On Sunday, President Trump tweeted that undocumented immigrants should not be granted due process, stating that "when somebody comes in, we must immediately, with no Judges or Court Cases, bring them back from where they came." This follows his signing of an executive order that halts family separation in favor of family detention. To discuss, we SPOTLIGHT Marisa Franco. Marisa is a Phoenix-based organizer, writer and strategist. She is the Director and co-founder of Mijente, a digital and grassroots organizing hub for Latina/o and Chicana/o people. She led the #Not1More Deportation campaign, recognized in 2014 by the National Organizing Institute as Campaign of the Year and co-authored How We Make Change is Changing, which describes Not1More’s campaign strategy and structure that activated hundreds of organizations across sectors and communities to demand a stop to deportations. Media includes: Politico, CNN, MSNBC, Univision, The Washington Post.
The United States Supreme Court has ruled that congressional districts in Texas, with the exception of one district, are not a racial gerrymander. To discuss, we FEATURE Brenda Wright. Brenda is the Vice President of Legal Strategies at Demos. She has led many progressive legal and policy initiatives on voting rights, campaign finance reform, redistricting, election administration and other democracy and electoral reform issues and is a nationally known expert in these areas. She has argued two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court: Randall v. Sorrell (campaign finance) and Young v. Fordice (voting rights). She has written extensively on democracy and voting rights issues in both popular and scholarly publications. She appears frequently in print and broadcast media on these issues, and testifies regularly before Congress, federal agencies and state legislatures.
During the last week of Pride Month, the Supreme Court has decided to send back a case involving a Washington-state florist that refused service for a same-sex wedding. This follows the Court ruling in favor of a Colorado baker that refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. To discuss, we FEATURE Rebecca Pilar Buckwalter-Poza. Recently named to Politico's Power List, attorney and political strategist, Rebecca areas of legal expertise include the Supreme Court, the federal judiciary, civil rights law, military law, and Indian law. As a lesbian and a Latina, topics of particular interest include LGBT rights, racial justice, criminal justice reform, women’s rights, voting rights, immigration, and gun control. Media includes: Democracy Journal, CNN, NPR, The Daily Beast, Pacific Standard, The Nation, The Atlantic, Politico, MSNBC.
There are many U.S. primary elections coming up this week and we FEATURE Atima Omara to discuss. Atima is an award-winning leader in politics and the progressive movement. With over a decade of experience working in politics and progressive non-profits engaging youth, women, and people of color in the political process and related progressive causes, Atima writes and speaks about national politics, candidates, and policy and culture issues including the Millennial vote and activism. An experienced political strategist, Atima is president emeritus of the Young Democrats of America, Democratic National Committee (DNC) member from Virginia, and Chair of the Planned Parenthood Metro Washington Action Fund Board of Directors. She has worked for a governor and as staff on over eight federal, state, and local Democratic campaigns in Virginia and across the country. Media includes: Fox News, CNN, PBS, BBC, NPR, ABC News, The Washington Post.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been re-elected as president. To discuss, we FEATURE Kristina Wilfore, who is located in Instanbul, Turkey. Kristina regularly trains, speaks, and writes about issues that impact women’s participation in politics, parties and parliament across the globe. She has worked with political leaders and civil society organizations in over 20 countries throughout Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Middle East and Central Asia (such as Ukraine, Syria, Turkey, Georgia, Kosovo, Serbia, Albania, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia). Kristina has over 20 years’ experience in campaigns and elections, policy development and civic advocacy in the United States and currently serves as the principal of Karakoyun Strategies, an international development firm based in Istanbul. She helps teach grassroots organizing, political party development, and how to run and win campaigns all across the region. Media includes: CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, The Washington Post, The New York Times.
Mexico's general election is coming up on July 1. To discuss, we FEATURE Laura Carlsen. Laura is Director of the Americas Program in Mexico City, a program of the Center for International Policy based in Washington D.C. She publishes numerous articles and chapters on social, economic and political aspects of Mexico, co-edited Confronting Globalization: Economic Integration and Popular Resistance in Mexicoand is finishing a book called "Up Against the Wall: US-Mexico Relations from NAFTA to Trump." Media includes: NBC, CBC, BBC, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, InterPress Service, Guardian, Christian Science Monitor.
This past Sunday, Saudi Arabia lifted its decades-long driving ban for women. To discuss, we FEATURE Sofana R. Dahlan. Sofana is CEO and founder of Tashkeil, a Saudi Arabia-based social enterprise that incubates & promotes creative entrepreneurs by providing them with a platform and access to network in order to assist them with their business operations, branding, strategic positioning and legal matters. She was chosen in 2011 to participate in the Harvard Executive program “Leading for the Future: The Arab Region in a Changing World” where she represented Tashkeil's scio-economic cycle as a social platform for change and development. She is the first Saudi female to be given permission to study law by the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education. Media includes: LBC, Alwatan Newspaper, Al Jazeera, Arab News, Saudi Gazette, Design Magazine.
Racist and hateful speech has come up a few times this past week-- from a Fox News pundit saying "you're out of your cotton picking mind" to a black guest, Mike Huckabee tweeting a photo of MS-13 members with the caption "[Nancy Pelosi's] campaign committee, and President Trump calling Elizabeth Warren "Pocahontas." To discuss, we FEATURE Andrea Quijada. Andrea served as the executive director of Media Literacy Project from 2008 - 2015 until it was closed. Quijada is an expert in media literacy education, media justice policy and violence prevention. She has more than a decade of experience as a media literacy trainer and an anti-violence educator, coupled with 20 years as a community organizer. Media includes: KBOO Community Radio, TEDx, National Conference on Media Reform, New Mexico Mercury.
The hashtag #PermitPatty has been shared on social media this past weekend following a recorded incident of a white woman calling the police on an 8-year-old black girl who was selling water in San Francisco. Allison Ettel, the white woman, can be seen in the video calling the police because the young girl did not have a permit. To discuss, we FEATURE Karen Fleshman, Esq. Karen is the founder of Racy Conversations and is a racial equity trainer and government accountability activist striving to build and support a community of people committed to love, learning, accountability, and action on race in America. Her mission is to inspire the first antiracist generation in the United States. To do this, Karen co-facilitates workshops on race nationwide and online. Media includes: The Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, CBS Local, NBC Bay Area, San Francisco KRON4.
The World Cup is ongoing and will be continuing for the next few weeks. To discuss, we FEATURE Shireen Ahmed. Shireen is a sports activist, a freelance writer and a dynamic public speaker who focuses on Muslim women, and the intersections of racism and misogyny in sports. Her work has been featured and discussed in various outlets. She is working on her first book. Media includes: Sirius XM Radio, CBC Radio, Sports Illustrated, PRI's The World, The Guardian.
Harley Davidson, amongst other companies, have decided to move production outside of the U.S. following European tariffs on American goods. The tariffs were imposed after President Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Europe. As a result, American jobs are at risk. To discuss, we FEATURE Heidi Shierholz. Shierholz leads EPI’s policy team, which monitors wage and employment policies coming out of Congress and the administration and advances a worker-first policy agenda. Shierholz was an economist at EPI from 2007 to 2014 and she rejoined EPI in 2017. From 2014 to 2017, she served the Obama administration as chief economist at the Department of Labor. Throughout her career, Shierholz has educated policymakers, journalists, and the public about the effects of economic policies on low- and middle-income families. Her research and insights on labor and employment policy, the effects of automation on the labor market, wage stagnation, inequality, and many other topics routinely shape policy proposals and inform economic news coverage. Media includes: ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, NPR, New York Times, Washington Post, the Huffington Post.
Alicia White
Liz Theran
