Do not despair, we have the power to organize, build supportive communities, and challenge harmful policies. In our special post election edition episode on Beyond Voting. We’re joined by two special guests, Madiba Dennie and Dr. Melina Abdullah. We did a legal lightning round with Madiba Dennie, Deputy Editor of BallsandStrikes.org, to explore how we got here and understand the legal challenges and issues that had such a profound effect on our elections across the country. We also spoke with 20...
Nov 14, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Have you lost your voice? On the sixth episode of Beyond Voting, we dive deep with Charlene Carruthers, community organizer, writer, filmmaker, and Black Studies PhD candidate. Charlene is the founding national director of BYP 100, a Chicago -based social justice organization led by Black youth activists. Her work spans more than 20 years of community organizing across racial, gender,and economic justice movements. She is also the author of the 2018 bestselling book, Unapologetic: a Black, queer...
Oct 29, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Is the Supreme Court for us or against us? On the fifth episode of Beyond Voting, we dive deep with Dr. Nicole Nguyen, associate professor of criminology, law, & justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She’s also a feminist geographer whose research contributes to, and draws on, grassroots struggles challenging racialized policing, war and empire, particularly in collaboration with community organizations. We spoke with Nicole about how the Supreme Court is meant to function versus...
Oct 22, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Fascism: Modern threat or facade? On the fourth episode of Beyond Voting, we dive deep with Alberto Toscano, critical theorist, professor in the School of Communications at Simon Fraser University, and also co-director of the Centre for Philosophy and Critical Theory at Goldsmiths, University of London. We spoke with Alberto about what modern fascist movements look like, where we see real examples of anti-fascist resistance, and what we can learn - particularly from Black radical traditions- abo...
Oct 15, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Have you ever considered a third party as an option? On the third episode of Beyond Voting, we dive deeper with Rosa Clemente, a black Puerto Rican scholar, activist, journalist, organizer, and former vice presidential candidate alongside Cynthia McKinney on the Green Party ballot in 2008. We spoke with Rosa after she had just interviewed third party presidential candidate with the Justice For All Party, Dr. Cornel West. So third-party campaigns were front and center in her mind.We spoke with he...
Oct 08, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Do you stay in the process or do you check out? On the second episode of Beyond Voting, we dive deep with Esam Boraey, Egyptian-American political activist and academic, into what it looks like working within the confines of electoral politics, what it can do for us, and what its limitations are – through the lens of the Uncommitted Movement. We spoke with Esam only a few days after the Democratic National Convention wrapped up its week-long festivities in Chicago. He shared his thoughts on his ...
Oct 01, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Are you voting between a rock and a hard place? On this first episode of Beyond Voting, we get real about voting our values with Dr. Michelle Taylor, also known as Feminista Jones- the award-winning author of Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminists Are Changing the World from the Tweets to the Streets. We spoke with her after the 2024 Democratic National Convention and took a critical look at where we find ourselves with Vice President Harris, our new Democratic nominee. She shared her thought...
Sep 24, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Are you ready to move beyond the ballot box and become a more engaged citizen? Beyond Voting is rooted in our conviction that democracy requires more participation than just voting. It’s up to all of us to take action if we want to see real change. Hosted by Emily Williams, Executive Director of The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College . We’ll feature conversations with leaders, activists, and educators discussing the state of our country’s institutions, ongoing system...
Sep 17, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Listen to the newest show from the Arcus Center! On September 24th we’ll be dropping our new podcast, Beyond Voting, right here on this feed. And since you're already here- you don’t have to do anything but stay locked in! If you’ve enjoyed our previous podcast, Radical Futures Now, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy our new show Beyond Voting. It’s a show about raising our consciousness, inspiring new leaders, and redesigning the democracy we deserve. So, if you want to be part of that- listen to Beyon...
Sep 17, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Aya Chebbi discusses Pan-Africanism and Youth Organizing with us. Aya Chebbi is a diplomat, peacebuilder and activist. Aya is also a multi-award winning Pan-African feminist. Aya has transformed the youth participation space across Africa, specifically with building the Afrika Youth Movement which is one of Africa's largest youth-led movements.
