Living in a Blue state that isn't considered "up for grabs" in a presidential election can lead to feelings of powerlessness. Tom Hallock and a handful of his friends felt that way in 2016 — so they packed up and traveled out of state to get out the vote. Though that election didn't pan out the way Tom hoped, he realized he and his friends could bring the resources and enthusiasm of progressive areas to the people who really need them... at scale. That's how Force Multiplier was born. In the...

After Kamala Harris launched her presidential campaign, identity-based groups started popping up and organizing calls to express support and raise money. One of those groups was Swifties4Kamala. While organizing around a common musical taste may seem unconventional, they’ve been able to harness their Swiftie power into political power, raising money and organizing calls with big names in politics and culture.

You can find Democrats wherever you go in this country — north or south, urban or rural, on the coast or otherwise. Sometimes, they’re undecided voters. Sometimes, they’re staunch liberals fighting to find a foothold in a local government dominated by Republicans. In this episode, we’re taking a trip to Huntington, Indiana to learn about how one woman is taking action in a broadly conservative county to increase visibility and push for change — and how more Democrats in similar situations can...

In our second dispatch from the DNC, a group of influencers and changemakers share what first inspired them to step up and make change in their communities. You might have seen some of their posts cross your feed online! Each of them has a unique path to action – and whether it’s running for office, traveling the country to change minds, or even making memes, their stories show us there are countless ways to make a difference.

In our first of two episodes recorded at the DNC, Busy Philipps – the award-winning star of some of the most iconic TV shows from the 90s and early 2000s – tells a story about taking a risk and speaking up for the issue that mattered most to her… and how she started a viral movement in the process.

Build the Change explores the diverse stories of advocates, nonprofits, politicians, parents, students, and more, who are fighting for progressive causes. Join us every week until the election for a special Build the Change season featuring incredible changemakers mobilizing Democratic support right now – including interviews recorded on the DNC floor. You’ll walk away with plenty of inspiration… and just maybe, a few new ideas for how to get involved and build the change yourself.

More and more, it feels like our country is offering its citizens the care they need to survive, but not to thrive. At the same time, we're witnessing an increase of attempts to repeal health coverage laws like the Affordable Care Act, and privatize programs like Medicaid. This has left the disability community at the forefront of the fight to protect and expand our governments’ care resources. So, what happens when you get tired of waiting around for change and you decide to take matters...

The United States’ system of abortion care is mired in stigma and resistant to change. However, between increasing evidence for the safety of medication abortion, lawsuits against the FDA, and the COVID-19 pandemic, a unique solution for more abortion freedom rose to prominence: virtual care. Despite such strides, gaps in access remain. And these new freedoms stand on the precipice of being stripped after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. We’ll hear from a trio of healthcare providers, who...

In Minnesota, a landmark piece of legislation promised better resources for people experiencing mental health crises. Advocates worked hard to get Travis’ Law passed – it was named after a man killed by the police while in the midst of a mental health crisis. And it was written to ensure trained professionals would respond to these kinds of calls. But the work doesn’t stop there. Today, advocates say the law isn’t always being enforced. We’ll hear from families and organizations in Minnesota...

Agricultural work is physically demanding, and that work gets even more exhausting during the summer months, which are getting hotter and hotter each year due to climate change. As a country, we depend on farm workers to keep us fed and nourished, but how they do that is often invisible to consumers. We’ll hear from a farm worker about her experiences in the field under the hot sun, and from an organization taking steps to guarantee better protections for farm workers like her. In this...

The effects of climate change are already evident in communities across the U.S. To both mitigate and coexist with this new reality, indigenous leaders across the country are driving solutions that prioritize both people and the environment. We’ll travel to Alaska to hear how kelp farming is helping coastal communities and species adapt to climate change…and then to Hawai’i, where a Native-led organization combined indigenous knowledge and modern engineering to help prevent disastrous...

In rural Appalachia, being openly queer can be dangerous for kids. But a group of students in one small town knew they weren't getting the history education they wanted -- so they banded together with their favorite French teacher to bring an idea to life. From the perspective of that teacher and the student who started it all, this is the story of the Open Light club, and how students’ idea to teach themselves LGBTQ history after class grew into something so much bigger. They faced...

Sometimes, joy, celebration, and community are the best tools we have to fight against hate. When the Texas Legislature attempted to criminalize drag in the state, one drag queen used those exact tools to mobilize her community. We’ll learn how they successfully fought back against the attempt to stifle not just their careers, but their modes of expression. Plus, we take a visit to a drag story hour in Brooklyn, New York to talk to the community of people joining forces to drown out the hate....

Local candidates can transform the lives of thousands of people – for better or worse. Three stories take us through the journey of what it takes to win elections and serve in these positions. From discovering a problem and choosing to step up, to getting out the vote, to navigating precarious party margins and fighting for progress– community support is everything. And the same issues we see dominating the national conversation can often hinge on just a handful of votes. In this episode,...

Across the country, everyday people are coming together to build something bigger than themselves: real change. But what does it take to make it happen? In Build the Change, host Alok Vaid-Menon explores the diverse stories of advocates, nonprofits, politicians, parents, students, and more, who are fighting for progressive causes. Join them on this journey across the country, and get inspired to build the change in your community.