Gathering Ground

In this annual fireside chat, host Mary Morten reconnects with Angelique Power of the Skillman Foundation and Tracie Hall of the HBCU Library Alliance for a conversation about memory, education, and what it takes to carry the baton in a moment when history is under pressure. From the opening of the Obama Presidential Center to the progress happening in Detroit's public schools, they look at who gets to tell our stories and why staying vocal matters.Episode Highlights- Mary on being featured in the Obama Presidential Center museum through her film “Woke Up Black,” and the story of trying to sneak a DVD into the White House- Angelique on stepping into the Obama Presidential Center and feeling like she had "unzipped the current timeline," plus Tracie on why every family's keepsakes are archives worth protecting- Angelique on Detroit's gains in reading, math, and graduation, and Mary on why she insists young people be on every panel, because her film's teens are "exceptional, but not exceptions"- Tracie on her work with 105 HBCU libraries and how censorship fights that began at school boards now reach libraries, museums, and universities, plus all three on passing the baton and caring for themselves along the wayIf you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Gathering Ground and leave us a review! Follow Morten Group, LLC on Instagram @mortengroup for more updates.

In the season finale of “Gathering Ground,” host Mary Morten sits down with Teresa C. Younger, outgoing president and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women, for a candid reflection on 13 years of leading a legacy institution through fundamental transformation. Teresa talks about what it took to center women and girls of color at a second-wave feminist foundation, the listening tour that covered 50,000 miles in her first year, and why she believes succession planning is one of the most overlooked acts of leadership. She also shares what comes next: Project Stargazing, an intentional pause to redesign the constellations.Episode Highlights- Teresa Younger on arriving at the Ms. Foundation as its second Black woman CEO and leading a 50,000-mile listening tour that reshaped the foundation's language, priorities, and grantmaking strategy- On centering women and girls of color as a point of inclusion, not exclusion — and the board conversations, donor fears, and courageous clarity it took to make that shift explicit- Trust-based philanthropy before it had a name: how the Ms. Foundation moved to general operating support, de-siloed its grant pillars, and started treating grantees as partners instead of recipients- Succession planning as a leadership responsibility: why Teresa started the conversation with her board in year eight, why transitions cost money, and what she would tell any long-tenured leader about exit strategyIf you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Gathering Ground and leave us a review! Follow Morten Group, LLC on Instagram @mortengroup for more updates.

SummaryWhat does it mean to do research that refuses to look away and to protect that work when the political climate demands retreat? In this episode of “Gathering Ground,” host Mary Morten sits down with Dr. Amanda Lewis, current director of the Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy at the University of Illinois Chicago, and Dr. Beth Richie, the institute's former director, to mark 25 years of community-centered, justice-oriented scholarship. Together, they trace IRRPP's origins in faculty activism, make the case for engaged research as a more rigorous — not less rigorous — approach to knowledge-making, and speak plainly about what it means to keep saying the word "race" when institutions around the country are flinching.If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Gathering Ground and leave us a review! Follow Morten Group, LLC on Instagram @mortengroup for more updates.

In this episode of "Gathering Ground," host Mary Morten sits down with Chase Glenn, Executive Director of the GenderCool Project, and GenderCool champions Chazzie Grosshandler and Ashton Mota to explore how storytelling, joy, and visibility are reshaping the conversation around trans and non-binary youth. At a time when legislation like Kansas's retroactive ID restrictions are making headlines, GenderCool is centering something the news rarely shows: young people who are not just surviving, but thriving. Together, Chase, Chazzie, and Ashton trace the origins of GenderCool, share their own powerful coming-out stories, and make the case that the antidote to fear-driven narratives is something deceptively simple -- actually getting to know trans youth as the full human beings they are.Episode Highlights- Chazzie Grosshandler on founding GenderCool at her family's kitchen table after coming out in fourth grade, and why she and her parents knew that if people could just get to know transgender and non-binary young people, everything could change- Ashton Mota on coming out to his mom on his 12th birthday, growing up in a Caribbean household navigating cultural and religious dynamics, and how his family eventually opened their home as a foster placement for LGBTQ+ youth of color- Chase Glenn on moving from policy advocacy in South Carolina to leading GenderCool in Chicago and why he sees personal storytelling, not legislation, as the most powerful force available to the trans community right nowIf you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Gathering Ground and leave us a review! Follow Morten Group, LLC on Instagram @mortengroup for more updates.

In this episode of "Gathering Ground," host Mary sits down with Scheherazade Tillet, founder and executive director of A Long Walk Home, and Kaethe Morris Hoffer, executive director of CAASE (Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation), for a searching conversation about art, accountability, and what it means to keep doing this work when the political ground keeps shifting beneath you. Together, they trace their paths into this fight, reflect on what the Epstein revelations expose about power and complicity, and share the stories of resilience -- and record-breaking impact -- that are keeping them grounded right now.Episode Highlights:- Scheherazade Tillet on co-founding A Long Walk Home 24 years ago from her own healing journey -- and how photography and art became the foundation for training young Chicago women to become artist-activists fighting gender-based violence- Kaethe Morris Hoffer on CAASE's record year -- 244 survivors served, new legal work representing incarcerated women who experienced sexual harm, and lawsuits filed against the Illinois Department of Corrections- Both guests on navigating federal funding cuts and anti-DEI pressureIf you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Gathering Ground and leave us a review! Follow Morten Group, LLC on Instagram @mortengroup for more updates.