The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum is coming to Seattle in August. But what is APEC, and why are some of Front and Centered's coalition members and allies organizing a countersummit against it? Jill and Edgar talk with Carly and Adrián of the International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS) Seattle-Tacoma, an anti-imperialist and democratic formation that encompasses a broad range of participating organizations. Carly and Adrián tell us how they got involved with ILPS Seattle...
Jul 25, 2023
33 min
Jill and Edgar return to kick off Season 3 of On the Frontlines with a special live recording at Columbia City Theater in South Seattle! Recorded during Front and Centered's week of programming for their Earth Deserves More Than a Day event, this episode features Jill and Edgar talking about the history of South Seattle, as well as the history of Edgar's union, Familias Unidas por la Justicia. Jill also takes time to remember Berta Cáceres, an Indigenous land defender who was assassinated al...
Jul 24, 2023
43 min
For this special episode of On the Frontlines, Jill and Edgar are joined by Donna Denina of the International Women's Alliance and GABRIELA Seattle, as well as Liz Darrow of CommunityVoz Radio, for a conversation on human rights. They discuss why December 10 is International Human Rights Day, who gets to define what human rights are, and how the concept gets co-opted to justify war and other uses of force. Jill, Edgar, Donna, and Liz also get into the human rights issues under the spotlight ...
Dec 10, 2022
45 min
Now that Edgar is back in Washington, what's next for movement leaders who went to COP27, such as those in the It Takes Roots coalition? How do international agreements at the COP affect what national, regional, and local governments do in the name of responding to climate change? Jill and Edgar discuss the concept of "loss and damage," one of the provisions of the negotiated agreement released at the end of the COP. They also discuss the location of COP28 in 2023—Dubai—and how these location...
Nov 30, 2022
43 min
For this installment, Jill checks in with Edgar during his last day of crashing COP27 to talk about some final updates before Edgar heads home, including the fact that Edgar ran into Governor Jay Inslee. Edgar tells us about the run-in, why the governor was in Sharm El Sheikh, and his experience seeing Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the newly reelected President of Brazil, give a speech. Jill and Edgar then share some brief reflections on what the real solutions to climate change are, at the clo...
Nov 23, 2022
26 min
Is the COP rigged? Why does it feel like there's a predetermined agenda filled with false solutions? Is it time for an alternative to the COP, led by the grassroots? In this week's episode, Jill and Edgar break down the idea of "climate finance"—where the most wealthy nations fund climate mitigation and adaption projects in countries without the resources to implement these projects on their own—and discuss climate reparations as well. They also go into how science and expertise are often c...
Nov 21, 2022
37 min
What is the price of a whale? How many tons of carbon can you offset with a humpback? For this installment of Crash #COP27, Edgar talks about the mental toll the COP is taking on him. From the tightly controlled atmosphere that limits dissent and on the ground actions from civil society representatives, to the absurdity of the false solutions being peddled (like whales as carbon offsets), it's difficult to find hope in the COP process. Is the COP really the place for action on climate change...
Nov 16, 2022
36 min
NOTE: We had some connectivity issues while recording speakers at COP27 for this podcast, so you may hear some low-quality audio at some points. Apologies! In this special bonus episode of Crash #COP27, we present audio from different Black and Indigenous environmental justice leaders at COP27's Blue Zone. Listen directly to their stories and hear the sounds of the COP and Sharm El Sheikh, captured on the ground by Edgar. Recorded on November 11 and 12, 2022. Crash #COP27 is a special season...
Nov 15, 2022
27 min
NOTE: We had some connectivity issues while recording this podcast, so you may hear some choppy audio at some points. Apologies! For this installment of Crash #COP27, Edgar tells Jill about his first day in COP27's Blue Zone, including meeting Dr. Robert Bullard (the "Father of Environmental Justice") and participating in an action honoring and drawing attention to those incarcerated for defending the environment and other prisoners of conscience. This episode also touches on the connection ...
Nov 10, 2022
26 min
John Kerry, President Biden’s climate envoy, is at COP27, and the United States' plans for climate finance were leaked prior to their unveiling at the COP. Unfortunately, the funding the US is aiming to procure for developing countries is to come from carbon offsets and market mechanisms, and as the Climate Justice Alliance and the It Takes Roots coalition have argued, Biden's plan will accelerate climate change at the expense of Indigenous peoples and frontline communities. Jill and Edgar ...
Nov 9, 2022
26 min
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