr. Deborah Vinall, a psychologist...
“In order to get there, you have to build out infrastructure.” (w/ Jane Kleeb, Chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, author, and Climate Breakthrough Awardee)
Wondering how to do effective Democratic organizing in rural red states?
This week we spoke to Jane Kleeb, the Chair of the Nebras...
“I listen to the people that these elections are truly life and death for.” (w/ Maggie O’Keefe, Chicago 40th Ward Committeeperson, community organizer.)
Wondering what canvassing for a candidate and organizing in-person voter outreach actually involves?
This week we spoke to Maggie...
“Words mean things” (w/ Anat Shenker-Osorio, Host of Words to Win By, Principal of ASO Communications)
This week we spoke to Anat Shenker-Osorio, Democratic campaign consultant, messaging researcher, founder of ASO Communications, and host of the excell...
The FTA & Antiwar Protests in 1971 (Cross-Post from Unsung History)
While we gear up to bring you Season 3 of What Can I Do, focused on how to take action in a presidential election year, please enjoy this episode of U...
“What can we do as community to protect each other?” (w/ Angela Ferrell-Zabala, ED of Mom’s Demand Action)
Are you looking for some hope and next steps when it comes to combatting gun violence in your community and nationally?
This week we spoke to An...
“There's somebody in every town who is a busybody.” (w/ Carla Nordstrom, Retired Teacher and Community Activist)
Are you retired and looking for a way to get involved?
A few weeks ago we heard from a listener looking for information about how to approach ac...
"Can I actually bring something to this work to this fight? That is going to add value?" (w/ Hannah Fried, Executive Director of All Voting is Local)
Are you interested in aiding in the fight to make the vote more accessible in your state or community?
Hannah Fried is a lawyer by trade who wor...
“At the end of the day, when you're talking about activism, it's just a bigger word for care.” (w/ Sabrina Cartan of Fandom Forward and director Eliyannah Amirah Yisrael)
Are you a part of a fan community and wondering how to use your passion and interest to make the world a better place?
Sabrina Cartan and Eliya...
“Think of graphic design not as self-expression but as visual communication.” (w/ Innosanto Nagara, graphic designer and best-selling author and illustrator of children’s books about activism and organizing)
Thinking about how to effectively use graphic design in your organizing work?
Innosanto Nagara is a designer who has long used his visual commun...
“One of the best things lawyers can do is have the courage to speak out.” (w/ Brett Edkins, Managing Director for Policy & Political Affairs at Stand Up America)
Terrified about the state of SCOTUS and the courts and wondering how you can take action to support court reform?
We started this podcast in the...
“If you treat me like a problem, maybe I should turn into one.” (w/ Maggie Carter, Staff Organizer at the Starbucks Workers United)
Watching Hot Labor Summer unfold and interested in learning more about how to unionize your workplace or support the labor movement?
Maggie Cart...
“My goal is to make this an American tradition.” (w/ Jayna Zweiman, founder of the Welcome Blanket Project, co-founder of the Pussyhat Project)
Looking for a way to build community and make political change using your artistic skills or an interest in crafting?
Jayna Zweiman was an arch...
“My job is to see who’s ready to start speaking up and help them use their voice.” (w/ Jade Pacheco, Community Builder at ACT 4 SA)
What does it take to overcome your anxieties and concerns about canvassing, public speaking, and more?
Jade Pacheco gives us an unfiltered look...
"We have to always bear in mind who is not here with us, who is not in the room.” (w/ Kevin J. Elliott, author of Democracy for Busy People)
Does it seem like being an engaged citizen is starting to feel like a full-time job? Are you looking for ways to cut down on the costs, both in terms...
“I came here to do something new.” (Live from Netroots Nation with stories from Reps. Summer Lee, Maxwell Frost, Greg Casar, and Delia Ramirez, plus activists Kristin Foster, Karen Gamez Lopez, Carlyn Cowen, and Sean Frame)
So you’re thinking of getting involved, but you’re not sure how to find your place as an activist?
Have no fear! The attendees and speakers of t...
“Step one: Face the climate emergency.” (with Margaret Klein Salamon, Founding Principal of Climate Awakening, and author of Facing the Climate Emergency: How to Transform Yourself with Climate Truth.)
So you want to fight climate change but you’re feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem?
