Hand Her The Mic

We're back with new artwork, new theme music, and most importantly, another incredible conversation with movement leader and entrepreneur, Kristina Dove of Community Power Consulting. Kristina wrote a powerful piece in Zora (linked below) about her path as a Black woman leader at a progressive nonprofit. She shares what inspired her to do the work and strike out on her own.

Edited by Erica Hernandez

To close out Women's History Month, we spoke to ReproJobs, a worker advocacy organization in the reproductive justice, rights, and health movement. Luna (not her real name) has been elevating and amplifying the concerns and calls to action on behalf of marginalized folks in a sector controlled by white feminists for decades. We're at a historical crossroads with regards to women of color and NBPOC in the workplace and the work done by ReproJobs has been critical to get us to this moment. (Note: Luna's voice has been modified to conceal her identity.)

Last year tested women of color activists, but also validated their collective wisdom. We hosted a powerful year-end conversation with movement leaders, Kratina Baker, Kortni Malone, and Cristela Solorio Ruiz. We discussed how 2020 impacted each of them and how to strengthen the fragile solidarity amongst us. 

After the "American Dirt" controversy and the police murder of George Floyd, the publishing industry has faced a reckoning for its dismal record on internal diversity and the failure to publish diverse voices. As one of the few Black executives, Krishan Trotman shares her experience both as an editor and published author. We also discuss the genesis of her book, "The Queens of the Resistance," which profiles Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Maxine Waters, Elizabeth Warren, and Nancy Pelosi. 

Gaylon Alcaraz, a Chicago-based advocate, shares how her early work experiencing and fighting gentrification led to a lifetime of working for Black and brown women, girls, and nonbinary folks. Our conversation highlights the mostly white women leaders at feminist and reproductive rights organizations that pushed out women of color, essentially gentrifying the movement, while marketing themselves as racial justice champions.

Democrats have failed to fully embrace the racial diversity of their base even in the Trump era. We discussed that and more with MSNBC analyst and author of the "The End of White Politics," Zerlina Maxwell. She shares her own political journey from local organizer to presidential campaign adviser to nationally-known pundit. 

As womxn of color seek to create their own spaces and ventures to free themselves from white supremacy in the workplace, we're excited to introduce Arlan Hamilton of Backstage Capital and Alex Batdorf of Get Sh!t Done. They've created environments where they live their values unapologetically and foster future leaders.

Even before Stonewall, Black trans women have led the movement for change. We're thrilled to introduce you to LaSaia Wade, an open Afro-Puerto Rican indigenous trans woman and the Executive Director of the Brave Space Alliance. We discuss the current moment and the long overdue recognition of the radical Black political framework.

An activist, facilitator, and storyteller, Mia Birdsong has collected stories of building relationships in a fragmented society that prizes individualism in her new book, "How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community." We also tackle how Black women specifically have had to do the work of building community, but white women get the glory.

The coronavirus hit right when organizers started census and antiracist initiatives. In this episode, we'll hear from leaders in Chicago's Chinatown: Grace Chan McKibben of Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC) and People Matter's Consuela Hendricks and Angela Lin.