Change Agents The Podcast: Recent Episodes
Juneteenth Productions
A-gen-cy noun: action or intervention, especially such as to produce a particular effect.Too often the actions of real people of color making real change in their neighborhoods and lives are ignored in the media. Even worse are portrayals that people of color lack the agency to address the wrongs and find solutions that empowers residents and improves conditions. Too often these stories are told from outside, not inside, the community. Change Agent is a podcasts series by Chicagoans trained to tell stories of their neighborhood transformations and the folks who make that happen. Developed by Judith McCray and Maurice Bisaillon of Juneteenth Productions, Change Agents is a partnership between community organizers and emerging journalists of color who are provided the tools to produce professionally crafted episodes that highlight issues, challenges and ground level efforts for change.
In this episode, Emma Yaaka, a Ugandan refugee and community advocate, shares how misinformation spreads through refugee and migrant networks and the real consequences it can have. From WhatsApp groups to TikTok and YouTube, fear can travel fast, shaping decisions about health, safety, and even relocation. Emma works with his community to pause, verify, and navigate information in an environment where trust is fragile, and stakes are high. Experts Dr. Zach McDowell of UIC and Dr. Michael Spikes of NU-Medill explain why distinguishing misinformation from disinformation matters — and why trusted connections can make all the difference. Hosted by Grace Asiegbu, this episode explores how digital information, fear, and community intersect in the lives of refugees.
Produced by Grace Asiegbu @epitome_of_grace for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with Emma Yaaka and U.S. Refugee Integration Organization
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Wakati Wote: Kazi ya Makazi (Always On: The Work of Resettlement)
Baada ya kukimbia Uganda ili kuepuka kifungo cha maisha kwa sababu ya utambulisho wake, Adam aliwasili Chicago akiwa hana kitu isipokuwa uzoefu wake wa kazi ya kijamii. Leo hii, anahudumu kama daraja muhimu kwa wahamiaji wa LGBTQ+ wanaokabiliana na kiwewe, urasimu, na hofu zile zile alizowahi kukumbana nazo. Hadithi hii inachunguza jinsi utafutaji wa amani wa mtu mmoja ulivyokuwa utume wa saa 24 kuhakikisha hakuna mwingine anayelazimika kupitia mchakato wa makazi peke yake.
Katika hadithi hii ya sauti, tunachunguza makutano ya uhamiaji wa kimataifa na haki za LGBTQ+ kupitia sauti za wanajamii walioathirika moja kwa moja na wataalamu wa makazi. Inajumuisha mahojiano na Adam, maelezo ya kihistoria kuhusu sheria za enzi za ukoloni, na ripoti kutoka mstari wa mbele wa makazi jijini Chicago.
Imetayarishwa na Nadia Carolina Hernandez [@naddixo] kwa ajili ya Reparations Media NFP | Kwa ushirikiano na HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) [@HIASrefugees]
After fleeing Uganda to escape a life sentence for his identity, Adam arrived in Chicago with nothing but his background in social work. Today, he serves as a vital bridge for LGBTQ+ migrants navigating the same trauma, bureaucracy, and fear he once faced. This story explores how one person’s search for peace became a 24/7 mission to ensure no one else has to navigate the resettlement process alone.
In this audio story, we explore the intersection of global migration and LGBTQ+ rights through the voices of directly impacted community members and resettlement experts. Featuring interviews with Adam, archival context on colonial-era laws, and reporting from the resettlement frontlines in Chicago.
Produced by Nadia Carolina Hernandez (@naddixo) for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) (@HIASrefugees)
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The Illinois Accountability Commission begins patching up Operation Midway Blitz wounds, though preventative mechanisms remain deficient
Operation Midway Blitz exposed deep flaws in federal oversight — and made Illinois the first state to investigate federal agents.
This audio feature examines Operation Midway Blitz through the voices of an affected Evanston resident, an asylum and immigration law expert, and Governor Pritzker’s Illinois Accountability Commission (IAC). The accountability-focused story investigates the operation’s aftermath, including how it exposed systemic flaws within the federal government. It also reports on recovery and reconstruction efforts through IAC's response and its unprecedented decision to become the first state to investigate federal law enforcement conduct.
Featuring eyewitness Jennifer Moriarty, DePaul asylum and immigration law expert Sioban Albiol, and IAC Vice Chair Patricia Brown Holmes — with a closing word from Gov. JB Pritzker.
Produced by Caitlin Walsh @caitlinhwalsh for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with DePaul Asylum & Immigration Law Clinic @DePaulLaw
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English (Creole to come)
There is a fear many parents hold on to but rarely say out loud: the possibility of being separated from their child. For one Haitian mother facing deportation, that fear is now a reality.
"M" fled gang violence in Port-au-Prince while eight months pregnant, arriving in the U.S. by boat with only a cell phone and birth certificate. After her asylum case was denied, hindered by language barriers and lack of legal representation, she now wears an ankle monitor—a constant reminder that she could be separated from her four-year-old U.S. citizen daughter at any time.
This investigation reveals how not speaking English, not having legal support, and not knowing how the immigration system works can change the course of immigrant lives—and tear families apart.
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In April of 2003, rural McHenry County began a politically and financially volatile relationship with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by contracting to house immigration detainees at the McHenry County Jail in Woodstock, Illinois. The relationship quickly exposed local residents to the horrors of immigrant detention, but knowledge of the facility was a well-kept secret. In 2020, that relationship was thrust into the public spotlight due to the COVID pandemic and the racially motivated murder of George Floyd. As seen through the eyes of local organizers, this episode of Change Agents will immerse listeners in the almost 20-year fight to end immigrant detention in McHenry County.
Produced by Carlos Acosta @phoenixbilingual | for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with Coalition to Cancel ICE in McHenry County @ICEoutofMcHenryCounty
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There is a fear many parents hold on to but rarely say out loud: the possibility of being separated from their child. For one Haitian mother facing deportation, that fear is now a reality.
"M" fled gang violence in Port-au-Prince while eight months pregnant, arriving in the U.S. by boat with only a cell phone and birth certificate. After her asylum case was denied, hindered by language barriers and lack of legal representation, she now wears an ankle monitor—a constant reminder that she could be separated from her four-year-old U.S. citizen daughter at any time.
This investigation reveals how not speaking English, not having legal support, and not knowing how the immigration system works can change the course of immigrant lives—and tear families apart.
Produced by Obed Lamy @obedlamy for Reparations Media NFP | Translation: Edine Celestin | In collaboration with Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti and immigration advocates
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Don’t miss out — subscribe today and be part of the movement!
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After fleeing Uganda to escape a life sentence for his identity, Adam arrived in Chicago with nothing but his background in social work. Today, he serves as a vital bridge for LGBTQ+ migrants navigating the same trauma, bureaucracy, and fear he once faced. This story explores how one person’s search for peace became a 24/7 mission to ensure no one else has to navigate the resettlement process alone.
In this audio story, we explore the intersection of global migration and LGBTQ+ rights through the voices of directly impacted community members and resettlement experts. Featuring interviews with Adam, archival context on colonial-era laws, and reporting from the resettlement frontlines in Chicago.
Produced by Nadia Carolina Hernandez [@naddixo] for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) [@HIASrefugees]
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When buses of immigrants from Texas and Florida arrived in Chicago in the summer of 2022, the Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti (a local organization led by members of the Haitian diaspora) stepped in to help. The group has supported nearly 350 Haitian families who fled gang violence in Haiti as they began rebuilding their lives in the United States.
As ICE operations have increased across the country under the Trump administration, the organization has continued to help families navigate the complex immigration system, access resources, and stay safe.
In this episode, we speak with the organization's executive director about the challenges of supporting Haitian migrants and what continues to drive their work.
Produced by Obed Lamy obedlamy.com for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with the Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti Haitian Congress.org
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This episode follows Emma Yaaka, a Ugandan refugee who arrived in the U.S. in 2017 and built a life centered on advocacy and community care. He shares his journey fleeing violence as a queer man, surviving displacement in Kenya, and starting over in the U.S. with almost nothing. Emma arrived in the States during turbulent times, as protections for immigrants were beginning to erode and Chicago’s migrant communities faced heightened ICE activity under Trump’s second term. Through his work with Heartland Human Services and the U.S. Refugee Integration Organization, we see how community networks step in where systems fall short. Hosted by Grace Asiegbu, this episode is a story about survival, belonging, and the ways people grow forward together, even when the ground keeps shifting.
