Pod for the Cause: Recent Episodes
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights launched “Pod for the Cause” podcast to expand the conversation on critical civil and human rights challenges of our day: census, justice reform, policing, education, fighting hate & bias, judicial nominations, fair courts, voting rights, media & tech, economic security, immigration, and human rights. Through this expanded dialogue, we want to spur activism that drives change in our communities and country. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to the show on your favorite podcast app and leave a 5-star review.
Join Kanya Bennett as she discusses the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder with Carolyn Shields, President of the Shelby County Branch of the NAACP, and Deuel Ross, Deputy Director of Litigation at NAACP Legal Defense Fund. This episode was recorded before the Court rendered its decision in Merrill v. Milligan.
Join Kanya Bennett as she discusses Juneteenth and reparations with Jeff Robinson of The Who We are Project, Kavon Ward of Where is My Land, and Keenan Keller of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.
Join Kanya Bennett and cohost Jheanelle Wilkins, director of state and local government affairs at the Leadership Conference, as they discuss recent attacks on Black political power with District of Columbia Councilmember Robert White, Melissa Wasser of the ACLU-DC, Dr. Sekou Franklin of Middle Tennessee State University, and Patrice Willoughby of the NAACP.
Join our host, Kanya Bennett, as she discusses book bans and curriculum censorship with Karsonya "Kaye" Wise Whitehead and Khalil Gibran Muhammad.
Join our host, Kanya Bennett, as she discusses book bans and curriculum censorship with Karsonya "Kaye" Wise Whitehead and Khalil Gibran Muhammad.
Join our host, Kanya Bennett, as she discusses police violence and reform with Chelsea Glass and Josh Adams of DeCarcerate Memphis and Krissy Roth, Senior Policy Associate at The NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Join our host, Kanya Bennett, as she discusses the role of sports in the civil rights movement with Domonique Foxworth — former NFL defensive back, senior writer for Andscape, and host of The Domonique Foxworth Show, an ESPN podcast.
Our host, Kanya Bennett, is joined by Joe Miller, President and CEO of The Washington Center for Technology Policy Inclusion (WashingTECH), and Dave Toomey, Voting Rights and Technology Fellow at The Leadership Conference to discuss the dangers of disinformation on social media and how we can advance the civil and human rights agenda online.
Our host, Kanya Bennett, is joined by Paige Fernandez, the National Organizing Manager at the Center for Popular Democracy, and Tanya Clay House, Executive Vice President of Campaigns and Advocacy at the Hip Hop Caucus to discuss what advocacy and accountability look like to keep advancing civil rights, post-election.
On today's episode of Pod For the Cause, our host, Kanya Bennett, is joined by Star Wingate-Bey, a 2016 graduate of the University of North Carolina and a student intervenor who helped defend UNC's admissions policy in the affirmative action case involving the universtiy and Genize Bonadies Torres, Associate Director for the Educational Opportunities Project at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, to discuss affirmative action and the related cases before the Supreme Court - Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. University of North Carolina (UNC).
On today’s episode of Pod for the Cause our host, Kanya Bennett discusses the intersectionality of abortion rights and voting and its impact on Black women with Marcela Howell, president and CEO of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Agenda.
On today’s episode of Pod for the Cause our host, Kanya Bennett will discuss the importance of our courts with Kadida Kenner, chief executive officer of the New Pennsylvania Project and co-chair of Why Courts Matter – Pennsylvania, and Kim Tignor, executive director for the Institute for Intellectual Property & Social Justice and cofounder of #SheWillRise.
On today’s episode of Pod for the Cause our host, Kanya Bennett will discuss the importance of our courts with Kadida Kenner, chief executive officer of the New Pennsylvania Project and co-chair of Why Courts Matter – Pennsylvania, and Kim Tignor, executive director for the Institute for Intellectual Property & Social Justice and cofounder of #SheWillRise.
Welcome back to Pod for the Cause Season 6! On today’s episode our new host, Kanya Bennett, managing director of government affairs at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the Leadership Conference Education Fund, will discuss voting and civic engagement with Cece Huddleston, voting rights field coordinator for the Prepared to Vote and Voting Rights Defender projects at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and Maria Town, president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities.
