What We Need Now

With attacks on DEI, the erasure of Black history, and the rollback of progress, how do we protect Black peace, joy, and excellence in the years ahead? In this minisode of What We Need Now, we break down real ways to resist and maintain sanity -- through community, rest, joy, political action, and economic empowerment.

From unplugging when needed... to prioritizing Black-owned businesses and passing down our history, we’re tapping into the resilience that has always carried us forward. Tune in for tangible steps, empowering resources, and a reminder that we are not just surviving -- we are thriving.

🎧 Listen now and join the movement.

A Liveable California by Greenpeace USA

Join hosts Rico and Tanya as they explore the powerful intersection of art and environmental activism. Featuring stirring original poetry from Jamaican artist Ann-Margaret Lim, and What We Need Now Alum Tamera Adams, this episode is a celebration of the ways that creative expression fuels movements for change.

It's been a minute! In our season opener, hosts/producers Tanya Brooks, Geniro Dingle, Jeffrey Harris and Rico Sisney review significant milestones achieved by Greenpeace, its allies, and the broader movement throughout the past year- from pivotal legal victories to groundbreaking international treaties.

The episode also features insights from Greenpeace chief Program Officer Tefere Gebre about what the historic union victories of 2023 mean for the broader movement going forward.

In this episode, Tanya and Rico discuss the 10 principles of Disability Justice and hear from India Harville, founder of Embraced Body, about how Disability Justice helps us reclaim our full humanity, embrace our own bodies/minds/emotional states, and makes space to hold everyone that way.

Earlier this month, Ebony Twilley Martin became the sole executive director of Greenpeace and we are revisiting an interview from Season 3 that captures some of her vision, challenges and personality. Join us for a walk down memory lane...

Tamera Adams and Tanya Brooks discuss Ocean Justice and the Global Oceans Treaty with Jason Jarvis and Jon Russel of the North American Marine Alliance (NAMA) - a fishermen-led organization building a broad movement toward healthy fisheries and fishing communities.

Our oceans are the cornerstone of life on Earth containing 50 to 80% of all life on the planet, helping regulate the world's climate and temperature, providing food for millions of people. Protecting the oceans is critical to ensuring we all have a liveable planet.

For our Season Finale, What We Need Now hosts and producers, Tanya Brooks, Rico Sisney, Shanta Farrington, Tamera Adams and Avery Raines interview each other about burnout, self-care and how they sustain themselves as Black folks workng in the environmental movement.

We are back! Dr. Kelley Page Jibrell, global strategist, professor and enstooled Queen Mother and Tambra Raye Stevenson, MPH, Founder and C.E.O of W.A.N.D.A (Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Agriculture) discuss the factors that impact Black health and wellness, including our diet and various social and economic issues and highlight the role individuals and organizations can play in reducing health disparities and improving the health of Black communities.

For more information and to support their work, visit the W.A.N.D.A website: https://www.iamwanda.org/fund

The history of Black people in the United states is inextricably connected to the land and agriculture, so why do Black people make up such a small percentage of farm operators in the United States?

Rico and Tanya speak with Ivy Lawrence-Walls, a changemaker and CEO of Ivy Leaf Farms in Houston Texas, who is working to increase sustainable food access and wellness in her community. They discuss the challenges faced by Black farmers, their role in addressing food injustice/ food apartheid, and the importance of having more Black-Women-farmers across the country.

Visit ivyleaffarms.com to support Ivy and learn more.