PODCAST · education
Advocacy Bites
by Save Our Schools NC
A Podcast about two accidental education advocates, what they've learned and how you can get involved in making your corner of the world a better place, whether you have one minute or one hour.
Episodes
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117 When All the Choices Are Bad Choices
Renee and Susan discuss the recent New York Times article by Nikole Hannah Jones about the choices she made for her daughter's education. What happens when a parent chooses integration and the public school system lets her child down? Hosts Susan Book and Renee Sekel take on Nikole Hannah-Jones's...
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116 Ballots and the Lies Candidates Tell
A quick overview of the ballot for this coming election and a discussion of lies and misinformation in political ads. Early voting is almost here, and hosts Susan Book and Renee Sekel walk you through everything on your North Carolina ballot this fall from school bonds and three dangerous...
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115 Policy Problems
Renee and Susan go over the new, legislatively forced policies addressing book bans and letting kids miss school for religious instruction. First up: an overhaul of Policy 3210 that expands who can challenge instructional and library materials from parents to essentially anyone in the community,...
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114 All Politics Are Local. Even AI.
Renee and Susan discuss a local political fallout and how AI plays a larger role in our lives than we're all willing to admit. Hosts Susan Book and Renee Sekel start this episode with a confession: for once, they came to the mic without a tidy outline. That's because this week's topic came out of…
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113 The Budget. Sigh.
Renee and Susan discuss the state budget that was 365 days late and countless dollars short. The title says it all. In this episode of Advocacy Bites, hosts Renée Sekel and Susan Book take a hard look at North Carolina's newly signed state budget, unpacking what made the process so controversial...
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112 Who's Side Are You On? Worker's Rights in NC
What does "right to work" actually mean and who does it really benefit? In this episode of Advocacy Bites, hosts Renée Sekel and Susan Book continue their series breaking down North Carolina's proposed constitutional amendments by tackling one of the most misunderstood issues in state politics…
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111 The Property Tax Problem
Renee and Susan talk about the Property Tax Amendment that'll be on the ballot in November. The Property Tax Problem might sound like an episode about budgets and tax bills, but it's really a conversation about the future of public education, local government, and democracy in North Carolina. In...
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110 No Big Deal It's Just the Constitution
What happens when constitutional rights exist on paper, but the government refuses to enforce them? In this episode of Advocacy Bites, hosts Renee Sekel and Susan Book take a deep dive into the growing tension between constitutional rights, separation of powers, and public education funding in...
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109 Keep Marching
Susan and Renee reminisce about the teacher march both past and present. Renee gives a little update on vouchers. Justice, public education, and the future of advocacy in North Carolina take center stage in this powerful episode of Advocacy Bites. Hosts Renee Sekel and Susan Book unpack the…
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108 Advocacy Day
Susan and Renee share their experiences from a recent advocacy day at the North Carolina General Assembly. From organizing behind the scenes to meeting with legislators face-to-face, they reflect on what it really means to be an everyday advocate—and why personal stories remain one of the most...
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106 With Prejudice: The Legacy of Leandro
Renee and Susan discuss the dismissal of the Leandro Case and where we go from here. We discuss the April 2nd court decision that saw Chief Justice Paul Newbie dismiss the 30-year-old Leandro case with prejudice. Renee pulls no punches as she breaks down the legal "reverse engineering" used to…
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105 Leading with Radical Love and Surviving the Emotional Labor of Advocacy
Renee and Susan discuss the benefits of centering love and empathy in the work with so many negative voices and forces in the world. How do we continue to show up as advocates when the world feels increasingly polarized and heavy? In this episode of Advocacy Bites, hosts Renee Sekel and Susan…
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104 Primaries!
Primary season is here, and it's one of the most critical times for everyday advocates to make their voices heard. In this episode, Renee and Susan from Save Our Schools NC pull back the curtain on how North Carolina primaries work, especially for the state's growing number of unaffiliated…
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103 Mantras and Musings
Renee & Susan reflect on the beginning of a new(ish) year, and the ideas and thoughts they want to bring into 2026. We kick off the new year not with rigid resolutions, but with honesty, compassion, and intention. As they enter their fifth year of podcasting, Renee and Susan acknowledge that...
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102 Anatomy Of A Right-Wing Legislator
Susan and Renee discuss their deep-dive into a right-wing legislator's social media and the patterns they noticed. In this candid episode of Advocacy Bites, hosts Renee Sekel and Susan Book take listeners inside what they call the anatomy of a right-wing legislator, not by naming names, but by...
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101 Justice Denied
Renee and Susan discuss the ongoing Leandro Case. In this episode of Advocacy Bites, hosts Renee Sekel and Susan Book confront a sobering question: What is the value of a constitutional right if it cannot be enforced? Sparked by national conversations with education advocates and legal experts,...
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100 Advocacy Bites Turns 100!
Renee and Susan celebrate our milestone 100th episode with a discussion of corruption and primaries. In this milestone 100th episode of Advocacy Bites, hosts Renee Sekel and Susan Book celebrate four years of conversations about what it truly means to be an everyday advocate. From grassroots wins...
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99 Winning In Big Ways And Small Ways
Renee and Susan discuss the 2025 elections from national and local perspectives. In this episode of Advocacy Bites, they break down a week filled with big wins, surprising momentum, and a whole lot of hope for everyday advocates. From sweeping Democratic victories across the country to...
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98 Special Education From National News to Local Perspectives
In this episode of Advocacy Bites, hosts Renee Sekel and Susan Book detail what Susan is seeing on the local level and how that relates to national issues in special education. We dive deep into the state of special education—from alarming local stories in Wake County to the broader national...
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97 The Problem of Nothing?
