34 episodes
What Can I Do What Can I Do Podcast
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- News
You voted (again), you protested (again), you posted on social media (again), yet you’re still reeling from all the terrible news. But…what else can you do?
We’ll help you figure that out! Each week hosts Kelly Therese Pollock and Lila Nordstrom interview activists working on a range of issues, from national policy to local concerns, not about why but about how they took action: What got them started, who helped them along the way, and what they’d do differently if they had to do it all again. In the process, we’ll offer concrete advice on how to take the leap from freaking out on Twitter to making a difference, building community, and finding joy in getting involved.
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“What can we do as community to protect each other?” (w/ Angela Ferrell-Zabala, ED of Mom’s Demand Action)
Are you looking for some hope and next steps when it comes to combatting gun violence in your community and nationally?
This week we spoke to Angela Ferrell-Zabala from Mom’s Demand Action to dig into the seemingly intractable issue of gun violence and learn about how Mom’s Demand Action, their affiliated organization Students Demand Action, and the larger ecosystem of gun violence prevention organizations are working together, advocating for better policy, and, most importantly, supporting volunteer actions at the local level that you (yes you!) can get involved in. Beyond the headlines there’s progress getting made on this issue all over the country, and Angela told us how Mom’s Demand can help interested “mothers and others” get involved in lobbying and learn how to take smaller, more approachable actions in their communities.
Episode Links:
Mom’s Demand Action: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Take Action: Text “Ready” to 64433
Follow Lila on Twitter
Follow Kelly on Twitter
Follow the podcast on Twitter at @WhatCanIDoPod
To contact us with questions or guest suggestions, email us at: hello@WhatCanIDoPodcast.com.
Please rate and review and tell your friends!
Credits:
To the best of our knowledge, all audio used by What Can I Do is in the public domain or is used with permission. Our theme song is Good Deeds by Serj Anto, and we hold a license for use of the song through PremiumBeat.
Original artwork is by Matthew Weflen and used with express permission. -
“There's somebody in every town who is a busybody.” (w/ Carla Nordstrom, Retired Teacher and Community Activist)
Are you retired and looking for a way to get involved?
A few weeks ago we heard from a listener looking for information about how to approach activism as a retired person. She was sick of postcarding and other activities that don’t feel effective, so we decided to chat with the busiest retired activist we know…Lila’s mother, Carla Nordstrom! In our wide-ranging conversation, we talk about the many skills retired people bring to the table, how they’re uniquely situated for effective community organizing, and what kinds of things Carla does to keep her community informed and promote the candidates and causes she’s working on.
Episode Links:
Follow Lila on Twitter
Follow Kelly on Twitter
Follow the podcast on Twitter at @WhatCanIDoPod
To contact us with questions or guest suggestions, email us at: hello@WhatCanIDoPodcast.com.
Please rate and review and tell your friends!
Credits:
To the best of our knowledge, all audio used by What Can I Do is in the public domain or is used with permission. Our theme song is Good Deeds by Serj Anto, and we hold a license for use of the song through PremiumBeat.
Original artwork is by Matthew Weflen and used with express permission. -
"Can I actually bring something to this work to this fight? That is going to add value?" (w/ Hannah Fried, Executive Director of All Voting is Local)
Are you interested in aiding in the fight to make the vote more accessible in your state or community?
Hannah Fried is a lawyer by trade who worked for the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama before founding All Voting is Local, a non-profit that works in eight states to protect the vote at the local level. She talks us through the founding of All Voting is Local, including how she funded the organization and assembled her team in the early days, as well as what their work entails and how regular people can step up to protect the vote in their communities.
Episode Links:
All Voting is Local: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Follow Lila on Twitter
Follow Kelly on Twitter
Follow the podcast on Twitter at @WhatCanIDoPod
To contact us with questions or guest suggestions, email us at: hello@WhatCanIDoPodcast.com.
Please rate and review and tell your friends!
Credits:
To the best of our knowledge, all audio used by What Can I Do is in the public domain or is used with permission. Our theme song is Good Deeds by Serj Anto, and we hold a license for use of the song through PremiumBeat.
