William Lawrence

Hegemonicon - An Investigation Into the Workings of Power

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A show about social movements and politics, strategy and ideology, the immediate present and the rapidly onrushing future. Host William Lawrence spent his 20s as a member of grassroots social movements, including as a co-founder and national leader of Sunrise Movement, the youth group that put the Green New Deal on the political map. Now in his 30s, he's trying to make sense of what we've collectively learned from the last decade-plus of social movements and heightening crisis. On this show he talks with activists and researchers on the left to explore the guiding theme of Power: What is it? H...

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Author

William Lawrence

Episodes

Making Room For Uncertainty with Katey Lauer 07.11.2023 1:12:45

Up till now, the podcast has been analyzing how we got to the present moment. William and his guests have talked about the wins and losses amid the roar of movement activism in the 2010s and how they feel we’ve taken one step forward and two steps back. After the historic upheavals of 2020, many see the balance of power ticking further toward the MAGA right. Newly engaged and energized Gen-Z activ...

From the Green New Deal to the Inflation Reduction Act 24.10.2023 1:19:34

The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is touted by the Biden administration as "the most significant action Congress has taken on clean energy and climate change in the nation’s history." It promises a $370 billion investment to help lower energy costs for families and small business, while accelerating private investment in clean energy throughout the US economy. The IRA is a direct outcome of t...

Bernie vs. Warren Revisited with Becca Rast and Max Berger 17.10.2023 1:15:36

If either Sen. Bernie Sanders or Sen. Elizabeth Warren had triumphed in 2020, they would have been undeniably the most left-progressive US president in history. Since their campaigns collapsed amid the chaotic tumble into the isolating COVID-19 pandemic, there has been endless—and persistent—arm-chair quarterbacking and online hand-wringing. Loyalist passions on both sides still run high more than...

Lessons Learned From Student Organizing with Akin Olla and Sean Estelle 10.10.2023 59:41

The pre-Bernie era of the 2010s carried pros and cons for young Millennial activists building left movements. There was less organization and directed skill than these efforts carry now—but there was an exciting energy of hope and possibility some compare to the student movements of the 1960s. In this episode, William is joined by two veterans of that era's student organizing movements to discuss...

Organizing for Immigration in the Obama Era with Carlos Rojas Rodriguez 03.10.2023 1:04:00

Longtime immigrants' rights organizer and former Bernie 2020 campaign staffer Carlos Rojas Rodriguez joins "Hegemonicon" to share the history of the youth-led progressive movement of the past decade-plus through the lens of immigrant students. Over time, Carlos' commitment to fighting for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) as a college student during the Obama administration led him int...

Insider vs. Outsider Political Strategy with Kaniela Ing 26.09.2023 1:23:33

For William's first conversation exploring the conjuncture his own organizing work has operated inside for the past 15 years, he is joined by former Hawaii State Representative and current National Director for the Green New Deal Network Kaniela Ing. They discuss the lessons Kaniela learned operating as a left-progressive outsider on the national stage, while straining to do his best to serve his...

Designing an Investigation of Power: Series Introduction 19.09.2023 17:51

Convergence is happy to announce the launch of our new podcast, Hegemonicon . In this first episode, host William Lawrence introduces himself with his story of working to build a youth-led climate movement as co-founder of the Sunrise Movement and the Green New Deal it brought to the political forefront. Upon reminiscing the perceived successes and failures of that movement and the wilderness the...