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After over a decade behind bars, Maria Garza returned to a world with little support and even less stability. Facing housing insecurity and emotional strain, she saw firsthand the failures of a system that promised rehabilitation but delivered barriers. Determined to break the cycle, she co-founded Challenge II Change, a reentry organization that centers stable housing and mental health as the foundation for real second chances.
Produced by Cary Robbins, with Noble Thompson and Noah Tomko-Jones for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with Maria Garza and Challenge II Change @challengeiichange
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When a rash decision changed the course of his life, Harry Peña spent decades behind bars. But prison didn't break him — it revealed his purpose. Determined to turn his painful past into a force for good, Harry founded the Life Impacters Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to disrupting the incarceration and recidivism cycle that traps so many formerly incarcerated people.
Sentenced to life in prison at just 19 years old, Wendell Robinson drew his own map to freedom. Now, through his work at Restore Justice, Robinson uses his experience and knowledge to help other formerly incarcerated people navigate the reentry system and find their place in society.
Produced by Skylah Martinez, Bing Wang, and Eliza Westhusing for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with Wendell Robinson and Restore Justice Foundation
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“Struggle to Serve: Larry Sapp and the push for political inclusion”
Larry Sapp has dedicated the past 30 years to serving his community. In 2021, he was elected to the Sauk Village Board of Trustees, promising to get the community thriving again after years of decay. His dream was deferred when he was removed from the Board for a decades-old felony drug conviction that he had openly disclosed during his path to elected office. Now, Sapp is fighting for the rights of returning citizens to serve their communities without limitations, including holding local public office.
Produced by Ruchi Nawathe and Vivienne Madsen for Reparations Media NFP In collaboration with Larry Sapp
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“Shimere Love-Shanklin: From Struggle to Strength”
Finding employment and opening doors that seem permanently closed is a barrier that people with felony records continually face. Shamere Love-Shanklin knows this reality all too well. In this episode, Love-Shanklin shares her reentry journey—navigating the challenges, embracing the triumphs, and reclaiming her identity after years of incarceration—and how her criminal justice reform advocacy work transforms the system designed to hold people like her back.
Produced by Aaliyah McFadden and Isabella Salinas [PRODUCER CONTACT/HANDLE] for Reparations Media NFP
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Keywords: Illinois, Incarceration, systems impacted, justice reform, Chicago, Rockford, Activism, housing rights, employment discrimination, felony disenfranchisement, family separation, restorative justice, recovery, domestic
“Rhymes & Resistance: King Moosa uses creativity to advance voting rights”
Did you know that individuals with felony convictions in Illinois still retain the right to vote? Rockford-born hip-hop ARTivist Brian Harrington, aka King Moosa, is trying to spread the word.
Sentenced to 25 years in prison at the age of 14, King Moosa experienced the isolating effects of incarceration firsthand. Through the support of community members and grassroots movements, he was encouraged to draw, write, and perform, bringing awareness to his story. In 2020, after 13 years behind bars, he was granted clemency. Now, he uses his talents to create narrative change surrounding incarceration and its effects in America.
Through his art, advocacy work, and collaboration with Chicago Votes, he continues to fight for change in the legal system, using community and individual healing as a powerful crime-prevention tactic.
Produced by Maddie Voelkel and Matthew Warakomski for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with King Moosa https://www.kingmoosaartivism.com/about
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When Mercedes Pickett set out to buy her first home, she wanted to do it in the same way her mom had — by living in a two-flat, renting out the bottom apartment, and making the building into an investment property.
For over a century, owning and living in a rental property has been one of the most effective ways to build wealth for Black and Latino communities. Yet these quintessential Chicago homes are in danger of extinction.
This is the story of how a new generation of Black and brown homeowners are pushing back — and improving their neighborhoods in the process.
