Power Station

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 fightin

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 dir

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'

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.

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 mate

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

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 suppressio

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 end

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 fa

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 more than 122 million 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 c

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 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 of color, 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 7. 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 fun

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 immigran

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

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

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 expos

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

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,

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

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

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