Two Broads Talking Politics

Rebecca, Sophy and Kelly come together for this special edition of the #VoteHerIn podcast to discuss what’s next for women activists, candidates, and electeds as we are now just one year out from the 2022 elections when so much will be at stake. They will be sharing their lessons learned/conclusions reached from the vantage point of over 75 episodes of the #VoteHerIn podcast, taking into account both the positive (so many women of so many different kinds were elected in November 2021) and the negative (the likely anti-choice actions of the US Supreme Court in the coming month). And they will also take a look forward with high hopes for the amazing work tens of thousands of women will do in 2022 and subsequent years. In that context, they will preview Rebecca’s new book, Make Herstory Your Story: Your Guided Journal to Justice Every Day for Every Woman, now available for presale; another tool for women activists changing the world for the better.

In conversation with Judge LaDoris Cordell, about her new book, Her Honor: My Life on the Bench...What Works, What's Broken, and How to Change It.

On the 77th episode of the #VoteHerIn series, Rebecca and Kelly speak with with Abbie Hodgson, Director of The Ascend Fund. Abbie brings more than two decades of experience in politics to her role as the director of The Ascend Fund. She has worked on more than 100 campaigns at all levels across the country, and has even run for office herself. Abbie earned a PhD from the University of Kansas, where her dissertation focused on increasing the number of women in politics by improving the ways organizations recruit, train, and support women in the process of running for office.

In conversation with historian Kathleen Belew about the new book she co-edited with fellow UChicago historian Ramón A. Gutiérrez, called A Field Guide to White Supremacy.

In conversation with Grace Lynch, Senior Producer for Wonder Media and host of the new podcast As She Rises, which centers native voices and women of color to personalize the elusive magnitude of climate change.

In conversation with Greisa Martinez Rosas, Executive Director of United We Dream and United We Dream Action.

Special #MakeHerstory edition of #VoteHerIn, a collaboration of Two Broads Talking Politics & author Rebecca Sive With Illinois Deputy Gov Sol A. Flores and strategist Alex Sims. Sol Flores serves as deputy governor in Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s administration overseeing Health and Human Services since February 2019. As Deputy Governor, she helped oversee the administration’s response to COVID-19, including housing relief and vaccination efforts. Additionally, Flores spearheads the administration’s efforts around poverty alleviation, hunger relief, expanding healthcare access to all, and strengthening the state’s safety nets for its most vulnerable residents. She was the founding executive director of La Casa Norte, a non-profit organization established in 2002 that has served more than 30,000 youth and families confronting homelessness. Flores built La Casa Norte from two employees to a multi-million-dollar organization delivering inspiration, hope, and critical services. She is a tireless advocate, having served on numerous working groups, commissions, and nonprofit boards. Flores was raised by a single mother who came to Chicago from Puerto Rico, who was recognized as a national Champion of Change by President Barack Obama. Alexandra (Alex) P. Sims believes that one's birthplace and economic status shouldn't negatively affect one's life journey, and her career has taught her that real change is brought about when there is synergy, empathy, and aligned purposes among all public affairs sectors: business, government, philanthropy, and grassroots organizing. Alex came to Chicago from metro Detroit to attend Northwestern University. Awarded the prestigious CORO Fellowship, Alex was assigned by the CORO program to serve in the St. Louis, Missouri area. Motivated by President Barack Obama’s education and social policies, Alex was appointed to head his 2012 Presidential campaign for the St. Louis region. Following Obama’s victory, Alex continued as a State Coordinator with Organizing for Action (OFA), relocating to Chicago. It was in Chicago there that she founded Every Vote Counts, where she directed the registration of over 120,000 voters in 4 four months - the largest voter registration campaign in the country that year. While Senior Advisor to the City of Chicago Treasurer, she launched an aggressive and strategic agenda of financial equity and access. Now, founder and CEO of APS and Associates, she counsels numerous clients, including The Obama Foundation and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. Both Sol and Alex are graduates of the women in public leadership initiative created by Rebecca Sive for the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.

In conversation with Michael Holzman, author of Spies and Traitors: Kim Philby, James Angleton and the Friendship and Betrayal that Would Shape MI6, the CIA and the Cold War.

As we approach National Voter Registration Day, Sarah Audelo, the Executive Director of Alliance for Youth Action, joins Kelly to discuss voting rights and ensuring our nation's newest voters have access to the ballot box.