Produced by Reema Saleh for Reparations Media | Editorial support from Juneteenth Productions @juneteenthprod2 | Collaboration with Neighborhood Housing Services @NHSChicago | Sound design by Will Jarvis @willyfrederick | Music: Sarah Abdullah, Blue Dot Sessions
Follow us: changeagentsthepodcast.com | Contact: changeagents@reparationsmedia.org | Support our work: donate.stripe.com/4gw2980yG7Ez9bO3cf
Key words: housing, home, homeownership, homeowner, landlord, mortgage, apartment, two-flat, rent, income, redlining, Black, Latino, solutions, Chi-Flats Initiative, Neighborhood Housing Services
Michelle Clopton was in her twenties when Chicago police attempted to force her to confess to a crime she didn’t commit. For 72 hours, she was brutally questioned, deprived of food, and tortured. Today, she is one of the few women to publicly share her experience of abuse. But she’s not alone.
Under the leadership of CPD Commander Jon Burge, more than 100 Black people were tortured by Chicago police in the ’70s and ’80s to elicit false confessions.
A group of survivors have created the Chicago Torture Justice Center to begin rebuilding lives, healing, and finding joy. Michelle’s story reveals the unique impact of police abuse on women — and what it takes to survive and thrive.
**Produced by Jewél Jackson @JewlJackson1 for Reparations Media | Editorial support from Juneteenth Productions @juneteenthprod2 | Collaboration with Chicago Torture Justice Center @chitorture | Sound design by Will Jarvis @willyfrederick | Music: Sarah Abdullah, Blue Dot Sessions
Follow us: changeagentsthepodcast.com | Contact: changeagents@reparationsmedia.org | Donate: donate.stripe.com/4gw2980yG7Ez9bO3cf**
Key words: Chicago, police, Chicago Police Department, CPD, John Burge, torture, corruption, brutality, survivor, false confession, prison, incarceration, jail, trauma, mental health, healing, solutions, Say Her Name, plea, accountability rule
When Matthew Cage’s father died, Matthew knew it fell on him to financially support his mom. But there was a problem. Matthew had just been released from prison — and many don’t want to rent or employ someone with a criminal record.
Experts say a good indication of whether someone will return to prison is how quickly they find housing. A group of nonprofits across Chicago’s South and West sides are trying to break that cycle. Their solution: provide clean, affordable and dignified housing for people leaving prison — PLUS the social, health and spiritual support they need to change their life.
This is the story of two men who have broken that cycle, and how housing allowed them to show up for themselves, their families — and eventually — their communities.
Produced by Joshua Eferighe @Eferighe for Reparations Media | Editorial support from Juneteenth Productions @juneteenthprod2 | Collaboration with Precious Blood Ministries | Sound design by Will Jarvis @willyfrederick | Music: Sarah Abdullah, Blue Dot Sessions
Follow us: changeagentsthepodcast.com | Contact: changeagents@reparationsmedia.org | Donate: donate.stripe.com/4gw2980yG7Ez9bO3cf
Key words: housing, homeless, unhoused, halfway house, prison, incarceration, landlord, rent, jail, felony, job, employment, mental health, Precious Blood Ministries, Green Re-Entry, solutions
Produced by Daphne Watson | They gather a few times a month in prisons, inmates, educators, lawyers, activists, and legislators for the Behind the Walls Law and Policy Think Tank. Dr. Christina Rivers moderates a peer-led civics program helping members craft laws combating long-standing felony disenfranchisement and clearing a path to full citizenship for returning citizens.
Produced by Justin Agrelo | In 2010, a group of men incarcerated at Danville Correctional Center had a thought: how could they help stem community violence plaguing Chicago from the inside of a prison roughly three hours away? The men formed an academic study group they later named Community Anti-Violence Education (CAVE). They began examining the multiple layers of trauma and violence, both internally and externally hoping they could find a way to stem the damage done to their communities. What they didn’t realize at the time was that this study group would blossom into something much deeper.
Produced by Dilpreet Raju | Criminal records can sometimes create seemingly insurmountable hurdles to employment, a key factor toward reducing recidivism rates. Defy Ventures teaches the incarcerated, and returning citizens how to build their own business. Their program is a game-changer, not just for the system impacted, but for business leaders who are given a chance to shed biases, and discover an invaluable stream of worker talent.
