The Electorette Podcast

What does good, solid Paid Leave Policy looks like? And what should we look for as savvy constituents. Andie Zuniga of PL+US to discuss Paid Family Leave Policy. We talk about what coverage should include, the number of weeks that have been shown to be effective, and what we should expect from politicians crafting Paid Leave policy. Visit PL+US (Paid Leave for the US) to follow and support their w...

Professor & Author Catherine Squires discusses her book Dangerous Discourses; Bringing Intersectionality to a Mass Shooting and the #SayHerName Movement in relation to the C SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: This episode is brought to you by M.M. LaFleur. M.M. LaFleur is built on a core belief: When women succeed in the workplace, the world becomes a better place. M.M.LaFleur was founded by three women and is...

Katie Bethell, founder of the PL+US (Paid Leave For the United States), talks about their national campaign to win paid family leave by 2022. PL+US has already had several successes within the private sector and has already won paid family leave for nearly 6 million Americans. We talk about the necessity of paid leave beyond mothers and babies; paid leave is a human right and if implemented correc...

Author & researcher, Celeste Watkins-Hayes, discusses her new book "A Life : How Women Living with HIV/AIDS Confront Inequality" which explores the AIDS/HIV epidemic by following the transformative arc many women took to shift from “dying from” AIDS to “living with” it. OUR SPONSOR: This episode is brought to you by M.M. LaFleur. M.M. LaFleur is built on a core belief: When women succeed in the wo...

In this episode I discuss the Russia and Putin's history of launching cyber-warfare and espionage campaigns including the one against the US during the 2016 presidential election. My guests are Laura DuBois and Marley Clements, producers of the documentary Active Measures. We discuss how Russia successfully compromised the 2016 election as well as Trump's connections to Russia dating back to the 8...

Reproductive Rights activist Asha Dahya discusses the reproductive rights movement from the lens of an ex-evangelical, turned passionate advocate and activist seeking reproductive justice for all. Follow Asha Dahya OUR SPONSOR: This episode is brought to you by M.M. LaFleur. M.M. LaFleur is built on a core belief: When women succeed in the workplace, the world becomes a better place. M.M.LaFleur w...

Wagatwe Wanjuki is a feminist activist, writer, speaker, and digital strategist best known for her work as a national campus anti-violence advocate. She's a founder of the anti-rape organization Survivors Eradicating Rape Culture and is a founding co-organizer of Know Your IX’s ED ACT NOW campaign. Wanjuki is a rape survivor, and we discuss her experience in dealing with her university and the cos...

Rita Bosworth was driven to start The Sister District Project, an organization dedicated turning states blue by winning state legislative elections, shortly following the 2016 election. By controlling the balance in state legislative seats, Democrats will have more power to create fairer redistrciting maps, stop extreme partisan gerrymandering, create a more balanced Congress, and even stop and re...

Sayu Bhojwani, founder & president of New American Leaders, an organization leading a movement for inclusive democracy by preparing first and second generation Americans to use their power and potential in elected office. Bhojwani is an activist, an advocate, speaker and writer, and in our conversation, she discusses her journey to American citizenship, her role as New York s first Commission of I...

Writer Chavisa Woods is a Shirley Jackson Award-winning author and three-time Lambda Finalist, and she joins me to discusses her new book, 100 Times: A Memoir of Sexism. In her book, Woods shares one hundred personal stories of sexism, harassment, discrimination, and assault. In our conversation, Woods shares many of the same experiences she shares in her memoir, recounting her experiences with se...

Carol Anderson, professor, historian and the award-winning author of "One Person, No Vote..." and "White Rage...." discusses modern and historical patterns of voter disenfranchisement and suppression. Also, if you enjoy the Electorette, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review on iTunes. Also, please spread the word by telling your friends, family and colleagues about The Electorette! WANT MORE...

This is a special episode feature a post-debate analysis with activists Wagatwe Wanjuki and Anoa Changa. This episode covers the second night of the two-night Democratic Debates. Also, if you enjoy the Electorette, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review on iTunes. Also, please spread the word by telling your friends, family and colleagues about The Electorette! WANT MORE ELECTORETTE? Follow th...

