Talk About Power: Recent Episodes
Walter Kerr and Macon Phillips
Why do some movements change the world and others fizzle out? Former U.S. officials Macon Phillips and Walter Kerr talk to the people behind the social movements that are challenging traditional power structures around the world, from farmers in India, to dissidents in Russia, to activists in Central America, and everywhere in between. Macon and Walter break down how these groups are organizing, explain the role of tech, and explore what this means for the rest of us.
Macon and Walter speak with Yasmin Ullah and Tun Khin, two leaders of the Rohingya diaspora, to understand how the coup in Myanmar (Burma) has changed the situation for the Rohingya people. They talk about how the Rohingya diaspora has built new alliances with other groups inside and outside of Myanmar to stop the coup and to resettle the Rohingya back home.
Guests include:
- Yasmin Ullah, Rohingya social justice activist and president of the Rohingya Human Rights Network
- Tun Khin, Rohingya social justice activist and president of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK
To support the Rohingya, as well as those in Myanmar fighting back against the coup, please visit:
- Karen Women's Organization, which is working to provide immediate support for the victims of violence in Myanmar
- Restless Beings, which is providing support for Rohingya who live in refugee camps. Most recently, the organization has raised money to help the victims of a major fire that swept through one of the largest Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh
Credits: Thank you for Kelsey Skonberg for assistance producing and editing this episode.
Walter and Macon talk to three of the co-founders of Nigeria's Feminist Coalition, which has taken a lead role driving many of the country's largest social movements, from the #EndSARS protests against police brutality to #ArewaMeToo, which has put a spotlight on domestic abuse in the country. Hear how they're using cryptocurrency to fundraise, engaging Nigeria's diaspora to put international pressure on the government, using technology to organize, and changing the way that Nigerians see their role in society. Walter and Macon conclude with takeaways for policymakers in the West.
Guests include:
- Odun Eweniyi, Feminist Coalition Co-Founder and COO of Piggybank, a fintech startup
- Laila Johnson-Salami, Feminist Coalition Co-Founder, journalist, and TV host
- Fakhrriyyah Hashim, Feminist Coalition Co-founder, #ArewaMeToo & #NorthNormal Co-founder, research fellow
For more reading visit:
- The Feminist Coalition (includes information about group and the protests they support)
- In Nigeria, ‘Feminist’ Was a Common Insult. Then Came the Feminist Coalition (New York Times)
- The Guardian view on #EndSars and the crackdown: Nigerians deserve better Editorial (The Guardian)
- How Nigeria’s conservative northern region came to terms with its MeToo movement (Quartz Africa)
El Salvador has some of the most draconian abortion laws in the world, so much so that miscarriages and stillbirths land women in jail. Macon and Walter ask El Salvador human rights activists how they have been fighting to change El Salvador's Handmaid's Tales abortion laws. Who are the 17 women they are trying to free from prison? Why is now the moment for the international community to put its #EyesOnElSalvador? And what can policymakers, celebrities, and everyday Americans do to help?
Guests in this episode include:
- Sara García Gross, Agrupación Ciudadana por la Despenalización del Aborto
- Morena Herrera, Agrupación Ciudadana por la Despenalización del Aborto
- Paula Avila-Guillen, Women's Equality Center
- Daniela Martins, Women's Equality Center
To raise awareness about this issue, and to help free 17 women who remain in prison, please share the hashtags #EyesOnElSalvador, #FreeSara, and #LibertadParaSara.
For additional reading about this issue and the women's movement, please check out these links:
- Las17.org (Spanish language website)
- A woman lost her pregnancy but was jailed for abortion. She later died. (NBC News)
- The abortion cases that could force El Salvador to loosen its ban (Al Jazeera)
- The Women Imprisoned For Miscarriage in the Strictest Anti-Abortion Country On Earth (Jezebel)
- El Salvador abortion laws on trial in case of woman jailed after miscarriage (Gaurdian)
Thank you to Quentin Perrot for his help producing this episode.
Walter and Macon talk to Russian opposition figures and organizers affiliated Alexei Navalny's political network about the recent #FreeNavalny protests. Why are Russians protesting? How does the opposition organize? Why is corruption such a potent issue in Russia? What does this mean for Putin's hold on power? Walter and Macon conclude with takeaways for U.S. policymakers and others in the West.
Guests in this episode include:
- Irina Fatyanova, head of Navalny's St. Petersburg office
- Alexandr Shepelev, acting head of Navanly's Moscow office
- Natalia Pelevina, Russian opposition figure and member of the People's Freedom Party (RPR-PARNAS)
- Kaloy Akhilgov, attorney who represents many of the protesters and developer of the Advocall app
- Felix Light, foreign correspondent based in Moscow with the Moscow Times
Special thanks to Russia watchers Kirill Shamiev, Margarita Zavadskaya, and András Tóth-Czifra, as well as student and protester Pavel Popov. They all provided us with background information for this episode.
For additional reading about the protests, check out these links:
- What pro-Navalny protests tell us about Russian regions (András Tóth-Czifra)
- Why Russians still choose Vladimir Putin’s stability over Alexei Navalny’s revolution (Felix Light)
- Six myths about elections and protests in autocracies (Margarita Zavadskaya)
- Navalny’s return puts the spotlight back on Russia’s security services (Kirill Shamiev)
Macon and Walter talk with people on the front lines of the world's largest protest taking place in the world's largest democracy. Why are India's farmers protesting? How are they organizing? How is the government responding? And what does this mean for India and for U.S. policymakers?
Guests in this episode include:
- Kiran Vissa, a national working group member of All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, one of the national platforms coordinating the farmers’ protests.
- Shruti Chaturvedi, journalist and founder of Chaaipani.com, a media platform that brings awareness to people working to solve hard problems.
- Ruben Mascarenhas, the national joint secretary of the Aam Aadmi Party, a (relatively) new anti-corruption, populist Indian political party.
- Neeraj Shetye, a Mumbai-based public policy researcher.
Special thanks to Deep Singh who provided us with background information for this episode. Deep is the executive director of the Jakara Movement, which has been organizing protests in the United States in solidarity with the farmers in India.
For additional reading about the protests, check out these links:
- The Farmers' Protests Are a Turning Point for India's Democracy—and the World Can No Longer Ignore That
- India cuts internet around New Delhi as protesting farmers clash with police
- Indian Court Grants Bail to Activist Arrested Over Farmers’ Protests
Why do some movements change the world and others fizzle out? Former U.S. officials Macon Phillips and Walter Kerr talk to the people who are challenging traditional power structures around the world, from farmers in India, to dissidents in Russia, to human rights activists in Central America, and everywhere in between. Macon and Walter break down how these groups are organizing, explain the role of tech, and explore what this means for the rest of us.