PathBreakers

The Kresge Foundation
  • 5.0 (12)
  • NON-PROFIT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

PathBreakers is a video podcast from The Kresge Foundation featuring community leaders who are reimagining what's possible in American cities. Hosted by Tracey Pearson and Jamie Bennett, with special guest hosting by Rip Rapson, each episode is an intimate conversation about the vision and determination it takes to create change. Season 2 goes into four cities with one central question: Who has power to shape what happens in their city? Detroit. New Orleans. Memphis. Fresno. Sixteen conversations with the community leaders and mayors building the future of their cities block by block.

  1. Trailer: PathBreakers Season 2 Premieres May 13th!

    SEASON 2 TRAILER

    Trailer: PathBreakers Season 2 Premieres May 13th!

    Four American cities. Sixteen people working to improve where they live. One central question: Who has power to shape what happens in their city? In Detroit, New Orleans, Memphis, and Fresno, we talk with community leaders building neighborhoods of opportunity, reclaiming narrative power, and creating the conditions for families to thrive. And we sit down with city leaders to ask what it looks like from City Hall. Hosted by Tracey Pearson and Jamie Bennett, with mayoral episodes hosted by Kresge President & CEO Rip Rapson. Our first city series on Detroit premieres May 13th 2026. New episodes drop on Wednesdays.  Preview our whole season at pathbreakers.kresge.org

    2 min
  2. Rip Rapson is Leading Kresge into a New Chapter

    09/12/2025

    Rip Rapson is Leading Kresge into a New Chapter

    In this special season finale episode, hosts Tracey Pearson and Jamie Bennet welcome Kresge Foundation President & CEO Rip Rapson back to reflect back on the stories heard throughout the series and to share an exciting announcement about the future of Kresge. In this conversation, Rip also looks back on his journey to Detroit, reflecting on formative experiences and the influences his architect father and librarian mother had on his development as a leader, thinker, and citizen. And Rip does not escape the PathBreakers “lightning round” tradition … Tracey and Jamie ask Rip 10 “hard-hitting” questions with surprising answers.  Read more about Kresge’s big news  Read Rip’s book, Drawn to Challenge  See Rip Rapson’s Drawings: Visual Maps to Change

    45 min
  3. Dr. Darrick Hamilton is Utilizing Academic Research for Social Action

    09/03/2025

    Dr. Darrick Hamilton is Utilizing Academic Research for Social Action

    What is the purpose of an economy? What if economies were centered on people instead of money? What if everyone had access to both income AND wealth? These are the questions Dr. Darrick Hamilton works to problem-solve at the Institute on Race, Power, And Political Economy – an academic center he founded and directs at the New School in New York City, where he and his colleagues work to create “knowledge for action.” In this episode, Dr. Hamilton delivers some “Political Economics 101” delving into inclusive economic rights, human-centered economies, and trust-based governance. He also explains how his Baby Bonds program is leveling the economic playing field for over 33,000 babies in Connecticut and how investing in low-income and low-wealth people leads to positive economic benefits for everyone. Learn more about the Institute on Race, Power, And Political Economy Learn more about Baby Bonds

    45 min
  4. Dr. Beverly Wright is Cultivating the Next Generation of Climate Leaders

    08/27/2025

    Dr. Beverly Wright is Cultivating the Next Generation of Climate Leaders

    Dr. Beverly Wright has been working in climate and environmental justice since before the movement had a name. After 30+ years of leading groundbreaking community-based participatory research in her hometown of New Orleans, Dr. Wright is a celebrated pioneer of the field. Since 1992 she has been the visionary executive director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, the organization which she also founded.  In this episode, Dr. Wright reflects on a post-Katrina New Orleans and her journey from sociologist to movement leader. She also discusses the “communiversity” learning model that she developed for the Deep South Center and the ways they are cultivating the next generation of climate leaders.  Learn more about The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice

    39 min
  5. Dr. Bridget Burns is Fostering Inter-Institutional Problem Solving at Colleges Across the Country