Susan discusses Medicaid cut impacts on our families and schools while Renee does a deep dive on what is going on with the University system. In this episode of Advocacy Bites, hosts Renee Sekel and Susan Book dig into what happens when the North Carolina legislature simply… does nothing. From...
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96 Free Speech and Financial Management
Susan and Renee discuss the current free speech situation in the US, and the current financial situation in Winston Salem/Forsyth County public schools. Stay connected at: https://saveourschoolsnc.org
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95 Justice Denied
Renee and Susan talk about the legislature's failure to pass a budget (again), as well as the lengthy delay in the Leandro case. Stay connected at https://saveourschoolsnc.org
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94 Back To School
Renee and Susan discuss back to school tips and tricks Stay connected at: https://saveourschoolsnc.org
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93 Advocacy Glossary
Renee and Susan review some of the terms used in advocacy and election volunteering. Stay connected at: https://saveourschoolsnc.org
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92 Deep Thoughts by Susan and Renee
Renee and Susan muse over some of the big ideas and feelings that have been floating in their heads recently. There may also be some light emotional breakdowns. Notes: Outclassed: How the Left Lost the Working Class and How to Win Them Back Author: Joan C. Williams
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91 Lies Extremists Tell
Renee and Susan discuss the various lies and misdirections that extremists use to obscure their actions and goals. Stay connected at: http://saveourschoolsnc.org and https://www.facebook.com/people/Advocacy-Bites/100085908254061/
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90 Budgets and Bans
Susan gives us an update on the legislature budget shenanigans, and Renee and Susan discuss Wake County's new cell phone policy.
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89 A Full-Circle Moment: Legislative Update
Renee and Susan discuss what bills made (and didn't make) crossover, and how this represents a full-circle moment in their advocacy journeys. Notes: https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/h636
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88 Ableism 101 and RFK Jr.
Show Notes: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/fact-checking-robert-f-kennedy-jr-s-statements-on-autism https://autisticadvocacy.org/2025/04/leading-autism-organizations-release-joint-statement-on-upholding-scientific-integrity-and-supporting-the-autism-community/...
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87 Maybe It's Poor Service, Maybe It's Deliberate Policy Choices
Renee and Susan talk about why everything in the NC government seems both expensive and poorly run. (Hint: it's the legislature. It's always the legislature).
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86 What Is SEL, Anyway?
Susan and Renee welcome a special guest to give us the scoop on SEL: what it means, what it looks like in schools, and why it makes extremists mad.
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85 You've Gotta Fight For Your Right to Party
Susan and Renee talk about party politics (again) and the kind of fight they're looking for in party leaders.
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84 Disability Rights and Trans Kids Under Attack
Susan talks about the latest threats to 504 and Renee highlights our Trans kids as well as our school boards actions.
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83 Eggs and Issues and the Overwhelm of Bad Bills
Susan gives a breakdown of the Public School's Forum annual Eggs and Issues Event. Renee gives tips to help us all deal with the overwhelm of bad bills hitting us all at the same time. Show Notes: https://www.ncforum.org/
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82 Getting Motivated and Helping Others to Stay in the Fight
Renee and Susan discuss what you can do to stay motivated when it comes to advocacy.
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81 Showing Up in 2025
Susan and Renee go over what's on the line in 2025.
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80 A Holiday Break
Renee and Susan celebrate the holidays with an episode about what's been making them think and bringing them joy recently. Books: Author Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice; and The Future is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes, and Mourning Songs Author Colson...
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79 Back To Basics
Susan and Renee review over some ideas for getting started as an Every Day Advocate.
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78 The Landslide Will Bring You Down
Renee and Susan process the 2024 election.
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77 School Board Meeting Shenanigans
Renee talks about how a right-wing candidate engineered a controversy at the school board to make herself a free campaign ad.
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76 Pre-Election Grab Bag
Renee and Susan discuss a variety of news/issues that have popped up, including the North Carolina legislature's determination to expand vouchers, the recovery from Hurricane Helene, the bad proposed Constitutional amendment on our ballot, and new (and, it turns out) highly orchestrated attacks…
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75 The Safety Dance
Susan and Renee discuss what it means when candidates talk about "school safety."
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74 We're Judging, and So Should You!
Renee and Susan talk about the important of judicial races this year.
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73 Project Discrimination
Susan and Renee discuss the Republican plan for federal education policy.
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72 Religious Instruction in Schools
Susan and Renee look at Oklahoma and Louisiana and discuss the trend of religious instruction in public education as well as the changes in Title IX. https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/we-fact-checked-what-oklahoma-law-says-about-teaching-the-bible-in-schools/...
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71 Will They Or Won't They? Waiting On A 2024 Budget
Renee and Susan discuss two of the most pressing budget items waiting on approval. While there was a little put forth for child care after the recording, the lack of a long term plan remains....
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70 The Eggs Are Not the Issue
Susan and Renee talk about non-profits and the press handling of extremists.
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69 That's So 2021
Renee and Susan revisit the ongoing efforts to ban books in school and local libraries.
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68 Representation Matters
Susan and Renee discuss how meaningful and important it is when all different kinds of people are involved in advocacy and leadership.
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67 The Futurama's Last Stand?
Renee and Susan discuss the final report of this year's Futurama Committee (spoiler alert: there's a lot of "we should think about" and almost no "we should do" in the report). Show notes: Committee report: 86920 (ncleg.gov)
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Advocacy Bites have?
Advocacy Bites currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Advocacy Bites about?
A Podcast about two accidental education advocates, what they've learned and how you can get involved in making your corner of the world a better place, whether you have one minute or one hour.
How often does Advocacy Bites release new episodes?
Advocacy Bites has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Advocacy Bites?
You can listen to Advocacy Bites on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Advocacy Bites?
Advocacy Bites is created and hosted by Save Our Schools NC.
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