Produced by Jane Carlson | Marlon Chamberlain couldn’t chaperone his son’s field trip or be the executor of his father’s estate because of a decades-old drug conviction. He’s now leading a group of all formerly incarcerated members working to overturn or amend nearly 1,200 Illinois laws that restrict people with records from being full citizens, from being fully free.
Produced by Citlali Perez | Women are being imprisoned at higher rates than ever. As they return home they face a unique set of challenges, because they are often their families primary caretakers they face harsher parole oversight, making it all the more difficult to reckon unresolved trauma. G.O.D. helps these women meet their immediate needs (such as clothing or housing), and then works with them to find a path back to a productive and happy life.
Produced by Corli Jay | Chicago’s Choose To Own program gives low-income residents the educational and financial support to buy their first home, helping them navigate a confusing and discriminatory mortgage and appraisal system. Still, some participants worry their newfound financial stability may push them out of the program — jeopardizing the wealth the program was designed to build.
How to Tackle Antiblackness
"Together we are powerful." "Black and Brown solidarity." "Yellow peril supports Black power." Interracial solidarity is foundational in the fight for racial justice for all, but often interracial conflict steals headlines instead. Just how can people of color transcend deep differences and internalized anti-Blackness? Listen to how Chicago-based organization People Matter forged a path to true interracial solidarity through education and compassion.
Justice That HealsChicago can be cruel to its youth, especially to youth of color living in marginalized communities. Restorative justice practices have begun to emerge in the city aiming to remedy the root causes of harm that is plaguing the streets with crime and violence. BUILD has become a fierce proponent of the restorative justice framework and has added it to its tool kit as it expands its reach in the Austin community. Alongside BUILD, are recently founded restorative justice courts extending a life altering hand. In a city rooted in retributive courts, a drug case can be a life defining moment and it was for Michelle Dennis.
Building Equality in Construction
History shows that Chicago’s building trades have excluded construction workers of color. But the attention on George Floyd’s death three years ago inspired a movement toward racial justice everywhere, from schools to jobs. While some construction companies have made commitments to stopping racism and discrimination in the workplace, industry experts say more work needs to be done to build equity in construction. A nonprofit called Revolution Workshop is training emerging carpenters of color to repair the division and harm caused by the industry, but it will take more than training individuals to enter the workforce: it requires a continued fight with Chicago leaders to pass a construction ordinance focused on equity and inclusion. In this episode, we hear from Revolution Workshop alum Brittany Taylor and Parish Sloan share their experiences on facing racial discrimination and unjust working conditions in the industry.
On the Way Home
Youth who are experiencing homelessness in Chicago are undercounted and frequently clumsily represented. This story’s intent is to counteract public bias around what someone experiencing homelessness looks like. The story of Shawne Hinkle winds us through a personal account of housing difficulties. Her story is one that is incredibly specific to her situation, but also speaks to broader experiences of homeless youth. Shawne is now an employee at the drop-in center for the Lyte Collective in South Side Chicago.
This story explores the Lyte Collective to gain a better grasp of alternative aid provided to homeless youth in Chicago. This organization implements unique solutions to some of the modern problems in the youth homeless service sector. This episode elaborates upon these problems and potential solutions.
Restaurando La Maceta
Hay un refrán que dice que la aflicción es como una maceta rota. La maceta nunca se va ver igual o funcionar igual a lo que era antes que se rompió— igual a que una familia no se va ver igual o funcionar igual antes de la muerte de una persona querida.
El Centro Sanar pelea contra la cultura tradicional y medicinal para el cuidado de salud y trauma.
Los clínicos de la organización acompañan a los miembros de la comunidad en su camino para recuperarse de sus traumas con servicios mentales consistentes y gratuitos, cuidado de trauma y el manejo de casos, y todo bajo prácticas colectivas y restaurativas.
En este episodio de Change Agents, productora Grace Del Vecchio examina el papel importante de la organización en el proceso de curación largo y complicado para una familia despues de la muerte de su hijo y hermano de homicidio en 2017.
