We’re bringing you an episode of a new podcast we think you’ll love: The Amendment. A new podcast about gender, politics, and power from The 19th News and Wonder Media Network, The Amendment is hosted by award-winning journalist and 19th editor-at-large Errin Haines. Each week, Errin sits down with people who have fresh perspectives on the state of our country – and asks questions that center the voices of women, queer folks, and people of color. The Amendment adds much needed asterisks to...

The midterms were a turning point in the political season, all thanks to voters like you turning out to the polls. In today’s bonus episode, A’shanti sits down with Tamara Wilds Lawson, the Movement, Issue, and Charitable Organizations (MICO) Director at ActBlue. They discuss the midterms, grassroots momentum, and the issues that get people out to vote.

It’s election day: the time to exercise our constitutional right to vote. While it should be simple to cast a ballot, it's often not. And that’s not by accident. The Black vote has never truly been protected, and many states are passing new legislation to actively suppress Black votes. In BGG’s Season 9 finale, A’shanti welcomes back previous guest LaTosha Brown, the co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund. Together, they lay out the various forces at play in our country that contribute to...

Though many view it as an ugly relic of the past, violence against Black and brown folks is still a massive problem in the United States. A’shanti brings on Melanie Campbell, the president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, to talk about the racial violence epidemic in our country. Much of Melanie’s work centers civil rights and social justice with a focus on building Black political power. They discuss the opportunity that the upcoming midterms present to vote in...

Not only is the classroom the gateway to education, it’s also the first place we learn about ourselves. Growing up, so many Black and brown kids learn not just about math and science, but about racism, microaggressions, and the world through the biases kids – and teachers – bring into the classroom. Lately, conservatives have been buzzing with complaints about the books children are being taught and critical race theory brainwashing children. This politicization of education is rooted in...

Here's a special episode from the Pushkin podcast Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso. Every week on Talk Easy, Sam invites an activist, artist, or politician to come to the table and speak from the heart – in ways you probably haven't heard from them before. Today, you'll hear his new conversation with Congresswoman Cori Bush. They unpack the state of the Democratic party, Bush's powerful new memoir, The Forerunner, her upbringing and activism in St. Louis, the Congresswoman's tireless fight for...

Gun violence is a uniquely American problem that has only gotten worse in recent years. In 2020, there were nearly 50,000 gun related deaths in the United States. However, in June 2022, gun violence prevention advocates saw a victory when President Biden signed into law the first major piece of gun safety legislation that Congress has passed in nearly thirty years. A’shanti sits down to discuss the gun violence epidemic with Monisha Henley, the Managing Director of State Government Affairs at...

Immigrants are a huge part of what makes America…America. And in recent months, we’ve seen an increasing number of  immigrants arrive at our southern border, many of them fleeing violence and persecution to claim asylum in the United States. A’shanti speaks with immigration attorney Katherine Ventura of the Capital Area Immigrant Rights (CAIR) Coalition about the complexities of doing her job in a country that denies the humanity and rights of so many immigrants. They talk about Title 42 and...

The economy impacts all of us, but economic issues disproportionately impact Black and brown women. In this episode, A’shanti speaks with organizer Hope Wollensack, who is the founding Executive Director of the Georgia Resilience and Opportunity (GRO) Fund, an organization that advances solutions to racial and economic injustice. In their conversation, A’shanti and Hope discuss universal basic income, break down the racist myth of the “welfare queen,” and get into how giving money directly to...

Youth climate activist Nalleli Cobo grew up in South Central Los Angeles across the street from a toxic oil drilling site. From a young age, she experienced headaches, nosebleeds, asthma, body spasms, and at age 19, she was diagnosed with cancer. Alongside her mother, she began attending meetings and going door-to-door to spread information about the dangers of oil extraction and in 2020, she successfully shut down the drilling site in her neighborhood. In this episode, Nalleli and A’shanti...

The overturning of Roe v. Wade was one of the most sensational events of the year, though not for the better. In the season 9 premiere, A’shanti sits down with Oriaku Njoku, the new executive director for the National Network for Abortion Funds to talk about what’s next following the fall of this landmark decision. They delve into the reasons abortion is healthcare, the importance of Black women’s voices at the forefront of the reproductive justice movement, and why it’s time for a radical...

It’s been quite a year for voters. From the overturn of Roe v Wade, to spiking inflation rates, to ever-increasing violence against our communities, the decisions we make at the polls are as important as ever. The Brown Girls Guide to Politics Season 9 is here to steer listeners through the most pressing decisions this election season.

