Radicals & Revolutionaries Lab

This is the Radicals & Revolutionaries Lab.This is the show that explores the role of feminism in a new era.We’ve reached out to people doing provocative and empowering work around the globe to ask them, “What drives you to wake up each day and change the world?” Their answers will move you, inspire you, make you laugh—or even cry.Join us as we dive into feminist awakenings and work that’s become more vital than ever in an ever-shifting world.New season begins Monday, August 10th, 2020.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/Radicals-and-Revolutionaries-Lab. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week’s revolutionary is Glynnis MacNicol, author of No One Tells You This: A Memoir, which depicts the messy narrative of her life as well as what it’s like to be a single woman, over 40, and childfree. She pushes against the roles that society tells her to fill, creating her own narrative instead. Throughout our conversation, Glynnis details her journey to writing this memoir, as well as discussing the cultural norms and gender roles that she refuses to be confined within. She shares her adventures from Canada to New York City, Wyoming, and England as a writer and single woman in the world. Some Questions I Ask: What do you do for your job? (2:30)What made you want to write a memoir? (11:23)Tell us about your childhood. (21:00)How did you decide to not have children? (50:09)In This Episode, You Will Learn: What Glynnis’ memoir writing experience was like. (4:52)Why we need more messy stories about women’s lives in the world. (10:06)Why Glynnis is drawn to both New York City and rural

This week’s radical is Marci Glass, a Presbyterian pastor in Boise, Idaho, and is also involved in a number of volunteer capacities working for LGBTQ and women’s reproductive justice. Throughout our conversation, Marci shares about why she’s so active in various social movements, why she became a pastor, how she uses her platform, and how she maintains her political and social justice energy. Going deeper, Marci also talks about how she practically confronts racism, helps others understand the concept of privilege, and ultimately why patriarchal values are no longer electable. Some Questions I Ask: Tell us about what you do for your job. (1:04)How did you find your way to becoming a pastor? (4:11)What is Add the Words? (23:33)What does your work look like when you tackle sticky topics, such as identity? (40:52)In This Episode, You Will Learn: How, at 19-years-old and pregnant, Marci’s church loved and took care of her. (4:56)What Marci’s progressive awakening was like. (9:20)How Marci uses

This week’s radical is June Barrett, organizer and leader of the We Dream in Black program within the National Domestic Workers Alliance. As a queer Jamaican immigrant, June is a grassroots feminist doing her work from an international perspective.Throughout our conversation, June shares the ins and outs of her history, starting with how she started doing domestic work at the tender age of 16 years old. She also shares about how she’s overcome the brutal hardships of her past and why she chooses to be upbeat and happy every day. Fueled by her faith and passion for domestic workers, June shares how she continues working for the liberation of people worldwide.Some Questions I Ask: Did you leave high school to do domestic work? (1:53)How have you been able to let your past go and be so upbeat and happy today? (11:39)How did you find your way to the US? (20:48)How did you start working with NDWA? (34:50)What do you spend most of your time doing as an NDWA Fellow? (46:08)In This Episode, You Will Learn: 

This week’s radical is Caryn Thompson, who owns an intimate wellness store in Boise, Idaho. As a 65-year-old woman, she’s broken into this male-dominated space as an independent businesswoman, asserting space for herself. Through this field, she’s become a sex and health educator by accident who creates safe spaces for everyone – especially women – to get their intimate questions answered without any judgment or shame. Throughout our conversation, Caron shares how she ended up in this space, how she’s developed her products, and why this line of work brings her joy. She explains the importance of the use of language inside her shop, ensuring that it is inclusive, sensitive, and comfortable to anyone who may feel awkward inside the store. She also shares about her journey to beating breast cancer and developing a formula to help the healing process for other chemotherapy patients. Some Questions I Ask: What do you do for work? (1:00)Where did you grow up? (16:03)What are vegan condoms made with?