Producido por Grace Del Vecchio
Traducción al español por Richie Requena
Las voces en off por Richie Requena, Emily Soto, Daniela Tovar-Miranda y Marilyn Carteno
Restoring La Maceta
There’s a metaphor for grief that describes the healing process as gluing a broken flower pot or in Spanish – una maceta – back together after it breaks. The pot will never look or function the same as it did before it was broken – just as a family will never look or function the same as it did before the death of a loved one.
Centro Sanar seeks to challenge the traditional medicalized culture of mental health and trauma care. The organization’s clinicians’ accompany community members in their journeys to heal and thrive by providing consistent and continual free mental health services, trauma care and case management, all rooted in restorative and collective practices of care.
In this episode of Change Agents, producer Grace Del Vecchio unpacks the instrumental role the organization played in one family’s long and complicated healing journey after the death of their son and brother to homicide in 2017.
Produced by Grace Del Vecchio
Voiceovers by Richie Requena and Gk Kay
ChiFresh is a thriving food service contractor run by worker-owners who are all formally incarcerated. On busy days ChiFresh can prepare and deliver upwards of 500 meals for clients ranging from nursing homes to schools. Soon though, they will be able produce TEN TIMES that number, as they ready themselves for a move to a much larger space in the city's westside. Join Change Agents producers Charles Tharpe and Justin Myers as they introduce us to these entrepreneurs and share their stories of second chances and transformations, in Cooking Up Opportunity.
Where do you get food when the grocery stores aren't open, or when their shelves have gone bare? Many Chicagoans asked themselves this question for the first time during the 2020 Covid pandemic, but for those living in the food deserts of the city's West and Southside's, the question wasn't a new one. Join Change Agents producers Liz Murice Alexander, and Dylan Cohen as they take a look at the urban farming collective Grow Greater Englewood, who works in partnership with community stakeholders to develop local food economies and land sovereignty which empower residents to thrive.
As communities across the nation grapple with the racist symbols of their past in the form of statues and monuments, in University City, Missouri citizens have embarked on their own journey of racial reckoning, centering the debate on a less discussed, but more common form of memorial. As part of the Renaming Streets Task Force, seven citizens had 120 days to research over 200 street names and determine which ones should be targeted for change. Join Change Agents hosts Victoria Benefield and Emily Soto for The Road to Reclaiming History.
Description: Many crucial historical perspectives are missing from classrooms all over the nation. Specifically, Asian-American students are not properly represented in the curriculum, and in many cases, not represented at all. When a Chicago-based organization spearheads the TEAACH Act, the prospect of mandating Asian-American curriculum in Illinois schools finally becomes a possibility.
A parent and community-led coalition is fighting to keep three elementary schools in the North Lawndale neighborhood open after another community group proposes to close the schools in exchange for one STEAM school. Students, parents and teachers rally against the closures and come up with a proposal of their own.
Trust Learning Care, covers the Brighton Park Neighborhood Councils as it brings parents and teachers together to demand a say in how Chicago Public Schools will allocate the $1.8 billion dollars it has coming from the American Rescue Plan.
When marginalized restaurant workers are abandoned by an industry ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, a local organization helped them pick up the pieces. Now, as the U.S paces itself towards recovery and the restaurants gear up for a safe reopening, they suddenly encounter a nationwide labor shortage. After surviving through a deadly pandemic, some workers are asking if it’s worth it after all, to go back to the industry that abandoned them.
A-gen-cynoun: action or intervention, especially such as to produce a particular effect.
Too often the actions of real people of color making real change in their neighborhoods and lives are ignored in the media. Even worse are portrayals that people of color lack the agency to address the wrongs and find solutions that empowers residents and improves conditions. Too often these stories are told from outside, not inside, the community.
Change Agent is a podcasts series by Chicagoans trained to tell stories of their neighborhood transformations and the folks who make that happen. Developed by Judith McCray and Maurice Bisaillon of Juneteenth Productions, Change Agents is a partnership between community organizers and emerging journalists of color who are provided the tools to produce professionally crafted episodes that highlight issues, challenges and ground level efforts for change.