Hurricane Michael has devastated the Florida panhandle and relief efforts are underway. To discuss, we FEATURE Pia Wanek. Wanek has directed Humanitarian Assistance’s response for a variety of crises, including the West African Ebola epidemic, the 2014 war in Gaza, the ongoing Syrian conflict, and Puerto Rico after the hurricanes. A seasoned humanitarian assistance professional, Wanek has more than 15 years of experience in the donor community and the NGO world. She worked for USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance for six years, predominantly on East and Central Africa emergency response programs, and supported the civil-military portfolio at the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration and strategic planning and policy development at the Consular Affairs bureau at the State Department. Media includes: DevEx, The Cypher Brief, Vice News.

Native American IDs are not being accepted at polling places in North Dakota and, in Georgia, many voter registrations (70% of which are from black applicants) have been put on hold. To discuss voter suppression, we FEATURE Glynda C. Carr. An activist and political strategist, Carr is recognized for her innovative leadership style, commitment to expanding the civic participation of communities of color and advancing progressive public policies that build sustainable communities. In 2011, Carr co-founded Higher heights for America a national organization focused on inspiring Black women to be change agents by harnessing their collective power and influence to eliminate the inequities in public education, health and economic opportunities for black women, their families and communities across the United States. Extensive media experience.

Elizabeth Warren recently released DNA test results to prove that she has Native American ancestry despite the Cherokee Nation already stating that she is not a member of their nation. To discuss Native identity, we FEATURE Mary Kathryn Nagle, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Nagle is an attorney/playwright working to restore and preserve tribal sovereignty and jurisdiction. Nagle graduated summa cum laude from Tulane Law School and subsequently clerked on both the federal district court and United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. As a Partner at Pipestem Law PC, she has filed briefs in the United States Supreme Court that advocate for safety for Native women from domestic violence and sexual assault. Media includes:  MSNBC, NPR, The Washington Post, The New York Times, MoveOn.Org, Slate.

The tent city in Texas for immigrant children has expanded at an alarming rate-- capacity has grown from 400 beds to over 3,800 beds since its opening in June. To discuss, we FEATURE Marisa Franco. Franco  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. In her over 10 years of work as an organizer and movement builder, Marisa has helped lead key grassroots organizing campaigns rooted in low-income and communities of color, characterized by their innovation and effectiveness. Most recently she led the #Not1More Deportation campaign. Media includes: Politico, CNN, MSNBC, Univision, The Washington Post.

Midterm elections are coming up in the next few weeks. To discuss, we FEATURE Robin Leeds. Leeds is the founder and managing director of Winning Strategies LLC, a public affairs and political consulting firm based in Washington, DC.  Winning Strategies provides a wide range of services including multi-cultural and crisis communications, public policy advocacy, stakeholder engagement, coalition building, issues management, and corporate social responsibility. Widely regarded as a leading voting rights advocate, in Massachusetts, Leeds served on the Secretary of State’s Voter Participation Partnership, as director of Human SERVE (Human Services Employees Voter Registration and Education), and campaign manager of the Voter Registration by Mail ballot initiative. Leeds has consistently fought to increase women’s participation, visibility, and leadership in politics and government. Media includes: Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, Politico, France 24, Medium. 

Harvard is facing a lawsuit stating that the university is putting too much consideration into applicant's race during the admissions process. To discuss, we FEATURE Debra Guckenheimer. Guckenheimer is a Research Associate at the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University. Previously, she was a Research Associate at the Hadassah Brandeis Institute at Brandeis University, a Visiting Assistant Professor at Bowdoin College, and a Postdoctoral Research Associate with the NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Program at Northeastern University. She is an expert on social change efforts to reduce inequalities based on race, class, gender, sexuality, and disability. Extensive media experience.

Alt-right group the Proud Boys violently attacked protestors in New York City this past weekend while NYPD failed to arrest any of the attackers. To discuss, we FEATURE Kelly J. Baker. Baker is the editor of Women in Higher Education (WIHE). Before taking over as editor of WIHE this year, Kelly was a freelance writer who covered religion, higher education, racism, gender, contingent labor, and popular culture for the past three years. Her award-winning book, Gospel According to the Klan: The KKK’s Appeal to Protestant America, 1915-1930 (University Press of Kansas, 2011), is the first to analyze the white religious nationalism of the 1920s Klan and the continued legacy of their particular form of white nationalism today. Media includes: The New York Times, The Atlantic, Washington Post, The Chronicle for Higher Education, Religion & Politics.

Angela Merkel's allies in Bavaria have lost ground in the Bavaria election and the growing far-right AfD party is facing opposition in Berlin where 240,000 people marched against the far-right this past weekend. To discuss, we FEATURE Terri Givens. Givens is a Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. She earned her bachelor’s degree in international relations from Stanford University and her doctoral degree in political science from the University of California at Los Angeles. As a scholar, she focuses on the global politics of immigration, European politics, international relations and party politics. Her publications includeVoting Radical Right in Western Europe, Immigration Policy and Securityand Legislating Equality: The Politics of Antidiscrimination Policy in Europe. Media includes:  BBC, PBS, NPR.

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, have recently announced that they are expecting a child. To discuss, we FEATURE Renee Ann Cramer. Cramer is a professor of undergraduate legal studies, and an expert in reprodutive law and politics, critical race and feminist theory, and American Indian law and politics. She writes at the intersections of contemporary political life and popular culture in the United States. Cramer’s most recent book, published by Stanford University Press in 2015, is Pregnant with the Stars: Watching and Wanting the Celebrity Baby Bump. The book examines our cultural obsession with celebrity pregnancy, and argues that in our obsession with those “bumps” we become willing to regulate, surveil, and commodify the pregnancies of average women. Media includes: The Washington Post, The New York Times, Bitch! magazine, The New Republic, Time.

The USA has qualified for the 2019 Women's World Cup in France. To discuss, we FEATURE Anya Alvarez. Alvarez is a former professional golfer, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the founder of Major League Girls: a website that highlights girls in sports. During her time in college, she developed a passion for women's issues and writing, and later merged that passion with sports. Alvarez played golf professionally for three years, and left the sport to pursue her passion of writing and advocacy. She focuses on covering women in sports, and also the issues that directly impact female athletes, and the social constructs limiting female athletes from having a higher profile. Media includes: ESPN, Rolling Stone, VICE Sports, ReWire, Slate Magazine, USA Today, Golf Channel, CBS Morning News.