Keeping Relevant With Ronnie Eldridge

The Alliance of Families for Justice works to end mass incarceration by empowering families with formerly incarcerated loved ones seeking legal support, skills and voting rights. Soffiyah Elijah, afj's tireless leader, discusses programs and campaigns.

Jerry Goldfeder makes clear the importance of NY's vote this year, as it will determine who controls the House of Representatives. Gerrymandering, term-limits vs. for-life appointments for Supreme Court Justices discussed. Goldfeder urges all "Just Vote!"

The US imprisons more people than other countries in the world: long sentences-and many dying in prison. Guest describes ElderParole/Fair + Timely Parole bills to deal with mass incarceration, the bail and parole systems that promote perpetual punishment.

C. Virginia Fields leads the National Black Leadership Commission on Health towards health equity for the Black community. Fields names 8 areas affecting the Black community, saying more Black women die from maternity issues than any other group of women.

Win, the largest provider of family shelter and supportive housing in NYC, reports a "record number" of homelessness-families and children-needing shelter and services in NYC. Christine Quinn discusses long-term housing stability for families in need.

The Labor Institute, founded in 1975-develops and conducts education and policy programs to inform, prepare and train workers taking on issues of runaway inequality with unions. Les Leopold discusses the huge impact of the UAW's victory over mass layoffs.

Carlina Rivera, City Council Member, District 2, was born and raised in District 2 and is never far from home and memories of its diverse neighborhoods. As Chair of the Committee on Criminal Justice, Rivera discusses Rikers, bail, mental illness and more.

Discussing immigration, guest John Mollenkopf remarks that he’d “be doing a lot of what Mayor Adams is doing…screaming for help from the federal government” to allow immigrants to work and to get out of shelters. Mollenkopf pictures cities as "pumps,” drawing people in, lifting them up, providing mobility out of poverty, calling race and class, as factors contributing to a polarized society. Asked why NYC has so large a housing shortage, John Mollenkopf commented it’s hard and expensive to build in New York City.

Douglas Kellner was one of the first election officials to support the concept of a voter verifiable paper audit trail voting machine to replace lever driven voting machines. New York’s Board of Elections Co-Chaired by Doug Kellner, is unique, with a bi-partisan election administration - two officials in each office - representing the two major parties. When asked if they get along, Kellner replied, “...almost always."

Arva Rice smiles when host Ronnie Eldridge says she is the busiest woman she knows, desccribing her leadership roles in the Urban League and the Civilian Complaint Review Board, the oversight entity for the largest police department in the country. Beginning with the Great Migration, the move of black Americans from the south to the north, the 105 year old NYUL, an historic African American organization, continues to work for access, education, housing, employment - full equality.