The Brown Girls Guide to Politics

It’s our season finale! What better way to celebrate a season full of Trailblazers than spotlighting someone at the forefront of change in this country: Mini Timmaraju. Mini is president of NARAL and the first woman of color to run the organization. She knows more than anyone else that across this country, reproductive rights are under attack. For the first time in decades, a massive population of people are losing a fundamental, constitutional freedom in real time. It’s a fight we know well, and one we’ll continue to work against on all fronts, because we need to show up at every level. From what Justice Brown Jackson’s confirmation could mean for a representative Supreme Court, to taking action at your local level, we’re covering all the bases in this battle.

When today’s guest, NYC Councilmember Shahana Hanif, ran for office, she knew it wasn’t going to be an easy job. So, she reframed the campaign– her race wasn’t just a job, it was a commitment to her city. A commitment to the neighborhood that raised her. Shahana, AKA Shahana from BK, is the first Muslim woman elected to New York City Council and the first woman Council Member for the 39th District. She’s a leader in policy that puts women, communities of color, and disability advocacy at the front of every decision. From organizing the kids on her block, to leading an entire city district, Shahana is here to talk representation and all it can offer.

In 223 years, there has never been a Black woman on the Supreme Court—– and now, with the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, this country is closer than ever to making the Supreme Court more reflective of the nation it represents. Today, we’re talking to someone who knows every detail of this trailblazing moment: Meagan Hatcher-Mays, Director of Democracy at Indivisible. She’s talking about the work Indivisible is doing behind the scenes of Judge Brown Jackson’s nomination, what her confirmation means, and what it’s like to finally cover a confirmation she wants to see happen.

In this episode, host A’shanti Gholar speaks with Dany Sigwalt, executive director of Power Shift Network, Christine Nobiss, founder of Great Plains Action Society, and Erica Nash of ActBlue. We discuss the challenges that come with leadership, share lessons learned, and discuss what it means to be a trailblazer.

Today’s guest, Dr. Sadaf Jaffer, is the first Asian American and first Muslim American woman sworn into the New Jersey General Assembly, and formerly the first Muslim woman to serve as a mayor in the United Sates. This trailblazer knows what it takes to win an election! Without prior political experience, Sadaf decided to be the change she wanted to see in her community by training with EMERGE and running for office. Sadaf tells us how her intersecting identities and messaging enabled her to help her community, particularly women and undocumented folks, during COVID and beyond.

I'm sharing a special preview of the new podcast, Getting Even with Anita Hill, from Pushkin Industries. The American icon talks with trailblazers like Kimberlé Crenshaw, Misty Copeland, and Nikole Hannah-Jones who have taken risks to make our society more equal. You’ll hear stories from their lives and their work, and amazing lessons about looking outside the lines, breaking the “rules,” and forging our own paths to equality. In this preview, Anita talks about the 1991 Supreme Court hearing with Sukari Hardnett, who submitted a written statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee, telling them about the sexual harassment she witnessed working with Clarence Thomas. Sukari was never called to testify and Anita asks how the conversation may have gone differently had the Senate taken their testimonies seriously.

As the daughter of Young Lord activists, Mia Bonta grew up always being reminded how important it was for her to fight for what she, and other poor Black and brown people, deserve. Mia spent 25 years in the nonprofit world doing just this, but it wasn’t until recently that she made the choice to pivot into politics. Today, Mia is the California assemblymember representing the East Bay, as well as the former president of the Alameda Unified School Board. As one of few women of color—and the first Afro-Latina—in the California legislature, she knows just how important it is for her to be in the room. She shares how she maintains her authenticity in every room she steps in, whether it’s around the neighborhood, or in the California capitol building.

We know representation matters at every level, but that doesn’t change the facts: getting into politics is daunting, even including today’s guest, Sändra Washington, the first Black lesbian elected to Lincoln, NE’s City Council. Today, Sändra is a newly re-elected member of the Council. But before her time in Lincoln, Sändra spent 25 years working in the National Park Service. When she joined the Council by special appointment, she brought those experiences with her to better represent her constituents—and when re-election came, she won her race by confronting her truth: her voice mattered. From constituting part of Nebraska’s 2.2% Black population, to leading her progressive community in a sea of red, Sändra tells us all about her journey into politics.

Schools are increasingly becoming places for proxy battles between the Left and the Right. The Covid-19 pandemic has only added to this phenomenon, raising questions on masking and vaccination policies. No one knows more about this than our guest, Kathy Mulkerin, Director of the Walla Walla School Board in Washington State. When she ran for Director last year, she wasn’t expecting to receive national attention. But in her district that is made up of 46% students of color, she was the first woman of color to be elected to the board. We talk to her about being the representation she so badly needed growing up and why school boards need to be representative of the communities they’re serving.

In the season premiere, A’shanti sits down with Laphonza Butler, President of EMILY’s List. As the first Black woman to lead the organization, Laphonza discusses how she wakes up everyday filled with the mission of EMILY’s List: to elect more pro-choice Democratic women to office. She talks to us about the midterm elections, the attack on voter’s rights, and why optimism will be what moves the world toward progress.

There is no denying it. By 2045, the United States will no longer be majority white. In the 2021 elections, women of the New American Majority excited voters, soared, and shattered glass ceilings. This season on the BGG, we are going back to our roots for Black History and Women’s History Month by spotlighting Black, Brown, and Indigenous women of color who are blazing trails in politics. From the dais to executive offices, New American Majority women are holding seats of power in key positions for the first time. We will discuss their journey, the impact they are having, what we need to do to ensure that they are the first, but not the last. New episodes on Tuesdays.

In light of what's happening at the Supreme Court, we wanted to bring you another show from Wonder Media Network called Ordinary Equality. If you are long-time listener of the pod, you know how overturning Roe would significantly impact women of color, triggering arcane abortion laws in states where women of color are more likely to live, and making it even more difficult to access other types of safe, affordable reproductive healthcare. This episode of Ordinary Equality examines the landmark Roe v. Wade case–how it came to be, what exactly it established, and where it’s vulnerable to legal attacks.

In this episode, host A’shanti Gholar speaks with Nanette Cocero, Global President of Vaccines at Pfizer. We’re answering all your questions about how the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was made, how Pfizer is helping make sure there is access to and trust in the vaccine against COVID-19, and debunking some of the latest myths around the vaccine itself.

In our finale episode, we’re talking about the stories behind the COVID statistics. First, we speak to Kristin Urquiza, co-founder and co-executive director of Marked By COVID, about the work we still have to do for COVID survivors. Then, we’re talking to Chimére L. Smith, a long-haul COVID advocate, about her experience living with long COVID and advocating for others like her. Finally, we get a glimpse into the day-to-day of disability advocate Vilissa Thompson, founder of Ramp Your Voice.

Welcome to the Brown Girls Guide to Politics Podcast. On this episode, host A’shanti Gholar speaks to Becky Pringle, President of the NEA, and Ebony Thornton, a high school teacher from Georgia. Going back to school this year is an unprecedented challenge-- and our guests are here to tell us the realities of getting kids back in classrooms in the middle of a pandemic.