Our Political Moment

We started this podcast with a mission to demonstrate how the Universal is Personal and how the Personal is Political. The purpose of this first season was to bring to life how dominant narratives and structural oppression play out across this city and to show how our individual struggles are connected. We also timed this season with the Primary Elections to illuminate how policies dictate the lives of Philadelphians and how important this upcoming election is to creating a Philadelphia that works for all of us. In this episode we come together to reflect on the season and discuss the Reclaim Philadelphia endorsed candidates and how they align with our values.

To call the housing situation in philadelphia anything but a crisis would be an understatement. Housing is more than just where we live, our home is the benchmark of stability and shelter. The mental toll taken from fearing housing loss or actually losing your home runs deep and lasts for a lifetime. The storyteller for this episode, Staci Moore discusses her experience moving to Philadelphia in the 90s and how it lead her to the fight for affordable housing. You will also hear an interview with Christi Clark on the housing crisis in Philadelphia and ways to make an impact on housing for working class people.

Storyteller and interviewee Miguel Andrade an organizer with Juntos here in the city went to York County detention center to speak with detainees. He shares his story of growing up as undocumented, the impact it had on his family and how that experience is still happening to the people he met with at York County.

Today we bring you a mini-episode in-between new shows. In Episode 1 we heard from Mass Liberation organizer Akeen Sims. During his story he talked about his experience and work with The Participatory Defense Hub but it didn't make the cut, until now!

In episode 4 the show focuses on the inequitable treatment and visibility of current and formerly incarcerated women in our institutions, organizing and conversations around mass liberation. In the first part of the episode Madusa Carter shares the third act of their play Mary’s Daughter: Memoir of an Artivist. The story is followed by an interview between Madusa Carter and Rick Krajewski on why women have not been centered in mass liberation organizing and how can change the narrative and prevent that eraser from continuing to happen.

Episode 3 features two hotel housekeepers, Katherine Paine and Earlene Bly, fighting for a fair process to allow employees to decide if they want to unionize their workplace. Katherine tells her story of how working two jobs has impacted the stability of her life and family. She is then joined by Earlene to discuss the importance of a fair process, how management intimidates workers and how you can get involved in this fight.

Episode two hosted by Kelly Morton explores the state of the Philadelphia School system. Listen to Nayeli Perez, a student at Palumbo Academy talk about her experience in a special admissions public school. Kelly first met our storyteller speak at a fundraiser for school funding last fall. At that time, she pointed out that as a student, she didn’t have a lot of power but she hoped that by speaking others would amplify her words to create change. The conditions in our schools and the experiences of our students compared to those across the state is not accidental. In this episode you will also hear from Kendra Brooks from Our City Our Schools about how Philadelphia public schools reached this point of crisis.

Welcome to the first season of Reclaim Philadelphia’s podcast– Our Political Moment: The stories behind the structure. Over the next 8 episodes we will share personal stories throughout the city of Philadelphia that demonstrate how structural oppression is ingrained in our daily lives. I’m one of your host Sergio Cea, along with Kelly Morton and Lea Sorrentino and we will lead you through stories of people impacted by some of the biggest problems affecting our city, interview organizers fighting against systemic oppression and offer you ways to get involved in our collective liberation. In this episode you will hear three stories of different philadelphians trying to survive or thrive in this city. Each of their stories sound like individual struggles but throughout the episode we will demonstrate how choice is often a perception. The issues that the storytellers talk about is felt personally but the root causes effect all of us in different ways. You will also hear more about Reclaim Philadelphia’s political analysis and how more often than not the personal is political and universal.