Power Station

If you want to understand why the United States has the most expensive and worst performing health care system among developed countries, in terms of access, equity, efficiency, and outcomes, you have a unique and vital resource in Families USA. For forty years, this national nonprofit has investigated every aspect of our broken bureaucracy, from the cost of prescription drugs to the politicization of Medicare to the implicit bias deep within our delivery systems. And it has used this understanding to inform and engage consumers, from those willing to share their lived experiences to community-based health organizations in every state to the media and policymakers in state houses and on Capitol Hill. Families USA Executive Director Frederick Isasi joins Power Station to talk about how the powerful stressor that is COVID19 has rocked this fragile system and exposed its profound weaknesses. He believes in, and Families USA is based on, a theory of change that honors the perspective and experience of many while

While we worry about how to restore our democracy, Jonathan Mehta Stein knows that in disenfranchised communities, many people feel that democracy has not worked for them at all. This is the starting point that Jonathan, the newly appointed executive director of Common Cause California, embraces. He is a civil rights attorney who believes that at this moment in time, relying on litigation and legislation alone is not enough. He argues that we need more community organizing to inspire those who have been left behind to believe that voting can make a difference for them. The stakes are high as we head into the most consequential election of our lifetime. While voting in America is a fundamental right, the election process varies across municipalities and is comprised by under-resourced bureaucracies, entrenched party politics and racism. And a devastating global pandemic raises deep concerns about how to carry out fair elections in 2020. California has raised the bar on lowering barriers to voting. Now the chal

Small businesses have been devastated by COVID19, and by extension, so have their owners, workers and communities. We are talking about true small businesses, not Shake Shack or Ruth’s Christ Steak House. Their role in our economy is so significant that Congress appropriated federal funding for them through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) within the CARES Act. What is a Community Development Financial Institution? The CDFI Fund, a program within the US Department of Treasury, deploys capitol into communities where banks do not exist or fail to meet community needs. They are run by nonprofits and mission-driven lenders that build affordable housing and launch businesses. CDFIS are having a moment and it is long overdue. On MSNBC, the owner of Mabel’s, a celebrated restaurant, credited a CDFI with attaining the funds she needs to keep her doors open. And the New York Times just reported on the campaign to fund CDFIs at $1 billion in the next spending bill. This is the life’s work of John Holdsclaw, Execut

Can we ensure that the Decennial Census, our most inclusive civic enterprise, will not become a casualty of the COVID19 pandemic? The answer is unfolding in real time. Nonprofits have spent years mounting campaigns to combat an historical undercount in communities of color, of children, immigrants and LGBTQ people. Fortunately, some people and organizations, thrive in challenging times and that is definitely the case with Lizette Escobedo, who directs the Census 2020 campaign for the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO). Lizette leads operations in 6 states where Latinx communities stand ready to be counted, despite the president’s attempt to add a citizenship question to the Census. Lizette is motivated by a desire to see her community counted so that more federal resources are deployed as needed and district lines are drawn equitably. And she sees opportunity in the chaos: a longer timeline, tech companies stepping up to create hot spots and a deepened staff capacity to operate digitally

Gallup polls indicate that Americans have lost confidence in Congress, the courts and the media but one institution, the library, remains a trusted resource. Libraries provide access to books, computers, literacy classes, and social services, often in partnership with nonprofits. And while we may perceive libraries as static, they are evolving organizations. In fact, the American Library Association, in conjunction with national civil rights groups, spent 2019 preparing to become the go-to resource, for those lacking digital connectivity, to complete their 2020 Census. They recognized that to generate a full and accurate count of everyone in this country, regardless of citizenship status, required their hands-on engagement. Now, given closures due to the pandemic, libraries are pivoting again. They continue to serve communities and advocate for a complete Census count, primarily digitally. And some institutional change is inspired by librarians themselves. Ana Ndumu, Assistant Professor of Information Service

We are all uncertain about life in the aftermath of the COVID19 pandemic. We know that what unfolds is most consequential for those who have lost family members, jobs, and housing. For those whose work is to improve the quality of life in lower income and immigrant families, the question looms large. Nonprofits and think tanks that develop solutions with and for these communities, are seeing the issues they work on exposed to a world stage. There is a heightened focus on the economic fragility of low-income workers and on racial and gender disparities in pay, health care, and housing. This is the work that Indivar (Indi) Dutta-Gupta leads as Co-Executive Director of the Center on Poverty and Inequality at Georgetown University. He is motivated to find solutions to what are often considered intractable problems. His tools include socio-economic research, legislative strategies and advocacy with policy makers. In his policy shop, racial and gender equity is more than a lens added on to the work. Equity is core

In 110 Power Station episodes, one consistent theme resonates: Change making is based in intentionality. It starts by identifying inequities, analyzing who is impacted, building a constituency of impacted people, and advocating for the policies and resources required to achieve systemic change. Rebecca Sive is a change maker. She champions women’s leadership in politics, corporations and nonprofits. As she points out, no sector, including nonprofits, is immune to the sexism and racism that blocks women from executive leadership and diminishes their voices within organizational structures. Her new book, Vote Her In, is a guide to electing the first woman president and her podcast of the same name is a platform for women who have toppled glass ceilings and have lessons to share. And while Rebecca is disheartened that four highly qualified women did not rise to become our democratic candidate for President, she is not defeated. She believes the movement for a woman president is growing. And she is seizing every

