The Battles We Pick

Sep 11 2024 22 ep. 50 mins
The Battles We Pick Podcast artwork

What can we learn about making social and political change from talking to professional change-makers? This work takes a combination of persistence, shrewdness, and luck. On the Battles We Pick podcast, skilled advocates and organizers talk about how they deal with the various challenges they confront. 

Theme music by generous permission of recording artist Stephen.

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White nationalism researcher Hannah Gais on the overlap of hate groups and the GOP

Sep 11 2024 45 mins  
Send us a textThe Intelligence Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center is well known for tracking and exposing the activities of hate and extremist groups. So it was great to have one of their researchers, Hannah Gais, as a guest on the podcast. Discussing her work on White nationalist and Neo-Nazi groups, Hannah told me about the extremist voices and ideas that the MAGA Republi

Veteran immigrant rights advocate Charles Kamasaki on the last comprehensive reform, and the next

Aug 07 2024 43 mins  
Send us a textIt is often noted that the last time Congress enacted comprehensive immigration reform was in the 1980s. Charles Kamasaki was not only deeply involved in shaping that legislation as an advocate, but he's also written an authoritative history of the effort titled Immigration Reform: The Corpse That Will Not Die. Kamasaki has for several decades guided the work of the n

Civic Power coauthor Sabeel Rahman on bringing affected communities directly into decision-making

Jul 27 2024 44 mins  
Send us a textCornell Law School Professor Sabeel Rahman is coauthor of an important recent book, Civic Power, about the urgent need to revitalize American democracy with much closer links between government and those it's meant to serve. The only path to meaningful equity and true government "by the people" is to engage affected communities as genuine agenda-setting and decision-m

African social entrepreneur Lolo Cynthia on getting healthy sexuality education into schools

Jul 19 2024 47 mins  
Send us a textLolo Cynthia is an African reproductive health activist, social entrepreneur, and experienced communicator. She shared some of the negative experiences that led her to focus on healthy sexuality and talked about how she gets schools to open up to the curriculum on sex and relationships that she developed. Drawing on what she’s observed about various advocacy efforts

PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel on the battle over free speech and book banning

Jun 26 2024 37 mins  
Send us a textSuzanne Nossel leads the US chapter of PEN, the international network of professional writers dedicated to promoting and protecting the basic right to freedom of expression. Suzanne's book on the subject is titled Dare to Speak: Defending Freedom of Speech for All. Recently she highlighted the broader global struggle between freedom and autocracy in a Foreign Affairs

Memphis Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-Thomas on her Driving Equality Ordinance to Save Black Lives

Apr 30 2024 50 mins  
Send us a textAfter Tyre Nichols was killed by Memphis Police officers who had pulled him over for a trivial traffic infraction, City Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-Thomas "had never seen so many CNN cars and trucks and people in my life trying to see what was the next step for Memphis." With all that interest and scrutiny, colleagues on the Council assembled a package of police refo

Philanthropic adviser Stephen Saloom on the unique and vital role of community foundations

Apr 12 2024 52 mins  
Send us a textOne interesting angle on advocacy are the effort some people devote to prodding certain key players to get more involved. In sectors like philanthropy, there can be a reluctance because it seems too political. As founder of the Center for Community Foundation Policy Leadership, longtime criminal justice reform advocate Stephen Saloom has been focused on encouraging an

Advocacy evaluation pioneer Sarah Stachowiak on emerging challenges for the advocacy field

Mar 16 2024 43 mins  
Send us a textFirst episode back after a hiatus of several months, so I needed a great guest. Sarah Stachowiak is CEO of the Seattle-based evaluation consulting firm ORS Impact and has been an important role model for me and helped steer me toward becoming an evaluation consultant. Sarah's firm not only does great work for clients, but they provide vital thought leadership through

Early-career social worker Sadie Bender Shorr on using creative problem-solving to meet human needs

Nov 27 2023 34 mins  
Send us a textThis episode is a special holiday edition featuring a conversation with my daughter when they were home for Thanksgiving. Sadie Bender Shorr is in the early phase of a career in social work, currently working in the University of Arizona's counseling center and planning to begin studies next fall for an MSW. Social workers talk about the micro and macro levels—which

Author Sasha Issenberg on how he chronicled the major social change of same-sex marriage

Nov 12 2023 59 mins  
Send us a textThis episode's guest is a journalist rather than an advocate, the author of one of the best books focused on advocacy work. Political reporter Sasha Issenberg's The Engagement tells the story of the 25-year fight for same-sex marriage, documenting the various efforts, strategies, course-adjustments, and outcomes from the perspectives of proponents and opponents alike.