All Episodes

We wanted to have not just a building but a beautiful space where our neighbors could come and be seen, valued and heard

The reality is that 40% of our homeless youth here in DC identify as members of our queer and trans family

They are chasing the tail of the dragon to make it harder to vote

I am an accidental Asian American activist

The National Alliance to End Homelessness is Non-Partisan But it is Not Neutral

It is a beautiful story of how the people, in the end, are going to find the cure to their own disease

This would be the largest housing supply bill in a generation

Shifting mindsets and winning small victories on the way to the generational project that is narrative change

Building relationships makes it possible to know what business owners are experiencing

Our communities don't need saving, they need investment, trust, and the rights tools to shape their own futures

The Face of DC's Justice System is Black

He made a pledge of more than $2B dollars to Black businesses and the Black community

We can no longer say that the federal government won't use that against you

A family that earned up to $69,000 in 2025 may be eligible for up to $8,000 in a tax credit

When I was sentenced to life and arrived at prison I couldn't help but go within

The deportation machine that has been unleashed in our communities would not be possible without tech companies like Palantir

They want to round up people with disabilities and put them in institutions

We pride ourselves in bringing technical solutions to human problems

This is inhumane and it doesn't make us safer

Let's Get Powerful

Own your power and show up

Personnel is power

Shane was my mission

I was stuck in my cell for 20 hours a day

I've been hired, I've been fired, I've been the person with too many opinions

I was uninsured for parts of my childhood

Once you have power you go from critiquing the budget to making the budget

You either have endometriosis or you love someone who does

We are letting people know that they need to make a plan to vote

I've always believed that investing in women is the best bet ever

We bring people in one conversation at a time

We have always been financial planners for our clients. Now we have to be security officers, finding the safest path to our offices

We are unapologetic about being here to support and advocate for Black and Brown communities and that is not going to stop

We are one of the few organizations that will represent you if you walk into court today

It is our duty to make sure that our people are safe

It's not just if we win, it is how we win that builds power

Our power as citizens in this moment is to care

This is for everyone and everyone should be able to contribute

All roads lead back to voting

Our job is to organize the veteran flank of a much broader progressive movement

We are contributors, we are not takers

Organizing is the Swiss army knife of changemaking

We all have mental health issues

We are straddling the social justice and banking worlds

This moment is not just about policies, it is about people

When I meet with legislators I say that farmworkers not only feed you, they feed your constituents.

I stand on the shoulders of grandparents who fled an authoritarian regime in the South

Hay Que Siempre Tomar En Cuenta Nuestros Prójimos

We have an administration that is doing its best to undermine the integrity and functionality of our voting system

We want to make sure that people feel seen, they feel heard and they feel protected

Making that next right decision is what courage is

At the end of the day Congress needs to keep its hands off DC

LinkedIn has identified that in the next 5 years 50% of all job skills will change

I define Black Power as the ability to live a long and full life

I essentially found what I consider the secret sauce of right wing media and messaging and why it is so effective

We see the lives of LGBTQ individuals and youth at risk

We often say that artificial intelligence and technology represent the new civil rights and human rights frontier

The arts reminds us of our soul and our shared humanity

We are not your enemy

This need to say it doesn't have to be this way was very deep in me

Capacity + Capital = Power

One of the stories I heard was I just really want to take my child to a theme park

They are coming for people experiencing homelessness but we are not backing down

Young people are internalizing the messages they hear about themselves

Something that disabled people in the South have is power, it just isn't recognized

We do not want nonprofits losing their 501c3 status because of any unfounded implications

We are getting very close to a litmus test on what makes you an American

The perception of risk in CDFIs and Community Development Banks has always been far greater than the reality

There is a part of Washington DC that the nation doesn't know exists

In the Jewish community, 15-25% are Jews of color and we are not seeing that racial diversity reflected in our congregations

We are in the business, at Power Station, of amplifying the true changemakers

I write the show number on my hand

We are literally led by the people we have the privilege of serving

An America without poverty is possible

We need films and books that talk about us, that dispel myths about our culture and history and how we exist in the world

The music industry is dependent on underpaid workers

We are pulling back the curtain to see how the cooperative functions

Comic books, particularly the superheroes, in their DNA have always been about fighting for democracy and combatting bigotry

There is a lot to unpack with cooperative ownership, it is like a marriage

We know that in the world there is an abundance of capital

As Sikhs, we want to have a country where everybody can be who they are without fear or restriction

Every week I learn something that moves me, changes me and informs me about how to act in support of democracy

The people I have the privilege to work with people who are the American Dream.

