Philadelphia is preparing for a once-in-a-generation moment—a historic summer in 2026 that will bring the world to our city. From the global excitement of the FIFA World Cup 2026 to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game 2026 and the celebration of America’s 250th birthday, more than half a million visitors are expected. Joining us is Michael Newmuis, Philadelphia’s Director for 2026, along with Deputy Director Tyrone Dixon, to discuss how the city is preparing for this global moment—and how they’re working to ensure every neighborhood benefits through economic opportunity, community engagement, and safe, accessible experiences for residents and visitors alike.
Then, as Philadelphia celebrates World Heritage Month this May, we turn to the power of food to connect cultures. Chef Mia Castro—a Puerto Rican chef, television personality, and author—joins us ahead of her appearance at the Free Library of Philadelphia on Wednesday, May 14th from 6:00 to 7:30 PM. She’ll share stories and recipes from her debut cookbook Cocina Puerto Rico: Recipes from My Abuela’s Kitchen to Yours as part of A Celebration of the Global Culinary Arts, presented in partnership with Global Philadelphia Association.
We also speak with Atima Omara, a nationally recognized political strategist, speaker, and author of the forthcoming book The Instigators: How Black Women Have Been Essential to American Democracy (And What We Can Learn From Them). Drawing on more than two decades of experience in progressive politics, Atima highlights the powerful—and often overlooked—role Black women have played in shaping American democracy, offering both inspiration and a roadmap for today’s political moment. Stay with us.
🌐 More Information & Resources:
• City of Philadelphia: https://www.phila.gov
• Philadelphia 250: https://www.philadelphia250.us
• Visit Philadelphia: https://www.visitphilly.com
• Free Library event details: https://www.freelibrary.org
• Global Philadelphia Association: https://globalphiladelphia.org
• Atima Omara: https://atima-omara.com/ 📱 Follow for Updates:
• @VisitPhilly | @PHL250
• ChefMiaCastro (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook)
• Atima Omara: Instagram @atima_omara
Then, as Philadelphia celebrates World Heritage Month this May, we turn to the power of food to connect cultures. Chef Mia Castro—a Puerto Rican chef, television personality, and author—joins us ahead of her appearance at the Free Library of Philadelphia on Wednesday, May 14th from 6:00 to 7:30 PM. She’ll share stories and recipes from her debut cookbook Cocina Puerto Rico: Recipes from My Abuela’s Kitchen to Yours as part of A Celebration of the Global Culinary Arts, presented in partnership with Global Philadelphia Association.
We also speak with Atima Omara, a nationally recognized political strategist, speaker, and author of the forthcoming book The Instigators: How Black Women Have Been Essential to American Democracy (And What We Can Learn From Them). Drawing on more than two decades of experience in progressive politics, Atima highlights the powerful—and often overlooked—role Black women have played in shaping American democracy, offering both inspiration and a roadmap for today’s political moment. Stay with us.
🌐 More Information & Resources:
• City of Philadelphia: https://www.phila.gov
• Philadelphia 250: https://www.philadelphia250.us
• Visit Philadelphia: https://www.visitphilly.com
• Free Library event details: https://www.freelibrary.org
• Global Philadelphia Association: https://globalphiladelphia.org
• Atima Omara: https://atima-omara.com/ 📱 Follow for Updates:
• @VisitPhilly | @PHL250
• ChefMiaCastro (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook)
• Atima Omara: Instagram @atima_omara
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning. You're listening to Insight, a show about empowering
our community. I'm Lorraine Balladmorrow. Philadelphia's getting ready for an
historic summer in twenty twenty six with global events like
FIFA World Cup, the Major League Baseball All Star Game,
and America's two hundred and fiftieth anniversary. We'll talk about
how leaders are working to ensure every neighborhood benefits. Plus
a celebration of culture and connection through food with chef
(00:20):
Mia Castro, and a powerful conversation with strategist Attima O'Mara
on the impact of black women in shaping American democracy.
Stay with us. Philadelphia is preparing for a once in
a generation moment, an historic summer in twenty twenty six
that will bring the world to our city. From the
global excitement of the FIFA World Cup twenty twenty six
(00:41):
to the Major League Baseball All Star Game twenty twenty
six and the celebration of America's two hundred and fiftieth birthday.
More than half a million visitors are expected. Joining us
is Michael Numis, Philadelphia Director for twenty twenty six and
Deputy director for that organization, Tyrone Dixon. The charge to
ensure this moment benefits every neighborhood. So stay with us,
(01:05):
Michael and Tyrone. You've described, Michael, you've described twenty twenty
six as a one cited generation opportunity. What is your
overall vision for how Philadelphia shows up on the global stage.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
You know, Mayor Park has been clear from the start
that our charge in the two fifties is to spread
the spirit of celebration across neighborhoods and ensure that our
residents and our businesses can benefit not only from the
civic pride, but from the economic benefits, while also making
sure that our visitors of the world class experience.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
With major events like the World Cup, the MLB All
Star Game, in the nation's semi quincentennial. First of all,
being able to pronounce that I think I finally got it,
I know right. How is the city coordinating across so
many moving parts to prepare Tyrone? You want to get
that one?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Well, it sounds like a lot, but it really has
been all hands on deck approach the Mayor's concept of
a one City of the United celebration. Internally, we're working across
all departments. We've had so many amazing partners outside of
the city of Philadelphia that has land and that helped
us be be able to prepare for this.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Michael, you've emphasized making the economic impact inclusive, what specific
opportunities will exist for small and minority owned businesses across
Philadelphia neighborhoods.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
It's so important, and we've combined on Philo doc govs
LUSH twenty twenty six philid doc govs LUSH twenty twenty six,
a procurement forecast for businesses looking to bid for opportunities
while also making strategic investments directly in neighborhoods neighborhood by
neighborhood across every council district to really make sure that businesses,
no matter where you are in Philadelphia, you will see
(02:39):
the celebration in front of you and there's ways for
you to benefit.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Tyrone beyond the stadiums. How will communities experience these events,
especially for fans who may not have tickets but still
want to be part of the excitement.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Well, I'm glad you stated that because we do half
thought through this the twenty twenty six acts as Philly
app it is a tool that shows you all the
events that were asked. Yes, we're welcome in the world.
We're also making sure that our neighborhood events are a
focus as well. You can now go to the Google
Store or app and download twenty twenty six Access Philly.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah, that's pretty cool. So basically it's a one stop shop.
