Radicals & Revolutionaries Lab

This week’s revolutionary is Line Langebek: screenwriter and activist for equality. She is the co-founder of organizations like Raising Films and Library of Change, and the former co-chair of the Writers’ Guild Firm Committee. She is a creative, independent, ambitious woman who effectively and strategically navigates the world in ways that uplifts others’ voices. Most of her work is around providing outlets as well as the tools for people to express themselves, tell their story, and be heard. Throughout our discussion, Line and I discuss the nuances of the word “feminist” and how language matters in the fight for equality. We also talk extensively about her work at Raising Films, including the We Need To Talk About Caring report that explains how important it is for parents (especially women) and caretakers to have access to care on the job. With this, Line shares about her struggles as a young mom striving to move forward with her career, and how the meaning behind “it takes a village” is transforming i

This week’s revolutionary is Anja Tyson: a single mom and Brooklynite who works in fashion sustainability. Anja works as a Fashion Sales Manager at TIPA Compostable Packaging, which is a company that’s innovating new ways to reduce the amount of single-use plastics that are used to wrap around clothing before being thrown in the trash. As our conversation unfolds, Anja tells me all about her childhood and her unique experiences about growing up biracial. Now, as a single mother with a biracial child, she’s seeing her own childhood experiences through a different lens. Anja shares some insights on how she’s raising her child to be socially and racially conscious. Some Questions I Ask: Tell me about what kind of work you do. (1:04)Tell me about your childhood. (10:09)Have you thought about having another kid? (25:41)What are your feelings on dating? (40:50)What can people do to start making a difference and contributing to a meaningful cause? (1:12:04)In This Episode, You Will Learn:How Anja got

This week’s revolutionary is Jackie Namuya Mutere: survivor and lover of life. She’s the founder of Grace Agenda, which is an organization created in response to the vast number of women that had been violated during Kenya’s post-election violence in 2007-2008. With Grace Agenda, she’s formed a structure for survivors and supporters to engage with one another, advocate for reparation, and help one another heal. All throughout our conversation, Jackie shares some of her most vulnerable experiences, including everything from love, loss, and experiencing terrible violence in her own life. She explores the concept of government-funded reparations in Nairobi for survivors of sexual violence. She also discusses why it’s important to both uplift the voices of fellow survivors throughout this advocation process while also holding the perpetrators accountable for their actions. Some Questions I Ask: Tell me about your work. (1:10)How do you reconnect with yourself each morning? (7:49)What was it like gr

This week’s revolutionary is Jimmie Briggs, a man of multiple skills and passions, but most known for his work as a freelance journalist and for creating the Man Up Campaign. He is a documentary storyteller, writer, and human rights leader. When he was a child, his parents suddenly decided to move from a prominently black community to one that was overwhelmingly white. It was this situation where Jimmie first started to learn with racism. In this episode, Jimmie unpacks his early experiences fighting racism and how that evolved into fighting for racial and gender equality as an adult. He also takes us on the journey of his career, how far he pushed himself, and how his health issues forced him to slow down. Some Questions I Ask: What work do you do right now? (1:14)Let’s talk about your childhood. (18:11)Do you feel like you’re starting a new chapter of your life right now? (42:17)What is Man Up? (46:32)Where can people find your work? (1:05:25)In This Episode, You Will Learn: About Jimmie

This week’s revolutionary is Kate Bahn, the Director of Labor Market Policy at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. She grew up in a home with two parents and a brother, with parents who challenged traditional gender roles. Her father, who worked as a photographer, stayed home to raise Kate and her brother while her mom went out into the world every day to work. In this episode, Kate and I discuss topics around feminist economics and why it’s such an important concept. On the more personal side, we discuss how being a feminist millennial affects mother-daughter relationship. We also talk about her childhood - including her norm-challenging parents – and about her experience pursuing a Ph.D. Some Questions I Ask: What is the Washington Center for Equitable Growth? (0:55)How did the topic of monopsony draw you in? (7:18)Tell me about where you were born, grew up, and what your family structure was like. (8:55)Your career is so dynamic. How have you navigated these different worlds? (24:37)

This week’s revolutionary is Claudine Tsongo, the founder and coordinator of Dynamique des Femmes Juristes (DFJ). Claudine is the mother of five children, a teacher, and a lawyer with the passion to give every human the hope that justice is possible. Residing in the northeastern province of the DRC, Claudine works as an agent of change to help empower people who have experienced sexual violence, give them a voice, and help them access justice. She helps them redefine their lives and combat the stigma that inevitably comes with being a survivor. In this episode, Claudine and I discuss how she balances her heavy work with being a mother. We also discuss the role that social norms play in perpetuating violence against women and children, and how Claudine is working to transform society in the DRC to be a safer place for all. Some Questions I Ask: What do you do for your work? (1:40)Were you ever scared to do your work? (7:51)How do you balance work at DFG as a lawyer with being a mom of 5 children

