In the fourth episode of Land & Power, we speak with Forterra President and CEO Michelle Connor. Michelle is a white, third-generation Washingtonian. She explains why our organization is thinking about equity...or should be thinking about equity...100% of the time. We’ll also ask her why a land trust wanted to make a podcast in the first place. 

Michelle Connor is the president and CEO of Forterra. She has worked on behalf of community and environmental well-being in Washington for the past 30 years. 

In the third episode of Land & Power, we speak with artist Juan Alonso-Rodríguez about his Cuban heritage, immigrating to the United States, and inspiration for his art.

Cuban-born Juan Alonso-Rodríguez is a self-taught artist and arts activist with a career spanning over three decades in Seattle. His work has been exhibited throughout the U.S. and is included in the permanent collections of the Tacoma Art Museum, Portland Art Museum, Microsoft, Swedish Hospital, Harborview Medical Center, and General Mills, among others.

In the second episode of Land & Power, we speak with J. Drew about being a Black birdwatcher, bassoon-playing, and growing up connected to the land. He is a poet, ornithologist, and wrote the "9 Rules for the Black Birdwatcher" in Orion Magazine. 

Dr. J. Drew Lanham is a writer, poet, and wildlife biologist. As a wildlife professor, his focus is on songbird ecology and the role of African-Americans in natural resource conservation.

In the first episode of Land & Power, we speak with Dr. Mindy Fullilove about collective recovery and healing ruptured communities. Dr. Fullilove is a social psychiatrist and professor of urban policy and health. She is the author of three books we love, including "Root Shock," "Urban Alchemy," and a new book, "Main Street: How a City’s Heart Connects Us All."

Dr. Mindy Fullilove is a social psychiatrist and professor of urban policy and health. She is the author of three books we love, including “Root Shock,” “Urban Alchemy,” and a new book, “Main Street: How a City’s Heart Connects Us All.”

You can’t think of the land without thinking of history. Who has lived here? And who lives here now? And why?

We’re interested in hearing from people of color doing groundbreaking and thoughtful work related to land. We’re exploring how land connects to power and privilege, the concept and history of land ownership, and how land connects to our health and wellbeing. 

Check out Forterra's podcast Land and Power: Stories of Belonging