Voices of Colibri

Listen in for insights into the 2022 election season and other political goings-on. Guests: Chair Raquel Teran and Deputy Political Director Francisca Gil of the Arizona Democratic Party. 

Angela Hughey is the President and Co-Founder of ONE Community, a coalition that moves diversity, inclusion, and equality for all Arizonans forward. Her perspective on LGBTQ+ issues as a community leader is incredibly valuable; everyone could learn a bit more about inclusivity from Angela. Listen in to hear her story and thoughts about the state of LGBTQ+ workplace protections. 

This episode is hosted by Gaby Cardenas and co-hosted by Genevieve Leach.

Dana Kennedy, State Director for AARP of Arizona, has been a voice for people 50+ for nearly a decade at AARP. But advocacy has been in her DNA since her career began, when she was a social worker at a hospice. Dana joins us to teach us about ageism and its dangers. 

In this episode, we talk with Baehive and ABC Mobile founder, urban gardener, and all-around environmental role model Nika Forte'. Nika talks to us about her experience as a Black woman in a white male dominated field, as well as the empowering spaces she's created. You can find out more about Nika at baehive.org, on Instagram @baehive_beekeepers and @nika_abcmobile, and on Facebook at ABC Mobile Education Center LLC. 

As Vice President Strategic Business Development for Unitek Learning, Karilyn Van Oosten is an accomplished leader who has created innovative opportunities for collaboration in the healthcare education niche. Her perspective on the nursing shortage is based in decades of dedication to solving the crisis. Listen in to hear her takes on the impact of travel nursing, the importance of diversity in nursing, and the surprising opportunities that an education in nursing can lead to.

Planned Parenthood Arizona CEO, Brittany Fonteno, joins us to discuss the nuances of repro work—reproductive health, rights, and justice, that is. She talks us through these terms, legislative items Planned Parenthood Arizona is keeping an eye on, and her perspective as a Black woman and member of the LGBTQ community in a leadership position.

Arizona Democratic Party Chair and State Senator Raquel Terán is leading an impactful career. She discusses the political landscape as we head into the legislative session for 2022 and shares stories about her journey in politics.

Time Stamps: 

02:12 Before we dive in, could you give us a primer on what “legislative session” means?

06:37 What’s the role you’re going to play this year? 

11:07 What bills are you paying close attention to this session? 

18:58 What policies are you watching on the national scale and how do they roll over on the local scale? 

21:00 Tell us a little bit more about the Arizona Democratic Party agenda for the year ahead. 

26:00 Tell us a little bit about your story. What inspired you to start running for office? 

ACLU of San Diego and Imperial County's executive director, Norma Chávez-Peterson, recently received the 2021 Ohtli Award for her tireless work defending immigrants' rights. Norma shares stories about asylum seekers as well as her own story as a lifelong organizer. You can learn more about the ACLU's Border Humanity Project at borderhumanity.org. 

Time stamps 00:00 Introduction 01:04 As an Mexican-American woman at the helm of an ACLU affiliate, how has your background impacted your perspective on advocacy and leadership?  05:48 Tell us a little bit more about the Border Humanity Project. 08:49 What issues are happening right now with asylum and immigrants’ rights that the general public should be aware of? 14:08 What can the everyday person do to make a difference for asylum seekers? 17:29 Is there any story that has stuck with you the most over your decades of advocacy work?   30:10 Are there any words you’d like to share with young people who look up to you as a role model? 

What is redistricting and why should you care? More importantly, what can you do to get involved? To answer these questions and more, Gaby Cardenas (CEO of The Colibri Collective) sits down with Vianey De Anda from Progress Arizona Institute to talk all things redistricting. Visit onearizona.org/fairmaps to find a training about how to testify at public hearings about redistricting.

Time Stamps

00:00 Introductions

01:46 What is redistricting?

04:31 Could you give us an example of what you’ve seen in some of these community meetings that specifically would affect our communities of color?

07:25 Tell us what you mean when you say “packed” and “cracked.”

09:29 How does somebody find out when these meetings are happening?

10:39 There’s community meetings and there's hearings. When do the hearings take place?

11:29 What happens after December 4th? What is the next step of the process?

12:59 Could you give us background on why the numbers of the legislative districts are changing?

13:42 What other factors of redistricting affect communities of color?

16:10 At trainings and during meetings, are there people translating so people who are monolingual have a voice?

18:36 How does redistricting immediately impact people in office?

19:58 The preliminary foundation of how the maps started was based on the census, is that correct?

In the spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month, Gaby Cardenas sits down with Carmen Heredia, CEO of Valle del Sol, to highlight the 50 years of legacy the organization has in building healthier Latino and diverse communities within Phoenix. We take a deep dive to learn more about Carmen’s journey as a nonprofit leader.

Time stamps

00:00 Introductions

01:20 Will you share with us the story of the success of  Valle del Sol and how the nonprofit has kept going for 5 decades?

10:10 Can you tell us more about Profiles of Success, your signature event celebration?

11:23 You have been working with the nonprofit since 2005. How did you transition into CEO?

19:26 What would you say to future leaders who are on the path to work in the nonprofit leadership space?