Power Station

It’s hard to describe how energy shifts when Patrick Gaspard is in the room. He is positive, ready to engage, and most importantly, completely present. As president of the Open Society Foundations, whose philanthropy supports democratic practice, human rights and equal access to justice in 120 countries, Patrick is a powerful presence in many rooms. His ability to listen to and act on what communities are saying in those rooms is grounded in his personal experience as an organizer. He knows that listening yields critical information and validates those who are not heard enough.  Steeped in the convictions of founder George Soros, Open Society Foundations advocates for persecuted communities across the globe, from the Rohingya forced into statelessness by Myanmar to the LGBTQ community in Kenya. In the United States, Open Society Foundations invests in nonprofits with the will and capacity to build local organizations that can mobilize nationally to create meaningful policy change.  Even in this political and

How do we know, beyond our instincts, that the nonprofit programs we believe in are effective? We may perceive them to be but without evaluating them against pre-determined measures, we cannot make a case for their efficacy, replication or scaling. First, we take a step back and agree that a process is needed to design programs, ensure that stakeholder voices are represented, measurable goals are identified and the vision for success is shared. And, for these measures to be meaningful, they must be shaped through a racial equity lens. Whether the goal is reductions in teen pregnancy, increases in child literacy or access to capital, we need to start with enough humility to know that evidence-based data empowers us to test and learn from our theories. And this is where Dr. Bahby Banks comes into the conversation. As a doctoral student, she fell in love with logic models and metrics that form the basis of program design and evaluation. Now she is a much sought-after facilitator for organizations that pursue soc

Ilda Martinez was 3 years old when she arrived at a migrant Head Start center in Plant City, Florida. Her first language was Mixtec, an indigenous dialogue of Oaxaca, Mexico. She learned Spanish and then English in Head Start programs that serve the children of farmworkers. These migrant and seasonal programs are critical resources for families like Ilda’s that move several times a year to harvest crops, from blueberries in North Carolina to strawberries in Florida and asparagus in Michigan. The work is arduous, the weather can be brutal, and housing situations are often meager. Less noted is that farm work requires significant skill and commitment. And these are jobs which American workers have roundly rejected. As National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association executive director Cleo Rodriguez explains, without migrant farmworkers, the US agricultural sector would collapse. Ilda's childhood in Head Start led her to the NMSHSA Internship Program, which brings young women and men to Washington for eight

Head Start is known nationally, and internationally, for making early childhood development and education a reality for all families. Developed as part of the 1960’s War on Poverty, Head Start is an example of public policy enacted to increase opportunity and create a more equitable environment for underserved communities. The Head Start model was organized to provide resources and services around the school calendar, an approach that works for most but not all of our nation’s families. There was a gap in meeting the unique needs of migrant families, who travel from state to state to harvest our nation’s crops. The National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association was created specifically for farmworker families, the men and women whose expertise and labor are responsible for the produce in our stores and the bounty on our tables.  Like all parents, farmworkers need and want their children to have access to earl childhood resources and their ability to earn a living depends on it. They are served by dedic

Have you been to the 14th street corridor of Washington DC lately? It is a destination spot for upscale restaurants, furniture stores, galleries and newly constructed apartment buildings. If you venture to a leafy side street you will find a courtyard that leads to N Street Village, a local nonprofit whose programs and advocacy serve 2000 homeless and low- income women in 5 locations each year. Many of these women grew up in the shadows of an earlier incarnation of 14th Street, devastated by rioting after the assassination of Martin Luther King and in the clutches of poverty and the crack epidemic for decades. As N Street Village CEO Schroeder Stribling, explains, when these women arrive, they are looking for what we all need: a supportive community, safe and affordable housing, and attention to mental and physical health challenges. It is Schroeder’s mission to provide a “radically welcoming” environment.  The N Street Village model is to provide women in need with community-based housing and wrap-around ser

In 1980, James Abourezk, US Senator from South Dakota and the first Arab-American elected to Congress, founded the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. It is now the nation’s largest grassroots nonprofit advocating for the civil and human rights of Arab Americans. As National President Samer Khalaf reminds us, ADC supports the rights of all people and opposes discrimination of any kind. With a small staff of lawyers, and community-based supporters in 50 states, ADC represents Arab Americans in cases involving hate crimes, discrimination and deportation and advocates for policy change through regulatory and legislative advocacy. And it educates the public and policy makers about who Arab Americans are, from their rich cultural backgrounds to their experience in America. Arab-Americans face specific challenges as immigrants, including the reality of being stateless and having no country to claim as their own. Those who are able to remain in the US exist in a sort of legal limbo. They are on parole, unab

When you think about the technology sector, what is your image of the workforce? An innovative nonprofit is requiring us to rethink our assumptions. Byte Back, a DC based organization led by the dynamic Elizabeth Lindsey, is shaking up the workforce and technology sectors by training those who have struggled with unemployment to become successful workers in the digital economy. In many cases, these students have never used a computer or even had broadband access. So it follows that Byte Back's training program meets students where they are, a model that makes it distinctive from other digitally focused trainers. While the process may take longer, classes are rigorous and require discipline to complete. Trainers are selected not only for their technical knowledge and teaching abilities. Byte Back cultivates teachers who are committed to their students’ success. And it works. Students are graduating with certificates that make them attractive employees by companies that pay living wages and benefits. Byte Back

When Ali Noorani visited Honduras, he met migrants desperate to escape poverty and violence for the presumed safety and opportunity of the United States. They started this journey with their dignity intact but were robbed of it through their experiences at the United States-Mexican border. As Ali sees it, this administration's hateful rhetoric and treatment of immigrants is robbing the entire nation of its dignity. The Forum was launched in 1982 to coalesce civil rights organizations in advocating for a more just immigration and workforce system. Its strategic approach sharpened when Ali Noorani joined as executive director in 2008. After President Obama was elected there was growing optimism about the potential for a path to citizenship and other meaningful immigration reform. When momentum for change built and then came crashing down in 2010, Ali had a realization that defined the next generation of the National Immigration Forum’s vision and strategy. He noted that while political parties talked about immi

  Do you envision think tanks to be old-school institutions far-removed from real life community experiences? If so, check out Solomon Greene, Senior Fellow at The Urban Institute, on this episode of Power Station and reconsider those assumptions. The Urban Institute was founded in 1968 by President Johnson to generate evidence-based strategies for ending urban poverty. It has evolved into an organization that is sought after by a diverse set of stakeholders, from local, state and federal government leaders to nonprofit advocates and philanthropy, who are tackling some of our nation’s most intractable problems. As Solomon explains, growing local economies that work for all residents, requires us to take stock of the policies of racial segregation that brought us to this moment. And because of federal retrenchment in funding for disinvested communities, including public and subsidized housing programs, local activism is producing new and forward-looking policies for creating equity and inclusion. Urban Institu

As Sookyung Oh explains on Power Station, Annandale, Virginia is much more than a destination spot for Korean BBQ and Pho. It is a gateway community for Korean and Vietnamese Americans and, increasingly, for a new wave of Caribbean and African immigrants. Sookyung leads NAKASEC (National Korean American Service and Education Consortium) a grassroots organization with a national presence and affiliate offices in Los Angeles and Orange County, California and Chicago, Illinois. NAKASEC’s mission in Virginia is laser-focused on building power so that the community has the ability to shapes its own circumstances. This mission is particularly meaningful for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, which sometimes feels invisible to the broader public. So, how does NAKASEC build power? Its strategy rests on organizing and its message is resonating. A small staff and a dedicated corps of young Korean American and Vietnamese American organizers, from local high schools and colleges, canvass neighborhoods and

Eshauna Smith knows first-hand what it takes to break through barriers and achieve success. The eldest child in a family struggling with poverty, she forged a different future. This experience informs her leadership of Urban Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to helping young people from challenging backgrounds attain economic success. As Eshauna learned, having adults stand up for her was change making. Their support, from facilitating Girl Scout camp applications, to summer jobs and internships, propelled her through degrees from UC Berkeley and UT Austin. Now Eshauna is persuading a new set of adults, in high schools and corporations, to stand up for the young people Urban Alliance serves. She does this by engaging them in a model that prepares high school students for higher education and successful employment. It benefits undervalued students and advances racial and social justice. Urban Alliance partners with high schools to place motivated seniors into 9-month paid internships with corporations seeking go

The numbers are staggering: 70% of American college graduates carry student debt and our outstanding national student debt level now exceeds $1.5 trillion. A new report, Quicksand: Borrowers of Color and the Student Debt Crisis, authored by Center for Responsible Lending CRL) and National Association for Colored People (NAACP), describes the scope of the problem, identifies which communities are most impacted and recommends systemic reforms. While debt is a shared challenge for American families it disproportionately affects students of color. In fact, 85% of African American students carry student debt. And the implications of this debt are clear. Debt impacts which jobs borrowers take, communities they live in, schools their children attends and delays home purchases by 7 years. Ashley Harrington, CRL’s Senior Policy Council and co-author of Quicksand, speaks to Power Station about how our national narrative about education as a pathway for advancement is at odds with the lived experience of students who ar

Have you ever wished that a public agency official understood the problem you are trying to solve from your perspective as a nonprofit leader? I am sure that many of us in the sector are familiar with that feeling. Tameka Montgomery, appointed by President Obama as Associate Administrator to the Small Business Administration’s Office of Entrepreneurial Development, actually did understand. She came to the position after creating a business incubator in Denver and leading its award- winning Small Business Center. During her tenure, she launched the Main Street Mentor Walk, a 5k that swapped out running for walking and matched new entries into the business sector with experienced business leaders. And she started the first Latino Small Business Summit to provide entrepreneurs with culturally specific resources and guidance. While at the SBA, Tameka elevated training and technical assistance resources for formerly incarcerated people seeking jobs. She partnered with the Kellogg Foundation on a program that helpe