This week’s radical is Jessie Zapo. She is a lifelong long-distance runner and coach, and creative arts therapist by trade. Jessie has been practicing art therapy for nearly 15 years in New York City in every way, from in public schools to private practice. More than anything else, she strives to serve the underserved, which she does through iterations of her personal and professional life. Throughout our conversation, Zapo shares how she is actively redesigning the ways that women exercise and engage in fitness despite the ways that society discourages their physical activity. She explains how women are often discouraged from participating in sports starting at age 14, along with how she helps women deal with feeling disconnected from their bodies. Going deeper, Jessie shares about her art, how it’s influenced her life, and what a day in an art therapist’s life looks like. Some Questions I Ask: At this point in your life, what do you spend most of your time doing? (2:25)Where are you originall

This week’s radical is The Rev. Eboni Marshall Turman, PhD. She is an assistant professor of theology and African American religion at Yale University Divinity School. Even in academia, Eboni pushes against the boundaries of normative theological discourse, particularly around the image of God. Throughout our conversation, Eboni shares all about how she weaves together her theological, spiritual, and academic work and applies it to society and history. She breaks down the importance of having a spiritual practice, and how she understands Christianity as both an oppressive organization and one of liberation. Some Questions I Ask: What do you spend most of your time doing? (1:09)How do you feel about the power and necessity of a spiritual practice? (4:58)How did your life begin? (12:34)How are the emotional and social elements of dance infused into your work as a professor of theology? (23:20)Can you tell us more about how racial and gender injustice intersect? (38:04)In This Episode, You Will Le

This week’s radical is Lisa Congdon, an illustrator in author based out of Portland, Oregon. She has always been feminist in spirit, yet also balances the serious and the playful. After the 2016 election, however, Lisa became very intentional with her work. She’s become more politically forward, refuses to hide behind the curtain, and uses her platform as a vehicle for expressing her voice. Throughout our conversation, Lisa shares about how her upbringing influenced her art, and how her feminism continues to fuel her work today. She also shares about the challenges around finding your voice as an artist, balancing the personal and political, and overcoming passion fatigue. Some Questions I Ask: How would you define your work? (0:53)How do you manage so many projects at once? (3:48)How did you find your voice as an artist? (18:42)How do you maintain your artistic voice through collaborations? (31:46)What advice do you have for those that want to be like you? (34:28)In This Episode, You Will Lear

This week’s radical is Sara Aoun, a technologist activist. She specifically works on privacy and security with human rights defenders, activists, journalists, and different types of targeted communities around the world.  Throughout our conversation, Sarah shares all about her work and how it as a cybersecurity activist. She shares insights into how her work helps protesters whose personal information needs to be kept safe. Sarah has never been able to disassociate her identity from human rights and activism, so she uses her position as a woman of color in tech to support underserved communities worldwide. Some Questions I Ask: Tell us about the work you’re doing now. (0:59)Where were you born? (4:58)Do you normally work with individuals or organizations? (16:49)Do you spend a lot of your time advocating for these system changes? (37:58)Do you ever worry about your own security? (39:44)In This Episode, You Will Learn: What Sarah’s work looks like. (1:19)Why sometimes taking a rest feels li

This week’s radical is Cherie Buckner-Webb, an Idaho state legislator and founder of Sojourner Coaching. As a 5th generation Idahoan and part of the 1% of people of color in Boise, Cherie dedicated her career to interrupt human rights violations and discriminations and advocate for all. Throughout our conversation, Cherie shares some insight into her life, including stories about her feminist mother, facing a cross burning in her front yard, and how she’s helped empower others through her work. Cherie is a risk taker, mother, and all-around powerful feminist. You won’t want to miss this conversation. Some Questions I Ask: What was it like growing up in Boise? (4:46)How did you get involved in the consulting work you do? (21:02)How did you decide to run for office? (26:04)Do you have any advice for women taking big risks? (31:55)In This Episode, You Wil Learn: Why Cherie decided to raise her family in Boise. (3:40)How Cherie’s mom encouraged her to disturb the peace for the greater good. (7

