Eric Ward knows something about courage. He has demonstrated it for over 40 years, infiltrating alt-right groups in the rural Pacific Northwest to reveal what animates its followers, advancing American scholarship about antisemitism as a gateway to white nationalist movements globally, and speaking out about how this authoritarian moment is a reaction to 75 years of Black civil rights struggles and wins in this country. And now he is asking us to be courageous, to use our words and our actions, to live our values and to let go of the self-imposed fractures within the movements, organizations and sectors that prize democracy. This, Eric tells us, is the path to a future as a multiracial and inclusive America. There are countless compelling threads to what Eric shares on this episode of Power Station, but what resonates most for me is that when we fail to act on this imperative the burden is borne by our most vulnerable communities. Eric tells the story here, powerfully and with a surprising amount of hopefulness and joy. It starts with just showing up.

Literacy is so essential to how we live, communicate, learn, build relationships, and participate in society that we rarely consider how many people in our lives and communities have not had access to it. The numbers tell a story that demands our attention and requires a solution that is embedded into our social systems. Today, 140 million American adults cannot read beyond a 5th or 6th grade level. This is a crisis and a generational barrier to parents who want their children to succeed but are unable to assist them in the journey. As Dr. Heather Jenkins, my guest on this episode of Power Station says, we have a history in this country of gatekeeping the pathway to literacy. As President and CEO of The Literacy Lab, she is building and implementing a model of learning that demonstrates what is possible when we value our educators and the children in their care. Dr. Jenkins wants to know why America's literacy emergency is not a national conversation. After learning about the efficacy of the Literacy Lab's training, teaching, professional development and advocacy you will wonder why this vital organization's work is not headline news.

Our origin stories all too often predict our economic futures. Those born into households without livable incomes and durable assets, lack the resources needed to meet their material needs, let alone their aspirations for home ownership. And they did not arrive there by accident. Public and corporate policymaking has intentionally excluded people of color from lending opportunities, in particular mortgages and small business loans, deepening a racial wealth gap that has proven difficult to bridge. But, as Sasha-Gaye Angus, my guest on this episode of Power Station reminds us, public policymaking can also solve for historical inequities by expanding opportunities for affordable home ownership, a key strategy for creating generational wealth. As President and CEO of MANNA, Inc, a nonprofit champion of affordable housing in Washington, DC for 45 years, Sasha brings deep expertise in housing finance, new construction, preservation of rental units and a profound commitment to community building. MANNA Inc. remains true to its vision for making affordable housing accessible but now it is building and innovating at scale. Her own origin story, like that of MANNA itself, is rooted in love for community and a belief in what we can achieve together.  

Why are we continuously surprised when we learn about the latest cruel, punitive and democracy-defying actions taken by a president who does not care about the rule of law and who has leveraged his own party in Congress to diminish human, civil, immigrant and voting rights in America? This question is particularly relevant for nonprofits whose missions are antithetical to this administration and whose leaders are the first to speak out against legislative and funding setbacks. It is understandable, but not wise, that beleaguered nonprofit leaders are looking to the mid-terms to change the course of this political moment. To better understand how nonprofits should approach their next steps I sought out veteran political strategist and crisis communications advisor Jennifer Kohl for answers. In this episode of Power Station, Jenn, CEO of Chrysalis Communications warns us that a positive outcome in the upcoming elections will only fuel the president's campaign of retribution. Jen shares what can happen when organizations stop doing business as usual and instead make an all-hands on deck plan for the inevitable next crisis. It turns out that catastrophic thinking can be transformed into a blueprint for building power.    

It is no surprise to listeners, many of whom are in the trenches of strengthening under-invested communities, that few strategies are as impactful as Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). These U.S. Department of Treasury-certified nonprofits operate in communities that banks do not serve, leaving them starved for capital and financial education. In many rural communities and in Indian Country specifically, CDFIs are often the only lending institutions available. It is important to note that low-income and communities of color carry the legacy of redlining and other public policies and corporate practices that intentionally barred low-income and people of color from small business loans and mortgages. It took years of grassroots action to move Congress to enact the Community Reinvestment Act and the Reigle Act, both of which are standout legislative solutions. On this episode of Power Station, Pete Upton, (Ponca Tribe of Nebraska) CEO of the Native CDFI Network, talks about how his on-the-ground members serve and invest in Native citizens across our nation, generating businesses, expanding homeownership and seeding generational wealth in Indian Country. He is a convener, bringing federal leaders, Native CDFI leaders and philanthropy to a common table to celebrate successes and advocate for what is needed and owed. 