Welcome back to Pod for the Cause Season 6! On today’s episode our new host, Kanya Bennett, managing director of government affairs at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the Leadership Conference Education Fund, will discuss voting and civic engagement with Cece Huddleston, voting rights field coordinator for the Prepared to Vote and Voting Rights Defender projects at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and Maria Town, president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities.
Our host Vanessa Gonzalez is joined by Sakira Cook, Senior Director of the Justice Program at The Leadership Conference and the The Education Fund, and Reginald Belle, Campaigns and Programs Fellow at The Leadership Conference and The Education Fund to discuss how we can transform the criminal-legal system through voting and other forms of civic participation.
Our host Vanessa Gonzalez is joined by Arekia Bennett-Scott, executive director of Mississippi Votes, and Jordan Johnson, executive director of Georgia Shift, to discuss the legacy of Black-led civil rights organizing, the importance of youth in these movements, and how to evolve to meet the present moment.
Our host Vanessa Gonzalez is joined by Diego Sanchez, Director of Advocacy, Policy & Partnerships at PFLAG and Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality to discuss the intersectionality of inequity and how it impacts the transgender community. They discuss dismantling systems of violence, among other topics.
What is narrative and why should it matter to activists? Vanessa is joined by Ellen Buchman, President at The Opportunity Agenda, Dr. Jiggy Geronimo, a progressive research and messaging expert, and Tyler Lewis, Director of Messaging and Project Management at Third Sector to discuss how civil rights advocates can craft messaging that leverages the power of narratives.
Our host Vanessa Gonzalez is joined by Sofia Ongele, Founder of ReDawn and Creative Advisor Intern at Kode with Klossy, and Laura Murphy, President of Laura Murphy & Associates, LLC and Author of The Rationale for and Key Elements of a Business Civil Rights Audit, to discuss the intersection of technology and civil rights.
Our host Vanessa Gonzalez is joined by Lia Parada, Director of Legislative Advocacy at The Immigration Hub, and Abraham Paulos, Deputy Director at the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, to discuss asylum, temporary protected status, and the state of immigration in the United States.
Our host Vanessa Gonzalez is joined by Lena Zwarensteyn, Senior Director of the Fair Courts Campaign at The Leadership Conference and The Education Fund, and Patricia Richman, National Sentencing Resource Counsel at Federal Public and Community Defenders, to discuss the promises President Biden made to voters, unpack his record on judicial nominations and criminal justice reform, and how else our communities need him to show up.
Our host Vanessa Gonzalez is joined by Aimee Arrambide, Executive Director at Avow Texas; Leila Abolfazli, Director for Federal Reproductive Rights at National Women’s Law Center; and Nancy Cardenas Pena, Texas Director of Policy and Advocacy at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice to discuss how recent abortion restrictions and laws that are chipping away at the right to vote are rooted in white supremacy and how to fight against them.
On the finale of the Vision for Justice miniseries, our guest host, Monifa Bandele, Movement for Black Lives Leadership Team, reimagines public safety with Thea Sebastian, Director of Policy, Civil Rights Corps, Alphonso David, President of Human Rights Campaign, and Eunisses Hernandez, Executive Director and Co-founder of La Defensa.
Our host Vanessa Gonzalez is joined by Congressman Ted. Lieu (D-Calif.) to discuss pretrial justice, its current framework, and the inequities that exist within it. Then, in a special Pod Squad segment, Sakira Cook, Senior Director, Justice Program, The Leadership Conference and The Education Fund, reimagines transforming the pretrial justice system with DeAnna Hoskins, President and CEO of JustLeadershipUSA; Katherine Hubbard, Senior Attorney at Civil Rights Corps; Chesa Boudin, the District Attorney of San Francisco; and Sharone Mitchell, Public Defender of Cook County, Illinois.
On this second episode of our special series, Vision For Justice, our host Vanessa Gonzalez is joined by Congressman Bobby Scott (D-Va.), to discuss the passing of the 1994 Crime Bill and its long-term implications on mass incarceration and Black and Brown communities. Then, in a special Pod Squad segment, Nkechi Taifa, Principal and CEO of The Taifa Group, reimagines public safety with Anand Subramanian, Managing Director at PolicyLink; and Kumar Rao, Senior Director of Policy & Strategy, New York Working Families Party.
