Articles & Media
The Power of Community Spaces in Movement Building with Rox Anderson
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.
Healing Justice with Susan Raffo
This conversation with Susan about the concept, history, legacy and integration of healing justice into our social justice movements has been on my podcast bucket list for a long time. I am grateful to Susan for her work to expand the presence of healing justice in our movements and her willingness to sit down to have this conversation with me and all of you.
Changing organizational culture takes intention and time. At the Bush Foundation, we’ve spent the last five years creating a more inclusive culture internally so that we can be more effective externally. From the people, to the programs, to the policies and processes — we’re working to build an organizational culture that is inclusive in action, diverse in makeup and driving towards equity.
When we start conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion – I find that it’s really helpful that we actually define what we are talking about so that we have shared meaning among ourselves.
Reflections on the Teachings of Rosh Hashana for Movement Builders
Ryan and I sat down to record this episode on September 11th, in the midst of the Jewish High Holidays. With this as our backdrop, we talk about the state of our democracy, our world, the challenges our communities are facing (from inside and out) and what we as individuals, who might be feeling lost in the middle of it all, can do about it.
Narrative Strategy with Eleonore Wesserle
In this episode, I am joined by my friend and colleague, Eleonore Wesserle, to discuss how to construct powerful values focused movement building narratives. Eleonore is a communications consultant and founder of the new narrative strategy consulting practice Dreams to Power.
An All Current Events Edition of The Beth Zemsky Podcast
In this episode, we talk about my reaction to, and analysis of, a number for current political dynamics including the assault on immigrants, asylum seekers and their children, Trump’s performance in North Korea, the trend of celebrities reinforcing polarization by responding to hate with hate, the ongoing assault on the ACA, progressive media’s obsession with the Mueller investigation at the expense of more comprehensive coverage, and more.
In this episode, we venture deep into the caverns below the University of Minnesota Anderson Library to tell the story of the vision, acts of love, and organizing that brought this archive, that documents and preserves LGBT culture and movement building, into being.
Building Relationships Across Polarization
In this episode, Ryan and I spend some time deconstructing some of the tactics the Right is using to distract our attention from their attacks on progressive policies and our democratic institutions. In addition, we discuss the organizational challenges of working towards equity in this current polarized political climate and some concrete tips for building dialogue and relationships in a way that undermines the “us vs them” ideology that leads to polarization.
Intercultural Organizational Development and Systems Change with Phyllis Braxton
Ryan and I are joined by my dear friend and colleague Phyllis Braxton. Phyllis and I have been co-facilitating and collaborating for over 17 years. She is an educator, trainer, community builder and a talented facilitator of deep conversations about racial equity. Phyllis is also an instructor in line dancing and stepping, empowering community through movement.