Radical Imagination

Unearth the realities faced by Black, Brown, and Indigenous People of Color and the significance of Biden's Racial Equity Executive Orders with Dr. Michael McAfee, President and CEO of PolicyLink. Listen to our Radical Imagination podcast episode for invaluable insights. #RacialEquity #Biden #RadicalImagination https://lnkd.in/ge86_qRx

In these times of uncertainty, stop for just one second and ask yourself: “Where do I rank pleasure in terms of importance?” In the midst of the pandemic, I interviewed adrienne maree brown for the Radical Imagination podcast episode ”The Radical Politics of Pleasure.” In the episode, I ask adrienne to unpack the phrase, “Transform yourself to transform the world.” “When I heard those worlds, it made me turn and look at myself and recognize that each of those socialized systems that I was trying to fight against out in the world were rooted inside of me as well,” she explained. adrienne views this as “a call to turn and look at my own behavior and make sure that what I was practicing was aligned with the world that I was calling for.” She continues, “When I started to transform how I viewed myself, how I interacted with myself, it transformed necessarily how others then could interact with me.” Seeking personal pleasure is not anathema for activists – rather it is a necessary step toward healthy democracy and creating the world we want to live in. So I invite you to go deeper into this topic and share your thoughts with me in the comments. How have you transformed yourself to transform the world in the past? https://lnkd.in/eScAqnt

As we wrap up the year for the People.Nature.Big.Ideas podcast, don't miss the latest insights from our innovative TPL projects in our December episode. Hear a heartwarming story of a dedicated Philadelphia principal realizing her vision of a community schoolyard. Discover a vast, new wildlife area, reshaping the outskirts of Minneapolis. Lastly, explore how we're breathing new life into a previously fire-prone golf course, transforming it into a safe, resilient community space in Marin, California. Check out this full episode and catch up on this year's episodes here: https://lnkd.in/eMW_jDWi

Our collective well-being is determined by the strength of the floor as well as the height of the ceiling. That’s how Karen Bass, the first woman and second Black person elected mayor of LA, takes her grassroots values into office. She is a mayor for all, including the most vulnerable in her city. Growing up, Mayor Karen Bass knew her generation would change the world; she just never dreamed she’d be in office—she thought she’d be on the picket line. I interviewed Mayor Bass about her life and leadership for the Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life Podcast, episode 5, Shift Happens. Hers is a fascinating story of growing up during the civil rights movement and raising up everyone around her – the floor and the ceiling. Back in 1968, at just 13, Karen signed her mother up to be a precinct captain and support Robert Kennedy’s campaign. One minor detail—Karen never told her mother and did the work herself! That year, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. And two short months later, Kennedy was assassinated in LA. I can only imagine the impact this had on Mayor Bass at such a young age. Bass became an ER nurse and saw firsthand how political failures and economic devastation fueled the crack epidemic impacting her fellow Angelenos, and the Black community especially. This motivated her to mobilize a community anti-drug coalition, using George Bush Sr.'s war on drugs money, and creating one of the first public health not criminalization approaches to drug use. Years later, on her first day as mayor, Bass declared a state of emergency on homelessness in the City of LA. Her administration marks the first time the City and County of LA have worked together on homelessness, which affects over 41,000 people in LA. Los Angeles represents such a huge part of the state that changes in LA have an impact on the whole state. And what happens in California impacts the whole nation. Tune in and share your takeaways on how community activists can enter positions of power while utilizing our grassroots backgrounds. https://lnkd.in/gzVumDir

How does labor organizing breathe life into a thriving, multiracial democracy in service of human flourishing? I learned about labor organizing from Kent Wong. He was a panelist recently at the 2024 annual PolicyLink National #EquitySummit. Forty years ago, Kent, along with a small group of fellow revolutionaries, went to Rev. James Lawson, Jr.?That group of ten or so included: Senator Maria Elena Durazo – the first woman to lead the 800,000-member Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO,? Antonio Villaraigosa -- the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass -- the first woman and second Black person to lead the city of LA. They wanted to learn the lessons of the freedom struggles of the South, and that’s exactly what Rev. Lawson taught them. Kent shared takeaways from several successful LA labor movements, including the Justice for Janitors campaign, which won a multi-million dollar settlement against the LAPD, and how that success carried over into a labor movement for security officers. He believes, just like I do, that solidarity is essential and that people with boots on the ground can set the pace for the nation. I think of local communities as lighthouses for the nation, shining their beam, showing us where we can land when the waters are calm or the seas roil in darkness.? And my mission, as Founder in Residence for PolicyLink, is to give Kent, and change-makers like him, a platform to share so other communities can apply these lessons. So, listen to the Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life bonus episode, “Solidarity is Hard,” and hear for yourself how the examples of non-violence and labor activism have changed LA and *can* change cities across the nation. Tune into the discussion: https://lnkd.in/gTpujD_6

