Conversations From The Frontlines: Real Talk, Real Change

Longtime housing advocate Laura Raymond joins the show to spotlight the community-led strategies providing real, lasting solutions to LA’s housing crisis. Explore the actual blueprints reshaping the city—from social housing and decommodification to community land trusts—and see how frontline organizations are taking control of their neighborhoods’ future from the ground up.

Project Director at the UCLA Labor Center, Victor Narro, reflects on the evolution of the labor movement, the deep connection between immigrant rights and worker justice, and why joy, compassion, and radical solidarity are essential to sustaining movements for the long haul. 

Award-winning author and journalist Sonali Kolhatkar joins the show to discuss race, democracy, and the power of storytelling. We examine how grassroots movements challenge dominant narratives to build a more just and inclusive future. Discover why reshaping our future requires rewriting the stories we tell about what is possible. 

In the Season 5 premiere episode, Glen Galaich, CEO of the Stupski Foundation, challenges longstanding assumptions about power in philanthropy and explores how funders can move beyond traditional models of control to build trust-based partnerships that share power with communities.

In this special episode, we revisit some of the most powerful moments from Season 4. Hear from inspiring movement leaders, experts, and authors as they share insights on today’s most pressing social justice issues and the ongoing work to build community power and drive lasting change.

Powerhouse voices, New York Times best-selling author Anna Malaika Tubbs and Donors of Color Network co-founder Hali Lee , join us LIVE for a studio audience recording to explore the roots of American racism and sexism—and reveal how community-based giving can rewrite our future. 

LA’s leading frontline organizers—Ivette Ale-Ferlito (La Defensa), Derek Steele (Social Justice Learning Institute), and Jared Rivera (PICO California)—unpack this season’s organizing theories, reveal how they hold up in the real world, and explore what it really takes to turn big ideas into on-the-ground activism and community power. 

Trista Harris , world-renowned author of “How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar” and “Future Good: How to Use Futurism to Save the World,” as well as President of FutureGood consultancy, joins us in the studio to delve into the exciting world of future-focused philanthropy and explore how the social sector can harness the tools of futurism to build a better tomorrow. 

Marshall Ganz , Senior Lecturer in Leadership, Organizing & Civil Society at Harvard University, and Joseph Tomás McKellar , Executive Director of PICO California, join us for a lively discussion exploring how organizing can help strengthen democracy and the opportunities we have to move our movement forward. 

Areli Hernandez, Director of Executive Affairs for the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), dives deep into the recent challenges faced by migrant families and activists and explores how frontline organizations are standing strong against the federal government’s attacks on civil society. 

Amy Shur, Campaign Director of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) Institute, and Victor Sanchez, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), unpack the power dynamics of today’s economic and political system and discuss how strategic mass organizing can help tilt the balance. 

Bamby Salcedo, President & CEO of the TransLatina Coalition, explores the impact of community-led solutions and people power in movement work, and its implications for the future of the Trans Latina immigrant community. 

David Callahan, founder and editor-in-chief of Inside Philanthropy, delves into the power of progressive philanthropy and its role in protecting everything it has built and cares about. 

Hamilton Nolan, author and labor writer for In These Times magazine, examines the ascent and subsequent decline of labor power in America, as well as strategies for strengthening the working class in order to restore our democracy. 

Stephanie Luce, Professor of Labor Studies at City University of New York and co-author of the book, “Practical Radicals: Seven Strategies to Change the World,” dives deep into movement history and shares winning strategies for building the durable power of grassroots organizations. 

Mark and Paul Engler, nationally acclaimed writers and co-authors of the influential book, “This Is an Uprising,” explore today’s “movement moment” and the multi-strategy approach for building resilient, diverse movements to drive political change. 

We look back at some exciting moments from Season 3 and highlight engaging conversations with frontline organizers and community activists who are working to create a more just L.A.

“Rebirth of a Nation” author Joel Edward Goza joins Kaci Patterson of Black Equity Collective in this special live audience taping where they talk through the state-wide work being done around reparations in California. 

CA Community Foundation President & CEO Miguel Santana and San Francisco Foundation Chief Executive Officer Fred Blackwell go behind-the-scenes of what it takes to fund progressive change during an election year. 

Los Angeles City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson joins in to talk about the inside-outside game and the generational shift happening in L.A. politics. 

Alberto Retana, President & CEO of Community Coalition, explores LA’s political and movement landscape and explains how LA organizers are turning progressive activism into electoral power. 

Subject matter experts United Way for Greater LA President & CEO Elise Buik and PATH Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Hark Dietz talk about the bold new way to house Los Angeles and movement building beyond the ballot box. 

Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA) Executive Director Alexandra Suh and United to House LA Director Joe Donlin break down Measure ULA, the coalition work behind its success, and the Housing Justice movement it continues to inspire. 

Public Counsel Managing Attorney Faizah Malik, ACCE Institute Los Angeles Co-Director Estuardo Mazariegos, and LA Community Action Network Executive Director Pete White discuss the latest Housing Justice headlines and recent developments from the frontlines. 

POWER & Ground Game LA Incoming Executive Director Meghan Choi and ACCE Institute Statewide Executive Director Christina Livingston delve into the role of strategic organizing and movement building in shaping political power in L.A.