In this episode of the podcast, we talk with my longtime friend and colleague Cynthia Zwicky about the ancient tradition and emerging movement field of Restorative Justice. While we talk about Cynthia’s experience primarily within the context of the education system, we also reflect on how the practice of restorative justice can provide a vital foundation for much of the social justice work we do. We also discussed how institutionalized power and privilege in the pursuit of justice often results in prioritizing the peace and comfort of those in power rather then well being of the community as a whole. Finally, Cynthia shares her experience first bringing restorative methodologies to her North Minneapolis school, the challenges she faced in doing so, and the ultimate successes her school achieved as a result.

I also chat about what I’ve been up to so far this year, what I’ve got coming up, and a sneak preview of our next few episodes.

In this episode, I am thrilled to talk about leadership with one of my closest friends and former Executive Director of Headwaters Foundation for Justice, David Nicholson.

With the context of impeachment and the 2020 election as backdrop to our conversation, we deconstruct what passes for “leadership” in current political arena versus what we believe our movements need to create a transformed future. We consider questions about power, values, accountability, and integrity. We also discuss how our multiple identities inform and impact how we think about leadership, how we show up as leaders, and some unique challenges POC and LGBTQ leaders face in exercising different leadership styles.

To see the resources mentioned in this episode, please follow this link http://npod.co/bzp015/

In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend and colleague, Dave Mann for a chat about the emerging and evolving individual and collective narratives of the upcoming 2020 Presidential Election. First, we reground in why value based narratives are so essential for this political moment. We then reflect on what narratives we hear emerging and gaining traction as some of the candidates potentially pull away from the pack by framing their issue positions in values based narratives. We also examine why leading with an anti-Trump narrative is a problematic not only as an election strategy, but also in the larger scope of movement building. Finally, we suggest some resources to learn more about framing and the construction of political narratives.

With immense gratitude to my podcast partner and producer, Ryan Garza, I am thrilled to be able to share this podcast with you. For this episode, Ryan interviewed some of the guests at our 195 Years of Collective Activism Birthday Bash that was held at the beginning of the summer. The voices you will hear in this podcast are some of my beloved friends, comrades in movement building, and are among the most brilliant activists I know. As we head into Fall and an even more heated political environment, I hope these voices of vision, experience, and resiliency provide you strategy and inspiration.

Buckle up for an all-star edition of the podcast as I am joined by community icon Barbara Satin and welcome back Rev. Dr. Rebecca Voelkel. Together, we reflect on our collective 195 years of service and activism as we approach our triple birthday bash and fundraiser for the National LGBTQ Task Force on May 30th, 2019.

During the episode, we talk about what brought each of us to activism so many years ago, some of our earliest activist experiences, how those early experiences shaped who we are now, and our thoughts on the future of the Progressive movement. We also discuss the importance of recognizing the shoulders upon which each of us stand, carrying the mantle and memory of those we met along the way, and the process of realizing and learning to accept our eventual status as “role models” to the next generations of activists. We also dig into our tendency to sometimes “silo” ourselves into issues, ideologies, and generations, and about the power and importance in breaking through these barriers. We wrap up with thoughts on the legacies that we each wish to leave, along with an assurance that none of us are anywhere near finished yet.

In this episode, I sit down with longtime friend and comrade Rox Anderson, Director of the Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition and Rare Productions. We touch briefly on a few of the complexities surrounding the recent events involving Minnesota State Representative Ilhan Omar and talk about how moments like these can be leveraged by outside forces to create polarization and division between and within various marginalized communities.

We then discuss Rox’s recently awarded Bush Fellowship, their vision for an LGBTQ Center in Minneapolis, their work addressing inequities within LGBTQ POC communities, a brand new comic book in the works featuring real-life Transgender-identified superheros and much more.

Finally, we end the episode with some information about my next workshop Facilitating Cultural Change (co-facilitated with Phyllis Braxton) and reveal some big news about my upcoming birthday bash/fundraiser! It’s scheduled for May 30th with a long-term friends Rebecca Voelkel and Barbara Satin who will also be celebrating milestone birthdays.