This week’s revolutionary is Leta Hong Fincher. Leta is a journalist and scholar, focused on studying and reporting on the feminist movements inside China. She recently wrote Betraying Big Brother, which is about China’s resilient feminist movement. Throughout our conversation, Leta explains how China has emerged as the most powerful and influential authoritarian regime in the world. She explains the population control policy, which aims to “sculpt” the general population—or, in other words, a law that incites a slow, insidious ethnic cleansing. Leta also shares about how feminism is intertwined with all revolutions throughout Chinese history. Some Questions I Ask: Do you consider yourself more like a journalist or academic? (1:11)What do you think about the evolution of how mass media treats sexual harassment pieces? (13:35)What can we learn from the feminist movements in China? (44:14)How can people find your work? (1:07:23)In This Episode, You Will Learn: About Leta’s background. (4:14)

This week’s revolutionary is Boise’s Bombshell: Minerva Jayne VanAllan. She’s an advice columnist, entertainer, comedian, and artist shaking up the norms in Boise, Idaho. From birth onward, the theme throughout Minerva’s life is resilience and authenticity. Throughout our conversation, Minerva shares her story about exploring gender, drag, and her political existence. She shares about how she’s dealt with death threats starting from childhood, and how she’s found ways to empower herself in the face of adversity. Some Questions I Ask: Tell us about what you spend your time doing. (1:25)Do you ever feel like you’re pushing boundaries and therefore being censored a bit? (4:37)When did you start doing entertainment? (18:09)How do you conceptualize drag versus gender? (41:37)In This Episode, You Will Learn: How Minerva handled her first death threat at 10 years old. (7:49)How Minerva’s grandmother influenced her curated look. (21:10)Why Minerva sees competitive drag as reminiscent of toxicity.

This is the Radicals’ and Revolutionaries Lab.This is the show that asks, “What does feminism even look like?”What do these power bitches do?Where do these provocateurs come from and how can we get more of that glow? Join us as we dive into feminist awakenings and work that refuses to obey the rules.Season 4 starts Monday 17th February 2020Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/Radicals-and-Revolutionaries-Lab. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week’s revolutionary is Arati Kreibich. Arati is a mom, immigrant, scientist, and is running for Congress in New Jersey’s 5th district. Arati’s platform and goals revolve largely around climate change, immigration, and women’s rights. Throughout our conversation, Arati Kreibich shares her story about coming to live in the United States at 11 years old, and how she dealt with the culture shock of America. She also shares her views and intentions around climate change and how it’s connected with nationalism around the world. Some Questions I Ask: Tell me about your work. (1:12)How do you respond to people who have completely opposite views as you? (12:57)Where were you born? (15:49)How has being an immigrant helped you connect with people? (47:02)What can people do to support you? (49:35)In This Episode, You Will Learn: What Arati is passionate about as she runs for Congress. (2:08)How Arati responded to the 2016 election results. (5:00)How climate change and nationalism are related. (1

This week’s revolutionary is Dr. Anne Marie Goetz, a professor of Global Affairs at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs. Prior to her work as a professor, she worked at the UN as a policymaker on women, peace, and security. Currently, Dr. Goetz’s work looks at what makes states effective in addressing women’s rights and under what conditions do feminist movements succeed in patriarchal states. Throughout our conversation, Dr. Anne Marie shares insights into what feminism looks like on a global level, including anecdotes from various cultures that demonstrate how women’s rights are changing around the world. She also shares extensively about her work with UNIFEM, around right-wing populism, and how she finds the motivation to continue persevering with her feminist work. Some Questions I Ask: Tell us about the research you’re working on now. (1:09)Where are you from? (36:52)What drives you to keep going? (39:19)When you think about all of this work that you’ve done, who has supported

