WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT?

adrienne maree brown, a best-selling author and activist, joins the conversation for a lively chat after a successful book tour. They explore themes of vulnerability and love in social justice movements, the tension between hope and uncertainty in the climate crisis, and the importance of mixed-race narratives. Expect laughter as they discuss Beyoncé vs. Rihanna vibes and brainstorm future projects. The duo emphasizes resilience through community support while advocating for a united approach to tackle pressing social and environmental issues.

Hi everyone. We recorded this episode before Election Day, when we had no idea what new version of the world this would reach you in. Wherever and however this finds you, I hope you’ll enjoy this sweet and lighthearted conversation with Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, the Georgia-native, social scientist, bestselling writer, strategist, teacher, and dear friend with whom I co-edited the All We Can Save anthology — which is kind of like the older sister to my new book What If We Get It Right? Katharine and I also co-founded The All We Can Save Project, which she now so elegantly and impactfully leads to “nurture deep, sustained, and courageous climate engagement.”We’re also sharing this episode of the What If We Get It Right? podcast on a show A Matter of Degrees, which Katharine co-hosts with another climate expert, Dr. Leah Stokes. If you haven’t listened yet, you totally should.Since this conversation was in Katharine’s hometown, I let her interview me, and she asked such great questions, as she does. The focus was on how my new book came to be, the questions it offers, and some of the answers that inspire me. A little behind the scenes scoop for ya. CREDITS: Thanks so much to Katharine, The All We Can Save Project, and the Carter Center. This episode was produced and edited by Nora Saks, and me, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, with production help in Atlanta from Frequency Media, and support from Jenisha Shrestha, my chief of staff and tour producer. And thank you for listening! Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

Election Day is TOMORROW, y’all. 🫠 So I thought the best conversation to share with you right now would be one about some of the really important progress the Biden-Harris administration has made on ocean and climate policy. This progress is very much at risk if Trump and his fossil-fuel funded, climate-denying cronies end up back in the White House. This conversation took place in Washington, DC with two White House staffers, climate policy experts and dear friends of mine: Maggie Thomas, special assistant to President Biden for climate in the Office of Domestic Climate Policy, and Dr. Miriam Goldstein, director of ocean policy in the Council of Environmental Quality.One of the things I think doesn’t get talked about enough is who the next president will appoint to key positions like this. Personnel is policy, as the saying goes. It’s been such a thrill to cheer on Maggie and Miriam and watch from the outside, and to now share with you a bit of what’s been happening on the inside — from the Blue New Deal (aka how can we make sure that the ocean is included in federal climate policy) to the American Climate Corps to key lessons they’ve learned in the White House. It’s a wonky one. You’re welcome!Links to the Blue New Deal and Ocean Justice Strategy are in Urban Ocean Lab’s resource hub. And you can find all the work of the White House Climate Policy Office and Council of Environmental Quality at whitehouse.gov/cpo and whitehouse.gov/ceq.CREDITS: Thank you Maggie and Miriam. Thank you Politics and Prose bookstore for hosting us and Ellen Rolfes for recording the audio. Thank you people of DC for appreciating our nerdiest jokes — only there will Federal Register quips get a laugh! This episode was produced and edited by Nora Saks and me. Thanks also to Jenisha Shrestha, my chief of staff and tour producer.Thank you so much for listening! As a parting gift, to help get you through election week, my Anti-Apocalypse Mixtape. 🎶 Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

Colette Pichon Battle, an attorney and co-founder of Taproot Earth, teams up with Jade Begay, a Diné and Tesuque Pueblo climate policy expert, to discuss the essence of home amidst climate challenges. They explore the intersection of culture, democracy, and community resilience, sharing insights on grassroots organizing. The conversation critiques traditional environmental activism and emphasizes the need for inclusive approaches that prioritize Indigenous knowledge. They also highlight the power of communal rituals in fostering healing and adaptation in the face of environmental and social injustices.

Recorded at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, for the Climate One radio show and podcast, this episode features journalist and environmental legend Bill McKibben, founder of Third Act, and tenacious environmental attorney, Abigail Dillen, president of Earthjustice. Both are interviewed in What If We Get It Right?, but we covered new ground here, together: fossils for fossil fuels, changes in the Supreme Court, the Environmental Justice For All Act, some lessons instilled by my parents, love politics, and so much more.CREDITS: This episode was produced and edited by Nora Saks, and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Big thanks to Climate One and the Commonwealth Club, and, as always, thanks to my chief of staff and tour producer, Jenisha Shrestha. Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

I’ve always been impressed with Stacey Abrams from afar, so when I got an invitation to be directly in conversation with her, I was thrilled. In addition to her political leadership, Abrams is also a small business owner, a New York Times best-selling author, and —something far fewer people know — a champion for clean energy and climate justice.In 2023, Abrams joined the team at Rewiring America as senior counsel. That’s a great nonprofit dedicated to electrifying our homes, businesses, and communities. If you want to ditch fossil fuels and upgrade to electric (and save money doing it!) their website has all the top tips.I knew the conversation (during Climate Week NYC) would be interesting, but I had not anticipated that it would also be utterly delightful. Enjoy!CREDITS: This episode was produced and edited by Nora Saks, and me, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. And, as always, thanks to my chief of staff and tour producer, Jenisha Shrestha. Big thanks to Stacey Abrams and her team, and to the event’s sponsors: Grist, Rewiring America, Mother Jones, and the Tishman Environment and Design Center at the New School.  Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

The environmental movement has a voter turnout problem: 8 million environmental voters did not vote in the 2020 election. Eight MILLION! In a presidential election decided by thousands of votes. This 2024 election is similarly, stressfully close.On September 20th, at Bowdoin College (where I teach), I sat down with Whit Jones, founder and executive director of Lead Locally, and Nathaniel Stinnett, founder and executive director of Environmental Voter Project for a conversation on climate and voting. We got into it, got nerdy and specific, about: fixing this MASSIVE voter turnout problem, how climate voters can influence policy, election wins we should celebrate, and why local elections matter very, very much.It would be reckless to be on a book tour in September/October 2024 and not use every event to encourage people to #VoteClimate. So I’m taking Environmental Voter Project and Lead Locally on tour with me, at each stop registering volunteers to help with their worthy efforts. 30 days to go… join us!: getitright.earth/voteclimateThis episode was produced and edited by Nora Saks and me, Ayana, with support from Jenisha Shrestha. Special thanks to Bowdoin college for hosting and producing the event. Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT?: the podcast! Here, we'll continue exploring answers to the big (huge!) question “What if we get it right?”, beyond what’s in the (New York Times bestselling!!! 😮) book. Our vibe is to take climate seriously, but don't take yourself seriously. Irreverent, nerdy, soulful, goofy.I’m on a 7-week book tour 🫠 across the USA, and I’m taking you with me: 20 cities, 40 events, each one different. I’ll be in conversation with all sorts of fantastic folks, talking climate and policy and politics and culture. I’ll be sharing the best bits of that here. And perhaps I'll get to meet some of you in person along the tour. Details are here: getitright.earth/tour.This first episode features excerpts from the book launch Climate Variety Show, which I co-hosted with Jason Sudeikis at the Brooklyn Museum on September 17th. It featured: Roy Wood Jr., Wyatt Cenac, Dr. Kate Marvel, Perrin Ireland, Oshima Brothers, Nicole Cardoza, Hila the Earth, Jacqueline Woodson, Amber Tamblyn, Mamoudou N'Diaye, and nine of the people I interviewed in the book.It was such a hoot – enjoy! Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe