Episodios

  • The FTA & Antiwar Protests in 1971 (Cross-Post from Unsung History)

    The FTA & Antiwar Protests in 1971 (Cross-Post from Unsung History)
    Jul 24 2024

    While we gear up to bring you Season 3 of What Can I Do, focused on how to take action in a presidential election year, please enjoy this episode of Unsung History focused on antiwar activism.

    In 1971, a group of performers calling themselves the Free Theatre Associates (FTA), including Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland, began putting on popular antiwar shows for audiences of active-duty GIs. Over 10 months they performed near military bases all over the United States and in the Pacific Rim. The Pacific Rim tour led to a documentary, which was released briefly in July 1972 and then quickly yanked from theaters. To help us learn about the FTA, Kelly is joined by theater historian Dr. Lindsay Goss, Assistant Professor in the School Of Theater, Film And Media Arts at Temple University and author of F*ck the Army!: How Soldiers and Civilians Staged the GI Movement to End the Vietnam War.

    Complete Show Notes: https://www.unsunghistorypodcast.com/FTA/
    Más Menos
    48 m
  • “What can we do as community to protect each other?” (w/ Angela Ferrell-Zabala, ED of Mom’s Demand Action)

    “What can we do as community to protect each other?” (w/ Angela Ferrell-Zabala, ED of Mom’s Demand Action)
    Dec 13 2023
    Are you looking for some hope and next steps when it comes to combatting gun violence in your community and nationally? This week we spoke to Angela Ferrell-Zabala from Mom’s Demand Action to dig into the seemingly intractable issue of gun violence and learn about how Mom’s Demand Action, their affiliated organization Students Demand Action, and the larger ecosystem of gun violence prevention organizations are working together, advocating for better policy, and, most importantly, supporting volunteer actions at the local level that you (yes you!) can get involved in. Beyond the headlines there’s progress getting made on this issue all over the country, and Angela told us how Mom’s Demand can help interested “mothers and others” get involved in lobbying and learn how to take smaller, more approachable actions in their communities. Episode Links: Mom’s Demand Action: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Take Action: Text “Ready” to 64433 Follow Lila on Twitter Follow Kelly on Twitter Follow the podcast on Twitter at @WhatCanIDoPod To contact us with questions or guest suggestions, email us at: hello@WhatCanIDoPodcast.com.  Please rate and review and tell your friends! Credits: To the best of our knowledge, all audio used by What Can I Do is in the public domain or is used with permission. Our theme song is Good Deeds by Serj Anto, and we hold a license for use of the song through PremiumBeat. Original artwork is by Matthew Weflen and used with express permission.
    Más Menos
    30 m
  • “There's somebody in every town who is a busybody.” (w/ Carla Nordstrom, Retired Teacher and Community Activist)

    “There's somebody in every town who is a busybody.” (w/ Carla Nordstrom, Retired Teacher and Community Activist)
    Oct 11 2023
    Are you retired and looking for a way to get involved? A few weeks ago we heard from a listener looking for information about how to approach activism as a retired person. She was sick of postcarding and other activities that don’t feel effective, so we decided to chat with the busiest retired activist we know…Lila’s mother, Carla Nordstrom! In our wide-ranging conversation, we talk about the many skills retired people bring to the table, how they’re uniquely situated for effective community organizing, and what kinds of things Carla does to keep her community informed and promote the candidates and causes she’s working on. Episode Links: Follow Lila on Twitter Follow Kelly on Twitter Follow the podcast on Twitter at @WhatCanIDoPod To contact us with questions or guest suggestions, email us at:  hello@WhatCanIDoPodcast.com.  Please rate and review and tell your friends! Credits: To the best of our knowledge, all audio used by What Can I Do is in the public domain or is used with permission. Our theme song is Good Deeds by Serj Anto, and we hold a license for use of the song through PremiumBeat. Original artwork is by Matthew Weflen and used with express permission. 
    Más Menos
    47 m
  • "Can I actually bring something to this work to this fight? That is going to add value?" (w/ Hannah Fried, Executive Director of All Voting is Local)

    "Can I actually bring something to this work to this fight? That is going to add value?" (w/ Hannah Fried, Executive Director of All Voting is Local)
    Sep 27 2023
    Are you interested in aiding in the fight to make the vote more accessible in your state or community? Hannah Fried is a lawyer by trade who worked for the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama before founding All Voting is Local, a non-profit that works in eight states to protect the vote at the local level. She talks us through the founding of All Voting is Local, including how she funded the organization and assembled her team in the early days, as well as what their work entails and how regular people can step up to protect the vote in their communities. Episode Links: All Voting is Local: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Follow Lila on Twitter Follow Kelly on Twitter Follow the podcast on Twitter at @WhatCanIDoPod To contact us with questions or guest suggestions, email us at: hello@WhatCanIDoPodcast.com.  Please rate and review and tell your friends! Credits: To the best of our knowledge, all audio used by What Can I Do is in the public domain or is used with permission. Our theme song is Good Deeds by Serj Anto, and we hold a license for use of the song through PremiumBeat. Original artwork is by Matthew Weflen and used with express permission.
    Más Menos
    32 m
  • “At the end of the day, when you're talking about activism, it's just a bigger word for care.” (w/ Sabrina Cartan of Fandom Forward and director Eliyannah Amirah Yisrael)