    08/20/2025

    Dr. Bridget Burns is Fostering Inter-Institutional Problem Solving at Colleges Across the Country

    After a challenging experience of her own as a low-income, first-gen college student, Dr. Bridget Burns understood that higher education was not “user-friendly” for everyone. And from that, her career mission became clear: transform colleges and universities into places where low-income, first-generation and students of color could not just navigate, but thrive. Dr. Bridget Burns is the CEO of the University Innovation Alliance, a multi-campus laboratory for student success innovation. In this episode, Dr. Burns shares her approach to fostering trust and openness in a competitive community and discusses how empathy is the first step in design. She discusses the UIA Listening Lab model for collecting student feedback and also reflects how the principles of improv theater inform her approach to problem-solving.  Read more about the University Innovation Alliance Find free resources from the UIA Watch the documentary Unlikely featuring Dr. Burns

    45 min
  6. Cardell Orrin is Catalyzing Community to Support Education in Tennessee

    08/13/2025

    Cardell Orrin is Catalyzing Community to Support Education in Tennessee

    Cardell Orrin spent years as a high-level IT strategist and engineer. Now, as the executive director of Stand for Children Tennessee, he is “debugging” the processes by which parents and community members in Tennessee engage with their local school boards and state representatives. It’s a debugging that’s needed across America’s school systems.  In this conversation, Cardell reflects on a childhood of being “dragged around to school board meetings” by his mother, and the “cynical optimist” problem-solving mindset it helped him develop. Cardell also discusses the specific ways Stand for Children Tennessee helps connect the dots for citizens who want to get involved in education advocacy, and what is at risk when a state proposes taking over a local school district.  Read more about Stand for Children Tennessee  Learn more about the 901 Moral Budget Coalition

    42 min
  7. Samantha Hamilton is Bringing Community Voices to Climate Response in Western Massachusetts

    08/06/2025

    Samantha Hamilton is Bringing Community Voices to Climate Response in Western Massachusetts

    The natural topography and the social geography of Springfield, Massachusetts make it a place especially vulnerable to climate change. Samantha Hamilton is bringing Springfield residents together to develop climate solutions for their city.  Samantha Hamilton is the Director of Coalition Building and Community Engagement at the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts in Springfield, MA. In this episode she explains how diverse coalitions – including a broad spectrum of residents, nonprofits, and municipal organizations – are best equipped to tackle complex and interconnected issues like air quality, housing, education, and health disparities. She also talks about her strategies for cultivating commitment in community participation, and how resident-guided problem solving can inform and impact local and state policy.

    41 min
  8. Quetzal Flores is Centering Culture in East LA Community Powerbuilding

    07/30/2025

    Quetzal Flores is Centering Culture in East LA Community Powerbuilding

    Quetzal Flores is a Grammy-winning musician who combines his immense creative skillset and his deep knowledge of cultural traditions to ignite community participation in resistance and resilience.   In this conversation, Quetzal recounts growing up “in movement” with parents who were deeply involved in the civil rights organizing of the Chicano Movement. He describes East LA's historical significance, its current cultural landscape, and what's at stake in the neighborhood today. Quetzal also reflects on the musical and cultural experiences that have shaped his approach to community powerbuilding.  Learn more about the Community Power Collective Hear music from the band Quetzal Watch some beautiful music videos from Quetzal and his band

    42 min
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Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

PathBreakers is a video podcast from The Kresge Foundation featuring community leaders who are reimagining what's possible in American cities. Hosted by Tracey Pearson and Jamie Bennett, with special guest hosting by Rip Rapson, each episode is an intimate conversation about the vision and determination it takes to create change. Season 2 goes into four cities with one central question: Who has power to shape what happens in their city? Detroit. New Orleans. Memphis. Fresno. Sixteen conversations with the community leaders and mayors building the future of their cities block by block.

Information

  • Creator
    The Kresge Foundation
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Kresge Foundation
  • Show Website
    PathBreakers