You can just download the app and know exactly where
everything is happening, and that is pretty great. And there
are so many events. I mean, not everybody's going to
be able to make the World Cup because you know,
tickets they are expensive and also hard to get. But
there's the FanFest that's happening. There are all sorts of
events happening throughout the city to help participate. In fact,
(03:32):
a lot of the world travelers who come to the
World Cup don't necessarily go to the game. They go
to the other things.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Right, Su're seventy percent of folks coming won't even have
a ticket. That's why Mayor Parker is very clear. Philadelphia
is probably the only city in North America to have
a free fan festival experience for FIFA. It's open for
thirty nine days and anyone can experience it.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
The other thing that you've got going is you're focusing
on business corridors and I'm so excited about that because
we are a community, a city of neighborhoods, and sometimes
we don't venture outside of our comfort zone, right, So
this is really a great way to shine the light
on different neighborhoods, but particularly supporting small businesses, right.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
It's so critical. We worked with over twenty different commercial
corridors and partnership with city Council to make sure that
we've got really beautiful treatments to drive folks out into
the neighborhoods to support those businesses. And if you download
the Access Philly app, there's also a beautiful scavenger hunt
where you can find bells that are installed throughout Philadelphia,
these gorgeous three foot bells, And if you complete that
(04:36):
scavenger hunt, not only do you get to win incredible prizes,
but you'll get to explore the neighborhoods and the businesses
and the communities that make Philly shine tyrone.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
We're also a city of blocks, and I know that
some of the planning that you have is all about
supporting the block parties and blocks, and tell us how
you're shining the light on blocks in Philadelphia, which are
the cornerstone of our community.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Well, we are celebrating twondred and fifty block parties this year.
Wow our block party Bonanza two fifty and two fifty yea.
We are abre you bring joy to every neighborhood. When
you go into philid dot gov slash twenty twenty six,
when you put in your application, if you would like
the host one of these block parties, check the box
for block Party Bonanza. We're giving out two hundred and
fifty dollars gift cards to every block party. Every block captain.
(05:21):
Thank you to shop Right for that.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
We have this.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
We have decorations, toys, we have everything that you need
to make this an experience. Well.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Of course, one thing that we always have to be
aware of is safety and accessibility, and those are all key,
especially with late nine games and large crowds. What plans
do you have in place to ensure visitors and residents
can celebrate safely.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
I'm so excited that Philadelphia, under the leadership of our
Police Commissioner, has the lowest violent crime record since nineteen
sixty six. We have hosted the World Cup, We've hosted
the DNC that PayPal visits so many events. Under the
leadership of Giselle Jones and others Safely and safety is
our north star and one of our largest investment we're
looking at.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
As I mentioned before, the word that I always have
such a hard time saying semi quincentennial. That is a mouthful,
but it is an incredible opportunity to celebrate our two
hundred and fiftieth birthday as a nation. And I wonder
if you can tell us a little bit more Tyrone
about some of the events that are really geared towards
(06:22):
elevating the historic moment that we're experiencing.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Well, I would like to start with that that's definitely
been in consideration because we are the city, we are
the first city. We are a city of first, our
neighborhood to our series where we be giving out rides
to every neighborhood, where people in those neighborhoods can now
dictate and show what the history is behind eacht neighborhood
told by the people that live there.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Yeah, and I've also been seeing all these firsts that
are all around, like the first I Forget, the first
Girl Scout.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
True, first Girl Scout, True first Firehouse every single Saturday, Philadelphia.
Thanks to our partners, the visitors at the story district.
We'll be celebrating one of Philadelphia's first and to find
each of them, just go to the Axis Philly app.
And speaking of first, I'm so proud that Philadelphia will
be installing the first permanent sculptures honoring Black women leaders
(07:12):
Harriet Tubman, Blanche Nixon, and Sadie Alexander, all happening this year.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Ah, that is fantastic and so so needed. We need
to elevate our wonderful black women who've made such a
huge difference in the history of this country. Yes, absolutely, well,
all right, so is there anything else that you would
like to talk about that we haven't covered so far,
some little tidbit, some secret tips about how we can
(07:36):
best manage this enormous event that's coming out, these many
events that are happening.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
We want to make sure that anyone can experience all
of the magic that awaits this summer if you download
the Access Philly app in just a few weeks. We'll
also be pushing out a ton of free tickets so
that you can win prizes to make sure that you
can unlock the best of sports, the best of concerts,
museums and more.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Also, Tyrone, I know that there's a lot of opportunities
for volunteers. So if people still want a volunteer for
anything related to TO fifty or a FIFA or even
the Major League Baseball All Star Game, where do they go?
Speaker 3 (08:13):
So you can go to philid dotv slash twenty twenty six.
We have a form where you can fill out for
all volunteer opportunities and we're constantly updating those as they
become available.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
That's great, It's going to be such an exciting time.
Any final words, Michael before we close.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Everything that we're doing this year is about positioning the
people of Philadelphia for greater success over the next two
hundred and fifty years, and that's what you're going to
see across the investments. It's not always just about the
bunting on stage, but how we can bring ourselves a
little bit closer together, deepen civic pride, and spread the
economic benefits throughout.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
It's an exciting time Philadelphia preparing for a once in
a generation moment, an historic summer in twenty twenty six,
bringing the world to our city, FIFA World Cup, Major
League Baseball, and of course the celebration of America's two
hundred and fiftieth birthday. We expect more than half a
million visitors to come to the City of brotherly Love
(09:04):
and sisterly affection. Thanks to Michael Numis, Philadelphia Director for
twenty twenty six and Tyrone Dixon, Deputy Director twenty twenty six.
Thank you both for joining us.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
As Philadelphia celebrates World Heritage Month this May, we're bringing
global culture to the table through food, and today's guest
is serving up something truly special. Chef Mia Castro, a
Puerto Rican chef, television personality and cookbook author, is joining
us ahead of her appearance at the Free Library of
Philadelphia Thursday, May fourteenth, from six to seven thirty. She'll
(09:41):
be sharing stories and recipes from her debut cookbook, Cosina
Puerto Rico Recipes from My Aboeilis Kitchen to Yours as
part of a celebration of the Global Culinary Arts, presented
in partnership with Literary Events and Projects and Global Philadelphia Association.
Is a celebration of heritage, flavor, and the power of
food to connect us all so Nia, thank you so
(10:03):
much for joining us today, and let's start with your
new cookbook, Cosina Puerto Rico. What inspired you to bring
your abuela's recipes and your culinary journey together in this way.
Speaker 5 (10:14):
First off, thanks so much for having me, Lorraine So.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
I first started writing Cocina Puerto Rico back in March
twenty twenty while I was in New York during COVID lockdown,
and I was really yearning to.
Speaker 5 (10:30):
Go back home to Puerto.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
Rico with my family, and I was kind of stuck here.