Well, here we are. We're on the other side of what we've been talking about for years. Roe v. Wade has been struck down, and for the first time in our lifetime, abortion is no longer protected. In our first episode, Kate and Jamia talk to folks who've been living, and working, and surviving, in a state where abortion access has been under fire for years, even before Roe fell -- Kentucky. Our sponsor, ActBlue, has tools to help you support local reproductive justice groups or abortion funds...

In this episode, host A’shanti Gholar speaks with Cianti Stewart-Reid, Executive Director of Fair Fight Action, and Esosa Osa, Deputy Executive Director of Fair Fight Action. We discuss the challenges that come with leadership, share lessons learned, and discuss what it means to be a trailblazer. Thanks to our sponsor, Fair Fight Action.

Given the Supreme Court leak, we're bringing you a bonus episode from the show Ordinary Equality. Executive Producer Jenny Kaplan sat down with OE Hosts Kate Kelly and Jamia Wilson to talk about what comes next in a post-Roe v. Wade world.

How do cultural icons find themselves unexpectedly inhabiting a role as “activist"? From Wonder Media Network comes The Accidental Activist, a new podcast hosted by acclaimed journalist and former CNN Anchor Isha Sesay. Join Isha as she sits down with an array of celebrities, entertainers, and creators to find out the motivating circumstances behind their passions, all while revealing the human condition that unites us all: a desire to make a difference in the world.

It’s our season finale! What better way to celebrate a season full of Trailblazers than spotlighting someone at the forefront of change in this country: Mini Timmaraju. Mini is president of NARAL and the first woman of color to run the organization. She knows more than anyone else that across this country, reproductive rights are under attack. For the first time in decades, a massive population of people are losing a fundamental, constitutional freedom in real time. It’s a fight we know well,...

When today’s guest, NYC Councilmember Shahana Hanif, ran for office, she knew it wasn’t going to be an easy job. So, she reframed the campaign– her race wasn’t just a job, it was a commitment to her city. A commitment to the neighborhood that raised her. Shahana, AKA Shahana from BK, is the first Muslim woman elected to New York City Council and the first woman Council Member for the 39th District. She’s a leader in policy that puts women, communities of color, and disability advocacy at the...

In 223 years, there has never been a Black woman on the Supreme Court—– and now, with the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, this country is closer than ever to making the Supreme Court more reflective of the nation it represents. Today, we’re talking to someone who knows every detail of this trailblazing moment: Meagan Hatcher-Mays, Director of Democracy at Indivisible. She’s talking about the work Indivisible is doing behind the scenes of Judge Brown Jackson’s nomination, what her...

In this episode, host A’shanti Gholar speaks with Dany Sigwalt, executive director of Power Shift Network, Christine Nobiss, founder of Great Plains Action Society, and Erica Nash of ActBlue. We discuss the challenges that come with leadership, share lessons learned, and discuss what it means to be a trailblazer.

Today’s guest, Dr. Sadaf Jaffer, is the first Asian American and first Muslim American woman sworn into the New Jersey General Assembly, and formerly the first Muslim woman to serve as a mayor in the United Sates. This trailblazer knows what it takes to win an election! Without prior political experience, Sadaf decided to be the change she wanted to see in her community by training with EMERGE and running for office. Sadaf tells us how her intersecting identities and messaging enabled her to...

I'm sharing a special preview of the new podcast, Getting Even with Anita Hill, from Pushkin Industries. The American icon talks with trailblazers like Kimberlé Crenshaw, Misty Copeland, and Nikole Hannah-Jones who have taken risks to make our society more equal. You’ll hear stories from their lives and their work, and amazing lessons about looking outside the lines, breaking the “rules,” and forging our own paths to equality. In this preview, Anita talks about the 1991 Supreme Court hearing...

As the daughter of Young Lord activists, Mia Bonta grew up always being reminded how important it was for her to fight for what she, and other poor Black and brown people, deserve. Mia spent 25 years in the nonprofit world doing just this, but it wasn’t until recently that she made the choice to pivot into politics. Today, Mia is the California assemblymember representing the East Bay, as well as the former president of the Alameda Unified School Board. As one of few women of color—and the...

We know representation matters at every level, but that doesn’t change the facts: getting into politics is daunting, even including today’s guest, Sändra Washington, the first Black lesbian elected to Lincoln, NE’s City Council. Today, Sändra is a newly re-elected member of the Council. But before her time in Lincoln, Sändra spent 25 years working in the National Park Service. When she joined the Council by special appointment, she brought those experiences with her to better represent her...