Power Station

Our news feeds are brimming with stories about America as a divided nation which cannot agree on who deserves to live here or whether to ensure that families do not go hungry. But there is a different vision for America, one that Power Station guests strive every day to bring to life. They are overcoming disinvestment and disenfranchisement with community power-building and capital. Many of them view cooperative ownership and shared equity as essential to that vision. My guest for this week’s episode (the first in a series produced in partnership with Rochdale Capital) is Dominic Hosack, a leading voice in the movement for food sovereignty. While in a PhD program focused on food systems, he was inspired to address food deserts in communities of color by becoming a grower himself. As founder of Steptoe Farm, he invites the community to share in Steptoe’s abundant crops and teaches neighbors to become farmers themselves. There is a reason that Dom is a winner of the Greater Washington Center for Employee Owners

America has a complicated relationship with those who leave behind their families, culture and countries of origin to pursue a greater future in ours. Throughout U.S. history we have both celebrated the risk-taking and resilience of our own descendants in making a new life here and reviled, in the grip of nationalistic political forces, migrants fleeing poverty, violence and a lack of opportunity. In this episode of Power Station, Paty Funegra demonstrates what is possible if we reimagine our current immigration system by supporting would-be migrants’ right to stay at home and prosper. Paty launched Global Development Advisors to support economic development in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras by building a vibrant entrepreneurial eco-system there. In collaboration with universities, international aid agencies, FinTech and venture capital groups, she is bridging the capital and information gap that constrains small business owners and tech start-ups in the region. By creating a path to investment, GDA is b

It is rare to feel enlightened, deeply distressed and optimistic during a single conversation. I experienced all of that with Manjit Singh, co-founder of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, (SALDEF), my guest on this episode of Power Station. His formative years in India during the 1980s were shaped by conflict and violence against Sikhs, a faith that values and practices humility, service, equality and social justice. Sikhism originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent in the 15th century A.D. and is practiced by 25 million adherents globally. Since its founding in 1996, SALDEF has become a powerful force for protecting the civil rights of America’s 700,000 Sikhs, ensuring their representation in civic life, from the Census to voting and standing up against discrimination. The work is critical: according to FBI data, Sikh’s are the second most targeted religious community for hate crimes in the United States. SALDEF, led by Kiran Kaur Gill, brings expertise and strategic savvy

I invite compelling people to be my guests on Power Station, the podcast I created to amplify the voices, solutions and stories of accomplished nonprofit leaders. Most know that a 40 minute episode can move and influence allies, policy makers and funders and are onboard. We break down the social, racial and economic injustices their organizations confront and the under-reported yet meaningful systemic changes they generate through community building and legislative advocacy. When an episode goes live I promote it and assume my guest does as well. Posts and reposts elevate the leader and organization and underscore that nonprofits are on the frontlines of ending homelessness and hunger and standing up to discrimination against immigrants, people of color and LGBTQ people. This week, when my guest did not show up, Podville Media super-producer Robb Spewak and I took to our mics. We talked through some distressing trends: ignoring invitations, showing up late or occasionally not at all and most baffling to me, f

It is difficult to reconcile the human, cultural and economic contributions of immigrants to America, both historically and now, with their relentless vilification by extremist political leaders. And it is deeply frustrating that attempts to enact legislation to repair a broken immigration system have failed because of political opportunism. The experience of asylum seekers, those who fled torture, is particularly dystopian. Their ability to access resources and gain legal status rests with a fragmented series of legal processes, public agencies and under-resourced nonprofits. When Joan Hodges-Wu, a social worker specializing in serving victims of torture decided she could no longer operate within this system, she launched Asylum Works, a new model that engages and uplifts asylum seekers. On this episode of Power Station, Joan shares the story of launching a new nonprofit in 2016 with $4,000 raised from a GoFundMe campaign. Since then, Asylum Works has collaborated with academic experts and survivors to provi

One voice that is often overlooked or not even considered in deliberations about ending homelessness in America is that of people who are experiencing homelessness themselves. That paradigm is being upended by the National Coalition for the Homeless, which organizes, trains and engages people with lived experience as partners at policymaking tables. Their first-hand knowledge of housing and homelessness systems makes them invaluable advisers to US HUD and the CDC and led to the development of tools for getting people out of unsheltered homelessness and to safety during COVID. Their participation in policymaking is supported by the Coalition’s Lived Experience Training Academy, a singular resource for effective policy advocacy. As Donald Whitehead, executive director of the Coalition explains on this episode of Power Station, when people do not see themselves in policy making, they feel disengaged. That understanding is what sustains him in the Coalition’s current campaign, registering people to vote in shelte

