Beyond Voting
Welcome to Beyond Voting! In Season 2, we continue exploring the state of American democracy as it shifts under President Trump’s second term. With seasoned leaders, movement workers, and journalists- you’ll hear visions for a future rooted in care, radical imagination, and everyday people taking action to protect democracy- grounded in working-class solidarity and Indigenous leadership. We dig into what’s changing, who’s paying attention, and how people are fighting back. Because despite the present, it’s not too late to write our future. For more, check out Season 1 for our award winning conversations taking a critical look at the 2024 Elections.
Episodes
Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming embedded in everything, from our workplaces to our government. But who really benefits from the world Silicon Valley is building?
In this super sized episode of Beyond Voting, host Emily Williams speaks with tech researcher and author, Jathan Sadowski about the growing power of Big Tech and the rise of what some call the “tech broligarchy.” They explore how social media captured o...
As Beyond Voting resumes season two, we’re entering a new chapter - fully independent and committed to continuing this work into season three and beyond.
Like so many independent media projects, the political and economic realities of this moment have reshaped how the show is funded and sustained, but our mission remains the same: to tell the truth, hold power accountable, and imagine what civic life can look like beyond t...
After Trump’s new executive orders dismantle federal DEI programs, corporations like Target follow suit, shuttering racial equity initiatives and cutting ties with Black-owned businesses. Communities respond with boycotts—but do they still work in an economy dominated by giants like Amazon and Google?
Host Emily Williams speaks with:
- Nikki Porcher, founder of Buy From a Black Woman, about redirecting dollars to stren...
Democracy in the U.S. is under siege. From ICE raids and mass deportations, to Elon Musk’s
“Department of Government Efficiency” dismantling federal protections, to attacks on education and the press—our institutions are unraveling at unprecedented speed.
In this episode, host Emily Williams sits down with award-winning journalist Karen Attiah (former Global Opinions Editor at The Washington Post) to unpack how we got he...
In Season 2, we’re taking a closer look at the state of American democracy as it shifts under President Trump’s second term. We dig into what’s changing, who’s paying attention, and how people are fighting back.
This season features conversations with incredible journalists, organizers, and community leaders, including:
- Karen Attiah (Washington Post) on how a more organized administration is testing the rules of democrac...
Do not despair, we have the power to organize, build supportive communities, and challenge harmful policies.
In our special post election edition episode on Beyond Voting. We’re joined by two special guests, Madiba Dennie and Dr. Melina Abdullah. We did a legal lightning round with Madiba Dennie, Deputy Editor of BallsandStrikes.org, to explore how we got here and understand the legal challenges and issues that had such a p...
Have you lost your voice?
On the sixth episode of Beyond Voting, we dive deep with Charlene Carruthers, community organizer, writer, filmmaker, and Black Studies PhD candidate. Charlene is the founding national director of BYP 100, a Chicago -based social justice organization led by Black youth activists. Her work spans more than 20 years of community organizing across racial, gender,and economic justice movements. She ...
Is the Supreme Court for us or against us?
On the fifth episode of Beyond Voting, we dive deep with Dr. Nicole Nguyen, associate professor of criminology, law, & justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She’s also a feminist geographer whose research contributes to, and draws on, grassroots struggles challenging racialized policing, war and empire, particularly in collaboration with community organizations.
...
Fascism: Modern threat or facade?
On the fourth episode of Beyond Voting, we dive deep with Alberto Toscano, critical theorist, professor in the School of Communications at Simon Fraser University, and also co-director of the Centre for Philosophy and Critical Theory at Goldsmiths, University of London.
We spoke with Alberto about what modern fascist movements look like, where we see real examples of anti-fascist re...
Have you ever considered a third party as an option?
On the third episode of Beyond Voting, we dive deeper with Rosa Clemente, a black Puerto Rican scholar, activist, journalist, organizer, and former vice presidential candidate alongside Cynthia McKinney on the Green Party ballot in 2008.
We spoke with Rosa after she had just interviewed third party presidential candidate with the Justice For All Party, Dr. Cornel West. So...
Do you stay in the process or do you check out?
On the second episode of Beyond Voting, we dive deep with Esam Boraey, Egyptian-American political activist and academic, into what it looks like working within the confines of electoral politics, what it can do for us, and what its limitations are – through the lens of the Uncommitted Movement.
We spoke with Esam only a few days after the Democratic National Convention wrappe...
Are you voting between a rock and a hard place?
On this first episode of Beyond Voting, we get real about voting our values with Dr. Michelle Taylor, also known as Feminista Jones- the award-winning author of Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminists Are Changing the World from the Tweets to the Streets.
We spoke with her after the 2024 Democratic National Convention and took a critical look at where we find ourselves with ...
Beyond Voting is rooted in our conviction that democracy requires more participation than just voting. It’s up to all of us to take action if we want to see real change.
Hosted by Emily Williams, Executive Director of The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College.
We’ll feature convers...
On September 24th we’ll be dropping our new podcast, Beyond Voting, right here on this feed. And since you're already here- you don’t have to do anything but stay locked in!
If you’ve enjoyed our previous podcast, Radical Futures Now, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy our new show Beyond Voting. It’s a show about raising our consciousness, inspiring new leaders, a...
Aya Chebbi discusses Pan-Africanism and Youth Organizing with us. Aya Chebbi is a diplomat, peacebuilder and activist. Aya is also a multi-award winning Pan-African feminist. Aya has transformed the youth participation space across Africa, specifically with building the Afrika Youth Movement which is one of Africa's largest youth-led movements.
Alice Bagley shares about timebanking, urban farming and community-building through and through. Unity in Our Community Timebank is an organization in Southwest Detroit focused on sharing services and building community one hour at a time. Alice Beagley is currently organizing learning circles with Michigan Alliance Timebanking and farming at Fields of Plenty.
Mazi Mutafa discusses the sacredness of the cypher, and the expansiveness of Hip Hop as a music and culture. Mazi Mutafa is the Executive Director of Words Beats & Life inc, a non-profit based in Washington, D.C. that teaches, convenes and presents Hip-Hop around the world. Mazi Mutafa began this organization as an after school program dedicated to creating transformative learning experiences in non-traditional classro...
Cat March discusses the murders in Atlanta through a historical, gender and racial lens. Cat March (they/them) is a Gender Studies and English scholar. They have a personal passion for Asian American histories, especially Japanese internment camps in the United States. They are currently the student advisor at the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College and finishing up their graduate program in hig...
Mika Hernandez discusses their feelings after the murders in Atlanta, and post-Atlanta organizing rooted in the Ohlone Land (Bay Area). Mika Hernandez (they + she) is a queer and non binary community organizer whose work is rooted in trans and queer liberation, abolition, transformative justice, and community care. They put this work into practice within their political and movement homes: Asians4BlackLives, APIENC, and th...
Dr. Baba Buntu speaks on building stronger relations within family structures and returning to ancient African. Dr. Buntu is an Activist Scholar and Founding Director of eBukhosini Solutions; a community-based company in Johannesburg, specializing in Afrikan-Centered Education. Dr. Buntu has founded a number of community interventions based on practical approaches to Black Consciousness and decolonial methods.
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