Do you hear the words "government budget" and feel lost, confused or disinterested? Marissa Martin, executive director of The Advocacy Institute, is here to help. She joins the podcast for the first episode in our series about the New York budget to break down the budget process, what we should look out for this year and why YOU should care.

Notes:

Everyone has a role to play in the fight for social change. But how can you find the role that best uses your strengths and meets the needs of the movement? Carl and author, activist and trainer Deepa Iyer discuss her new workbook, "Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection," which maps out the social change ecosystem and how we can each find our place in the movement—including what to do if you realize you're in the wrong role, how these roles intersect with race and gender, and how identifying our role helps us avoid burnout.

Note: To order Deepa's workbook Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection and learn more about her work, visit: www.socialchangemap.com/

Concluding our series on Black Futures, Carl sits down with Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, to discuss one of the most destructive forces in our history: the so-called War on Drugs. Kassandra explains how the "War on Drugs" intersects with all other systems, why treating drug use as a health issue is incomplete, and what a post-war future could look like.

Notes: To learn more about Drug Policy Alliance, visit: https://drugpolicy.org/

On this episode of Dismantling Injustice, Carl speaks with Tosca Davis and Cedrick Smith, founders and co-CEOs of TO BE US Productions - a Black-owned production company with a mission to elevate Black stories. They discuss the physical impact of racism on the body (aka weathering) and the power of turning towards one another through storytelling to acknowledge this pain. 

Note: Tosca and Cedrick use their childhood photos rather than traditional head shots because they feel that these images best represent who they were before they were socialized and fully impacted by a racist, broken society. Carl joined the TO BE US team in this practice for this week's episode. 

During this #BlackFuturesMonth, Carl speaks to Kristin Powell-Harris, deputy director of Black Futures Lab. Kristin shares a behind-the-scenes look into the Lab's Black Census Project — the largest survey of Black people in the U.S. in 157 years. They discuss community concerns, the desire to be heard and what Black communities envision for the future.

Notes:

You can still participate in the 2022 Black Census! Visit blackcensus.org to complete the Census today.

While this is not what we hoped to highlight for our first episode of #BlackHistoryMonth, the death of Tyre Nichols and police violence are tragically part of Black history in America. As guest Nicole Triplett says, "This is not an aberration or breaking of police protocol, this is what policing in America has been and will continue to be." Carl and Memphis native Nicole, the senior advocacy & litigation strategist at Envision Freedom, talk about what is happening in Memphis, the role of race in Tyre Nichols' murder, and what this means for policing in the U.S. more broadly.

Notes:

We are wrapping up our series on mental health with a conversation with Cara Page - a Black, Queer Feminist cultural memory worker, author & organizer. For the past 30+ years, she has organized at the intersections of racial, gender & economic justice and transformative justice. Cara is the co-author of the book Healing Justice Lineages: Dreaming at the Crossroads of Liberation, Collective Care & Safety - to be released next month. Cara and Carl discuss healing justice: how it addresses activist burnout, how it's different from self-care and why it's necessary for our collective liberation.

Notes:

Cara's book Healing Justice Lineages: Dreaming at the Crossroads of Liberation, Collective Care & Safety will be released February 7, 2023. You can pre-order here! https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/healing-justice-lineages/ You can join their virtual launch event on February 8, 2023 here! https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xSjrzeh8QhG-JeShJxCIvg

You can follow their work on instagram at @hjlineages. 

A conversation between Carl Hamad-Lipscombe and Vianey Romero-Mendez, director of programs at Mixteca, about the need for mental health resources in immigrant communities. Vianey explains the term "immigration stress," why mental health services are so critical for immigrant New Yorkers and small ways we can all reduce stress in our own lives.

Notes:

Learn more about Mixteca at https://www.mixteca.org/en/home. If you are in need of services, you can reach Mixteca at (718) 965-4795 or visit their office at 245 23rd Street, 2nd Fl. Brooklyn, NY 11215.

TW: Mention of suicide

Access to effective and affordable mental healthcare has long been an issue in New York, recently rising to a higher profile in the wake of the pandemic and, most recently, Mayor Eric Adams' proposed plan to involuntarily hospitalize people who appear mentally ill. Carl sits down with Jeffrey Severe from the NYC Public Advocate's Office to discuss the criminalization of mental health in NYC. Jeffrey shares Public Advocate Jumaane Williams' concerns with Adams' plan and offers alternative solutions for mental healthcare that do not contribute to incarceration and community destabilization. Together, they discuss why jails and policing solutions will never lead to the safe and compassionate mental health treatment that New Yorkers desperately need.

You’re gathered around the dinner table for the holidays when a relative makes a comment about bail, jail, or public safety that doesn't mesh with what you know. We've all been there. Envision Freedom is here to help! In our final episode of 2022, Carl talks to Envision Freedom Communication Manager, Julie Mente, about how we can have calm, productive conversations and bring more people along with us to end the deadly harms caused by money bail and pretrial detention.

7 Tips for Talking About Bail Reform

Our factsheet on Jail and Pretrial Detention