People in Common

Soman Chainani wrapped up a three-week, 40-school national tour and sat down with Jama to talk about the Young World playbook. The New York Times bestselling author wrote a thriller about a teenager who accidentally becomes president. This conversation covers the four things every young person agrees on, what to do when you realize no one is coming to fix it for you, and how anyone, teenager or no...

Overview Brad Newsham is a travel writer and self-taught organizer who has spent 20 years staging human banner events on Ocean Beach, where thousands of people lie in the sand to spell out a political message, photographed from above, with music instead of speeches and dancing instead of marching. No staff. No permission required. Just people creating something beautiful together. This conversatio...

Key Takeaways The Isolation Trap We're stuck. Millions of us share the same concerns. We even agree on most goals. But isolation prevents action. Shaka Senghor understands isolation better than most. Nineteen years in prison. Seven and a half in solitary confinement. During the pandemic, successful investors and professional athletes called him for help navigating their own isolation. His insight:...

Action Opportunities Start something local this week : You don't need a budget, a board, a brand. Just one or two people who know good people, a room with good coffee, and the discipline to show up. Jama's playbook is available -- email her at innovators@jamaadams.com to request it. Try the problem-solving format: Gather five to ten people you trust across different industries. Give one person wit...

"We spend the same amount on maintaining our parking facilities as we do on running elections." Elections are "the load-bearing beam of democracy and the civil rights issue of our time." Tiana Epps-Johnson, CEO of the Center for Tech and Civic Life, uses technology to prevent that beam from cracking under coordinated attacks targeting 8,000 election offices that represent the scaffolding of our de...

Carolina Lopez leads the Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions (PLEJ), a national network supporting the officials who run elections for more than 123 million Americans. When election officials face threats, natural disasters threaten polling places, or misinformation spreads, Carolina and her network are the first responders. It's all about "agility, resilience, and network." We talk about...

Picking up where they left off dancing on stage, Baron tells Jama: "I think that's what dance has taught me is just like sports, be comfortable being uncomfortable." Baron Davis is a two-time NBA All-Star who led the league in steals twice and now invests in 26+ companies. He founded Business Inside the Game (BIG), connecting athletes, creators, and entrepreneurs, and Sports, Lifesty...

Mel Allbright opened her Arizona home to Jama Adams for five weeks before the 2024 election, not because she's a professional organizer, but because she believes in showing up for people. A retired Kyrene School District professional and baseball coach, she and her husband Al, an Air Force veteran, embody grassroots democracy: meaningful welcome, homemade meals, looking out for each other at r...

Col. Pam Stevenson is Kentucky's House Minority Floor Leader and U.S. Senate candidate. She founded the Stevenson Law Center providing pro bono legal services, serves as an ordained minister, and is the first Black woman to lead a legislative caucus in Kentucky. Col. Pam brings 27 years of Air Force service as a Judge Advocate General who negotiated in 11 countries, and learned "there's more than...

'From Values to Action: The Craft of Democratic Organizing' with Marshall Ganz Marshall diagnoses our democratic crisis through hard-won wisdom from decades of organizing—from the Civil Rights Movement to the Obama campaign. "We look for hope in the wrong place—out there in the great hero," he explains. "What we should be doing is connecting with each other to create the kind of hopeful imaginatio...

Welcome to People in Common, where we break down what's really happening – and what WE can do about it. Together, we're building a community where we turn insights and shared values into action for the common good. Our Mission: ‍  1. Be A Beacon - Highlight meaningful action opportunities      2. Simplify Action - Make it easy to speak out, show up, and stand together  3. Connect Resources...

Anat Shenker-Osorio examines why certain messages falter where others deliver. We talk about why fabulously fighting fascism - together - is the thing that matters most right now. We begin with Anat's motivations and her journey in political activism, starting in kindergarten. She emphasizes the importance of direct political action and the need to promote positive messaging rather than just r...

Reggie Hubbard is a political activist turned yogi turned activist yogi. We explore how our spiritual problems are at the root of our political problems. He shares his personal transformation journey, triggered by professional setbacks, leading him to adopt yoga and meditation as life-changing practices. Through a spiritual and holistic approach, Reggie emphasizes resilience training, the importan...

This trailer introduces the People in Common podcast, where we speak with inspiring leaders about what we can do about the urgent and overwhelming problems of the world. With powerful stories and recommendations for action, we bridge the gap between movement leaders and those of us who care but aren’t sure what to DO.

Desmond Meade is Executive Director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. He led the historic 2018 victory of Florida Amendment 4, which restored voting rights to more than 1.4 million Floridians with previous felony convictions, the largest expansion of voting rights in a half-century. The grassroots citizen initiative won by nearly 65 percent of the vote - and as Desmond says, “won with l...

Father Greg Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world. Homeboy received a $20M from MacKenzie Scott the week we spoke. Father Boyle is the author of the New York Times-bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion and two other books. He has received the California Peace Prize and been inducted...

Kelly Ward Burton is the founding President of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) and its affiliates, the National Redistricting Foundation and All On The Line. Under the leadership of NDRC's Chairman Eric Holder, Kelly has led NDRC and affiliates to become the first-ever centralized hub for a comprehensive redistricting strategy, resulting in the fairest maps this country has...