Margaret Klein Salamon is a clinical psycholo...
“It doesn’t matter, just run.” (With Irene Shin, Delegate in the Virginia House of Delegates and ED of the Virginia Civic Engagement Table)
So you’re interested in running for state assembly?
In 2021, Irene Shin took on an incumbent Delegate in Virgina’s 86th district and won! Now em...
“Journalism is supposed to be about speaking truth to power” (With Fiona Lowenstein, journalist and editor of The Long COVID Survival Guide)
So you’re a journalist interested in using your skills to amplify new narratives and voices and promote a more just, more equitable world?
This...
“The community is critical” (With Mary Rickles, Director for Communications and Politics for Netroots Nation)
So you’re hoping to meet other activists, learn about their work, and figure out how you can join forces or support each other’s work?
Netroots...
“In the progressive community, we tend to dislike the idea of selling ideas.” (With David Fenton, author of The Activist’s Media Handbook)
So you’re hoping to propel a cause into the public eye in a way that’s thoughtful and effective? What do you do?
For David Fenton, the longtime...
“There’s one statistic I came across that suggested that 90% of people think they're more objective than average. And I wouldn't you know, I put myself in that category.” (With Jessica Nordell, author of The End of Bias)
So you’re thinking about your place in larger political systems and wondering how your own biases are showing up in your work. What do you do?
F...
“If we’re going to win, organizing is going to be key to getting us there” (With Elyssa Feder of Rising Organizers)
So, the election is over, political changes are afoot, and you’re looking to help people take action into their own hands. What do you do?
For E...
ICYMI - Recap 2 (aka, What Can I Do After the Midterms)
In this special post-election edition of TL;DL, we’re looking back at the action items we discussed on the most recent seven episodes of “What Can I D...
“We talked to everybody, because in Kansas you cannot win with only Democrats” (With Ashley All of Kansans for Constitutional Freedom)
So, you’re campaigning for a timely but hot-button ballot initiative and need to reach voters without eliciting knee-jerk reactions. What do you do?
“A Justified Impatience” (With New York City Councilmember Chi Ossé)
So you’ve gotten involved in a major political protest movement but you want to do more. What else can you do?
For Chi Ossé, an active organizer...
“How do you just sit back and tell your loved one that there's no help coming?” (With Rosie Torres and Susan Zeier of Burn Pits 360)
So your community of veterans is getting sick because of toxic exposures on the job, but nobody, including the federal government, wants to take respo...
“I look at political activism as an outgrowth of volunteerism.” (w/ Donald Hebbard of Compressor-Free Franklin)
So you’re concerned about a local issue in a small rural community and you need to start an advocacy effort from scratch. What do you do?
Donald...
“The joy of focusing on local work is that we win a lot” (w/ Amanda Litman of Run For Something)
So you’re thinking about how to connect young people interested in running for office with the resources and community they need to win. What’s your f...
“Starting with the three feet around you” (w/ Rev. Angela Williams of SACReD)
So you’re looking to be a part of a faith community, but one that shares your values about things like reproductive rights LGBTQIA+ issues, and more?...
“It always circles back to politics” (w/ Chloe Maxmin and Canyon Woodward from Dirt Road Revival)
So you live in a rural community that’s been ignored by the Democratic establishment, but you want to get involved in the political system. So, what d...
“Where can we be the margin of victory?” (w/ Candice Kerestan of Democrats Abroad)
You’re an American living abroad, but you want to have a voice in choosing who represents you, so what do you do?
For Candice Kerestan, an Amer...
ICYMI - Recap 1
A recap of the actions and strategies we’ve discussed in our recent interviews. Find out more on our blog!
Episode Links:
“T...
“Instead of thinking, ‘we should,’ I just said, ‘I will.’” (w/ Shannon Downey of Badass Cross Stitch)
You’re skilled in the arts and you want to use those skills to make change, so what do you do?
For Shannon Downey, a.k.a. Badass...
“Feel the fear and do it anyway” (w/ Rachel Dawn Davis of Waterspirit)
If you can see how big, seemingly-intractable national and international issues impact your local community, what do you do?
For...
“I became enamored with this thing called politics” (w/ A'shanti Gholar of Emerge)
If you don’t see any people in power who look like you or come from your background, what do you do?
For A’shanti Gholar, Preside...