How To Citizen with Baratunde

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How To Citizen with Baratunde

How To Citizen with Baratunde reimagines the word “citizen” as a verb and reminds us how to wield our collective power. So many of us want to do more in response to the problems we hear about constantly, but where and how to participate can leave us feeling overwhelmed and helpless. Voting, while critically important, simply isn’t enough. It takes more to make this experiment in self-governance work! Listen in to learn new perspectives and practices from people working to improve society for the many. Join writer, activist, and comedian Baratunde Thurston on a journey beyond politics as usual that will leave us all more hopeful, connected, and moved to act.

  1. 1D AGO

    We Know how to Rebuild Our Democracy - final story

    There is a model for how we rebuild and heal after the human-made disaster being inflicted on the USA right now. Welcome to Dena Heals—a mutual aid marketplace and wellness center born in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire in Altadena. See the visuals for this story and all our Week of Citizening stories here:https://newsletter.baratunde.com/p/this-is-how-we-recover-from-disasters  This is our final story (for now) in the Week Of Citizening. Join our mailing list and share the stories you’re seeing. stories.howtocitizen.com  When the 💩 hits the fan, we are told people become selfish and look after themselves alone. Every disaster ever proves otherwise including after the most devastating fire to hit Los Angeles. Something extraordinary took root. Not fear. Not isolation. But care for each other. Rebecca Solnit said it well: “When all the ordinary divides and patterns are shattered, people step up—not all, but the great preponderance—to become their brothers’ keepers. And that purposefulness and connectedness brings joy even amidst death, chaos, fear and loss.” Rooted in Indigenous wisdom and the Black Panther 10-Point Program, Dena Heals is a blueprint for what happens when we lead with love, show up for each other, and practice power together. They’ve supported 3,500+ people from over 500 families. This is what it looks like to citizen in the midst of disaster. Not with despair—but with collective action, healing, and hope. We saved this story for last in our Week Of Citizening series because it reflects all the pillars of How to Citizen: 🌱 Show up & participate ⚡ Understand power 🤝 Commit to the collective ❤️ Invest in relationships (including nature) This is how we rise. This is how we rebuild. This is how we citizen. Happy Earth Day Sign up to share and discover more stories like this: https://stories.howtocitizen.com Video Produced by: Revolve Impact Week of Citizening Collaborators: Baratunde Thurston, Jon Alexander, Shira Abramowitz, Elizabeth Stewart See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    8 min

  2. 2D AGO

    How we gather is how we citizen

    We head to Eliot, Maine, where a multiracial, multidisciplinary group of artists have reimagined what a conference can be. At SeaCHANGE, creativity isn’t an afterthought—it’s the starting point. The gathering opens with movement and dance. It invites deep connection through shared meals, collaborative workshops, and artistic expression. And it creates space for belonging, especially for artists of color. Full video viewing options for this story plus links to the Instagram and LinkedIn versions: https://newsletter.baratunde.com/p/how-we-gather-is-how-we-citizen-7th  🧭 More stories and updates: https://stories.howtocitizen.com 🎙️ This story series is a collaborative effort by Shira Abramowitz, Jon Alexander, Elizabeth Stewart, and Baratunde Thurston. Video produced by Tess Novotnoy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    4 min

  3. 2D AGO

    Don't Wait for New Leaders. BECOME Them

    Today we bring you Story #6 in our Week of Citizening. We’ve already shown you how people are rethinking democracy through libraries, labor, and school boards. Now we’re headed to a place often overlooked but brimming with democratic possibility: West Virginia. See the visuals and links to all these stories here: https://newsletter.baratunde.com/p/dont-wait-for-better-leaders-become  We’re told politics is about picking the lesser of evils. Ordering off a fixed menu. But what if we left the table… and headed for the kitchen? That’s what the folks behind West Virginia Can’t Wait are doing. And it’s a clear sign that democracy is evolving. They’ve passed legislation that’s rare even in liberal strongholds They don’t run candidates but communities They help hold elected officials accountable and offer ongoing support This is what Jon Alexander calls the shift from Consumer Democracy to Citizen Democracy. Not just new processes like Citizens’ Assemblies or Participatory Budgeting (though we love those too) — but real people getting a grip on the systems we’ve got, starting from where we are. “One of the things I’m most proud of in my career is helping to demystify politics. It’s just everyday work for everyday folks.” — Rosemary Ketchum, West Virginia Can’t Wait This isn’t happening in some liberal stronghold. This is Appalachia — a place many assume to be too red, too rigid, too far gone. But that’s just not the whole story. I’ve seen firsthand the level of commitment and creativity in Appalachia through my recent travels there for my PBS America Outdoors show. Trust me, these stories are happening in all sorts of underestimated places. 💬 Who else is opening politics to everyday people? Sign up to share and discover more stories like this: https://stories.howtocitizen.com Video Produced by: Tess Novotnoy Week of Citizening Collaborators: Baratunde Thurston, Jon Alexander, Shira Abramowitz, Elizabeth Stewart See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    7 min

  4. 4D AGO

    We found the Anti-DOGE in Chicago

    Today, we head to Chicago, where a civic gathering called Chi Hack Night is bringing technologists, designers, policy nerds, and everyday residents together to build a better city. Access to visuals for this story are here: https://newsletter.baratunde.com/p/we-found-the-anti-doge-in-chicago  and that conversation on Life With Machines with Deb Roy is here https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-with-machines/id1766829040?i=1000703577941  mRelief, a woman-led initiative that’s made it easier for people to access food benefits. Since 2018, it’s helped unlock $2 BILLION (yes, with a B) in SNAP support for people across the country. In a time of DOGE and digital distrust, it’s tempting to think all tech can do is tear things down. But this is what happens when we invite everyone—not just the billionaires—into the process of shaping solutions. This is what citizening looks like: 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 People-powered innovation 🏙️ Tech rooted in place 💡 Making tools with communities, not just for them   💬 Seen something like this in your community, an org that asks first? Visit https://stories.howtocitizen.com, join our list, and let us know you have a story to share. These stories are everywhere — and we need them more than ever. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    7 min

