Collective Power Podcast

In this episode, Diane Little and Dr. Rita interview a pioneer of public service in North Carolina Surluta Anthony was the first Black woman elected to Monroe City Council—despite Monroe has a majority Black population. Now elected for the third turn, Ms. Anthony provides valuable insights and advice on what it means to be in public service and how to do it well. Miss Anthony shares how she ran for office to “be at the table” of de...

My co-host Diane Little and I interview our guest who speaks about how his large-scale activism started from small acts of kindness: first as a seed investor for a expungement firm and then as a resident of a changing neighborhood in North Carolina. As a white resident of a predominantly Black neighborhood he used his professional and investment skills to counter the gentrification process across two communities. 

Jason Gr...

In this episode, Co-host Diane Little and Dr. Rita interview Robert Dawkins political director and organizer and Robert Dawkins of Action NC. Robert sheds tremendous insight on why the solutions we find to social issues seem to always miss the mark: there is the disconnect between people in communities, academics, donors, and legislators that results in ineffective solutions birthed from bad research. In a refreshing conversation a...

In this episode, my co-Host Diane Little and I interview PA State House Representative Chris Rabb (called Rep Rabb). This episode is a provides profound insight into the ethic of public service--for Rep Rabb insists on not being called a politician--because it's service, not a profession. His service spans, Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Commerce, Finance,  Veterans affairs, and the Judiciary. Join us as we take a walk in hi...

In this episode our Hosts Dr. Rita and Diane Little welcome our guest, Michael posits that the Democratic Party is always in crises, by its inclusive nature, because it tends to fold within it, the crises of the communities it attempts to represent. We review the variety and intent of Caucuses: their history, purpose and relevance: the Black caucus, African American Caucus, Women's Caucus, Young Dem's Caucus, Rural Caucus...

In this episode, current town manager and former Mayor of Marshville, NC of 14 years Franklin Deese discusses with our co-hosts Dr. Rita and Diane Little tells the riveting experience from incarceration to become his town's mayor. He talks passionately about the importance of public service and how truth and trust led his journey. Even if things don't turn out quite as we expect them to, public service, Franklin says, is ...

In this episode, Hosts Dr. Rita and Diane Little interview  interview Joel Ford, former North Carolina State Senator.   We talk about his disappointment with the Democrat party and his concerns with progressive approaches to change. With economic freedom as his primary goal, he unpacks his approach to  questions about school choice, vouchers, education, and voting rights. He also explains his major concern:  too many elected offici...

In this episode, Dr. Rita and Diane Little we talk with NC House Rep. John Autry. We talk about the difference between governing and ruling and share examples of how polarization in government and  opposition towards anything the other party does gets the democratic process stuck and frustrates legislators themselves. In the face of the challenges of voting rights and redistricting, the House Rep. offers glimmers of hope in his abi...

In this episode, consultant and author Jill Nagle join us for a discussion on the book she’s writing —Skin in the game: how white people benefit from dismantling white supremacy. 

We face the question: Why should white people want change? What do we get out of it? 

We look at whiteness as a system that has created a set of mindsets with negative consequences—similarly to how family dynamics can create repeated, unhealthy dynamics and...

In this episode, we zoom in on the journey of a trailblazing leader and her passage from being a corporate writer to full-time antiracism professional.  We explore how a personal calling can shift from  side-kick to a way of being that doesn't allow us to walk any other way in the world. As for the antiracism conversation, we touch upon self-care, global whiteness, and lexicon--and most importantly where the field is going.

In this episode,  we look at the Church's participation in white supremacy as the complete opposite of Jesus' tradition as a community organizer, himself. We look into religious concepts such as mercy and grace as they inform our personal, relational, and social way of organizing our society. Two GenXers in conversation about relationships, connections, and healing for the generation of latchkey kids who didn't feel ...

In this episode, we talk about our bodies play a crucial role in requiring us to shift from unsustainable social justice organizing from fear, anxiety, hyper-vigilance, and chaos  to organizing from the more sustainable  care, trust, love, and even joy.  We also talk about the how organizational dynamics such as perceived leadership, funding, and results strengthen fear, too. Our guest invites us to "build our capacity to ente...

In this episode, we look at examples of  educational excellence throughout African American history in the face of tremendous challenges. Two deeply committed educators challenge us to think about the educational system more broadly given the many ways we learn. They offer examples of questioning language and reconnecting to self, community, and land bring forth healing.

Our guest, Ishmail Conway Ph.D., is a “public intell...

In this episode, we review ways in which fear can be not a stop sign, but an invitation into deeper practice. We need others to be the mirror with us, and liberation is in community and in relationship ,  so as we build a deeper relationship with each other, through fear, we discover that the system is not separate from us,  but we uphold it with our culture. As we transform, the System will, too. This happens both in relationship ...

In this episode, we navigate the importance of intention as the fuel that mobilizes life. We look into how intention helps direct the flow of life and face the unknown, but also how we must release control for it to show its full power. We also discuss some current events such as war that tend to disempower--and reveal how we can indeed stand in our own power no matter what is happening in the rest of the world. 

Our gues...

In this episode, we look at data on racial bias in the child welfare system, and on the case for family preservation against the current family policing system and its biases, since COVID-19. We also talk about data collected in NYC, on how COVID-19 activated local networks and how the child welfare system can be changed to suit the data we know.

Our guest, Richard Wexler, is Executive Director of NCCPR. His interest in child welfar...

 In this episode, Attorney Karla Cruel walks us through the components of the legal system for criminal law and the ways in which these different processes are flawed. "The very fact that we know there are frequent innocent convictions, in and of itself, tells us the system is flawed," she says. She walks us through various stages of bias and misjudgment, and how the are compounded over time.

Our guest, Karla L. ...

In this episode, we take a systems look at the music industry and how it sets up artists and composers to be in constant debt through the lack of fair and transparent contracts and the restrictions in regulations and contract terms. We envision a music industry where artists and composers are more informed about their contracts, their rights, and their fans. 

Andrae is a Grammy-Nominated musician and professor who moved t...

In this episode, we look at how the technology innovation happens pipeline happens from research, to industry, to community. We look at how these relationships are typically extractive and how they can become more sustainable. How high levels of collaboration and collective intelligence and emergence work can enrich the way we think about nature and problem-solving: ocean memory, gentle accountability, human heart-work, and valuing...