So food was the easiest vehicle. So I started facetiming
Aguela from New York and having her teach me how
she prepared all of these dishes that I grew up eating,
and it kind of evolved from there to me documenting
(10:53):
it and sharing it online and eventually turning it into
a cookbook.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
You're cooking beautifully Mediterranean techniques with Caribbean roots. How did
your Puerto Rican heritage shape your style in the kitchen?
Speaker 4 (11:06):
I feel really passionate about traveling, especially to coastal towns,
go figure so, and I love Mediterranean food and sort
of the focus on quality ingredients and simplicity of preparation.
And you see that reflected in some of the recipes
(11:28):
of Cossina Puerto Rico, where I sort of marry Caribbean
flavors with Mediterranean technique. For example, my tropical gabrese salad,
which is on the back cover of the books. It
combines any tropical fruit, So instead of the tomato, any
(11:48):
tropical fruit, and then instead of the mozzarella, I use
gaso frisco or gasolad bais, which is what we call
it in Puerto Rico, and.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
I griddle it. And then instead of the traditional.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
Basil, I do chimichuri or like cilantro or recao. So
it kind of blends those culinary concepts of like really
good quality ingredients with the flavors I grew up around.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
I'm so excited to talk to you about the fact
that you've competed on shows like Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay,
and Hell's Kitchen. How have those experiences influenced you as
a chef and storyteller and give us at least one
good anecdote about your experience.
Speaker 4 (12:35):
First off, I'm really proud and grateful for all those opportunities.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
Let's then influenced me more.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
They were a platform for me to bring the flavors
of Puerto Rico to televisions throughout the US and throughout
the world, and they really enabled me to amplify my
culture through one of my passions with which is food.
Speaker 5 (12:59):
And then let's see a fun anecdote.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Hell's Kitchen has to have been an intense experience.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
It was.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
It was, but I sort of took it as you know.
It wasn't something that I sought out to do. It
was kind of an opportunity that landed in my lab,
and so I turned it into a fun and learning experience.
Speaker 5 (13:24):
So I did.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
I did learn a lot, and I think my favorite
part was spoiler alert here, but making it to the
finale and where throughout the show, I tried to stick to,
you know, whatever challenges and whatever concepts we were having.
But I used that finale to really celebrate berd Rico
(13:47):
and like bring the Wadigua to televisions.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
You'll be in Philadelphia May fourteenth at the Free Library.
What can guests expect from your presentation and book setting
that evening?
Speaker 4 (13:58):
I think guests can expect a mix of storytelling and
practical takeaways.
Speaker 5 (14:05):
So I want to give like little.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
Tips and tricks from the book, and I'm hoping we'll
have time for a Q and A.
Speaker 5 (14:12):
I prefer making these.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
Events more interactive, So I'm looking forward to hearing directly
from the guests about what they're curious to learn, whether
it's you know, techniques, ingredients, or stories behind these recipes
that I've shared on the book.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
This event is part of World Heritage Month. How do
you see food as a way to preserve culture and
bring people together across communities?
Speaker 4 (14:38):
M so Gosie Network Dorigo started as my way of
staying connected to my culture and my family, and I
think now that it's out in the world, it's also
become a way to share that culture with others where
whether it's you know, teaching or preserving the culture and
of course celebrating it. And I think food has this
(15:00):
incredible ability to bring people together across communities. So you know,
for US Puerto Ricans, especially the ones in the diaspora,
it's through shared nostalgia and for those of us or
for those who are in Puerto Rican the experience of
learning something new, And I mean, honestly, what a better,
(15:21):
more delicious way to learn than food.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
When we talk about the importance of food in family,
I wonder if you can talk a bit about what
your experience was cooking with your aboila, or being in
the same kitchen as she was, or seeing other members
of your family put things together. What what's a good memory,
a fond memory that you have about cooking with your family.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
Well, I mean cooking with my family is the basis
of my career. And a fun take away, I'd say,
I'll describe one of my favorite dishes from the book.
Speaker 5 (15:59):
It's the act is our lamb crabs.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
And may Auelo would bring these young crabs to the
house and he'd raise them over the course of a
couple of months and get them like really big and bulky,
and then we had a ros day, so Auilo would
bring them up. Auela would boil them and we would
sit there all day, like she would lay out newspaper
(16:25):
all over the table, and my sister and I and
Auelo and Auela and whoever was around, even the neighbor
would come and we would just pick at crab meat
and then she would stew it to make our san moree,
our crab stew, and then cook it into the rice.
So this this dish, it took months to.
Speaker 5 (16:49):
Prepare, and it wasn't just about eating.
Speaker 4 (16:52):
It was about that whole communal experience which is what
I love about Puerto Rican food and my culture and
now sharing it.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
For those who want to follow your journey and also
to attend the event, where can they connect with you?
And also to get more information about the event that
you're doing at the Free Library.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
So I'm on all social media platforms Chef Mia Gastro
on Instagram, Chef Mia Gastro pr on TikTok. And then
for the event location, it's at the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
It's on nineteen oh one Arch Street.
Speaker 4 (17:27):
And then online for more information FreeLibrary dot org.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Thank you so much. Chef Mia Castro Party Weekend chef,
television personality and cookbook author who is going to be
appearing at the Free Library of Philadelphia Thursday, May fourteenth,
from sixty seven thirty sharing stories and recipes from our
debut cookbook Cosina Puerto Rico. Recipes from My Willa's Kitchen
to Yours, part of the celebration of Global Culinary Arts,
(17:55):
presented in partnership with Literary Events and Projects and Global
Philadelphia Association. Thank you so much, Thank you. Learning Today
we're joined by Atima O'Mara, a nationally recognized political strategist,
speaker and author. Of the forthcoming book, The Instigators, How
(18:18):
Black women have been essential to American democracy and what
we can learn from them. With decades of experience and
progressive politics and advocacy, Aatima has worked every level of
government and continues to center women and communities of color
in building a more representative democracy. Her new book highlights
the powerful and often overlooked role black women have played
(18:40):
in shaping American democracy, offering both inspiration and a roadmap
for today's political moment. Atima, you've spent over two decades
in political strategy and advocacy. What inspired you to write
The Instigator at this particular moment in time?
Speaker 6 (18:55):
To answer your question? In a lot of things, I
want to always had wanted to write a book and
contribute something, you know. I'd thought it would be fiction
at first, but then I always thought I wanted to
contribute something to sort of the larger dialogus. I'd been
writing op eds for a few years, and it was
right after this is what I covered my introduction. It
(19:17):
was right after living in Virginia, being active Virginia politics.
We had the unfortunate situation where our governor was dealing
with a blackface situation. Found out there was a blackface
photo in his yearbook that got national attention at the time.
