takeback politics

Every so often in the heart of a great conversation, you get a powerful story. takeback bites is a shorter audio collection of stories, ten minutes or less, that highlight the perspectives that drive our passions and lay the foundation for our values and beliefs.  Last year, we spoke with Donavan McKinney, organizer, activist, and at the time candidate for State Representative. We were discussing what propels his purpose and drives his passion to serve others. He shared with me a short story from his high school years centered around the compounding transportation and economic barriers present for families in Detroit's neighborhoods, the prevalence and impact of untimely death amongst our youth, and the desire of a parent to always want the best for their child.  Donavan's story is powerful to me because we share so much of the same in our experiences both riding the bus to school, parents who worked in cities different from where we attended school, and both adjusted where we went to high school because our parents' had high hopes for our futures. Our stories are different only because of the difference in the systems and investments that drastically impacted the experiences in our lives. I am thankful to call Donavan one of my dearest friends and a comrade in the work ahead of us to build safety and equitable opportunities for all of us.

Coming out of the 2020 election into a new Administration and with power realigned in Congress, climate, infrastructure, and clean energy have emerged as unifying and critical policy issues across diverse constituencies. Climate policy intertwined with infrastructure is likely to see major action early in the Biden/Harris Administration. Herasanna chats with Jeremy Orr and Justin Onwenu about the big reforms that we can anticipate, what bold action is needed to responsibly address and correct present inequities, the intersections of public health and COVID-19, and what we can do to restore the US as a climate-conscious leader. 

The political shift this year has changed how we interpret and interface with our understanding of government. We kicked it with our friend Aaron Stephens, the Mayor of East Lansing this week on takeback politics to talk about what we've learned about politics from the 2020 COVID-19  pandemic and how government at all levels really works for us. Aaron Stephens is the Mayor of the city of East Lansing, the home of Michigan State University. Aaron was elected to the East Lansing City council in 2017 as a senior at Michigan State University. 

In this episode, Herasanna is joined by friends Janelle Moulding, MSW and director and producer of Break the Chain Laura Swanson for a timely conversation about their journeys through activism and the lessons learned about boundaries, managing your expectations, elevating others and the importance of prioritizing self in order to serve.

Herasanna is joined by community organizer and environmental justice advocate Donavan McKinney for a conversation on the state of Michigan's environmental infrastructure -- addressing concerns about ongoing water contamination, the state of our shorelines, what should be next for Enbridge's Line 5, and what investments are necessary to ensure Michigan's environmentally sustainable future. 

We're (finally) back - and politics in 2020 is already too much. Chris gives us a history lesson via the works of Robert A. Caro, and the gang recaps an iconic week of political moments from the Twilight Zone. 

Part 2 : Michele Oberholtzer joins us as we break down Proposals 1, 2, and 3 on the Michigan general election ballot. You can review the full ballot language on your sample ballot here: bit.ly/MIBallot2018. www.michigan.gov/sos Long bio Michele Oberholtzer is the Director of the Tax Foreclosure Prevention Project for United Community Housing Coalition where she has directly assisted thousands of Detroiters living in homes at risk of tax foreclosure. She is the founder of The Tricycle Collective, a women-led volunteer nonprofit assisting families with young children to retain their homes in spite of foreclosure. She is a prolific writer for local publications. She is a graduate of University of Michigan with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and she was recently a Democratic candidate for State Representative in Michigan's 4th District.

In this episode, Herasanna, Chris, Aghogho and Megan breakdown each elected seat on the (MI) November ballot so that you head to the polls informed. Follow along and grab your sample ballot at http://bit.ly/MIBallot2018, and visit these resources to learn more about the candidates on your ballot. www.informdetroit.org www.citizendetroit.org www.michigan.gov/sos Aghogho Edevbie is a lawyer who recently ran for the State House of Representatives in the 6th District. Before running for office, Aghogho was an Assistant Corporation Counsel for Wayne County. A native Detroiter, he received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Michigan.  Aghogho serves as a member of the steering committee for the Jesuit Alumni and Friends of Detroit.  He was recognized in Crain’s Detroit Business publication as a member of their 2016 “Twenty in their 20’s” class.

The gang is joined by Megan Blue and Steven Rzeppa to figure why in the heck don't millennials vote, and what's at stake when their voice isn't heard. Steven Rzeppa is the Political and Communications Director for AFSCME Council 25, representing over 50,000 active and retired public service workers in Michigan. He also serves as Chair of the 12th Congressional District Democratic organization and on City Council in his hometown of Trenton. A University of Michigan grad, Rzeppa has worked for various candidates and elected officials in Michigan over the past four election cycles including former Congressman John Dingell. Megan is a Policy Analyst with a large health system based in Southeast Michigan. She is based in Lansing and works to analyze health policy at both the federal and state level. Before crossing to the “dark side” of the lobby world, Megan worked for three State Representatives. Most recently serving as Legislative Director for a State Rep. from Macomb County. She’s also worked internationally for a women’s human rights organization based in the The Hague, the Netherlands. There, she worked with women in Northern Uganda for adequate representation in post-conflict reconciliation programs, as well as with the International Criminal Court to ensure sexual violence was prosecuted as a war crime.