Jun 01, 2021•50 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Alice Bagley shares about timebanking, urban farming and community-building through and through. Unity in Our Community Timebank is an organization in Southwest Detroit focused on sharing services and building community one hour at a time. Alice Beagley is currently organizing learning circles with Michigan Alliance Timebanking and farming at Fields of Plenty.
May 17, 2021•34 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Mazi Mutafa discusses the sacredness of the cypher, and the expansiveness of Hip Hop as a music and culture. Mazi Mutafa is the Executive Director of Words Beats & Life inc, a non-profit based in Washington, D.C. that teaches, convenes and presents Hip-Hop around the world. Mazi Mutafa began this organization as an after school program dedicated to creating transformative learning experiences in non-traditional classrooms, teaching the elements of Hip-Hop.
May 02, 2021•39 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Cat March discusses the murders in Atlanta through a historical, gender and racial lens. Cat March (they/them) is a Gender Studies and English scholar. They have a personal passion for Asian American histories, especially Japanese internment camps in the United States. They are currently the student advisor at the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College and finishing up their graduate program in higher education.
Apr 26, 2021•40 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Mika Hernandez discusses their feelings after the murders in Atlanta, and post-Atlanta organizing rooted in the Ohlone Land (Bay Area). Mika Hernandez (they + she) is a queer and non binary community organizer whose work is rooted in trans and queer liberation, abolition, transformative justice, and community care. They put this work into practice within their political and movement homes: Asians4BlackLives, APIENC, and the Bay Area Transformative Justice Collective. Mika is currently enrolled i...
Apr 19, 2021•56 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Dr. Baba Buntu speaks on building stronger relations within family structures and returning to ancient African. Dr. Buntu is an Activist Scholar and Founding Director of eBukhosini Solutions; a community-based company in Johannesburg, specializing in Afrikan-Centered Education. Dr. Buntu has founded a number of community interventions based on practical approaches to Black Consciousness and decolonial methods.
Apr 11, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Jaime Grant discusses community-based surveys, intersectional feminism, and the expansiveness of gender and sexuality. Jamie Grant is a lesbian writer and activist, and author of Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey and Great Sex: Mapping your Desire. She is currently working on a LGBTQ+ Women’s community survey that centers anyone who identifies as a woman and those who used to identify as a woman and would like to speak about their experience. Co-...
Apr 03, 2021•57 min•Season 2Ep. 20
CW: mentions of suicidality. Abeni Jones discusses with us her articles for Autostraddle and workshops regarding community care and avoiding performative allyship. Abeni Jones is currently Managing Editor at PushBlack, a non-profit media organization for Black Americans, using the power of narrative to educate and activate readers. She is also a writer for Autostraddle.
Mar 27, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Shea Howell discusses everything Detroit. Shea has organized, as one of the founders of the Grace Lee Boggs Center, developing intergenerational relations, within the Council of Elders, and so much more. She is currently working in the water struggle in Detroit and celebrating the most recent win to pause the water bill during the covid-19 pandemic.
Mar 06, 2021•49 min•Season 2Ep. 18
En este episodio de Futuros Radicales Ahora entramos en conversación con Luz Marina Becerra, lideresa de AFRODES y la COMADRE de AFRODES, sobre experiencias de lxs Afrocolombianxs, la opresión por parte del Estado, y su resistencia. Este episodio está presentado por Marcos Ferguson Morales, y editado por Marcos Ferguson Morales y Paige Chung // In this episode of Radical Futures Now we discuss with Luz Marina Becerra, leader of AFRODES and la COMADRE de AFRODES, about the Afrocolombian experienc...
Feb 27, 2021•55 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Sammie Ablaza Wills and Yuan Wang discuss trans-centered organizing, community based participatory research, and solidarity. APIENC is a grassroots organization building transgender, non-binary and queer API power in the Bay Area. APIENC recently conducted a community based participatory research called Up to Us that was conducted by and centered transgender API community members.
