Episodes

While we gear up to bring you Season 3 of What Can I Do, focused on how to take action in a presidential election year, please enjoy this episode of Unsung History focused on antiwar activism. In 1971, a group of performers calling themselves the Free Theatre Associates (FTA), including Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland, began putting on popular antiwar shows for audiences of active-duty GIs. Over 10 months they performed near military bases all over the United States and in the Pacific Rim. The...

Are you looking for some hope and next steps when it comes to combatting gun violence in your community and nationally? This week we spoke to Angela Ferrell-Zabala from Mom’s Demand Action to dig into the seemingly intractable issue of gun violence and learn about how Mom’s Demand Action, their affiliated organization Students Demand Action, and the larger ecosystem of gun violence prevention organizations are working together, advocating for better policy, and, most importantly, supporting vol...

Are you retired and looking for a way to get involved? A few weeks ago we heard from a listener looking for information about how to approach activism as a retired person. She was sick of postcarding and other activities that don’t feel effective, so we decided to chat with the busiest retired activist we know…Lila’s mother, Carla Nordstrom! In our wide-ranging conversation, we talk about the many skills retired people bring to the table, how they’re uniquely situated for effective community or...

Are you interested in aiding in the fight to make the vote more accessible in your state or community? Hannah Fried is a lawyer by trade who worked for the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama before founding All Voting is Local, a non-profit that works in eight states to protect the vote at the local level. She talks us through the founding of All Voting is Local, including how she funded the organization and assembled her team in the early days, as well as what their work entails and...

Are you a part of a fan community and wondering how to use your passion and interest to make the world a better place? Sabrina Cartan and Eliyannah Amirah Yisrael are organizers, creatives, fans, and believe communities organized around pop culture are inherently political and ripe for organizing. Sabrina talks about the power of fan movements and how they are harnessed through her work with Fandom Forward, an organization that connects causes to fan communities. Eliyannah talks to us about h...

Thinking about how to effectively use graphic design in your organizing work? Innosanto Nagara is a designer who has long used his visual communication skills in his organizing, but found a unique way to help the next generation join the fight by writing and illustrating the best-selling board book A is For Activist. So began a successful second career as a children’s book author. Inno’s books cover the topics he wanted to teach his own child about, things like taking action, being part of a co...

Terrified about the state of SCOTUS and the courts and wondering how you can take action to support court reform? We started this podcast in the days after Dobbs, so we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Brett Edkins from Stand Up America to chat about his journey from law school to advocacy, how lawyers can use their skills to advocate for and support court reform, and the role regular people can play in standing up to corruption in the American courts. He’s got advice on everything from s...

Looking for a way to build community and make political change using your artistic skills or an interest in crafting? Jayna Zweiman was an architect recovering from a life-changing head and neck injury when she found the knitting and crocheting community. It became a critical part of her recovery, and, ultimately, activism. Since then she’s founded multiple projects focused on giving crafters a political community that helps educate people through art and provides real, tangible resources to ...

What does it take to overcome your anxieties and concerns about canvassing, public speaking, and more? Jade Pacheco gives us an unfiltered look at how she went from being a shy, passive citizen to a builder of communities through her work with ACT 4 SA, the first grassroots organization in San Antonio to focus on policing the police. In the process she talks about developing the confidence to canvas for candidates and causes, the training and support that allowed her to take the leap, the med...

Does it seem like being an engaged citizen is starting to feel like a full-time job? Are you looking for ways to cut down on the costs, both in terms of time and resources, that it takes to make your voice heard? Kevin Elliott, lecturer in ethics, politics and economics at Yale University and author of Democracy for Busy People knows you’re not alone. We talk to him about how to create space for busy people to participate in our democracy, the seemingly positive democratic innovations can act...

So you want to fight climate change but you’re feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem? Margaret Klein Salamon is a clinical psychologist turned climate activist eager to help people overcome inertia and fear so they can get involved in the climate movement. We talk about how to activate “emergency mode” instead of “panic mode” to face some of the biggest challenges of our time, and what’s at stake if we don’t. Episode Links: Learn more about Margaret / Climate Awakening:...

So you’re interested in running for state assembly? In 2021, Irene Shin took on an incumbent Delegate in Virgina’s 86th district and won! Now embarking on her second campaign for the VA House of Delegates, we talk about how she got involved in state-level politics, how she decided to run for office, the first steps she took to declare and build a campaign staff, and what life looks like in a part-time state assembly. In the process we talk about the challenges of being a historic “first,” why...

So you’re a journalist interested in using your skills to amplify new narratives and voices and promote a more just, more equitable world? This wide-ranging, incredibly thoughtful conversation with journalist and Long COVID activist Fiona Lowenstein is all about the power of storytelling, using journalism for good, the importance of accessibility, and how to use privilege and access constructively in one’s activist work. Fiona talks about how their skills as a communicator have helped them no...

So you’re hoping to meet other activists, learn about their work, and figure out how you can join forces or support each other’s work? Netroots Nation 2023, the largest annual conference for progressives in America, is almost here! We spoke to longtime program communications director Mary Rickles Conley about the value of building a progressive community, how she got involved with Netroots, how their speakers and panelists are selected, and what attendees can gain from attending, both in pers...