On this first episode of our special series, Vision For Justice, our host Vanessa Gonzalez is joined by Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), to discuss the policies and ramifications of the War on Drugs. Then in a special Pod Squad segment, Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance reimagines public safety with Andrea James, founder and executive director of The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls; Juan Cartagena, president & general counsel of LatinoJustice PRLDEF; and Kara Gotsch, deputy director of The Sentencing Project.
Vanessa Gonzalez is joined by Sylvia Tanguma, president of the McAllen American Federation of Teachers and a teacher at James Bonham Elementary in McAllen, TX, to discuss how teachers heroically pivoted their curriculum and methods in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and what needs to be done to help students and teachers re-enter the classroom, as we emerge from the pandemic.
Pod for the Cause host Vanessa N. Gonzalez is joined by mental health experts: Melvin Wilson (Senior Policy Advisor for Social Justice and Human Rights, at the National Association of Social Workers) and Sherod Haynes (MD/PhD Candidate at Emory University) to unpack mental health after over a year of quarantine, the social dichotomy of vaccinations, and reimagining care during reopening through an intersectional lens.
Pod for the Cause host Vanessa N. Gonzalez is joined by voting leaders: Bo Shuff (Executive Director at DC Vote), Lisa Cylar Barrett (Director of Policy at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc.), and Kadeem Cooper (Policy Counsel at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law) to break down the latest in federal voting, DC statehood, and how we move forward after the 2021 election.
Pod for the Cause host Vanessa N. Gonzalez is joined by Adrienne Lawrence (Attorney and Sr. Consultant at Jennifer Brown Consulting, Media and Legal Consultant at Bantam Impact, and the Author of Staying in the Game), Jess Morales Rocketto (Co-chair of Families Belong Together and Co-Founder at Care in Action, Supermajority, and She Se Puede), and Kate Bahn (Director of Labor Market Policy at Washington Center for Equitable Growth and EVP of the International Association for Feminist Economics) to discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the issues women face today including the gender and race pay gap, reproductive justice, and harassment through an intersectional lens.
Pod for the Cause host Vanessa N. Gonzalez is joined by amazing members of the All Voting is Local team: Peter Burress (Wisconsin Campaign Manager), Rosemary Avila (Arizona Campaign Manager), Ifeolu Claytor (Ohio Campaign Manager), and Ben Gardner (Michigan Campaign Manager) to break down voting at the local level and discuss the intersectionality of voter suppression.
Pod for the Cause host Vanessa N. Gonzalez is joined by Claudia Flores (Senior Campaign Manager at the Center for American Progress), Abraham Paulos (Deputy Director of Policy and Communications at the Black Alliance for Just Immigration), and Jill Yu (Managing Director and Cofounder at Act to Change) to talk about immigration, white supremacy, and how we can activate our own communities to eradicate the anti-blackness within them.
Pod for the Cause host Vanessa N. Gonzalez is joined by Monica Simpson (Executive Director of SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective), Tina Tchen (President & CEO of TIME'S UP), and LaShawn Warren (Executive Vice President for Government Affairs at The Leadership Conference) to talk all about the first 100 days of the Biden-Harris administration, and what all the executive orders and COVID-19 relief actually mean for all of us.
On the season 4 premiere of Pod for the Cause, Wade Henderson, civil rights lawyer, human rights activist, and interim president of The Leadership Conference, and Nelini Stamp, Director of Strategy and Partnerships at the Working Families Party, join host Vanessa Gonzalez to discuss where we've been as a country (and where we want to be) in the aftermath of the white supremacist insurrection at the Capitol.
2020 has been a year unlike any other - from the COVID-19 pandemic to racial injustice, a historic presidential election and more - as we close the door on 2020 and welcome a New Year, The Leadership Conference colleagues LaShawn Warren and Kelly Brewington join Vanessa Gonzalez to take a look back & reflect on all that has happened this year, while also bringing in some cheer as we approach 2021.
Schuyler Bailar, athlete, activist, life coach, and the first openly trans NCAA Division I athlete and swimmer, and Sam White, social impact strategist and advocate, join host Allyn Brooks-LaSure for a conversation all about allyship in the Black Lives Matter movement. The Leadership Conference's own Vanessa Gonzalez hits us with her Hot Takes.