As a nation, we are learning, in real time, how to function and survive in a pandemic. We look for national leadership rooted in integrity and competence. And we are finding that, not in our president, but from governors, mayors, medical professionals and, while less recognized, nonprofit leaders. Nonprofits continue to serve communities, even in a lock-down. Housing groups are organizing online for spending bills that support lowest-income renters, homeless people and shelter providers. Nonprofit credit unions are counseling small business owners in how to sustain themselves in an economic shutdown. And Asian Americans Advancing Justice/AAJC continues to help all communities to participate in Census 2020. It is also working with a cohort of AAPI serving organizations to track a terrible upswing in violence against Asian Americans. John believe that this violence is entirely predictable given a president who has used every opportunity to identify COVID19 as the Chinese or Wuhan virus. In this episode of Power

Think about this: messaging campaigns about complex issues, from climate change to drug pricing, have 280 characters in a tweet (up from 140) and less then 20 seconds of audio, to inform and persuade. Celinda Lake, renowned pollster and political strategist, helps labor unions, nonprofit advocates and political hopefuls to craft messaging based on research gained from focus groups, surveys and message testing. In a conversation with Power Station, Celinda says that Lake Research Partners approaches its work with two core values, the importance of government and the imperative of inclusivity, in advancing progressive social change. When issues are reframed based on these values and information gained from testing, the resulting messages change how issues, organizations and politicians are perceived. It turns out that empathy, not fear, motivates people to respond with an open mind. And because we are all operating in the context of a global pandemic, Celinda raises the opportunities and risks of advocacy there

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed our nation’s dysfunctional systems, but it also reveals what works. As our president equivocates about what can be done, mayors and governors are stepping up to fill the void. They are setting up testing sites, procuring ventilators, and building hospital units. And nonprofit leaders are using their expertise to advocate for families and communities. The National Low-Income Housing Coalition is organizing calls to members of Congress to ask them to include protections for homeless people in their spending bills. NALEO Educational Fund is helping immigrant families to participate in the 2020 Census. And Carla Decker, President and CEO of DC Credit Union, is maintaining 2 open branches (with social distancing and caution) to serve members. They include dislocated workers from DC’s normally booming hospitality industry, new immigrants and multi-generational African American households who are not adequately served by mainstream financial institutions. Credit union members receiv

  It is safe to say that we are living in extremely stressful times. The president rules more than governs and his rhetoric and policies reflect and encourage overt acts of racism and sexism. His relentless focus on border walls and deportations have created chaos in immigrant communities. And now we are grappling with COVID-19, a pandemic for which we are unprepared, and which the president framed, calling it the Wuhan virus, in xenophobic terms. The failure to respond quickly to this crisis, raises questions about our health care system, insurance industry, income security for low wage workers, and access to food for children when public schools are closed. This is the environment in which we try to contribute to our communities, stay healthy and whole. But these conditions take a toll on our physical and mental health. This is why the American Psychological Association engages its 118,000 members in advocating for reforms of public policy based in racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia and mor

What happens when a nonprofit decides to make a shift and tackle its mission at a deeper level? That is the journey that Bread for the City, frontline service provider to Washington DC’s lowest-income residents started on 8 years ago. Since its founding in 1974, BFC has been the go-to resource for people in need of food, clothing, medical and legal assistance. It modeled how to provide high-quality services with, as BFC promises, “dignity, respect and justice.” The shift began in the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin killing, which profoundly jarred the community, including BFC’s staff. That tragedy spurred a conversation about the deep-seated impacts of structural racism in Black and Brown communities. Chief Executive Officer, George Jones began to reconsider his race neutral approach to the work. He signed himself up, with staff and community members, for an ‘Undoing Racism’ workshop, which examined how racist policies created the conditions faced by those seeking their help. This transformative experience le

What makes an advocacy organization exceptional? It starts with a vision for tackling inequity that engages constituents in advocating for themselves. In the case of the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, it is a dedication to social policy that ensures decent housing for our nation’s lowest-income renters. These are residents of public and subsidized housing - families with children, seniors, the disabled and low-wage workers - who are often one step away from homelessness and are actively engaged in the Coalition’s organizational infrastructure and advocacy campaigns. The Coalition achieves its mission through an integrated set of strategies: communications, organizing, and data-driven advocacy. As Sarah Saadian, VP of Public Policy, explains, the Coalition is laser focused on building congressional support for federal housing appropriations with residents engaged in the advocacy. The membership strategy is similarly intentional. Instead of the traditional trade association model, Coalition members incl

