Pod for the Cause

2020 has been a year unlike any other - from the COVID-19 pandemic to racial injustice, a historic presidential election and more - as we close the door on 2020 and welcome a New Year, The Leadership Conference colleagues LaShawn Warren and Kelly Brewington join Vanessa Gonzalez to take a look back & reflect on all that has happened this year, while also bringing in some cheer as we approach 2021.

Welcome to The Election Episode of Pod for the Cause! Host Allyn Brooks-LaSure sits down with Leigh Chapman, Program Director of Voting Rights at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Ramon Contreras, Founder of Youth Over Guns, and Deja Foxx, activist and founder of Gen Z Girl Gang.

On this week's Pod for the Cause, we talk all about the Supreme Court confirmation hearings and voting with Aklima Khondoker (Georgia State Director, All Voting is Local), Kayla Griffin (Ohio State Director, All Voting is Local), Lena Zwarensteyn (Fair Courts Campaign Director, The Leadership Conference), and Rosemary Avila (Arizona Campaign Manager, All Voting is Local).

This week's Pod for the Cause episode hosted by Allyn Brooks-LaSure is all about the psychological impacts of COVID-19, especially for communities of color. Author, Veteran, and Heart Healer Rob Hill Sr. joins us as our special guest to share more wisdom and words around this topic. Plus, Assistant Professor and Director of Wellness at Washington University in St Louis, Dr. Jessi Gold, M.D. MS, and The Leadership Conference's Communications Assistant, Kenny Park Yi, join the "Pod Squad" to talk about self care and mental health during COVID-19.

Pod for the Cause is all about the census this week! Stand-up comedian Cristela Alonzo joins us to talk about the power the census holds for historically undercounted communities — and the urgency of saving the 2020 Census — with guest host Beth Lynk, Director of Census Counts. Plus, our own Ashley Allison and Tamika Turner, Communications Director of Census Counts, round out the Pod Squad!

In the season 3 premiere of "Pod for the Cause", host Ashley Allison is joined by Compton’s Mayor Aja Brown to discuss the horrible storm - between COVID-19, police violence, and everything else that has been happening in our nation. Plus, The Leadership Conference’s Allyn Brooks-LaSure and United We Dream’s Greisa Martinez join Ashley on the Pod Squad to talk about the legacies of Rev. C. T. Vivian and Congressman John Lewis, a major victory for DACA at the Supreme Court, when the pandemic is or isn’t ending, and hyper-realistic cakes.

Pod for the Cause is guest hosted by Allyn Brooks-LaSure to discuss the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement in unprecedented times - we cover allyship, true change, and more, all with a packed Pod Squad and special guest Iyanla Vanzant.