The Democracy Group

Evan Burfield joins The Great Battlefield podcast to talk about his career as an entrepreneur, investor and author. And his work co-founding Helm, where with co-founder Emma Bloomberg, he has 90 people working to provide pro-democracy organizers and education and other advocates and activists with data, tools and software.Additional InformationThe Great Battlefield PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Entering the United States without permission is a crime. But should it be? This time on the show, we hear from a couple of lawyers who have been fighting to decriminalize unauthorized immigration. They say federal law unfairly targets Latin Americans — locking up hundreds of thousands of migrants who cross America’s southern border, costing billions of dollars each year. Plus, Will speaks with a University of Virginia historian who has helped make the case that those laws have patently racist origins.Additional InformationDemocracy in Danger PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Marie Yovanovitch is the former Ambassador to Ukraine and best-selling author of her memoir, Lessons from the Edge. In a live event for Big Tent USA, we discuss the powers of diplomacy, the corrosive effects of corruption, and the war in Ukraine.Her memoir details her illustrious career, her courage and integrity, and her patriotic dedication and service to the United States. She exemplifies how career diplomats – public servants – serve their country, Republican or Democratic administrations alike. US democracy is closely tied to its diplomacy. When the country is strong, our democracy is strong.Find  Lessons from the Edge: A Memoir: https://bookshop.org/books/lessons-from-the-edge-a-memoir/9780358457541?aid=11259&listref=books-we-re-reading-in-2022-e85c5f86-2225-484e-a539-fc4836a82e53Additional InformationFuture Hindsight PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Women are underrepresented in American political institutions, despite the positive track record of women in office and the willingness of voters to support women candidates. Gender differences in political ambition originate in childhood and are difficult to counteract. Mirya Holman finds that girls tend to think of politicians as men and politics as a man’s world—and those perceptions build over time to reduce intended political involvement. In this conversational addition, Holman also talks about her experience as a leader in the field of gender and politics research and the efforts to achieve gender parity in research and practice.Guest: Mirya Holman, Tulane UniversityStudy: “This One’s For the Boys: How Gendered Political Socialization Limits Girls’ Political Ambition and Interest.”Additional InformationScience of Politics PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

100 Coffees.  Coffee and people are two of the joys of Alex Workman’s life. He has a long-standing goal of trying to have coffee with someone he’s never met (or doesn’t know very well) once a week. In 2021, Alex embarked on a challenge to meet 100 people for coffee – he reached his goal by May and kept right on going. 163 coffees later he tells us what he learned. We think it will change your life.Countless dinner guests.  Alex and Chelsea Workman are a husband-and-wife creative team in Tallahassee, FL who help individuals, businesses and organizations tell their story. By chance, they ended up with many political clients – on both sides of the aisle. Ignoring advice that they’d have to pick a side, they show us how we can chart our own path and make our community a better place along the way. Oh, and their signature move is to invite clients over for dinner.Intentional living.  You can’t spend time with Alex and Chelsea without noticing that family is everything. Their marriage is strong; their kids are in tow; they revel in the journey. And just like they’re all-in with each other, they’re all-in with their community. They believe that instead of just complaining about how things are, we should work to make things better. And they do exactly that – check out their impressive list of community projects on their website.Aren’t they smart?!  Alex & Chelsea’s way of life demonstrates how to put some of The Village Square’s best advice into action: spend time with people of various backgrounds and viewpoints; lead with relationships instead of issues; and connect in inviting social settings. (We must be soul mates because they didn’t even realize they were taking our advice.)The Workmans challenge each of us to “make our community a place where people are KNOWN instead of just being KNOWN OF!”Additional InformationThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

What role can and should investors play in strengthening democracy? Ian Simmons, Co-Founder and Principal of Blue Haven Initiative, discusses impact investing, universal voting, foreign money in U.S. politics, the so-called wealth tax and more.See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2022/04-26-democracy-matters-episode-103.shtmlAdditional InformationDemocracy Matters PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Center Director Bob Shrum joins a panel of energy experts and industry leaders to discuss the latest national policies advancing cleaner energy and curbing the effects of climate change, in commemoration of Earth Day.Featuring:Bob Shrum - Director, Center for the Political Future; Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics, USC DornsifeTed Bardacke - CEO, Clean Power Alliance Ivan Penn - Energy Correspondent, New York TimesJason Rondou - Director of Resource Planning, Development & Programs at Los Angeles Department of Water and PowerAura Vasquez - Chair of Climate Action Committee, Sierra Club Los Angeles Chapter; Former Commissioner, Los Angeles Department of Water and PowerAdditional InformationThe Bully Pulpit PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

The recent mass shootings in Sacramento, California, and at a subway station in Brooklyn, New York have prompted renewed calls for action on gun control. In this podcast episode, we gain a unique perspective on the raging debate with a former gun industry executive who says the NRA and its supporters have gone too far.Our guest, Ryan Busse grew up around guns— hunting and shooting with his father. He is a proud gun owner, hunter, and an avid outdoorsman, who lives in Montana. But today, Busse says that his industry radicalized large numbers of Americans, and argues it must change before gun violence can be reduced and our nation can heal. After a successful 30-year career, he decided to retire from the gun manufacturer he worked for, and write "Gunfight", a book that tells the inside story of a little-known industry. In this episode, we learn about Busse's lifelong love of guns and discuss his call for sensible rules of conduct.Additional InformationLet's Find Common Ground PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

How do you harness the power of money for the greater good? This week, Farai speaks to philanthropist Mona Sinha, founder and CEO of the Insight Circle Fund, about what it means to make an impact as a woman of color in the worlds of finance and of giving. In the series “Our Body Politic Presents…” Aimée Eubanks Davis, host and creator of the podcast After 1954 speaks to author of Black Teachers on Teaching, researcher and professor Michele Foster about the rich past of Black education in the United States, specifically the effects of school desegregation on Black students following Brown V. Board. Then in our weekly segment, ‘Sippin’ the Political Tea’, Farai speaks about pathways to shared prosperity and innovative approaches to community and finance with Nwamaka Agbo, CEO of the Kataly Foundation and Managing Director of the Restorative Economies Fund; and Jessica Norwood, Founder of RUNWAY.Additional InformationOur Body Politic PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Partisanship is up, trust is down and social media encourages us to believe we're right and everyone else is either ignorant, stupid or evil. But avoiding difficult conversations with those we disagree with is a big reason why our nation is so bitterly divided.Journalist Mónica Guzmán set out to discover what was blinding us and learned that the best tool we have we're not using: Our own curiosity. In this episode we learn about her personal story as the loving liberal daughter of Mexican immigrants who strongly support Donald Trump. We hear how Mónica discovered ways to overcome divisions that hurt our relationships and society.Mónica Guzmán is the author of the highly praised new book "I Never Thought Of It That Way". She serves as an advisor and storyteller at the depolarization organization, Braver Angels. "The anger and the rage that we see out there that defines our division doesn't actually exist that much on the one-to-one level," Monica told us.In this episode, Monica discusses how we can put our natural sense of wonder to work, finding the answers needed to work with people, rather than score points against them. Bridging the gap involves asking questions that help you get across the difficult divides that are causing so much pain in our families and communities. We also learn about the work of Braver Angels and hear why this month's America Talks is a good place to start when learning how to help depolarize America, one person at a time. Additional InformationHow Do We Fix It? PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group