This week’s revolutionary is Shanthony Exum, also known as Miss Eaves. On one hand, she’s a New York-based graphic designer that helps startups, non-profits, and social enterprises define their brand. On the other, she’s a rap god and paper mache queen. Shanthony’s music is based on her personal experiences and spread messages that she, as a woman, needs to hear. By default, her music is relevant to others as well. Throughout our conversation, Shanthony shares all about her work, its inspirations, and the impact it has on her and those around her. She shares her own experiences around navigating the struggles around aging as a woman, using art as meditation, and how she continues to remain focused on her work rather than on fame.  Some Questions I Ask: What are you working on at the moment? (0:58)Where are you from? (9:50)What do your parents think about your work now? (14:30)What drives your work? (21:12)What the future looks like for Shanthony. (28:44)How does someone become like you? (42:21)

This week’s revolutionary is Nadje Al-Ali, a feminist activist, academic, and professor at Brown University. Nadje was born in Germany, in a small town near the border of the Netherlands, to an Iraqi father and German mother. Her main research interests revolve around feminist activism and gendered mobilization, mainly with reference to political movements in the Middle East. Throughout our conversation, Nadje shares insights into how feminism differs across various cultures around the world, and how feminist activists and scholars can come together to make a difference worldwide. She shares how she specifically combines her academic and activist work together, and where she believes feminist scholars should be focusing their efforts nowadays to make real change. Some Questions I Ask: Tell me about your work. (0:53)Where did you grow up? (10:58)Why did you feel drawn to feminist activism? (15:17)What do you think is responsible for men’s awakening to seeing gender as the center of revolutionary

This week’s revolutionary is Cleo Stiller: Emmy Award-nominated and Peabody Award-nominated reporter, and soon-to-be author of the groundbreaking book Modern Manhood. Cleo figured out that she is very good at talking to people about topics that typically make everyone uncomfortable, from money to relationships and everything in between. With this, she started her career out with finance and business reporting but quickly got bored with stories that focused on following the money. She was much more interested in telling human stories—which is where Modern Manhood begins. Throughout our conversation, Cleo shares her experiences around how her YouTube channel turned into a series tackling “awkward” questions that people avoid asking. Taking a step further, Cleo discusses her new book, specifically about how men reconcile what it means to be “a good man” in the #MeToo era, interrogating men’s personal motivates and behaviors along the way. In This Episode, You Will Learn: How Cleo’s YouTube channel

This weeks’ revolutionary is Sophia Wallace, visual artist and creator of Cliteracy. Sophia grew up in Seattle, Washington and currently lives in New York City. Throughout her childhood, she was a feminist before she had the language to really say it. Now, as an adult, the art that she produces is striking, unapologetically sapphic, and groundbreaking. Her work stems from a place of authenticity, including her own body, life, history, and lived experience and aims to create freedom for language and expand the language used around the feminine body. Throughout our conversation, Sophia dives deep into the Cliteracy project and the impact it’s had, along with also discussing how power represents and normalizes itself in the visual. Some Questions I Ask: What is a Clit Rodeo? (2:19)Who are the Guardian Angels? (6:58)How do you weave the messages women are told throughout their lives into your work? (31:58)What does the future of your work look like? (39:55)How can people support your work? (59:59)I

This week’s revolutionary is Jen Peirce, a Ph.D. candidate, and criminal justice reform activist. Having grown up in conservative Calgary, just where the prairies turn into the mountains, Jen grew up going to marches and protests, was raised around feminists, and watched her mom work within various social justice groups. Now, as a Ph.D. candidate, her research focuses on criminal justice issues, human rights issues, and prison reform throughout Latin America. Throughout our conversation, Jen and I discuss various aspects of the criminal justice system, what parts need to be reformed, and how to get there. She points to other nations’ criminal justice systems designed as rehabilitation-oriented institutional reform processes, and how those systems seek to have its prisons comply with international human rights standards. Some Questions I Ask: Tell me about your work in the Dominican Republic? (1:04)Tell me how your life started. (8:15)Do you view your work as a calling? (40:16)What do you want t