On this episode of Sullivan’s Unheard Voices, Shawn Sullivan sits down with Rabbi Fora, a candidate for governor of Oregon, for a powerful conversation about what kind of state — and what kind of country — we want to live in. Fora speaks candidly about poverty as a policy choice, arguing that too many people in power are willing to let families suffer under systems that keep them one medical bill, one rent hike, or one emergency away from collapse.

Together, Shawn and Rabbi Fora dig into the urgent need for universal health care, public housing, disability rights, and an economy that works for regular people instead of corporations and the wealthy. Fora makes the case that health care should not be treated like a luxury, that housing should not be a punishment for being poor, and that government should be trusted to protect the basic dignity of every person.

This is a conversation about mutual aid, human rights, and the belief that no one should be left behind simply because they were born into the wrong system. If you care about community, justice, and the real math behind poverty in America, this episode is one you need to hear.