For those who remember what sort of happened after that
and how people dealt with this, especially black women leaders
(19:37):
who were elected officials, activists, advocates, and how they used
the whole conversation around that leading into them twenty twenty
where we had where Floyd's murder happened, and Black Lives
Matter had this resurgence to really open a dialogue about
what a Virginia that truly is trying to break from
(20:00):
a past that was very strongly tied to the Confederacy,
like Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy under in
the Civil War, and what is a more just and
you know, forward looking Virginia look like that benefits everyone.
And so a lot of black women leaders were responsible
for us being the first state in the South to
(20:21):
legalize marijuana, to put an end to the death penalty,
to implement a lot of criminal justice reforms, to push
a what basically we consider or call the Voting Rights
Act of Virginia, which is a state level version of
the Voting Rights Act on the federal level. And there
were just so many of the progressive, forward thinking initiatives
(20:45):
that were pushed forward and led by a lot of
black women in the vanguarden. I thought, what would it
be like if this happened on the national level, and
it didn't happen, only because everybody was having this moment
where they were feeling somewhat I would say, a little
bit of white guilt about treatment of black people and
(21:05):
you know, by extension, other people of color. And so
that's what sort of led me to think about the
book initially. And then also, you know, I thought I
was writing it at the time that you know, the
Biden administration when I actually got the deal to write it,
and so I thought, Okay, this's the forelooking thing of
like what we can do now that we have moved,
(21:26):
you know, away from the Trump administration and we'll either
have Biden or me versus president for the next you know,
eight years. That didn't happen. So yeah, here we are.
And so it's it took on a different tone because
as I'm finishing the end of it, it's like, Okay,
here we are, people are like depressed, shocked. Where do
we go from here? And so that's where I kind
(21:49):
of direct that book. It's still with the idea of
what would it be like if we actually listened to
black women and followed their lead on a lot of
strategic policies and initiatives. But also it's how do we
keep going when things are incredibly hard? And I pull
stories from those who have were living at very dangerous
(22:12):
times to be doing the work that they were doing.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
You reclaim the word instigator in your book. What does
that term mean in this context and why is it
so important to redefine it?
Speaker 6 (22:23):
Yeah, oftentimes you hear the word instigator, it's somebody who's
starting something and not usually good. They're like somebody who
is like at rally and you know, throws a dangerous weapon,
fires a gun, you know, starts something a nefarious and
I really you know, when you look at actually the
definition of it, there's that. But there's also people who
(22:46):
initiate something like takes action and that can also be
a positive thing, and that's who a lot of the
black women I talk about in this book are particularly
of this sort of age demograph where I think, you know,
black women come into activism much earlier in life because
of the injustices that they see in their community. So
(23:07):
you know, they're like they look around, they're like who's
got this, Who's got this? And then they're like, Okay,
nobody's got this, so I'm gonna jump in and do things.
And I think that's something especially as I was looking
at sort of and talking to about my other colleagues
who organize in Asian American communities and let you know, communities,
is a similar theme with other women of color, and
I think they can recognize themselves in that. But that
(23:29):
definitely is the hallmark for me of what an instigator
is is that they are somebody who's like, all right,
I'm gonna like initiate it a thing, whether it's a walkout,
whether it's a rally, whether it's I'm giving a speech,
whether I'm like literally going to be the one who
goes at risk of my life and investigates this injustice
(23:51):
and then writes about it like idb well zo I
talks about, or Fannie Lou Hamer, who's like, I'm gonna
go register people to vote, which doesn't seem like a
very scary thing to do, but in her era in
the nineteen sixties in Mississippi, you know, she ended up
in a jail with her fellow organizers be in assaulted
(24:12):
begging for her life just for trying to register people
to vote. And so I try to highlight how these
people are so motivated by goodness to and justice and
equality and making sure America lives up to its ideals
that they are willing to step up in times that
(24:32):
are extraordinarily challenging and dangerous for them do things for
their community, change the world.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
You talk about historical figures like Shirley Chisholm and Mary
McLeod Bethune and talk about some of the key lessons
that their leadership provided, and also tie that to contemporary
leaders like Jasmine Crockett and many others. What are some
of those lessons and how do you see them unfolding,
Especially as we're heading into elections across the country. There
(25:00):
are a lot of folks who are trying to figure
out some strategies during these very front times. What are
some of the lessons both in the past and right
now that can apply and move us forward.
Speaker 6 (25:12):
You know, one of the things that I found super
interesting is one thing that you know from my experience
and from reading their stories, especially for black women running
for office, and for even those who don't run for office,
but who work behind the scenes. In politics, One, you
should always make sure that your base of support is solid.
(25:35):
When you are campaigning and organizing, you should always make
sure you are listening to the grassroots and what their
needs are. And I think how that applies to today
is that we have a Democratic Party leadership in Congress
specifically who is frustrating the base. You know, they want
to see something different. You know, they're like, we understand
(25:58):
you don't have the levers of power, or however, it's
time to try something different, something original, something new. We're
operating not on the same rule book that we've been on.
And also that there are people who aren't in the base,
who you know, have long felt like, all right, the
Democratic Party is supposed to be the party of inclusion,
(26:22):
inclusion right and equality and supporting reproductive rights and better
wages for workers and all of these sort of things
that benefit everyone, and they're not seeing their party prioritize
those initiatives speak to those things. There when it comes
time to election season, you know, those who've been loyal
(26:44):
and supporting them, black and brown communities, they're not getting
door knocks until later. And so for me, that was
an interesting theme that I was seeing throughout sort of
the stories that I was looking at, you know, whether
it's Mary mc cloud batoon try to make sure while
working in FDR's administration that black people had their needs
(27:08):
met and convening black leaders to that effect, you know.
And it was during the height of the height of
Jim Crow and finding ways to make sure that happens.
Even though he was friendly to it, he was also
dealing with white legislators who wanted to keep Jim Crow
in place in the South. You know, somebody like Shirley
Chisholm who lived in a place like New York where
(27:29):
there wasn't legally something in place like Jim Crow, but
there was a lot of intentional segregation and discriminatory policies,
and you know, she experienced them, but her guiding light
was uplifting and making sure those communities that were being
ignored and intentionally marginalized were also not ignored. As why
(27:52):
she ran for Yeah, I was a State Assembly, congress
and then president. And so I see that today, and
so I say that to say I say all I
mentioned some of that to say that also because they
are trying to center these communities who've been ignored oftentimes
you will see them getting pushed to the margins as well.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
So well for listeners who may be inspired by your book.
What advice would you give to black women and others
from underrepresented communities who are considering running for office are
getting more involved in civic leadership.