Original artwork is by Matthew Weflen and used with express permission. -
“At the end of the day, when you're talking about activism, it's just a bigger word for care.” (w/ Sabrina Cartan of Fandom Forward and director Eliyannah Amirah Yisrael)
Are you a part of a fan community and wondering how to use your passion and interest to make the world a better place?
Sabrina Cartan and Eliyannah Amirah Yisrael are organizers, creatives, fans, and believe communities organized around pop culture are inherently political and ripe for organizing. Sabrina talks about the power of fan movements and how they are harnessed through her work with Fandom Forward, an organization that connects causes to fan communities. Eliyannah talks to us about how her political and fan interests inform her work as a creative and how her activism and work are often one in the same. A really inspiring and timely episode for anybody looking for ways to connect their activism to their other interests!
Episode Links:
Sabrina Cartan: Website | Instagram | Twitter
Eliyannah Amirah Yisrael: YouTube | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Fandom Forward: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Follow Lila on Twitter
Follow Kelly on Twitter
Follow the podcast on Twitter at @WhatCanIDoPod
To contact us with questions or guest suggestions, email us at: hello@WhatCanIDoPodcast.com.
Please rate and review and tell your friends!
Credits:
To the best of our knowledge, all audio used by What Can I Do is in the public domain or is used with permission. Our theme song is Good Deeds by Serj Anto, and we hold a license for use of the song through PremiumBeat.
Original artwork is by Matthew Weflen and used with express permission. -
“Think of graphic design not as self-expression but as visual communication.” (w/ Innosanto Nagara, graphic designer and best-selling author and illustrator of children’s books about activism and organizing)
Thinking about how to effectively use graphic design in your organizing work?
Innosanto Nagara is a designer who has long used his visual communication skills in his organizing, but found a unique way to help the next generation join the fight by writing and illustrating the best-selling board book A is For Activist. So began a successful second career as a children’s book author. Inno’s books cover the topics he wanted to teach his own child about, things like taking action, being part of a community, learning about legacies of colonialism, and understanding how movement’s are constructed and how they succeed. We talk about effective graphic design, why he began writing books for children, and how we can help the next generation learn about the issues that matter.
Episode Links:
Innosanto Nagara: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Buy the Books: Bookshop | Seven Stories Press
Follow Lila on Twitter
Follow Kelly on Twitter
Follow the podcast on Twitter at @WhatCanIDoPod
To contact us with questions or guest suggestions, email us at: hello@WhatCanIDoPodcast.com.
Please rate and review and tell your friends!
Credits:
To the best of our knowledge, all audio used by What Can I Do is in the public domain or is used with permission. Our theme song is Good Deeds by Serj Anto, and we hold a license for use of the song through PremiumBeat.
Original artwork is by Matthew Weflen and used with express permission. -
“One of the best things lawyers can do is have the courage to speak out.” (w/ Brett Edkins, Managing Director for Policy & Political Affairs at Stand Up America)
Terrified about the state of SCOTUS and the courts and wondering how you can take action to support court reform?
We started this podcast in the days after Dobbs, so we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Brett Edkins from Stand Up America to chat about his journey from law school to advocacy, how lawyers can use their skills to advocate for and support court reform, and the role regular people can play in standing up to corruption in the American courts. He’s got advice on everything from simple actions you can take right now to policy changes regular citizens and politicians alike can pursue at the local and national level.
Episode Links:
Action Items: Text “Stand” to 63033 | Email Your Representatives
Follow Stand Up America: Website | TikTok | Instagram | Twitter
Follow Brett Edkins: Twitter
Follow Lila on Twitter
Follow Kelly on Twitter
Follow the podcast on Twitter at @WhatCanIDoPod
To contact us with questions or guest suggestions, email us at: hello@WhatCanIDoPodcast.com.
Please rate and review and tell your friends!
Credits:
To the best of our knowledge, all audio used by What Can I Do is in the public domain or is used with permission. Our theme song is Good Deeds by Serj Anto, and we hold a license for use of the song through PremiumBeat.
Original artwork is by Matthew Weflen and used with express permission.