I think there is a correlation between hopefulness and homelessness

Our work is not just about serving or organizing philanthropy but really about mobilizing philanthropy

This is an American nonprofit tragedy and it happens everyday

I have met women who have liquidated their retirement funds to support their nonprofits

It's not just about pushing from the outside, it's about being partners on the inside

We are building a thriving eco-system of support for small business owners and entrepreneurs

We tell people to pick themselves up by their bootstraps when we haven't even given them boots

We are touching the lives of everyone in the food ecosystem

Every 30 seconds a Latino in the United States is turning 18

They are holding up the Constitution with one hand and crushing it with the other

It is not about calling people out, we like to say we are calling people in

It is so important to remember that data are people

There should be no institutions that put Black bodies in bondage

If homelessness was a punishment for bad choices we would all be homeless

I often think that we are not really doing workforce development, we are doing human development

I come from a long line of farmworkers. My grandparents and then my mom worked in the strawberry fields

How are we using our dollars to create the changes we want to see in the world?

If you are not spreading the disease of gun violence, you are prevention

There really isn't a way to have the right impact if people are not in a position to advocate for themselves

The problem is not the protesters, it is what they are protesting

We have a national shortage of 7.3 million homes that are affordable and available to lowest income renters

Young people have been breaking their own voting records with every election

Every 30 seconds a Latino in the United States is turning 18

They who hold the power shape the narrative

What makes these grandfamilies unique is that unlike parent-headed homes, these caretakers step in with no automatic legal rights and responsibilities for the children

I discovered in the U.S. something that I had learned in El Salvador, the power of community

We have to be intentional about strategies that move people from crisis to stability, from stability to mobility and optimally to have the opportunity to thrive

We are the break glass in case of emergency button for the AANHPI community

We are the break glass in case of emergency button for the AAPI community

One mom said she no longer has to choose which of her children gets new shoes.

If policy achievements made over the last 4 years are rescinded, everyone's health, wallets, and even our democracy is at risk.

For me, making sure that the Latina perspective is in the middle of all these conversations is critical

What is hard for for-profits is even harder for nonprofits because they are solving for problems that the market will not solve

The Community Land Trust model comes out of the Civil Rights movement

Anyone who wants to be a part of electing progressive leaders to office is welcome to the table

The input into our kids is not equal so the outcome is not going to be equal

The hardest part of my job is trying to convince people that hunger is a real issue

There is nothing wrong with Black people that ending racism cannot solve

There are lawyers who cannot wait to get that piece of paper that you don't understand

There are times I feel like a stranger in my own hometown

We are an unapologetically Black-led CDFI

The beauty and opportunity in drawing on our faith traditions is to give one another courage

We are making advocates from multiple sectors into housing advocates as well

I thought I had a really strong work ethic and then I jumped over to the nonprofit sector

Hunger is a symptom and it has root causes

Mindfulness is the ability to pay attention to the current moment with curiosity and kindness

We see affordable housing as a distribution platform for digital adoption and technology solutions

How being illegally evicted made me an organizer and advocate

It's about supporting families whose lives have changed forever

What we are hearing is the loudest people, not the majority of people

Small nonprofits are on a survival treadmill

It is our civic duty, our humanistic duty, our Muslim duty to vote

Just one major grocery store serves the 85,000 residents of Washington DC's Wards 7 and 8

Violence is not love

Elections have consequences

What the research tells us is that homelessness is primarily an affordable housing problem

You would gladly give your neighbor a cup of sugar but it's easy to other someone you call a client

What am I doing to enfranchise people or how am I participating in their disenfranchisement?

In the first year of my incarceration I received some devastating news

Beethoven was raging against the machine

I've been kicked out of congressional offices for calling out racism and white supremacy

The case against affirmative action before the Supreme Court drew upon the model minority myth, a persistent trope about Asian Americans

When the tables are turned and the host is interviewed

Young people are an amazing opportunity for our country

Healthcare is only political when you talk to politicians

If we activate and radicalize and the American electorate votes for their health we will have a healthier democracy.