Speaker 6 (28:26):
Yeah, First off, go through trainings. That's a great place
to find your community, other people who are thinking of
the same thing. Learning about the best ways to build
your campaign for public office. Also to if you're not
already engaged your community, and most women who are thinking
and running for office are definitely start thinking of the
(28:48):
people who would support you. Getting your lists together. I
always love to joke from tradings, like when they're saying
to women you know, get all of your like lists together,
people like list, It's like, okay, you have a most
more than likely all of you carry pursues. You probably
have a lot of business cards at the bottom of
that bag. Off people you've met, you've worked with. Time
to dump that, go through, go through those networks of
(29:09):
people you know, everybody went to school with. Yeah, and
think about the kind of office that you want to
run for and what you think that office will help
you achieve for your community. So if you care about
schools and the quality of them, probably want to run
for school board or stateboard of education. If you care
about health care access in your state and it's not great,
(29:32):
you probably then want to run for your state legislature. Yeah,
those are some of the tips that I would give.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Well. I'd like to thank you so much for joining us.
I want to end with this quote from Shirley Chisholm,
as it happened. If they don't give you a seat
at the table, bring a folding chair. I want to
thank you so much for joining us today. Attima Amara
a nationally recognized political strategist, speaker, and author of the
book The Instigators, How Black women have been in essential
(30:00):
American Democracy and what we can learn from them. I
want to thank you so much for joining us today.
Speaker 6 (30:05):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
You can listen to all of today's interviews by going
to our station website and typing in keyword Community. You
can also listen on the iHeartRadio app ye Words Philadelphia
Community Podcast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard.
I'm Lorraine Ballard MOREL and I stand for service to
our community and media that empowers. What will you stand for?
(30:27):
You've been listening to Insight, and thank you
Good morning. You're listening to Insight, a show about empowering
our community. I'm Lorraine Balladmorrow. Philadelphia's getting ready for an
historic summer in twenty twenty six with global events like
FIFA World Cup, the Major League Baseball All Star Game,
and America's two hundred and fiftieth anniversary. We'll talk about
how leaders are working to ensure every neighborhood benefits. Plus
a celebration of culture and connection through food with chef
(00:20):
Mia Castro, and a powerful conversation with strategist Attima O'Mara
on the impact of black women in shaping American democracy.
Stay with us. Philadelphia is preparing for a once in
a generation moment, an historic summer in twenty twenty six
that will bring the world to our city. From the
global excitement of the FIFA World Cup twenty twenty six
(00:41):
to the Major League Baseball All Star Game twenty twenty
six and the celebration of America's two hundred and fiftieth birthday.
More than half a million visitors are expected. Joining us
is Michael Numis, Philadelphia Director for twenty twenty six and
Deputy director for that organization, Tyrone Dixon. The charge to
ensure this moment benefits every neighborhood. So stay with us,
(01:05):
Michael and Tyrone. You've described, Michael, you've described twenty twenty
six as a one cited generation opportunity. What is your
overall vision for how Philadelphia shows up on the global stage.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
You know, Mayor Park has been clear from the start
that our charge in the two fifties is to spread
the spirit of celebration across neighborhoods and ensure that our
residents and our businesses can benefit not only from the
civic pride, but from the economic benefits, while also making
sure that our visitors of the world class experience.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
With major events like the World Cup, the MLB All
Star Game, in the nation's semi quincentennial. First of all,
being able to pronounce that I think I finally got it,
I know right. How is the city coordinating across so
many moving parts to prepare Tyrone? You want to get
that one?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Well, it sounds like a lot, but it really has
been all hands on deck approach the Mayor's concept of
a one City of the United celebration. Internally, we're working across
all departments. We've had so many amazing partners outside of
the city of Philadelphia that has land and that helped
us be be able to prepare for this.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Michael, you've emphasized making the economic impact inclusive, what specific
opportunities will exist for small and minority owned businesses across
Philadelphia neighborhoods.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
It's so important, and we've combined on Philo doc govs
LUSH twenty twenty six philid doc govs LUSH twenty twenty six,
a procurement forecast for businesses looking to bid for opportunities
while also making strategic investments directly in neighborhoods neighborhood by
neighborhood across every council district to really make sure that businesses,
no matter where you are in Philadelphia, you will see
(02:39):
the celebration in front of you and there's ways for
you to benefit.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Tyrone beyond the stadiums. How will communities experience these events,
especially for fans who may not have tickets but still
want to be part of the excitement.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Well, I'm glad you stated that because we do half
thought through this the twenty twenty six acts as Philly
app it is a tool that shows you all the
events that were asked. Yes, we're welcome in the world.
We're also making sure that our neighborhood events are a
focus as well. You can now go to the Google
Store or app and download twenty twenty six Access Philly.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah, that's pretty cool. So basically it's a one stop shop.
You can just download the app and know exactly where
everything is happening, and that is pretty great. And there
are so many events. I mean, not everybody's going to
be able to make the World Cup because you know,
tickets they are expensive and also hard to get. But
there's the FanFest that's happening. There are all sorts of
events happening throughout the city to help participate. In fact,
(03:32):
a lot of the world travelers who come to the
World Cup don't necessarily go to the game. They go
to the other things.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Right, Su're seventy percent of folks coming won't even have
a ticket. That's why Mayor Parker is very clear. Philadelphia
is probably the only city in North America to have
a free fan festival experience for FIFA. It's open for
thirty nine days and anyone can experience it.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
The other thing that you've got going is you're focusing
on business corridors and I'm so excited about that because
we are a community, a city of neighborhoods, and sometimes
we don't venture outside of our comfort zone, right, So
this is really a great way to shine the light
on different neighborhoods, but particularly supporting small businesses, right.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
It's so critical. We worked with over twenty different commercial
corridors and partnership with city Council to make sure that
we've got really beautiful treatments to drive folks out into
the neighborhoods to support those businesses. And if you download
the Access Philly app, there's also a beautiful scavenger hunt
where you can find bells that are installed throughout Philadelphia,
these gorgeous three foot bells, And if you complete that
(04:36):
scavenger hunt, not only do you get to win incredible prizes,
but you'll get to explore the neighborhoods and the businesses
and the communities that make Philly shine tyrone.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
We're also a city of blocks, and I know that
some of the planning that you have is all about
supporting the block parties and blocks, and tell us how
you're shining the light on blocks in Philadelphia, which are
the cornerstone of our community.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Well, we are celebrating twondred and fifty block parties this year.
Wow our block party Bonanza two fifty and two fifty yea.
We are abre you bring joy to every neighborhood. When
you go into philid dot gov slash twenty twenty six,
when you put in your application, if you would like
the host one of these block parties, check the box
for block Party Bonanza. We're giving out two hundred and
fifty dollars gift cards to every block party. Every block captain.