How is it possible for laws that determine the fate of Muslim Americans to be decided without them having a seat at the decision-making table? That is the power imbalance that motivated the launch of Muslim Advocates by Farhana Khera in 2005. Muslim Advocates works “in communities, the courts and in Congress”, to expose and address discriminatory public policies and corporate practices impacting the lives of our nation’s over 400 Muslim Americans. The challenges faced by Muslim Americans require more than legal and legislative solutions. Our news media needs to tell the stories of who Muslim Americans are and how their lives have been impacted by misguided policy actions. Those include Mayor Bloomberg’s surveillance of community members simply for being Muslim and President Trump’s recently expanded Muslim Travel Ban. As Scott Simpson, Muslim Advocates Director of Policy Advocacy, explains to Power Station, working in partnership with other civil rights champions is critical to raising the profile of Muslim A

PFLAG may not be the most high-profile LGBTQ+ organization, but it is the oldest, largest and the first, in 1973, to create a safe space for the parents, friends and families of LGBTQ+ youth. It was organized by Jeanne Manford, after seeing her son Morty, a young gay man, beaten at a demonstration covered on the nightly news. She became his advocate, joining him at a gay rights rally wearing a sign that read, Parents of Gays United in Support for Our Children. She was applauded by young people appreciative of her support. From this experience, PFLAG was founded and is now powered by 400 volunteer chapters across the country. Its pillars of support, education and advocacy describe these chapters: places to be heard, learn, and stand up for loved ones. Advocacy takes place in hearings on Capitol Hill and in state capitols, where hostile political environments are generating punitive legislation, often aimed at transgender youth. The work is challenging but executive director Brian Bond remains positive, he says

The most intentional nonprofits are designed to both help individuals in need and build community power. This is the case with NALEO-the National Association for Latino Elected Officials, founded in 1977 by Rep Edward Roybal, then one of just 5 Latinos elected to Congress. In 2020, NALEO supports 38 Latino congressional members and a bi-partisan bench of over 6,800 Latinos serving in municipal, state, and federal level positions. Consider the potential of a cohort of powerful leaders organized around the common aspirations of their communities. NALEO deploys its resources to meet 3 primary goals. First, it offers training that deepens the capacity of members to effectively serve their constituencies on topics ranging from emergency management and water conservation to census participation. Second, it provides direct services to community members, encouraging them to civically engage and become change makers themselves. Third, it advocates for public policies that promote citizenship, even in the face of anti-

Ron Hantz, a great friend of Power Station, and our first guest returns for Episode 100. Ron is back to talk about a current threat that has been largely obscured by the presidential impeachment hearing. At another congressional hearing, Comptroller of the Currency and Trump appointee, Joseph Otting, testified before the House Financial Services Committee, feeling the heat of Congresswoman Maxine Waters, as he attempted to rationalize dismantling the Community Reinvestment Act. Ron takes us back to an era when banks refused to serve African Americans and other people of color, leaving whole communities without access to credit and capital. The practice of redlining used maps drawn to exclude whole neighborhoods from banking services. And this practice became policy, leading to the rise of predatory lenders. It took organizing and engagement at the local and national levels to move the US Congress to enact the Community Reinvestment Act in 1977. The CRA, overseen by bank regulators, the FDIC and the OCC, requi

It took a century long struggle for American women to “win” the right to vote in 1920. And win does not accurately reflect a struggle in which women were jailed and beaten in pursuit of that right. This victory led suffragist Carrie Chapman Cott to establish the League of Women Voters (LWV), a non-partisan champion of voting rights. Now, LWV is convening national conversations about issues from the census to voting to the environment and immigration. And LWV is vigilant about local threats to voting access and rights. It works to prevent gerrymandering, the intentional dilution of political power by one party over another and by majorities over minorities. The LWV is making the structural changes needed to remain powerful and relevant into the future. It is retooling itself into a more inclusive and diverse organization and Alma Couverthie, the new National Organizing Director, is an important part of its evolution. A longtime community organizer, Alma is opening doors to new participants while honoring the c

This episode is a conversation about gentrification and displacement that goes deeper than the average media story. It starts with applying an historical context of colonialism to gentrification, in which powerful forces displaced whole communities with profound and lasting consequences to economic stability, cultural identity and access to homeland. This is the lens that the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD) brings to their coalition building work with AAPI communities across the nation. Anjan Chaudhry, Director of Community Empowerment, talks to Power Station about the legacy of colonialism within AAPI communities and how it informed the shaping of a new and important resource, National CAPACD’s Our Neighborhoods Anti-Displacement Toolkit. The Toolkit is a resource that helps community groups to push back against municipalities and private developers whose plans would destroy Chinatowns and other established neighborhoods and displace families and business

We rely on access to high-speed internet to meet the demands of everyday life. We pay bills, apply for jobs, look up children’s school assignments, and get real-time updates on bus arrivals. But at least 20 million Americans live without digital access. They are our neighbors and family members from cities and rural regions who lack the infrastructure (physical wires) and/or the financial means to afford internet connectivity. How do we solve this opportunity gap? Power Station looks to Francella Ochillo, Executive Director of Next Century Cities, and a powerful advocate for digital equity, for answers. As Francella explains, NCC is a resource to a coalition of mayors from 200 cities and counties in 40 states that are building out broadband infrastructure and getting constituents connected. And NCC is at the forefront of a movement to promote a robust response in 2020, our nation’s first primarily digital census. So much is at stake, from federal resources to political representation, that NCC published a cen