    “At the end of the day, when you're talking about activism, it's just a bigger word for care.” (w/ Sabrina Cartan of Fandom Forward and director Eliyannah Amirah Yisrael)
    Sep 6 2023
    Are you a part of a fan community and wondering how to use your passion and interest to make the world a better place?  Sabrina Cartan and Eliyannah Amirah Yisrael are organizers, creatives, fans, and believe communities organized around pop culture are inherently political and ripe for organizing. Sabrina talks about the power of fan movements and how they are harnessed through her work with Fandom Forward, an organization that connects causes to fan communities. Eliyannah talks to us about how her political and fan interests inform her work as a creative and how her activism and work are often one in the same. A really inspiring and timely episode for anybody looking for ways to connect their activism to their other interests! Episode Links: Sabrina Cartan: Website | Instagram | Twitter Eliyannah Amirah Yisrael: YouTube | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Fandom Forward: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Follow Lila on Twitter Follow Kelly on Twitter Follow the podcast on Twitter at @WhatCanIDoPod To contact us with questions or guest suggestions, email us at: hello@WhatCanIDoPodcast.com.  Please rate and review and tell your friends! Credits: To the best of our knowledge, all audio used by What Can I Do is in the public domain or is used with permission. Our theme song is Good Deeds by Serj Anto, and we hold a license for use of the song through PremiumBeat. Original artwork is by Matthew Weflen and used with express permission.
    Más Menos
    42 m
  • “Think of graphic design not as self-expression but as visual communication.” (w/ Innosanto Nagara, graphic designer and best-selling author and illustrator of children’s books about activism and organizing)

    “Think of graphic design not as self-expression but as visual communication.” (w/ Innosanto Nagara, graphic designer and best-selling author and illustrator of children’s books about activism and organizing)
    Aug 30 2023
    Thinking about how to effectively use graphic design in your organizing work? Innosanto Nagara is a designer who has long used his visual communication skills in his organizing, but found a unique way to help the next generation join the fight by writing and illustrating the best-selling board book A is For Activist. So began a successful second career as a children’s book author. Inno’s books cover the topics he wanted to teach his own child about, things like taking action, being part of a community, learning about legacies of colonialism, and understanding how movement’s are constructed and how they succeed. We talk about effective graphic design, why he began writing books for children, and how we can help the next generation learn about the issues that matter. Episode Links: Innosanto Nagara: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Buy the Books: Bookshop | Seven Stories Press Follow Lila on Twitter Follow Kelly on Twitter Follow the podcast on Twitter at @WhatCanIDoPod To contact us with questions or guest suggestions, email us at:  hello@WhatCanIDoPodcast.com.  Please rate and review and tell your friends! Credits: To the best of our knowledge, all audio used by What Can I Do is in the public domain or is used with permission. Our theme song is Good Deeds by Serj Anto, and we hold a license for use of the song through PremiumBeat. Original artwork is by Matthew Weflen and used with express permission.
    Más Menos
    33 m
  • “One of the best things lawyers can do is have the courage to speak out.” (w/ Brett Edkins, Managing Director for Policy & Political Affairs at Stand Up America)

    “One of the best things lawyers can do is have the courage to speak out.” (w/ Brett Edkins, Managing Director for Policy & Political Affairs at Stand Up America)
    Aug 23 2023
    Terrified about the state of SCOTUS and the courts and wondering how you can take action to support court reform? We started this podcast in the days after Dobbs, so we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Brett Edkins from Stand Up America to chat about his journey from law school to advocacy, how lawyers can use their skills to advocate for and support court reform, and the role regular people can play in standing up to corruption in the American courts. He’s got advice on everything from simple actions you can take right now to policy changes regular citizens and politicians alike can pursue at the local and national level. Episode Links: Action Items: Text “Stand” to 63033 | Email Your Representatives Follow Stand Up America: Website | TikTok | Instagram | Twitter Follow Brett Edkins: Twitter Follow Lila on Twitter Follow Kelly on Twitter Follow the podcast on Twitter at @WhatCanIDoPod To contact us with questions or guest suggestions, email us at: hello@WhatCanIDoPodcast.com.  Please rate and review and tell your friends! Credits: To the best of our knowledge, all audio used by What Can I Do is in the public domain or is used with permission. Our theme song is Good Deeds by Serj Anto, and we hold a license for use of the song through PremiumBeat. Original artwork is by Matthew Weflen and used with express permission. 
    Más Menos
    37 m
  • “If you treat me like a problem, maybe I should turn into one.” (w/ Maggie Carter, Staff Organizer at the Starbucks Workers United)

    “If you treat me like a problem, maybe I should turn into one.” (w/ Maggie Carter, Staff Organizer at the Starbucks Workers United)
    Aug 16 2023
    Watching Hot Labor Summer unfold and interested in learning more about how to unionize your workplace or support the labor movement? Maggie Carter, a single mom and college student, had worked as a Starbucks partner for years (including through the entire pandemic) when she saw union drives working in far-away stores and wondered if she could help bring that kind of change to her own door. She’s now a staff organizer with the Starbucks Workers United and talks about how the union vote came together, the roadblocks Starbucks threw up in their way, and how much things have changed since her store became the first in the south to unionize. Episode Links: Follow the Starbucks Workers Union: Website | TikTok | Instagram | Twitter Follow the Southern Starbucks Workers Union: Twitter Follow Maggie Carter: Twitter Follow Lila on Twitter Follow Kelly on Twitter Follow the podcast on Twitter at @WhatCanIDoPod To contact us with questions or guest suggestions, email us at:  hello@WhatCanIDoPodcast.com.  Please rate and review and tell your friends! Credits: To the best of our knowledge, all audio used by What Can I Do is in the public domain or is used with permission. Our theme song is Good Deeds by Serj Anto, and we hold a license for use of the song through PremiumBeat. Original artwork is by Matthew Weflen and used with express permission. 
    Más Menos
    27 m