(05:21):
Thank you to shop Right for that.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
We have this.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
We have decorations, toys, we have everything that you need
to make this an experience. Well.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Of course, one thing that we always have to be
aware of is safety and accessibility, and those are all key,
especially with late nine games and large crowds. What plans
do you have in place to ensure visitors and residents
can celebrate safely.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
I'm so excited that Philadelphia, under the leadership of our
Police Commissioner, has the lowest violent crime record since nineteen
sixty six. We have hosted the World Cup, We've hosted
the DNC that PayPal visits so many events. Under the
leadership of Giselle Jones and others Safely and safety is
our north star and one of our largest investment we're
looking at.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
As I mentioned before, the word that I always have
such a hard time saying semi quincentennial. That is a mouthful,
but it is an incredible opportunity to celebrate our two
hundred and fiftieth birthday as a nation. And I wonder
if you can tell us a little bit more Tyrone
about some of the events that are really geared towards
(06:22):
elevating the historic moment that we're experiencing.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Well, I would like to start with that that's definitely
been in consideration because we are the city, we are
the first city. We are a city of first, our
neighborhood to our series where we be giving out rides
to every neighborhood, where people in those neighborhoods can now
dictate and show what the history is behind eacht neighborhood
told by the people that live there.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Yeah, and I've also been seeing all these firsts that
are all around, like the first I Forget, the first
Girl Scout.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
True, first Girl Scout, True first Firehouse every single Saturday, Philadelphia.
Thanks to our partners, the visitors at the story district.
We'll be celebrating one of Philadelphia's first and to find
each of them, just go to the Axis Philly app.
And speaking of first, I'm so proud that Philadelphia will
be installing the first permanent sculptures honoring Black women leaders
(07:12):
Harriet Tubman, Blanche Nixon, and Sadie Alexander, all happening this year.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Ah, that is fantastic and so so needed. We need
to elevate our wonderful black women who've made such a
huge difference in the history of this country. Yes, absolutely, well,
all right, so is there anything else that you would
like to talk about that we haven't covered so far,
some little tidbit, some secret tips about how we can
(07:36):
best manage this enormous event that's coming out, these many
events that are happening.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
We want to make sure that anyone can experience all
of the magic that awaits this summer if you download
the Access Philly app in just a few weeks. We'll
also be pushing out a ton of free tickets so
that you can win prizes to make sure that you
can unlock the best of sports, the best of concerts,
museums and more.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Also, Tyrone, I know that there's a lot of opportunities
for volunteers. So if people still want a volunteer for
anything related to TO fifty or a FIFA or even
the Major League Baseball All Star Game, where do they go?
Speaker 3 (08:13):
So you can go to philid dotv slash twenty twenty six.
We have a form where you can fill out for
all volunteer opportunities and we're constantly updating those as they
become available.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
That's great, It's going to be such an exciting time.
Any final words, Michael before we close.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Everything that we're doing this year is about positioning the
people of Philadelphia for greater success over the next two
hundred and fifty years, and that's what you're going to
see across the investments. It's not always just about the
bunting on stage, but how we can bring ourselves a
little bit closer together, deepen civic pride, and spread the
economic benefits throughout.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
It's an exciting time Philadelphia preparing for a once in
a generation moment, an historic summer in twenty twenty six,
bringing the world to our city, FIFA World Cup, Major
League Baseball, and of course the celebration of America's two
hundred and fiftieth birthday. We expect more than half a
million visitors to come to the City of brotherly Love
(09:04):
and sisterly affection. Thanks to Michael Numis, Philadelphia Director for
twenty twenty six and Tyrone Dixon, Deputy Director twenty twenty six.
Thank you both for joining us.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
As Philadelphia celebrates World Heritage Month this May, we're bringing
global culture to the table through food, and today's guest
is serving up something truly special. Chef Mia Castro, a
Puerto Rican chef, television personality and cookbook author, is joining
us ahead of her appearance at the Free Library of
Philadelphia Thursday, May fourteenth, from six to seven thirty. She'll
(09:41):
be sharing stories and recipes from her debut cookbook, Cosina
Puerto Rico Recipes from My Aboeilis Kitchen to Yours as
part of a celebration of the Global Culinary Arts, presented
in partnership with Literary Events and Projects and Global Philadelphia Association.
Is a celebration of heritage, flavor, and the power of
food to connect us all so Nia, thank you so
(10:03):
much for joining us today, and let's start with your
new cookbook, Cosina Puerto Rico. What inspired you to bring
your abuela's recipes and your culinary journey together in this way.
Speaker 5 (10:14):
First off, thanks so much for having me, Lorraine So.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
I first started writing Cocina Puerto Rico back in March
twenty twenty while I was in New York during COVID lockdown,
and I was really yearning to.
Speaker 5 (10:30):
Go back home to Puerto.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
Rico with my family, and I was kind of stuck here.
So food was the easiest vehicle. So I started facetiming
Aguela from New York and having her teach me how
she prepared all of these dishes that I grew up eating,
and it kind of evolved from there to me documenting
(10:53):
it and sharing it online and eventually turning it into
a cookbook.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
You're cooking beautifully Mediterranean techniques with Caribbean roots. How did
your Puerto Rican heritage shape your style in the kitchen?
Speaker 4 (11:06):
I feel really passionate about traveling, especially to coastal towns,
go figure so, and I love Mediterranean food and sort
of the focus on quality ingredients and simplicity of preparation.
And you see that reflected in some of the recipes
(11:28):
of Cossina Puerto Rico, where I sort of marry Caribbean
flavors with Mediterranean technique. For example, my tropical gabrese salad,
which is on the back cover of the books. It
combines any tropical fruit, So instead of the tomato, any
(11:48):
tropical fruit, and then instead of the mozzarella, I use
gaso frisco or gasolad bais, which is what we call
it in Puerto Rico, and.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
I griddle it. And then instead of the traditional.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
Basil, I do chimichuri or like cilantro or recao. So
it kind of blends those culinary concepts of like really
good quality ingredients with the flavors I grew up around.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
I'm so excited to talk to you about the fact
that you've competed on shows like Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay,
and Hell's Kitchen. How have those experiences influenced you as
a chef and storyteller and give us at least one
good anecdote about your experience.
Speaker 4 (12:35):
First off, I'm really proud and grateful for all those opportunities.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
Let's then influenced me more.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
They were a platform for me to bring the flavors
of Puerto Rico to televisions throughout the US and throughout
the world, and they really enabled me to amplify my
culture through one of my passions with which is food.