It should not feel astonishing, but it does. In a national debate and many state campaign stops, presidential and vice presidential candidates are asserting that housing is a human right and sounding a call to end homelessness in America. Their declaration is both overdue and exhilarating. Getting there is the North Star of Funders Together to End Homelessness, which brings together grant makers, nonprofits that advance housing justice through federal policy advocacy, and those who have lived experience with homelessness and housing insecurity. As its indomitable CEO, Amanda Misiko Andere explains on this episode of Power Station, learning how racism is baked into this nation’s policy making and public systems and unlearning assumptions about why Black and Indigenous people are disproportionately impacted by homelessness requires a good deal of sitting in discomfort. Funders Together is mobilizing philanthropy to be a part of the solution by taking grant makers on this journey and encouraging investment in no

A few years into hosting Power Station, outstanding audio engineer Rob Ford said, “People should really hear what you and your guests talk about off-mic.” He was right, which led, eventually, to today’s inaugural episode of Power Hour, a segment of Power Station that brings those off-mic conversations into the light. It is where social change leaders share what concerns and enlivens them, beyond their organizational roles, about the nonprofit sector and our society. On this episode of Power Hour, John Holdsclaw, President and CEO of Rochdale Capital talks about the stepping back, by banks and foundations, from explicitly supporting ownership, equity and leadership by Black Americans in nonprofit sector. He calls for investments in the next generation of leaders of color including executive coaching, which is particularly relevant given the resistance they often face, and the collective trauma of Black Americans tied to financial services. John points out that the word equity is disappearing from philanthropic

Sometimes an organization’s backstory speaks volumes, which is definitely true of The Women’s Foundation of the South (WFS). It was co-created into existence by a cohort of women, all accomplished grant makers of color who were compelled to build what the philanthropic sector lacked, a public foundation dedicated to the advancement of women and girls of color in the American south. They started to dream together in 2019 and launched in 2021 with Carmen James Randolph, its exceptional founder, at the helm. In this episode of Power Station, Carmen shares what it takes to start a foundation without major institutional donors, forging ahead through the Covid 19 pandemic and the devastation of Hurricane Ida, both of which exacerbated profound inequities in communities of color. These challenges shaped WFC’s approach: investing in nonprofits and small businesses that serve those who are most vulnerable. She has garnered significant philanthropic support and is lifting up a powerful network of women who lead, withou

If you want to know about the state of our public schools and how parents are advocating for the needs and aspirations of all children, you will need to look beyond the headlines. Parents who disrupt school board meetings to spew hate about books and classes that value diversity and inclusion may make the news, but their actions tear schools apart, not build them up. In this episode of Power Station, Maya Martin Cadogan, the founder and executive director of Parents Amplifying Voices in Education (PAVE), shares what real parent engagement makes possible. Maya was inspired to launch PAVE by her mother, a remarkable agent of change.  She wants all parents to feel the agency her mother did and PAVE provides that opportunity. It empowers parents with the responsibility of choosing which policy positions to pursue each year and prepares them to testify before City Councilmembers and the Mayor about solutions to pressing systemic challenges. PAVE parents may lack degrees in education, but they are experts in what t

In America, small business and entrepreneurship is venerated and often romanticized in popular culture and by the media and politicians. But for aspiring entrepreneurs who are not wealthy or well connected, starting a new business is fraught with challenges and inequities. The data reveals that 85% of our businesses are microenterprises, companies of five or fewer people, launched with $50k or less, often without access to traditional bank products and capital. Unlike tech guys launching a start-up with Silicon Valley investments, these entrepreneurs are often people of color striving to build wealth, generate family legacies and create jobs. What they need, from coaching to capital and community can be found in The California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity (CAMEO), a powerful network of 400 CDFIs, community lenders, small business and women’s business centers that make success possible for those whom banks do not serve. In this episode of Power Station, Carolina Martinez, CAMEO’s exceptional CE

  If you want to know what matters most to your elected leaders, the answer is found not in their rhetoric, but in their choices during the budget making process. When the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities was founded in 1981, the mission was to understand how federal spending, or the lack of it, impacted low income Americans, particularly their ability to access healthcare and housing. It also provided policymakers with alternative strategies for meeting human needs with fiscal integrity. As Peggy Bailey, Executive Vice President of Programs and Policy shares on this episode of Power Station, the Center not only brings rigor to federal budget analysis it focuses on and is a resource to state budget making as well. And its internal process has evolved too. All Center departments operate from a justice framework, with staff holding themselves and each other accountable to shared values, from centering racial equity to including those with lived experience in their policy development. Peggy brings her all,

The next time you visit your local farmers market take a moment to consider who produced the bounty of just-harvested fruits and vegetables and brought them with care to your urban neighborhood. As Hugo Mogollon shares on this episode of Power Station every farmer, from new entries in the sector to Black farmers carrying the toll of historical exclusion from federal resources to immigrants managing farms until they have land of their own, has a story. Their stories inform Hugo’s leadership of FreshFarm, a nonprofit that is building a more equitable food system in the Mid-Atlantic region. It expands economic opportunities for the 250 farmers, ranchers and producers who sell their products in FreshFarm’s 27 markets in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia and makes fresh food accessible to underserved communities through food hubs and matched public funds. And it is building a fresh food culture among children, teaching them to grow gardens and prepare recipes. This complex but seamless web of strategies is gene

Sindy Benavides leads Latino Victory with strategic saavy, optimism and a deep belief in the ability of Latinos, and other communities of color, to engage in the electoral process and generate a more equitable America.  I am excited to reshare this very edifying and inspiring episode with Sindy. We learn about her own road to organizing, the communities that poured into her, the talented cohort of leaders that Latino Victory stands behind and the resources it provides to make their engagement possible. Enjoy!