For a lot of restaurant workers the pandemic is not over

In the year of Our Lord 2023, Jackson, Mississippi still has a water crisis

A lot of climate anxiety stems from a belief that one person cannot create change

Anti-Asian hate is a workplace safety issue

Come with us on this journey to becoming an anti-racist city

The ultimate purpose is to build local power where you are

80% of our nation supports trans kids having a fair shot at life

Texas is always Texas-ing

My mother worked behind the same sewing machine for 33 years

The narrative is that Black people are not able to self-determine and self-govern

The right to vote is at the heart of what it means to be an American

I flipped the organizational chart so the CEO and executive team are at the bottom supporting frontline staff

This is what we have learned from the African immigrant community, the beauty of collectivism

You are making a higher impact than you perceive

Abusers use finances to keep their victims with them

I know that my story has power

There is a lot of joy in what we are trying to build

We are all very committed to the work and we are committed to each other

We have all the same obligations of other Americans but not the same rights

The media can help us expose these issues, report on them and build a bottom-up solution

No one has ever given them the chance to think big

If you don't see our faces when working on issues that affect us, that's an issue

You can't talk about eliminating oppression while being oppressive

The decision makers are not often from the communities they serve

Statistically, I shouldn't even be on this podcast right now

Here in the heart of the confederacy some forward-looking folks worked to put teeth in a law intended to stop discrimination

Storytelling is in my soul

You can keep your thoughts and prayers, what I want is for you to be accountable

I see Kanye as the late stage black skinhead, people who have completely lost a sense of community, obligation and a sense of linked fate

It is incumbent upon us to be open and repudiate shame and stigma

The Biden White House created this opportunity, $650m in cash relief for formerly excluded farmworkers, meatpackers and grocery workers.

Can I not have to repeat my medical history every time I see a doctor?

Whistleblowers are incredibly powerful

Democracy is an active sport that we all need to be engaged in

There are hungry people in every neighborhood and your lunch ladies know where to find them

The essential workers we clapped for every night at the start of the pandemic are the same workers who are paid less than the minimum wage

The greatest stigma that homeless veterans experience is the notion that they are not like us

We need to equalize investment in organizing and longer-term power building

Marginalized communities have turned to cooperative models of ownership since before the Civil War

We are the Avengers of organizing

We need people to see others as part of their own families and communities

Even the corpus of information that we call facts are being renegotiated on digital spaces

You cannot negotiate your way out of discrimination, sexism and racism

If we over-rely on punishment and state violence we actually breed more crime in our communities

I am so proud to able to create this safe space for our Two Spirit kids

When you get tired you have to rest, not quit

Jeff Bezos wants to get to space and Elon Musk wants to build a colony on Mars; they do not care about this world

There is a pattern and practice of scapegoating Asian Americans when America feels threatened

NOW places marginalized women at the center of our policy solutions and advocacy

Rising to the yell is not the answer

I never imagined myself going to college; I am an immigrant and I am undocumented

The teachers are often overlooked and deserve so much credit for what they do

They are holding up the constitution with one hand and crushing it with the other

We are trying to mirror the collectivist action of African communities

We cannot food bank our way out of hunger

It goes back to 1938 when the National Labor Relations Act and Fair Labor Standards Act were passed providing benefits to all industries except agriculture.

Making the invisible visible

We are sitting at the multi-issue intersection of economic equity and climate equity.

My charge as executive director of Tiwahe Foundation is to share how to indigenize philanthropy

We are creating a permanent underclass that is slavery adjacent

Facebook's rules are fantastic but their enforcement is that of a negligent parent

We fight for better data as a way to make our democracy more representative

It is not just about the wires; the human side of connectivity is just as important

We are the miner's canary of equity

We cannot solve homelessness with homeless programs

Our youth will not be diminished or dismissed for who they are and what they know

We are part of a growing movement towards a community backbone agency led society

I revere my ancestors and I work to bring honor to them

School librarians tell me that they feel terrorized and under attack

On the heels of this pandemic we should never take breath for granted again

#204 We are pushing back against a growing white nationalist movement

#203 Elizabeth Lindsey, Urban Alliance

Young people are not afraid to say, I'm not okay right now

#201 Andrés Jimenez

#200 Diane Yentel

#199 Torey Carter-Conneen

#198 Bridgette Stumpf

#197 Nahida Uddin

#196 Sequane Lawrence

#195 Kimberly Perry

#194 Susan Francis, Maryland Volunteer Legal Services

#193 Dr. Dominique Harrison, The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