Speaker 5 (12:59):
And then let's see a fun anecdote.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Hell's Kitchen has to have been an intense experience.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
It was.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
It was, but I sort of took it as you know.
It wasn't something that I sought out to do. It
was kind of an opportunity that landed in my lab,
and so I turned it into a fun and learning experience.
Speaker 5 (13:24):
So I did.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
I did learn a lot, and I think my favorite
part was spoiler alert here, but making it to the
finale and where throughout the show, I tried to stick to,
you know, whatever challenges and whatever concepts we were having.
But I used that finale to really celebrate berd Rico
(13:47):
and like bring the Wadigua to televisions.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
You'll be in Philadelphia May fourteenth at the Free Library.
What can guests expect from your presentation and book setting
that evening?
Speaker 4 (13:58):
I think guests can expect a mix of storytelling and
practical takeaways.
Speaker 5 (14:05):
So I want to give like little.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
Tips and tricks from the book, and I'm hoping we'll
have time for a Q and A.
Speaker 5 (14:12):
I prefer making these.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
Events more interactive, So I'm looking forward to hearing directly
from the guests about what they're curious to learn, whether
it's you know, techniques, ingredients, or stories behind these recipes
that I've shared on the book.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
This event is part of World Heritage Month. How do
you see food as a way to preserve culture and
bring people together across communities?
Speaker 4 (14:38):
M so Gosie Network Dorigo started as my way of
staying connected to my culture and my family, and I
think now that it's out in the world, it's also
become a way to share that culture with others where
whether it's you know, teaching or preserving the culture and
of course celebrating it. And I think food has this
(15:00):
incredible ability to bring people together across communities. So you know,
for US Puerto Ricans, especially the ones in the diaspora,
it's through shared nostalgia and for those of us or
for those who are in Puerto Rican the experience of
learning something new, And I mean, honestly, what a better,
(15:21):
more delicious way to learn than food.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
When we talk about the importance of food in family,
I wonder if you can talk a bit about what
your experience was cooking with your aboila, or being in
the same kitchen as she was, or seeing other members
of your family put things together. What what's a good memory,
a fond memory that you have about cooking with your family.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
Well, I mean cooking with my family is the basis
of my career. And a fun take away, I'd say,
I'll describe one of my favorite dishes from the book.
Speaker 5 (15:59):
It's the act is our lamb crabs.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
And may Auelo would bring these young crabs to the
house and he'd raise them over the course of a
couple of months and get them like really big and bulky,
and then we had a ros day, so Auilo would
bring them up. Auela would boil them and we would
sit there all day, like she would lay out newspaper
(16:25):
all over the table, and my sister and I and
Auelo and Auela and whoever was around, even the neighbor
would come and we would just pick at crab meat
and then she would stew it to make our san moree,
our crab stew, and then cook it into the rice.
So this this dish, it took months to.
Speaker 5 (16:49):
Prepare, and it wasn't just about eating.
Speaker 4 (16:52):
It was about that whole communal experience which is what
I love about Puerto Rican food and my culture and
now sharing it.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
For those who want to follow your journey and also
to attend the event, where can they connect with you?
And also to get more information about the event that
you're doing at the Free Library.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
So I'm on all social media platforms Chef Mia Gastro
on Instagram, Chef Mia Gastro pr on TikTok. And then
for the event location, it's at the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
It's on nineteen oh one Arch Street.
Speaker 4 (17:27):
And then online for more information FreeLibrary dot org.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Thank you so much. Chef Mia Castro Party Weekend chef,
television personality and cookbook author who is going to be
appearing at the Free Library of Philadelphia Thursday, May fourteenth,
from sixty seven thirty sharing stories and recipes from our
debut cookbook Cosina Puerto Rico. Recipes from My Willa's Kitchen
to Yours, part of the celebration of Global Culinary Arts,
(17:55):
presented in partnership with Literary Events and Projects and Global
Philadelphia Association. Thank you so much, Thank you. Learning Today
we're joined by Atima O'Mara, a nationally recognized political strategist,
speaker and author. Of the forthcoming book, The Instigators, How
(18:18):
Black women have been essential to American democracy and what
we can learn from them. With decades of experience and
progressive politics and advocacy, Aatima has worked every level of
government and continues to center women and communities of color
in building a more representative democracy. Her new book highlights
the powerful and often overlooked role black women have played
(18:40):
in shaping American democracy, offering both inspiration and a roadmap
for today's political moment. Atima, you've spent over two decades
in political strategy and advocacy. What inspired you to write
The Instigator at this particular moment in time?
Speaker 6 (18:55):
To answer your question? In a lot of things, I
want to always had wanted to write a book and
contribute something, you know. I'd thought it would be fiction
at first, but then I always thought I wanted to
contribute something to sort of the larger dialogus. I'd been
writing op eds for a few years, and it was
right after this is what I covered my introduction. It
(19:17):
was right after living in Virginia, being active Virginia politics.
We had the unfortunate situation where our governor was dealing
with a blackface situation. Found out there was a blackface
photo in his yearbook that got national attention at the time.
For those who remember what sort of happened after that
and how people dealt with this, especially black women leaders
(19:37):
who were elected officials, activists, advocates, and how they used
the whole conversation around that leading into them twenty twenty
where we had where Floyd's murder happened, and Black Lives
Matter had this resurgence to really open a dialogue about
what a Virginia that truly is trying to break from
(20:00):
a past that was very strongly tied to the Confederacy,
like Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy under in
the Civil War, and what is a more just and
you know, forward looking Virginia look like that benefits everyone.
And so a lot of black women leaders were responsible
for us being the first state in the South to
(20:21):
legalize marijuana, to put an end to the death penalty,
to implement a lot of criminal justice reforms, to push
a what basically we consider or call the Voting Rights
Act of Virginia, which is a state level version of
the Voting Rights Act on the federal level. And there
were just so many of the progressive, forward thinking initiatives
(20:45):
that were pushed forward and led by a lot of
black women in the vanguarden. I thought, what would it
be like if this happened on the national level, and
it didn't happen, only because everybody was having this moment
where they were feeling somewhat I would say, a little
bit of white guilt about treatment of black people and
(21:05):
you know, by extension, other people of color. And so
that's what sort of led me to think about the
book initially. And then also, you know, I thought I
was writing it at the time that you know, the
Biden administration when I actually got the deal to write it,
and so I thought, Okay, this's the forelooking thing of
like what we can do now that we have moved,
(21:26):
you know, away from the Trump administration and we'll either
have Biden or me versus president for the next you know,
eight years. That didn't happen. So yeah, here we are.
