The CommonAlly Chronicles

When it comes to the affordable 🏠 housing industry, one man is helping clear the way for a long lasting solution that puts people first. Steve Pontell is the President & CEO of the National Community Renaissance and has dedicated his life to building an equitable future that addresses effective affordable housing and solutions to homelessness in our communities. Today we sit down to talk about what progress looks like. 

National Community Renaissance: https://nationalcore.org/

When it comes to reaching across the aisle to fight for the environment, Gen-Z is leading the charge. One of the leaders in that fight is Forbes 30 Under 30, Benji Backer, the President and Founder of the American Conservation Coalition and a senior at the University of Washington. Benji sat down with us to talk about the common threads between liberal and conservative youth and what we can all do to play a role.

American Conservation Coalition: https://www.acc.eco/ 

CommonAlly:  https://www.commonally.com/

As an author, speaker, storied blues musician and race relations expert, Daryl Davis has balanced a music career with cause-based work around ending racism. Daryl has helped hundreds of Ku Klux Klan members to renounce their ideology and relinquish their robes to him. He’s become an infamous bridge builder in a time when unity is needed more than ever. Today we’re learning how all of us can go from dialogue to action.

Mercedes Yvette

After a very public announcement on America’s Top Model, Mercedes Yvette instantly added Lupus advocate to her resume. Now a working mom, model, actress, artist and advocate, she sits down with us to discuss what it’s like staring down a pandemic that is particularly dangerous for anyone with a compromised immune system.

CommonAlly: https://www.commonally.com/

Author of "Delirium: The Politics of Sex in America," and leading national expert on the intersection of gender and American politics, Nancy L. Cohen talks about the importance of women’s care work, the potential for positive post-pandemic shifts and the potential bad actors who are exploiting the pandemic to push through long standing reactionary goals.   

CommonAlly: https://www.commonally.com/ 

Nancy L. Cohen: https://nancylcohen.com/

Rania Batrice:

Co-Founder of the Love And Freedom Project, former 2016 Deputy Campaign Manager to Bernie Sanders, Board member of Change the Ref and March for Science and Partner at WIN, (to name a few accolades!), Rania knows a thing or two about fighting on behalf of others.  

Ahamed Bermudez

High School Senior, Youth Advisory Council Member

After his mother experienced a debilitating car accident, Ahamed was determined to better understand the system his family was at the mercy of. That self-propelled research inspired a new-found interest in politics. Now a Youth Advisory Council Member, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute member and a newly accepted UC Davis freshman, Ahamed talks immigration, state and federal resources and what it’s like to be a part of the next generation of Latinx leaders.

CommonAlly: https://www.commonally.com/

Ahamed Bermudez: https://www.instagram.com/ahamedbermudez/

Freelance writer, Katie Macbride (Rolling Stone, Playboy, BuzzFeed, Vice, Daily Beast) chats with us about the potential triggers of addiction in a time of isolation. Tune in to hear Katie's expertise on the challenges of a virtual 12-step program, the emergence of video conference trolls and ways to both provide and seek help both during a global pandemic and beyond.  

Enjoy! 

CommonAlly: https://www.commonally.com/

Executive Director of USC’s Center for the Political Future, former CEO of nonpartisan platform ProCon.org and expert on polarization, Kamy Akhavan is the perfect guest to talk about the future of politics post pandemic. We discuss ways to bridge the divide, explore potential campaign strategies for the run-up to November and scratch the surface on what life looks like for college-age students. Tune in!

CommonAlly: https://www.commonally.com/

Kamy Akhavan: https://dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu/

Dr. Glena Cheng, MD

Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician

Thrust directly into the eye of this pandemic, Glena stares down the beast of COID-19 as a pulmonary ICU doctor. What she sees could save your life. We touch on critical virus protection, the current state of healthcare and what mental health implications come with such a deadly virus.

CommonAlly: https://www.commonally.com/