Sometimes a single data point tells a story that cries out for our attention, reflection and action. In California, 35,000 people, two thirds of whom are Black and Brown, are serving life sentences in the state's prison system. Nationally, 200,000 men and women are serving life sentences, one of every 6 prisoners overall. And while the criminal justice system is long overdue for structural reform, we also need to examine, name and repair both the public systems, from housing to healthcare, that fail to meet basic needs and our societal failure to intervene when young people are struggling and showing signs of distress. It is the life's work of Keith Wattley, my guest on this episode of Power Station, to provide prisoners who have served decades behind bars with the legal and therapeutic interventions they did not receive earlier in life. Doing so uncovers that the violence and trauma they experienced led them to perpetrate violence on others. Uncommon Law, the game changing nonprofit organization that he founded 20 years ago makes navigating California's parole process and a pathway home possible. Imagine, as Keith says, if we all had the right to heal.

Ableism favors the non-disabled at any cost. That is the powerful phrase that resonates after my conversation with India Harville, an exceptionally talented dancer, educator and disability justice advocate. It conveys that ableism is structural, embedded in government systems and in our cultural norms, which limit the access of disabled people to resources, opportunity and agency over their own lives. This reality, although exacerbated in this toxic political climate is not new. It has taken fearless organizing by generations of disabled activists to forge game changing policy breakthroughs, including passage of the now embattled Americans for Disabilities Act and Fair Housing Laws. So, it is not surprising that for India, advocacy is an everyday necessity. She is active in legislative policy campaigns that advance disability justice and she uses her voice and expertise to support her fellow dancers in securing housing and attendents. At Embraced Body, the nonprofit she founded, India makes self-expression accessible to dancers with disabilities and other marginalized identities. As a consultant, she coaches organizations in taking the steps needed to create inclusive workplaces where everyone is seen and heard. We can all learn from India and for our collective humanity, we must.  

Shannan Herbert has watched many people walk past banks and the people-centered CDFI she leads on the same block, to take their financial business to check cashing places and liquor stores where the cost of cashing a check or taking out an emergency loan is extortionary. For years, CDFI associations, government agencies, and think tanks have reported on the millions of Americans who are unbanked and lack access to capital. As CEO of Washington Area Community Investment Fund (WACIF), which serves new and next-level entrepreneurs and small business owners in Washington DC's underinvested Wards 5, 7 and 8, Shannan wanted to know why people opted for such predatory establishments. In this episode of Power Station, she shares findings from WACIF's just-released report, Beyond Access: Addressing the Trust Gap to Unlock Responsible Capital. In listening sessions conducted in partnership with Onyx Therapy Group and Building Bridges Across the River, participants recounted interactions with financial institutions that left them feeling humiliated and unwelcome. The trauma they experienced led them to payday lenders whose practices are designed to keep low-income borrowers in debt. This report, followed by the creation of a changemaking financial product, will unlock systems transformation and personal opportunity.

It is exceedingly rare, in this political season, to find members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who agree on the value of a government policy to their constituents and the economic infrastructure in the red and blue states they represent. Community Development Financial Institutions, created through the Reigel Act of 1994 have earned that distinction because they deploy capital and technical guidance in low-income and rural communities that banks fail to serve. These 1,300 (mostly) nonprofit CDFIs are financial springboards for people and organizations who want to launch a community-oriented food business, preserve rental affordability through land trusts and facilitate worker owned enterprises. At a time in which Americans are deeply divided and economically stressed I wanted to know how CDFIs are faring and meeting the moment. For this episode of Power Station, I turned to trusted community development advisor John Holdsclaw, President and CEO of Rochdale Capital, for answers. In this episode of Power Station, we discuss the disconnect between what smaller funds need to serve community needs and what philanthropy is willing to provide. They need equity to sustain themselves and to make grants as modest as $5,000, which the data shows can be transformational. The stories are the data. We all need to listen.    

All parents know the heart wrenching feeling of having to work when they are worried about the safety of their children. Imagine if those parents are farmworkers who start their workday at 3:00am and use their remarkable and underpaid skills to harvest the crops that end up as food on our tables. Imagine if their only option for childcare is to bring their babies and toddlers into the fields with them. That scenario has become increasingly rare because of a highly committed and expert network of caring professionals who operate Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Centers, highly specialized early childhood facilities across 34 states. In this episode of Power Station, I speak with Cleofas Rodriguez, the powerhouse leader of National Ag Families Head State Association (formerly National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association) about the singular eco-system of farmworker families, educational providers and farmers he unites to ensure that the children of our nation's essential workers receive the early education and care needed to be successful when they enter kindergarten. It is a personal revelation for me each time I meet with this organization's brilliant summer interns. As Cleo says, investing in them yields the most extraordinary results. Hear Lizette and Sayra and you will agree.