And so it's it took on a different tone because
as I'm finishing the end of it, it's like, Okay,
here we are, people are like depressed, shocked. Where do
we go from here? And so that's where I kind
(21:49):
of direct that book. It's still with the idea of
what would it be like if we actually listened to
black women and followed their lead on a lot of
strategic policies and initiatives. But also it's how do we
keep going when things are incredibly hard? And I pull
stories from those who have were living at very dangerous
(22:12):
times to be doing the work that they were doing.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
You reclaim the word instigator in your book. What does
that term mean in this context and why is it
so important to redefine it?
Speaker 6 (22:23):
Yeah, oftentimes you hear the word instigator, it's somebody who's
starting something and not usually good. They're like somebody who
is like at rally and you know, throws a dangerous weapon,
fires a gun, you know, starts something a nefarious and
I really you know, when you look at actually the
definition of it, there's that. But there's also people who
(22:46):
initiate something like takes action and that can also be
a positive thing, and that's who a lot of the
black women I talk about in this book are particularly
of this sort of age demograph where I think, you know,
black women come into activism much earlier in life because
of the injustices that they see in their community. So
(23:07):
you know, they're like they look around, they're like who's
got this, Who's got this? And then they're like, Okay,
nobody's got this, so I'm gonna jump in and do things.
And I think that's something especially as I was looking
at sort of and talking to about my other colleagues
who organize in Asian American communities and let you know, communities,
is a similar theme with other women of color, and
I think they can recognize themselves in that. But that
(23:29):
definitely is the hallmark for me of what an instigator
is is that they are somebody who's like, all right,
I'm gonna like initiate it a thing, whether it's a walkout,
whether it's a rally, whether it's I'm giving a speech,
whether I'm like literally going to be the one who
goes at risk of my life and investigates this injustice
(23:51):
and then writes about it like idb well zo I
talks about, or Fannie Lou Hamer, who's like, I'm gonna
go register people to vote, which doesn't seem like a
very scary thing to do, but in her era in
the nineteen sixties in Mississippi, you know, she ended up
in a jail with her fellow organizers be in assaulted
(24:12):
begging for her life just for trying to register people
to vote. And so I try to highlight how these
people are so motivated by goodness to and justice and
equality and making sure America lives up to its ideals
that they are willing to step up in times that
(24:32):
are extraordinarily challenging and dangerous for them do things for
their community, change the world.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
You talk about historical figures like Shirley Chisholm and Mary
McLeod Bethune and talk about some of the key lessons
that their leadership provided, and also tie that to contemporary
leaders like Jasmine Crockett and many others. What are some
of those lessons and how do you see them unfolding,
Especially as we're heading into elections across the country. There
(25:00):
are a lot of folks who are trying to figure
out some strategies during these very front times. What are
some of the lessons both in the past and right
now that can apply and move us forward.
Speaker 6 (25:12):
You know, one of the things that I found super
interesting is one thing that you know from my experience
and from reading their stories, especially for black women running
for office, and for even those who don't run for office,
but who work behind the scenes. In politics, One, you
should always make sure that your base of support is solid.
(25:35):
When you are campaigning and organizing, you should always make
sure you are listening to the grassroots and what their
needs are. And I think how that applies to today
is that we have a Democratic Party leadership in Congress
specifically who is frustrating the base. You know, they want
to see something different. You know, they're like, we understand
(25:58):
you don't have the levers of power, or however, it's
time to try something different, something original, something new. We're
operating not on the same rule book that we've been on.
And also that there are people who aren't in the base,
who you know, have long felt like, all right, the
Democratic Party is supposed to be the party of inclusion,
(26:22):
inclusion right and equality and supporting reproductive rights and better
wages for workers and all of these sort of things
that benefit everyone, and they're not seeing their party prioritize
those initiatives speak to those things. There when it comes
time to election season, you know, those who've been loyal
(26:44):
and supporting them, black and brown communities, they're not getting
door knocks until later. And so for me, that was
an interesting theme that I was seeing throughout sort of
the stories that I was looking at, you know, whether
it's Mary mc cloud batoon try to make sure while
working in FDR's administration that black people had their needs
(27:08):
met and convening black leaders to that effect, you know.
And it was during the height of the height of
Jim Crow and finding ways to make sure that happens.
Even though he was friendly to it, he was also
dealing with white legislators who wanted to keep Jim Crow
in place in the South. You know, somebody like Shirley
Chisholm who lived in a place like New York where
(27:29):
there wasn't legally something in place like Jim Crow, but
there was a lot of intentional segregation and discriminatory policies,
and you know, she experienced them, but her guiding light
was uplifting and making sure those communities that were being
ignored and intentionally marginalized were also not ignored. As why
(27:52):
she ran for Yeah, I was a State Assembly, congress
and then president. And so I see that today, and
so I say that to say I say all I
mentioned some of that to say that also because they
are trying to center these communities who've been ignored oftentimes
you will see them getting pushed to the margins as well.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
So well for listeners who may be inspired by your book.
What advice would you give to black women and others
from underrepresented communities who are considering running for office are
getting more involved in civic leadership.
Speaker 6 (28:26):
Yeah, First off, go through trainings. That's a great place
to find your community, other people who are thinking of
the same thing. Learning about the best ways to build
your campaign for public office. Also to if you're not
already engaged your community, and most women who are thinking
and running for office are definitely start thinking of the
(28:48):
people who would support you. Getting your lists together. I
always love to joke from tradings, like when they're saying
to women you know, get all of your like lists together,
people like list, It's like, okay, you have a most
more than likely all of you carry pursues. You probably
have a lot of business cards at the bottom of
that bag. Off people you've met, you've worked with. Time
to dump that, go through, go through those networks of
(29:09):
people you know, everybody went to school with. Yeah, and
think about the kind of office that you want to
run for and what you think that office will help
you achieve for your community. So if you care about
schools and the quality of them, probably want to run
for school board or stateboard of education. If you care
about health care access in your state and it's not great,
(29:32):
you probably then want to run for your state legislature. Yeah,
those are some of the tips that I would give.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Well. I'd like to thank you so much for joining us.
I want to end with this quote from Shirley Chisholm,
as it happened. If they don't give you a seat
at the table, bring a folding chair. I want to
thank you so much for joining us today. Attima Amara
a nationally recognized political strategist, speaker, and author of the
book The Instigators, How Black women have been in essential
(30:00):
American Democracy and what we can learn from them. I
want to thank you so much for joining us today.
Speaker 6 (30:05):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
You can listen to all of today's interviews by going
to our station website and typing in keyword Community. You
can also listen on the iHeartRadio app ye Words Philadelphia
Community Podcast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard.
I'm Lorraine Ballard MOREL and I stand for service to
our community and media that empowers. What will you stand for?
(30:27):
You've been listening to Insight, and thank you
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