"We're talking about the space element, but the time element is really key when we're talking about spatial reparations and reparations period." -Rasheedah Phillips on Radical Imagination Check out this video from TheCaseMade with Dr. Tiffany Manuel featuring PolicyLink Director of Housing Rasheedah Phillips, then listen to Realizing Spatial Reparations. https://lnkd.in/gnc_vPuU

Time is a powerful force. ? ??? In Strategic CaseMaking?, we talk about naming the power of the moment we are in now to shape the future ahead of us. ? And earlier this year, for her Fierce CaseMaking video series, Dr. Tiffany Manuel talked to Rasheedah Phillips of PolicyLink about the role time plays in both our path toward a better future and the inequities people experience today. ?? We love that Rasheedah uses Afrofuturism as a frame for thinking about, and advocating to change, housing injustice. How do you think about time in your work? The full conversation is at https://lnkd.in/gYb2n3rc

You probably didn’t hear about the Atlanta Washer Women Strike of 1881 in your high school history class. But it was an absolutely pivotal moment in the post-Civil War South that radically changed the economy for Black domestic workers and, even today, can teach us the power of solidarity. Hillary Holley is an Atlanta-based advocate and Senior Director of Civil Engagement at the National Domestic Workers Alliance. In my most recent podcast, Hillary talked briefly about the Washer Women strike. It’s a fascinating example of a labor-community pulling together in solidarity to create a better life for an entire sector. In a new, free South, politicians wanted to lure businesses to invest in Atlanta with the promise of a subservient workforce… former Black slaves. In a time with sewage in the streets and waterways, laundry was a dirty and labor-intensive job. Washerwomen had to pick up dirty laundry in the Georgia heat, carry and boil water, make their own soap, hand wash and wring, hang dry, iron, and return clothes. Six days of labor for about $1 a week. That’s if the people who were used to free labor from Black women didn’t find a reason to dock their pay. The washerwomen organized and went on strike to get $1 per 12 pounds of laundry about two months before Atlanta was set to host a major international cotton festival. The Atlanta Constitution wrote, “There are probably more dirty clothes in Atlanta than any other city in the union.” “The washerwomen have society at their mercy.” Some of their leaders were arrested, but the labor group held strong. White immigrant washers, followed by domestic workers in private homes and hotels, joined in. The power of their solidarity, the timing of their strike, and their steadfastness won and inspired Black labor movements in other cities across the nation.? They inspired movements to the north and west. Listen to the Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life bonus episode, “Solidarity is Hard,” and discover how this 1881 strike brought lessons to solidarity and labor organizing that still apply today: https://lnkd.in/gz7BJxdj Photo Credit: Buyenlarge/Getty Images via The Washington Post

This morning, the uncertainty of what the day may hold weighs heavy on my heart. But alongside that weight lies something stronger: a clarity of purpose that has always guided me, no matter the outcome of any election. To some, the knowledge of the work we have yet to do might feel daunting.? To me, it’s been a source of resilience, strengthened by those who came before me, who blazed this path. It’s my honor to carry their vision forward – for our children, grandchildren, and future generations. I’ve been driven by a commitment to justice that goes well beyond the ballot box. Don’t misunderstand me—voting is a right, a responsibility hard-earned by those who came before us. Vote today. Honor them. But don’t forget your vote is only the beginning. Our real work—the work of building a flourishing multiracial democracy—is happening on the front lines. It lives in our communities, our schools, our businesses, and in every conversation and choice we make toward justice. The vision of a nation where all can flourish has yet to be realized. We can co-create a future where equity is not just an aspiration but a lived reality. No one said it wouldn’t be a struggle. It will take dedication to fulfill the vision. But together, I believe we can realize the full promise of a radically inclusive multiracial democracy. No matter what happens today, the work continues. Who’s joining?

What was your favorite episode of Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life? https://lnkd.in/gEVBZeMt