On our first post-Election episode, comedians Travon Free and Jenny Yang join host Allyn Brooks-LaSure to break down the 2020 Election and the state of comedy as we transition from the Trump Presidency to a Biden-Harris Administration.
Welcome to The Election Episode of Pod for the Cause! Host Allyn Brooks-LaSure sits down with Leigh Chapman, Program Director of Voting Rights at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Ramon Contreras, Founder of Youth Over Guns, and Deja Foxx, activist and founder of Gen Z Girl Gang.
On this week's Pod for the Cause, we talk all about the Supreme Court confirmation hearings and voting with Aklima Khondoker (Georgia State Director, All Voting is Local), Kayla Griffin (Ohio State Director, All Voting is Local), Lena Zwarensteyn (Fair Courts Campaign Director, The Leadership Conference), and Rosemary Avila (Arizona Campaign Manager, All Voting is Local).
How are college students feeling during COVID-19? What's it like to be an undergrad during a global pandemic? On this week's Pod for the Cause, we check in with student leaders of color across the country for a collegiate roundtable. Joining host Allyn Brooks-LaSure on the Pod Squad is Danielle Geathers, President of the Student Government at MIT, Luis Huerta, President of the Associated Students of University of California, Riverside, Cameron Nolan, Student Government Association President at Morehouse College, and Foothill College Student Government President, Abhiraj Muhar.
This week's Pod for the Cause episode hosted by Allyn Brooks-LaSure is all about the psychological impacts of COVID-19, especially for communities of color. Author, Veteran, and Heart Healer Rob Hill Sr. joins us as our special guest to share more wisdom and words around this topic. Plus, Assistant Professor and Director of Wellness at Washington University in St Louis, Dr. Jessi Gold, M.D. MS, and The Leadership Conference's Communications Assistant, Kenny Park Yi, join the "Pod Squad" to talk about self care and mental health during COVID-19.
Pod for the Cause is all about the census this week! Stand-up comedian Cristela Alonzo joins us to talk about the power the census holds for historically undercounted communities — and the urgency of saving the 2020 Census — with guest host Beth Lynk, Director of Census Counts. Plus, our own Ashley Allison and Tamika Turner, Communications Director of Census Counts, round out the Pod Squad!
In the season 3 premiere of "Pod for the Cause", host Ashley Allison is joined by Compton’s Mayor Aja Brown to discuss the horrible storm - between COVID-19, police violence, and everything else that has been happening in our nation. Plus, The Leadership Conference’s Allyn Brooks-LaSure and United We Dream’s Greisa Martinez join Ashley on the Pod Squad to talk about the legacies of Rev. C. T. Vivian and Congressman John Lewis, a major victory for DACA at the Supreme Court, when the pandemic is or isn’t ending, and hyper-realistic cakes.
Pod for the Cause is guest hosted by Allyn Brooks-LaSure to discuss the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement in unprecedented times - we cover allyship, true change, and more, all with a packed Pod Squad and special guest Iyanla Vanzant.
In honor of the Mother's Day and the one year anniversary of Pod for the Cause, host Ashley Allison is joined by former Obama Administration Senior Advisor, New York Times Bestselling Author, and mother/grandmother Valerie Jarrett to talk about the journey of motherhood, finding her voice, and the realities of being a working mother. Plus, Ashley and the pod squad celebrates Mother's Day by bringing their moms in on this episode too!
Pod for the Cause host Ashley Allison is joined by the creator, writer, and director of the Netflix series Dear White People, Justin Simien, and the actress who portrays the character Joelle Brooks in Dear White People, Ashley Blaine Featherson, to discuss the experience of students of color on college campuses along with the complexities of race in our nation.
Pod for the Cause host Ashley Allison is joined remotely by New York Times bestselling author, historian and antiracist activist Dr. Ibram Kendi to talk about the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had on Black communities.
Pod for the Cause host Ashley Allison is joined remotely by Vanita Gupta, President and CEO of The Leadership Conference, to talk about how COVID-19 has impacted our world and how, now more than ever, the fierce fight to protect civil and human rights continues.
Pod for the Cause host Ashley Allison is joined by Stacey Abrams, the former Democratic nominee for the governorship of Georgia, the Founder and Chair of Fair Fight, and the Founder of Fair Count, to talk all things voting, Census, and what is next in Leader Abrams' future.