  5. 5D AGO

    People Know What They Need

    We’re told some people just need to be saved. But what people really need is to be needed. This community of young single mothers in Lexington, Kentucky reveals a version of this story. Full video viewing options for this story plus links to the Instagram and LinkedIn versions: https://newsletter.baratunde.com/p/young-mothers-asked-to-lead-and-they-did This episode features Tanya Torp, Executive Director of Step by Step, a nonprofit that chose to stop assuming what young mothers needed—and started asking. These moms didn’t just receive support. They shaped it. They requested Narcan training. They showed up. They led. They built trust and built community. And in the process, they reminded us: People need dignity. Agency. The opportunity to contribute. More stories and updates: https://stories.howtocitizen.com 🎙️ This story series is a collaborative effort by Shira Abramowitz, Jon Alexander, Elizabeth Stewart, and Baratunde Thurston. Video produced by Alexa Lim. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    7 min

  6. 6D AGO

    Can a School Board Teach Us to Overcome Division?

    We’re told America is hopelessly divided. But zoom in—like, say, to a school board in South Central Pennsylvania—and a different story emerges. Full video viewing options for this story plus links to the Instagram and LinkedIn versions:https://newsletter.baratunde.com/p/proof-we-can-overcome-division-3rd  This episode features Steph and Lance: one conservative, one liberal, both neighbors, both school board members. With the support of Urban Rural Action, they chose relationship over partisanship. Listening over labeling. Curiosity over contempt. And the result? A school board that works. For the kids. For the community. For all of us. This is what it looks like to citizen: Listen deeply. Speak honestly. Resist the pull to polarize. Build something different—together 🧭 More stories and updates: https://stories.howtocitizen.com 🎙️ This story series is a collaborative effort by Shira Abramowitz, Jon Alexander, Elizabeth Stewart, and Baratunde Thurston. Video produced by Anne Gutteridge. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    7 min

  7. APR 15

    A Tax Day Message about Layoffs With Consent

    It’s Tax Day in the U.S., a moment when many of us think about how we fund collective life. So today’s story? It’s about layoffs — but not the kind we’ve come to expect. See the visuals for this story and all our Week of Citizening stories here:https://newsletter.baratunde.com/p/this-tax-day-solidarity-and-consent   We’re often told democracy is too slow or messy for hard moments. But this episode shows that it’s exactly in those moments that shared power matters most. This isn’t just a story about layoffs. It’s a rejection of the authoritarian reflex in boardrooms, governments, and beyond. It’s about choosing to citizen, even — and especially — when it’s hard. This story is not the teary CEO on Zoom. Not the cold memo. Not the decision handed down from above. This story is different. Kate “Sassy” Sassoon helped an organization in financial crisis involve everyone in the decision-making process. Together, they: Cut costs with consent Shared the burden of leadership Kept more people employed — and all people respected “They felt like complete, full humans. Seen. Heard. Valued.” — Kate Sign up to share and discover more stories like this: https://stories.howtocitizen.com Video Produced by: Tess Novotnoy Week of Citizening Collaborators: Baratunde Thurston, Jon Alexander, Shira Abramowitz, Elizabeth Stewart See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    5 min

  8. APR 15

    Libraries Are Hubs for Citizening - Story 1

    Watch this first video story from the Week of Citizening on Instagram or LinkedIn: https://newsletter.baratunde.com/p/1st-story-libraries-are-hubs-for?r=204q7 What if every library in the world was a hub for citizening—a space where people could come together, tell their own stories, and build new ones? It’s already happening. And Cossit Llibrary in downtown Memphis is leading the way. 🎙️ Meet Ena Esco — Innovator-in-Residence for podcast programming. In a city that’s majority Black and shaped by deep economic challenges, Ena is turning a traditional library into a platform for power. Inside this public library you’ll find: 📸 A podcast studio 🎥 A video + photo lab 🎭 A performance space All free. All open to the public. “We live in an era where a lot of people are being silenced. I’m proud to mentor folks and watch them realize: they can say what they truly want to say.” — Ena Esco This is what it looks like to practice power. To citizen. 🔗 Want more stories like this? Visit https://stories.howtocitizen.com  Story produced by Tess Novotnoy This is part of the Week Of Citizening stories jointly amplified by How To Citizen, Jon Alexander, and Baratunde Thurston See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    4 min
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How To Citizen with Baratunde reimagines the word “citizen” as a verb and reminds us how to wield our collective power. So many of us want to do more in response to the problems we hear about constantly, but where and how to participate can leave us feeling overwhelmed and helpless. Voting, while critically important, simply isn’t enough. It takes more to make this experiment in self-governance work! Listen in to learn new perspectives and practices from people working to improve society for the many. Join writer, activist, and comedian Baratunde Thurston on a journey beyond politics as usual that will leave us all more hopeful, connected, and moved to act.

Information

  • Channel
    iHeartPodcasts
  • Creator
    iHeartPodcasts
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    67
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    2025 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
  • Show Website
    How To Citizen with Baratunde
  • Provider
    iHeartMedia + Entertainment, Inc

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