#192 Joseph Leitmann-Santa Cruz

#191 Laura Herrin and Alex Tremble, American Conservation Experience

#190 Nicole Gill, Accountable Tech

#189 Thomas Saenz, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund

#188 Arekia Bennett, Mississippi Votes

#187 Ashley Kenneth, The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis

#186 Ellen Buchman, The Opportunity Agenda

#185 Linda Nguyen, Movement Talent

#184 Jonathan Mehta Stein, Common Cause California

#183 Leigh Chapman, Deliver My Vote

#182 Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services

#181 Dr. Marla Dean, Bright Beginnings

#180 Arturo Vargas, NALEO

#179 Rinku Sen, Narrative Initiative

#178 Raul Raymundo, The Resurrection Project

#177 Dr. Akilah Watkins, Center for Community Progress

#176 Christine Soyong Harley, Sex Ed for Change

#175 Kiki Louya, Restaurant Workers Community Foundation

#174 Dr. Bambi Hayes-Brown, Georgia ACT

#173 Daniel Gillison, National Alliance on Mental Illness

#172 Marleine Bastien, Family Action Network Movement

#171 Antonio Tovar

#170 Mark Newberg and John Holdsclaw

#169 Larry Curley, Native Indian Council on Aging

#168 Maria Rodriguez, Florida Immigrant Coalition

#167 Erica Williams, DC Fiscal Policy Institute

#166 Fran Hutchins, Equality Federation

#165 Rasmia Kirmani

#164 Jasmin Benas and Cristian Campos, Yes! for Equity

#163 Tram Nguyen, New Virginia Majority

#162 Fenika Miller, Black Voters Matter

#161 Abel Nuñez, Central American Resource Center

#160 Nicole Hobbs, EveryDistrict

#159 Carlos Mark Vera

#158 Vimala Phongsavanh, Laotian American National Alliance

#157 Mark Magaña, GreenLatinos

#156 Lupi Quinteros-Grady, Latin American Youth Center

#155 Maya Martin Cadogan, DC PAVE

#154 Ted Piccolo, Northwest Native Development Fund

#153 Indira Henard, DC Rape Crisis Center

#152 Marco Davis

#151 Melissa Jones, Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative

#150 Joseph Leitmann-Santa Cruz, Capital Area Asset Builders

#149 Marla Bilonick, LEDC

#148 John Holdsclaw, National Cooperative Bank

#147 Anne Pasmanick and Rob Ford

#146 Ashley Harrington, Center for Responsible Lending

#145 Francella Ochillo, Next Century Cities

#144 Karma Cottman, UJIMA

#143 Paul Chaat Smith, NMAI

#142 Deyanira Zavala, Mile High Connects

#143 Pedro Lira, Jolt Texas

#140 Doran Schrantz, ISAIAH

#139 Branden Snyder,

#138 Alejandra Castillo

#137 Anat Shenker-Osorio

#136 Angela Manso, National Resources Defense Council

#135 Desmond Meade, The Florida Rights Restoration Project

#134 Dara Baldwin, The Center for Disability Rights

#133 John Park, The MinKwon Center for Community Action

#132 Nathaniel Smith, Partnership for Southern Equity

#131 Andreanecia Morris, Housing NOLA

#130 Cleofas Rodriguez, National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association

#129 Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter

#128 Radha Muthiah, Capital Area Food Bank

#127 Eddy Morales

#126 Jennifer Wang, National Asian Pacific Women's Forum

#125 Solana Rice, Liberation in a Generation

#124 Rudy Espinoza, Inclusive Action

#123 Mark Winston Griffith, the Brooklyn Movement Center

#122 Steven Choi, New York Immigration Coalition

#121 Meghan Maury, The National LGBTQ Task Force

#120 Lauren Grimes, The Community Enrichment Project

#119 Paulina Gonzalez-Brito, California Reinvestment Coalition

#118 Tony Walters, National American Indian Housing Council

#117 Sarah Saadian, NLIHC

#116 with Frederick Isasi, Families USA

#115 Jonathan Mehta Stein, Common Cause California

#114 John Holdsclaw, National Cooperative Bank

#113 Lizette Escobedo, NALEO

Power Station with Ana Ndumu

#111 Indivar Dutta-Gupta

#110 Rebecca Sive

#109 John Yang, AAJC

#108 Celinda Lake

#107 Carla Decker, DC Credit Union

Power Station with Dr. Brian Smedley

#105 George Jones, Bread for the City

#104 Sarah Saadian, NLIHC

#103 Scott Simpson, Muslim Advocates

#102 Brian Bond, PFLAG

#101 Erin Hustings, NALEO

#100 Ron Hantz, NDCC

#99 Alma Couverthie, League of Women Voters

#98 Anjan Chaudhry, National CAPACD

#97 Francella Ochillo, Next Century Cities

#96 Marco Davis, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute

Power Station: A conversation with Anne Pasmanick & Rob Ford

#94 Orson Aguilar, UnidosUS

#93 Jon Pratt, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

#92 Diane Yentel, NLIHC

#91 E. Sean Lanier

#90 Eddy Morales, East County Rising

#89 Nicole Hockley, Sandy Hook Promise

#88 Tia Blount

#87 Marla Bilonick, LEDC

Power Station with Dr. Jacob Carter

#85 Patrick Gaspard, Open Society Foundations

#84 Dr. Bahby Banks

#83 Ilda Martinez and Cleo Rodriguez

#82 Cleofas Rodriguez Jr.