This week’s revolutionary is Jennifer Dziura, the founder of the unabashedly feminist company GetBullish. Having started several businesses throughout her life, she has grown to understand what works and what doesn’t, and—most importantly—how to make money without being a jerk to others. Jennifer a talented writer and speaker, who often discusses class and gender issues in business and life. In this episode, Jennifer and I discuss her roots as a writer and discovered the impact that her voice can have on the world. Jennifer also shares her stories around starting various businesses, seeing them fail, and continuously picking herself back up to start again. Jennifer is a strategic risk-taker and fearless leader. This is a conversation you won’t want to miss. Some Questions I Ask: Tell me about your work. (0:47)How did you find the process of losing your first business and starting over in New York? (24:18)Would you rather lose a debate or get blankly stared at while doing standup? (26:01)Ho

This week’s revolutionary is one you may have heard of or seen before: Amy Pence-Brown. She describes herself as fat, feminist, mother, writer, artist, historian, and body image activist. She grew up in southern Idaho, within a very patriarchal family. Her parents raised their family Mormon for the first 10 years of Amy’s life. After their family broke away from that church, she began showing some feminist tendencies. As she grew up, cut her hair, and began the journey to get comfortable in her own skin, she became the body image activist she is today.Now, Amy—the radical Idahoan she is—believes in opening her heart and her mouth. She is a storyteller who serves people in her community, always spreading a message about self-love. In this episode, she shares how she rebuilt her life after everything fell apart and how she utilizes adversity to fuel her fireSome Questions I Ask: Where did you grow up? What was it like? (1:24)What was your feminist awakening moment? (3:57)Is there a gendered element related to d

This week's revolutionary is Banafsheh Violet Nazari: Oregon attorney who, until recently, was representing communities facing wage theft and workplace discrimination through her own firm. She is now the Policy and Advocacy Coordinator IRCO, where she works to support and amplify their community organising and advocacy work to affect policy and systems change. Violet was born and raised for the first 9 years of her life in Iran, shortly after the revolution and takeover of the country. In those early years of her life, Violet lived a dual life under Sharia Law, creating a brave space for her to live as freely as possible under those circumstances. Her rebellious nature and fierce determination for justice have now righteously manifested themselves into her career of advocacy.In this episode, Violet and I discuss the knowledge gaps, struggles, and cruelty within capitalist societies and the US immigration process. Intertwined in this conversation, Violet calls out the white supremacist foundation for the

This week, we have two revolutionaries: Sonja Foss and Karen Foss, twin sisters and partners in the feminist revolution. Originally, they grew up in Eastern Oregon in a very traditional family with traditional parents. As twins, they modeled equality and embodied feminism before they had the language to label it. Now, both Sonja and Karen are rhetorical scholars in the communications discipline, working to tangibly create the feminist reality we envision for the future.Karen and Sonja share stories from their childhood that exemplify their evolution into feminism today. Together, they also share their insights into how feminism functions in academia and in various spaces within society as well. Feminism, to them, means learning to deal with and transform the intersectional systems of oppression, challenging the ideology of oppression as a characteristic of culture. In addition, they share some change strategies and examples of what it looks like to cultivate a positive feminist reality and find the joy in fem

R&R Labs – Sara Matano – Show NotesThis week’s revolutionary is Sara Matano. Sara currently lives and works in Portland, OR and teaches high school social studies, doing all she can to bring a feminist lens to the center of her work. Originally, Sara is from Argentina; her family immigrated to the United States when she was still young. She’s spent her life straddling borders and barriers, always feeling like an outsider no matter who she was with. Even after she intentionally lost her accent, there would always be small tell-tale signs that she was “different” than those around her.In this episode, Sara and I discuss the surge of racism post-9/11, how school systems “groom” students into nationalism via “team spirit,” and how Sara incorporates feminism into her teachings every day. She gives a powerful insight into what the future for teachers looks like, and what steps everyone needs to take to get there. This is a conversation that you won’t want to miss.Some Questions I Ask: Tell me about your childho

This week’s revolutionary is Xhercis Mendez. She is a scholar-activist and constantly looking for any creative strategies that allow us to create the world we want to live in. Her academic works combine women of color and decolonial feminisms, while her focus remains on transformative justice and actively combating structural inequities.Our conversation begins with Xhercis explaining how she took control of her own life, education, and grabbed her future by the reins. She essentially maneuvered her way into attending an upper-class boarding school and found ways to navigate between that world and her working-class roots. From there, Xhercis continues to share her experiences with race, class, identity, and how to find trustworthy community throughout a constantly shifting life.Some Questions I Ask: What was your childhood like? (1:17)What tools did you use to reintegrate into your family each time you came home from boarding school? (15:38)How do you navigate the apprehension around the term and concept of fe

Amy Hasinoff is this week’s revolutionary. Amy is an assistant professor within the communications department at the University of Colorado, Denver. She works on gender, sexuality, and new media. She joins us for a radical conversation about her feminist upbringing, academic prowess and privilege, and along with her work around consensual social media and sexting. Born in Winnipeg to parents with PhDs, higher education and academia are in her blood. Through years of academic success, Amy found what she was truly passionate about: communication, cultural studies, and all things feminism.Amy shares with us some fascinating stories that led to where she is today. She takes us through her entire academic journey—from undergraduate to Ph.D. status—and how it influenced her feminist views and activism. She shares her experiences of realizing and fully acknowledging her privilege in academia, and how that’s influenced her work as a whole. In addition, Amy also shares with us her views on the development of communica