Domestic violence, as Karma Cottman explains, is motivated by a drive to maintain power and control within an intimate partner relationship. It is abuse of power that is conveyed in many forms: physical, psychological, economic and coercion. Victims include men but remain overwhelmingly women. Domestic upends families and traumatizes victims, including children who witness violence within their own households. And It is pervasive across boundaries of race and class. As executive director of the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Karma is a voice for victims and the shelter providers, counselors and legal service agencies whose support turns victims into emboldened survivors. DCADV is where these “everyday heroes” collaborate, learn and advocate for systems change. It hosts Listening Sessions where survivors tell their stories, trains teachers to support students impacted by domestic violence, and engages young men in changing our nation’s culture of violence. It is also a winning advocate for policy chan

What does it take to eliminate housing discrimination and ensure equal housing opportunity? According to Lisa Rice, President of the National Fair Housing Alliance, (NHFA) it starts with recognizing that discrimination and inequity are rooted in federal policies, most fundamentally, residential segregation. The legacy of racist policies, from redlining to unequal access to credit, persists in communities of color. Disinvestment creates desperation from those seeking credit, a vacuum that has been filled by payday lenders and other predatory actors. NFHA is dedicated entirely to the equal and fair access of all people to live in the housing and community of their choice. It operates with a small staff of researchers, trainers, and organizers that support a membership base comprised of local fair housing groups. They are the voices of those who are discriminated against, an experience, as Lisa reminds us, that can traumatize its victims. And while NFHA advocates for just policies no matter who is in the White H

Sunrise Movement is a rapidly growing organization that is changing the conversation about this nation’s climate crisis and what can be done to turn it around. It builds on the work of scientists and advocates who have long warned about the consequences of our reliance on fossil fuels, the inevitability of environmental degradation, and the influence of industry lobbyists on our elected representatives. And a surge of devastating wildfires and floods due to rising sea levels, which displaced whole communities, has shifted our collective consciousness about the change that needs to happen. College student Yasmeen Pauling is devoting her considerable talents and energy to Sunrise Movement as a Policy Fellow. She talks to Power Station about the experience of organizing across issues and sectors, for climate and economic justice.  In the wake of the 2018 mid-term elections, Sunrise Movement, led by the dynamic Varshini Prakash, and powered by a legion of young organizers, has generated scores of local town halls

Liberation in a Generation is a new organization that takes a fresh, laser-focused and unapologetic approach to breaking down systems that oppress people of color and building an economy that raises them up. It is co-directed by Jeremie Greer and Solana Rice, whose vision for change is informed by their collective experiences as community and political organizers, researchers and policy advocates on economic and wealth building issues in the national nonprofit arena. They are reimagining how policy change at the intersection of race and economics is made and opening the door to engage new partners in the journey. It starts by working directly with local organizing networks, including PICO, Faith in Action and Center for Popular Democracy, that build power in communities of color. Liberation in a Generation will work with them to identify the issues and policy solutions that communities are motivated to tackle and to advocate for with candidates and policy makers. They will support these networks in leveraging

Let’s start with this statistic: One in five Americans lives in rural America. And these communities are far more diverse than the archetypical bucolic New England town. They include tribal lands, the Mississippi Delta, border Colonias, and Appalachia where the legacies of injustice include a lack of access to the capital needed to build homes and multi-family housing. As David Lipsetz, CEO of Housing Assistance Council (HAC), tells Power Station, these communities are home to rich histories, assets and opportunities. But in many cases, they are also epicenters, over decades, of persistent poverty. A product of rural towns, David has spent his career laser focused on changing the fortunes of rural Americans. Before leading Housing Assistance Council, he worked in the Obama Administration at both HUD and USDA. He knows first-hand, the difference federal investment can make in struggling communities. He is keenly aware of the mismatch between federal housing policies, which are geared towards urban areas, and w

When Paty Funegra was on Power Station one year ago, she told La Cocina VA’s founding story and promised to return with an update on a new capital campaign. La Cocina VA was already training and certifying unemployed Latino immigrants as food industry professionals. The next step was to scale the model, teach entrepreneurship, and serve the growing refugee population as well.  La Cocina VA had an unlikely beginning. After immigrating to the US from Peru, Paty settled into a new career at a multinational organization. She discovered DC Central Kitchen, a small but powerful nonprofit which, under iconic leader Robert Eggers, trains jobless residents for culinary careers and brings healthy meals to urban food deserts. Paty set out to adapt this model in Northern Virginia, where the Latino immigrant community lacked access to training and jobs. Paty founded La Cocina VA, which starts by teaching English before preparing students for careers in the food industry. It also partners with employers to identify how to

 What makes health equity, the opportunity for all people to be healthy and thrive, possible? According to Dr. Brian Smedley, it starts with recognizing our nation’s profound health disparities and the role of place and race in determining health outcomes. Data shows that higher rates of mortality occur in communities of color where food options, quality of air, soil and the physical state of schools and housing, including exposure to lead, endanger residents. And people in rural areas are compromised by a lack of access to health resources and care. As executive director of National Collaborative for Health Equity, Brian Smedley works with policymakers, on-the-ground advocates and health systems to understand that these conditions are the consequences of public policies that sort and segregate people based on race and ethnicity. Until we grapple with the injustice of these policies, both historical and current, we cannot change the conditions that marginalize whole communities. This is the foundation on whic