#81 Schroeder Stribling, N Street Village

#81 Samer Khalaf, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee

#79 Elizabeth Lindsey, Byte Back

#78 Ali Noorani

#77 Solomon Greene, The Urban Institute

#76 Sookyung Oh, National Korean American Service and Education Consortium

#75 Eshauna Smith, Urban Alliance

#74 Ashley Harrington, Center for Responsible Lending

#73 Tameka Montgomery

#72 Karma Cottman, DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence

#71 Lisa Rice, National Fair Housing Alliance

#70 Yasmeen Pauling, Sunrise Movement

#69 Jeremie Greer, Liberation in a Generation

#68 David Lipsetz, Housing Assistance Council

# 67 Paty Funegra, La Cocina VA

#66 Brian Smedley, National Collaborative for healthy Equity

#65 Kim Ford, Martha's Table

#64 David Johns, National Black Justice Coalition

#63 Michelle Moore, Groundswell

#62 Chris Lu, The Miller Center

#61 Jackson Brossy, Native CDFI Network

#60 Nate Mook, World Central Kitchen

#59 Sophia Miyoshi and Candace Cunningham, Restaurant Opportunities Center

#58 Sanaa Abrar, United We Dream

#57 Amanda Bergson-Shilcock, National Skills Coalition

#56 Nikitra Bailey, Center for Responsible Lending

#55 Monica Gonzales, No Kid Hungry

#54 Ariel Levinson-Waldman, Tzedek DC

#53 Amy Petkovsek and Dimitri Degbeu, Maryland Legal Aid Bureau

#52 Joseph Leitmann-Santa Cruz, Capital Area Asset Builders

#51 Gabrielle Jackson, UndocuBlack Network

#50 Dr. Imani Woody

#49 Alison Feighan, The Feighan Team

#48 John Yang, Asia Americans Advancing Justice

#47 Mike Koprowski and Chantelle Wilkinson, Opportunity Starts at Home

#46 Daniel del Pielago,

#45 Diane Yentel, National Low Income Housing Coalition

#44 Cecilia Munoz, New America

#43 Quyen Dinh, Southeast Asia Resource Center

#42 Robert Friedman

#41 Josh Hoyt, National Partnership for New Americans

#40 Tanya Fiddler, Native CDFI Network

#39 Diane Standaert, Center for Responsible Lending

#38 Ed Lazere, DC Fiscal Policy Institute

#37 John Holdsclaw, National Cooperative Bank

#36 Kathy Tran, Delegate, 42nd District, Commonwealth of Virginia

#35 Ashley Allison, The Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights

#34 John Yang, Asian Americans Advancing Justice

#33 Joseph Leitmann-Santa Cruz, Capital Area Asset Builders

#32 Power Station with Becky Belcore and Jung Woo Kim

#31 Terry Ao Minnis, Advancing Asian American Justice & Angela Manso, NALEO Educational Fund

#30 Fabrice Coles, Congressional Black Caucus

#29 Carmen Huertas-Noble, City University of New York School of Law

#28 Ron Hantz, Network for Developing Conscious Communities

#27 Janis Bowdler, JPMorgan Chase Foundation

#26 Glenn Cantave, Movers and Shakers, NYC

#25 Jeremie Greer, Prosperity Now

#24 Haley Griffin, The Raben Group

#23 Marion McFadden and Sarah Mickelson, Enterprise Community Partners and NLIHC

#22 Renata Soto, Conexion Americas

#21 Rob Randhava, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

#20 Maria Mottola, New York Foundation

#19 Amy Petkovsek, Meaghan McDermott, Maryland Legal Aid Bureau

#18 Alejandra Castillo, YWCA

#17 Monica Kamen, Fair Budget Coalition

#16 Isabel Rubio, Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama

#15 Evelyn Brito, My Bodega Makeover

#14 Mike Koprowski, NLIHC, & Eric Rodriguez, UnidosUS

#13 Amelia Lobo

#12 Kristin Siglin, Housing Partnership Network

#11 Sarah Mickelson, National Low Income Housing Coalition

#10 Luis Granados, MEDA

#9 Seema Agnani, National CAPACD

#8, Frank Woodruff, National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations

#7, Paty Funegra, La Cocina VA

#6 - Isaac Bowers, Equal Justice Works

#5- Power Station with Gustavo Torres, CASA For ALL

#4 - Joseph Leitmann-Santa Cruz, Capital Area Asset Builders

#3 - Dedrick Assante-Muhammad

#2 - Marla Bilonick, Latino Economic Development Center

#1 - Ron Hantz, Network for Developing Conscious Communities