This conversation with Eric Ward remains as instructive, powerful and resonant as when it was first recorded. Eric, now a Senior Fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, is a nationally lauded expert on authoritarian movements in America and their corrosive impact on democractic systems and our belief in them. In this episode, Eric explains how antisemitism took root in America and provided the othering and fearmongering that are hallmarks of broader white nationalist movements.  It is particularly important listening as we head into the 2024 elections and consume, whether we wish to or not, so much hate and divisiveness on social media and ads generated by the Trump campaign. I am so grateful to Eric for his incredible work and for sharing it with Power Station.  

In the movies, small business owners are often depicted as avatars for what we admire: people following a dream, continuing a family legacy and serving a beloved community. But the real life version of entrepreneurship is more complex. Not everyone has a friendly banker, access to capital, or the capacity to generate a business plan. For people of color damaged by systemic racism in policymaking and banking, the barriers can seem insurmountable. These inequities led to the creation of Community Development Financial Institutions, for decades a source for capital and technical assistance in underserved communities. In this episode of Power Station, Shannan Herbert, the inspiring new CEO of Washington Areas Community Investment Fund (WACIF), shares the stories of those who have walked through WACIF’s doors, become part of an educational cohort, received a loan, learned how to create a marketing plan and most importantly, joined a lifelong community of practice. WACIF’s rich history of investing in Black and Bro

Our nation is bitterly divided over its vision for democracy or whether to remain a democracy at all. Increasingly, elected leaders on school boards, state legislatures and Capitol Hill, are using their policy making powers to further marginalize vulnerable constituents.. The discord, amplified relentlessly on social media, often tells only a portion of the story. We hear less about the problems-solvers, the nonprofits that meet human needs, engage communities and generate solutions to systemic problems, from hunger to housing and homelessness. The Urban Institute, founded in 1968 to advance President Lyndon Johnson’s war on poverty, enriches these organizations and all sectors with rigorous research and unimpeachable data about an array of societal challenges. It also convenes stakeholders, from municipal leaders to academics and people with lived experience, to share research findings and discuss strategies for advancing equity. This episode features Urban Institute Senior Fellow Samantha Batko, whose commu

  In 1990, 60 disabled men and women with disabilities put their wheelchairs and mobility aids aside and crawled up the steps of the U.S. Capital and into the Rotunda. Once inside they chained themselves together and announced that they would not leave until the House passed the Americans with Disabilities Act. Dara Baldwin, consummate policy advocate and inspiring disability justice activist was not aware, until attending their 50th anniversary event, that the Black Panthers conceived of and helped implement the chaining strategy. This fact, and the contributions of many Black disabled leaders, from Rep. Barbara Jordan to Don Galloway have been expunged in movement storytelling by white nonprofit executives. Dara’s new book, To Be a Problem, A Black Woman’s Survival in the Racist Disability Rights Movement, brings light to the entrenchment of white privilege and racism in the sector. And it corrects the record about the historical and ongoing impacts of people of color in the disability community. The book i

We are at war, in America, with empathy. Every day, state and national leaders introduce bills designed to stigmatize, strip resources from, and publicly target those they view as other than human: immigrants, people experiencing homelessness and LGBTQ children, to name a few. The recent Supreme Court decision upholding the right of Grants Pass, Oregon to fine homeless people for sleeping outside when no shelters are available is both cruel and ineffective. Choosing criminalization over solving for homelessness through large-scale public investments in affordable housing and raising the substandard wages of working people demonstrates an alarming lack of empathy. In this episode of Power Station, I speak with Mark Horvath, founder of Invisible People, the sole nonprofit newsroom dedicated to deepening our connections to and understanding of homelessness. Mark was a successful media executive who became homeless after losing his job. When he got back on his feet, he set a new course for his life. Invisible Peo

This conversation is about what is possible when a nonprofit organization engages jobseekers and employers in shaping the future of work through a North Star lens of racial equity and economic mobility. It is about reimagining workforce development, an admittedly wonky and uninspiring term, as an opportunity to prepare jobseekers, largely women of color in California, for high quality jobs. And it is about influencing the companies that hire them to do the internal work needed to retain them. In this episode of Power Station, Lisa Countryman Quiroz, CEO of Jewish Vocational Service, shares how employers are expanding their strategies for sourcing talent and making attitudinal changes that enable talented staff to manage both work and family responsibilities. Lisa describes the robust training and certification programs that position jobseekers formerly making $40,000 a year to five years later making over $100,000. She points to JVS ‘s advocacy for progressive legislative policies and its stand against cuts t