Pod for the Cause host Ashley Allison is joined by powerhouse Representatives Kathy Castor, Darren Soto, Marc Veasey, Al Green and John Sarbanes for part two of a special episode live from the Maxine Waters "Millennial Media Row" State of The Union event to talk about health care, justice reform, reparations, economic security and ultimately how to get people out to vote in the 2020 election.
Pod for the Cause host Ashley Allison is joined by powerhouse Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Maxine Waters for part one of an episode live from the Maxine Waters "Millennial Media Row" State of The Union event to talk about health care, justice reform, reparations, economic security, the power of Black women, and ultimately how to get people out to vote in the 2020 election.
Pod for the Cause host Ashley Allison is joined by Cecile Richards, Mayra Macias, and Alicia Garza for a very special episode live from The Leadership Conference Education Fund's "We Are Democracy" conference to talk all about voter engagement and what candidates should be doing to reach the people.
Pod for the Cause host Ashley Allison is joined by Martín Batalla Vidal, the lead plaintiff in the New York case McAleenan v. Vidal, to discuss DACA and how the fight will continue to create a pathway for future generations to live and thrive in America.
To kick off season two, Pod for the Cause host Ashley Allison is joined by special guest Dawn-Lyen Gardner, star of Queen Sugar, to discuss voter suppression, the importance of representation, and the fluidity of racial/cultural identity.
If you're new to the show be sure to check out our first season and click subscribe today!
Pod for the Cause host Ashley Allison welcomes David Hogg, activist and co-founder of March For Our Lives and Zion Kelly, activist and student at Florida A&M University, to discuss their tragic experiences with gun-related violence -- and the urgent need for reform on all levels.
Pod for the Cause host Ashley Allison welcomes Vilissa Thompson, creator of #DisabilityTooWhite and founder of RampYourVoice, to discuss how disability rights are civil rights -- and how we should all hold each other accountable for disability discrimination, both within the movement and our lives. Thompson makes the case for why we should all speak up about the intersection of racism and disability rights.
Pod for the Cause host Ashley Allison and the iconic Rev. Dr. William Barber II, president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach and architect of the Moral Mondays movement, discuss what justice and freedom look like in the Trump era. The conversation includes how young people are leading the movement and how we should all use our moral compass to continue the fight.
Pod for the Cause host Ashley Allison and film director, author, and activist Paola Mendoza discuss immigration and family separation. The conversation includes experiences of families on the border who are seeking asylum and safety, as well as the importance of immigration reform.
Pod for the Cause host Ashley Allison interviews actress and model, Isis King, to discuss her breakout role in When They See Us. The conversation includes what pride month means to her and to the LGBTQ community, in addition to how people can become better allies.
Pod for the Cause host Ashley Allison, Alabama Senator Vivian Figures, and Kimberly Inez McGuire, executive director of Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity (URGE), discuss the recent Alabama abortion law and the nationwide attacks on abortion overall. The conversation included how these attacks will harm people of color, women, and the LGBTQ community in addition to how we can rise up in defense of a women’s right to choose.
Ashley Allison, host of Pod for the Cause, interviews Ai-jen Poo, director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, co-director of Caring Across Generations, and founder of Supermajority, to discuss civic engagement efforts. They discuss a new national activist network that connects women organizers to ignite action.
Ashley Allison, host of Pod for the Cause, interviews Dale Ho, voting rights program director at the ACLU, to discuss all things census. They discuss the Supreme Court oral arguments case to remove the citizenship question, counting all communities, and the importance of a fair and accurate count in 2020.
Ashley Allison, host of Pod for the Cause, interviews Marion Gray-Hopkins, Executive Director of Coalition of Concerned Mothers and Rhanda Dormeus, Treasurer of Coalition of Concerned Mothers, on how they turned their tragedy into advocacy. Both Gray-Hopkins and Dormeus lost their children at the hands of police violence.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights launched “Pod for the Cause” podcast to expand the conversation on critical civil and human rights challenges of our day: census, justice reform, policing, education, fighting hate & bias, judicial nominations, fair courts, voting rights, media & tech, economic security, immigration, and human rights. Through this expanded dialogue, we want to spur activism that drives change in our communities and country. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to the show on your favorite podcast app and leave a 5-star review.