Feb 22, 2021•59 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Hip-Hop is more than just a genre of music; it is a form of resistance and storytelling. Hip-Hop also plays an integral role in Black Movements. We speak with Msia Kibona Clark, Associate Professor of African cultural & feminist studies in the Department of African Studies at Howard University. Her work examines hip-hop in Africa’s importance as social commentary, especially around Pan Africanism and African feminist thought. Msia describes the parallels and differences of Hip-Hop culture in...
Feb 12, 2021•41 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Welcome to Season 2 of Radical Futures Now. Get the inside scoop about our rebrand and the reasoning behind it. Listen and get to know the members of the Racial Futures Now team. Learn about our roles, passions, and why we love to do this work. Hear about what guests and topics we have in store for you.
Feb 05, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 14
The transgender movement has come a long way in the last six decades, from very little visibility and support to growing awareness and acceptance. We speak with Willy Wilkinson, author of the Lambda Literary Award-winning book Born on the Edge of Race and Gender: A Voice for Cultural Competency, about his journey coming out as a young trans child in the early sixties. Now a sought-after public health consultant who helps organizations and institutions develop LGBTQ-affirming services and systems...
Oct 21, 2020•55 min•Season 1Ep. 13
As the Black Lives Matter uprisings continue, we look back at our history and invite Charlotte Hill O’neil Mama “C” to speak on her triumphs and journey as a former Black Panther. Currently at the United African Alliance Community Center in Tanzania, where Covid19 is not prevalent, Mama C is living her best life: writing her memoir Hard Head and spending time with the community. She shares her insights on the parallels between the Black Panther movement and Black Lives Matter movement today. Che...
Sep 04, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 12
With American current socio-political climate, The Radical Zone podcast team had a conversation with Adrienne Maree Brown to discuss emergent strategies and pleasure activism. In this episode, Adrienne breaks down their life's work in activism with various communities Adrienne Maree Brown is the author of Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good, Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds and the co-editor of Octavia’s Brood: | Science Fiction from Social Justice Movements. She is...
Aug 29, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 11
With everything on right during this pandemic of covid19, black people and people of color have to continue to fight for their rights and systemic injustice especially in America. In this BLM Mini series, we got a rare opportunity to talk with Toronto-based organizer of Black Lives Matter movement to share her thoughts about the contrast and similarities between Canada and United States Of America with regards to black people and systemic relations with the state. Sandy Hudson is a Toronto-based...
Aug 19, 2020•58 min•Season 1Ep. 10
This time around, we take time out to focus on localized grass root organizing & activism. we talked to Majyck D in our #BLM mini series to understand how what has been happening in Kalamazoo Michigan lately. The Killing of George Floyd resulted in protests and demonstrations in cities across the nation, with Kalamazoo Michigan being one of those cities. We also learned about the relationship between Kalamazoo Public Schools and the community? Discussed what measures are being considered to ...
Aug 12, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 9
The COVID-19 pandemic has made things complicated around the world, and America has been equally affected by this global health crisis and the impact it has had on society. The radical Zone Podcast brought back professor Jason De Leon to help us understand and decipher immigration rights and electoral politics in America. In this episode, we dive deep into issues of diversity and differences between various minority groups in America in context of the political build up towards the upcoming nati...
Aug 05, 2020•51 min•Season 1Ep. 8
The Radical Zone Podcast team got an opportunity to have a conversation with a special guest Amani Sawari to participate in our Black Lives Matter mini series and discuss the recent Uprising and its relation to Mass Incarceration in America. Amani Sawari is a writer, founder of the site sawarimi.org, coordinator for the Right2Vote Campaign, the Good Time Campaign to Repeal Truth In Sentencing and a 2019 Civil Rights Fellow with the Roddenberry Foundation. She graduated from the University of Was...
Jul 29, 2020•52 min•Season 1Ep. 7
The Radical Zone team had the pleasure to speak with Holly Bird to bring us to speed on critical issues facing Ingenious Movements parallels to Black movements, COVID-19 and its impact on the Indigenous Community in America. Hon. Bird graduated from DePaul University College of Law, where she served as the Native American Representative and President of the Latino Law Students Association. Most notably, however, Hon. Bird founded and served as Vice-President, President, and President-Emeritus of...
Jul 22, 2020•58 min•Season 1Ep. 6