Amy Irvin is this week’s revolutionary. Amy is the Executive Director of the New Orleans Abortion Fund. She joins us for radical conversation about her work, her journey and some of the challenges facing abortion rights today. Born in Central Ohio, Amy spent the early years of her childhood on the family farm until her parents divorce moved her, along with her mom and siblings, to a bigger city. She struggled financially growing up with her mother and into her early 20s, working to put herself through school. Amy talks to us about her experiences in college: how she felt free in the world of academia, enjoyed learning and took time off realign and travel, as well as her own personal experiences with abortion.Amy found her way to New Orleans, by way of Turkey, and experienced first hand how limited access to abortion resources was in the city, and the state of Louisiana . More, and more, certain lawmakers are making it harder and harder for women to, not only, exercise their right to choose but to access overa

This week’s revolutionary is Lorelle Saxena. Lorelle is a doctor of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine and the founder of The Saxena Clinic. She’s been voted "Best Acupuncturist in Sonoma County" five years in a row in the North Bay Bohemian's annual Reader Poll. While she treats a variety of patients, her work specializes in trauma and anxiety. Lorelle enjoys writing, bicycling and spending time with her husband and their young son. She also prides herself in being a very nice person (most of the time).Lorelle joins us to discuss her story; her experience growing up in Hawaii and how that shaped her view of race in America. She then takes us on a journey through the 12 years she spent living in New York City - where she first felt the parallelism of race, professionally transitioned from music to medicine and, through acupuncture, found her happiness and fulfillment. In the midst of her creating safe spaces for her clients and being a nice person, Lorelle is also a force to be reckoned with. She ta

This week’s revolutionary is, Karen Mulhauser. Karen is the President of Mulhauser and Associates. Karen’s worked as a leader, advocate and consultant for over 30 years. She’s held various leadership roles at a number of non-profit organizations advocating for women’s rights, abortion rights, education, voting rights, peace and equality. Known for being a master of coalition building and collaboration, a space she says she works best in, she’s also the founder of America's Impact, Consulting Women, LLC, Trusted Sources and helped form the Women’s Information Network (WIN).Karen takes on us a journey through her life, her path as a leader and her passion for this work. She’s a testament to being open to life, the power of community and, as she says, “knowing what you care about and what keeps you up at night.” Throughout her life, Karen has allowed her career to evolve with her passions and she encourages us to “take advantage of opportunity, take some risks and find the community you want to be with.” The rec

Prisca Dorcas is a storyteller, public theologian, activist, feminist and founder of the Latina Rebels platform. She’s also someone who’s unapologetically committed to calling out injustice. Prisca was born in Managua, Nicaragua and raised in a very religiously conservative family. Despite her being taught that a woman’s place was in the home, she grew up with an understanding of a woman in power as Nicaragua had elected its first woman president when she was very young. Prisca’s grew up on a religious compound with a strong foundation of community and family. When she was 7 years old, her family immigrated to the US when her father was offered a role to lead the church’s music ministry.We talk about her journey of awakening, finding her voice, creating space for advocacy and awareness and challenging toxic narratives, especially those that are pervasive in religion. Prisca received her Masters of Divinity from Vanderbilt University and speaks with such gratitude about the professor that affirmed her identify

Amanda Manitach is definitely a modern day renaissance woman. Raised in rural Western Kansas and North Texas, Amanda grew up in a very religiously conservative family. The daughter of a pastor, her life was defined by the church. She and her sister were both home schooled and grew up with very deep ties to their faith.By the age of 13 she had already completed her first mission trip to Thailand and began making trips annually in the summer. By the time she was 18 Amanda has traveled to India, Vietnam, Bolivia, Honduras, Ghana. While she’s grateful for the experience - she’s no longer in agreement with the purpose of those trips.While growing up so close to the church had its benefits, Amanda was also exposed to other side of the coin. The not so glamorous aspects of church politics, finances and internal conflict. It was a disheartening experience that began to open her eyes to question the infallibility of what she was being taught.After attending a religious university, located in what she described as the

Season 2 of Radicals & Revolutionaries Lab Returns Monday March 4.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/Radicals-and-Revolutionaries-Lab. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Joumana Haddad is a passionate provocateur. She’s a journalist, poet, speaker, and activist. Born to a conservative family in Lebanon, she is a controversial figure for her unapologetic feminist activism and her critique of culturally entrenched misogyny and organized religion. Joumana is not afraid to push boundaries. She’s published countless books of poetry, co-written a movie, and is the founder of Jasad, a Beirut-based cultural magazine that focused on the literature, art, and science of the body. You can find Joumana on Twitter at @JHaddadOfficial and her work at joumanahaddad.com. Learn more about Continuum at continuumcollective.org.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/Radicals-and-Revolutionaries-Lab. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.