This is a special episode feature a post-debate analysis with activists Wagatwe Wanjuki and Anoa Changa. Also, if you enjoy the Electorette, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review on iTunes. Also, please spread the word by telling your friends, family and colleagues about The Electorette! WANT MORE ELECTORETTE? Follow the Electorette on social media. Electorette Facebook Electorette Instagram...

"We've been asking the wrong questions. We ask 'why does she stay' instead of 'why is he hitting her...'" This is just one of the points you'll hear in my conversation with Dr. Pamela Nettleton. We discuss how the media's coverage of violence against women perpetuates a culture of violence. We also discuss how our social systems are set up to burden women who are victims of violence. Also, if you...

In this episode, Thalia González, an Associate Professor at Occidental College and co-author of the report, "Girlhood Interrupted: The Erasure of Black Girls’ Childhood." This groundbreaking report published by Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality, revealed that adults view Black girls as less innocent and more adult-like than their white peers. González discusses the ways in which adul...

The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap with Mehrsa Baradaran. A discussion on the history of black banks and how housing segregation, racism, and Jim Crow credit policies worsened the wealth gap. Also, if you enjoy the Electorette, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review on iTunes. Also, please spread the word by telling your friends, family and colleagues about The Electoret...

"Democracy isn't just about the ability to vote. Democracy is about being an informed citizen..." This is just one of the points you'll hear in this conversation with data-skeptic, author and mathematician, Cathy O'Neil. We discuss her book "Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality & Threatens Democracy," and the ways in which algorithms dictate nearly every aspect of our liv...

Shelby Counter Commissioner, Tami Sawyer discusses her campaign for Mayor of Memphis, the #TakeEmDown901 movement, and her #WeCan'tWait campaign. If elected, Tami Sawyer would make history as the first woman every to be elected in as mayor of Memphis, TN. We discuss our history of growing up in Memphis and how she would address inequality, poverty and growth stagnation in this historic city. Watch...

A discussion on Reproductive Justice with the co-founders of ReproAction, Erin Matson and Pamela Merrit. Learn More About ReproAction: ReproAction Org #DontHidePlanB Campaign The Fake Clinic Database Follow ReproAction ReproAction Twitter ReproAction Facebook ReproAction Instagram Episode Reading List >> How All Politics Became Reproductive Politics: From Welfare Reform to Foreclosure to Trumpby L...

Deborah Lee James served as the 23rd Secretary of the Air Force, only the second woman in history to lead  a US Military Service. She led a force of 660,000 people and managed a budget of $139 billion dollars, all during a time of unprecedented political dysfunction. In our conversation, Deborah discusses her new book, Aim High: Chart Your Course and Find Success, where she shareshow she overcame...

This conversation with Dr. Laura Briggs, author of How All Politics Became Reproductive Politics, on the politics of reproductive justice is more important than ever. We discuss the daily assaults on bodily autonomy, the history of Roe v Wade, Reagan's role in diminishing the social safety net,  and why conservative women vote against their own interests. Please Note:This is an updated, condensed...

Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, discusses gun legislation, the 2020 election, and the state of the NRA. We also talk about the inspiration behind her new book, Fight Like a Mother. Find out more about Shannon Watt's work and Moms Demand Action >> Fight Like a Mother >> Moms Demand Action Org >>Be SMART for Kids >>Educators Demand Action Episode Reading List F...

Dr. Ruth DeFoster is a gun violence, mass shooting, and terrorism expert, and she joins to discuss and debunk conservative myths around gun violence. Episode Reading List Terrorizing the Masses by Ruth DeFoster Columbine by David Cullen Also, if you enjoy the Electorette, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review on iTunes. Also, please spread the word by telling your friends, family and colleagu...

Laura Colarusso, Senior Managing Editor of WGBH discusses her project, "The Original Old Boys Club," which explores the reasons behind why Massachusetts lags behind much of the country when it comes to electing women, despite its reputation as a progressive state. Also, if you enjoy the Electorette, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review on iTunes. Also, please spread the word by telling your...

Ethicist and author Katie Watson discusses the legal and political arguments around abortion, as well as Roe v Wade, a topic she explores in her book, Scarlet A: The Ethics, Law, and Politics of Ordinary Abortion. She uses the term ordinary abortion to describe the common nature of abortion given that roughly 1 in 5 pregnancies end in abortion. Also, if you enjoy the Electorette, please subscribe...