#VoteHerIn, a collaboration of Two Broads Talking Politics & Rebecca Sive. Julie Castro Abrams is an expert in board governance and building diverse boards that are a strategic advantage. She is an experienced non profit CEO and entrepreneur and through her consulting practice she supports leaders to build high-performance boards, break through performance for the leaders and high performing multicultural teams. She is Chair and CEO of How Women Lead, a network of over 13,000 women dedicated to promoting diverse women’s voices and propelling women’s leadership forward as well as the Managing Partner of BoardLeaders.com where she actively places leaders on corporate boards and supports them to build inclusive and high-performance boards. An active investor and advisor to start-ups, Julie also sits on the advisory boards of the fin-tech start-up LENDonate, The New Search Collaborative and is the Governance Chair for the Women’s Funding Network, a network of women’s foundations across the globe. She has previously led the board of multiple nonprofit organizations located throughout the country, including Board Director for the National Council of La Raza, Governance Chair for the Association for Enterprise Opportunity and Board Chair of Cypress String Quartet. The recipient of many accolades, Julie has won the More Jobs Genius Award, the Morgan Stanley Innovation Award, Cisco’s Innovation in Technology Award, the League of Women Voters’ Women Who Could Be President Award, the Stevie Award for Best Non-Profit Executive, and the Commission on the Status of Women’s Human Rights Award, and is a member of the Women of Color Action Network, Leadership California, and the Marin Women's Hall of Fame. She has also been featured in four books, including “Scrappy Women in Business,” “Women of Courage,” and “The Missing Mentor,” and Fast Company’s video series “30 Second MBA.”

Columnist and activist Rafia Zakaria joins Kelly to discuss her new book, *Against White Feminism: Notes on Disruption*. Rafia talks to Kelly about whether feminism is worth saving and what it would mean to de-center whiteness from feminism.

On #VoteHerIn, a collaboration of Two Broads Talking Politics & Rebecca Sive: Sara Guillermo is the CEO of IGNITE, the largest and most diverse young women's political leadership program in the country. Prior to assuming the CEO position in June 2021, Sara was Ignite’s Executive Director. As Sara noted in June regarding her plans for IGNITE: “After an incomparable [2020] political season, I am even more committed to bringing IGNITE training to all 50 states through virtual and in-person programming that mobilizes a new generation to prioritize civic engagement and political activism. I’m also passionate about increasing the representation of young women of color, especially in local office, as well as on boards and commissions, across the country, and we will work to dramatically accelerate young women’s paths to the ballot.” With 2022 midterms on the horizon, IGNITE is seizing the momentum of 2020 to dramatically expand its training and mobilization efforts so that today’s generation of young women are active participants in American democracy as candidates, advocates, campaign team members, voters, and community organizers. Guillermo is committed to launching 100 new candidates in the next two years through acceleration of IGNITE’s Run Now cohort training As a founding member of the IGNITE team, Sara was instrumental in growing the organization from a small high school-based program in the California Bay Area. Via the program model that Sara co-developed with IGNITE’s Founder, Anne Moses, (previously a #VoteHerIn guest), IGNITE has trained upwards of 10,000 young women across 30 states. Sara's previous leadership positions at Seeking Common Ground, Aspire Public Schools, and buildOn inform her passion and expertise in community service, youth leadership development, program management and capacity building. As a breast cancer survivor, Sara is deeply committed to reforming local health care policies and systems to better meet the needs of diverse communities. She currently serves on the Concord/Pleasant Hill Healthcare Community Board where she serves as a voice to advance community healthcare priorities. Sara was recently recognized as a Roddenberry Fellow for her vision and leadership. Sara holds an MSW from the University of Denver and a B.A. in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz.*

Katie Kalvoda, Board Member of AAPI Victory Fund and AAPI Victory Alliance, joins Kelly to discuss the California gubernatorial recall election and how Asian American voters can shape the outcome.

Healthcare policy activist and 9/11 survivor Lila Nordstrom joins Kelly to discuss her incredible new book, Some Kids Left Behind: A Survivor's Fight for Health Care in the Wake of 9/11, which is both a riveting memoir of 9/11 and what happened to survivors in the aftermath, and a guidebook for how to advocate for yourself and your community when no one else will. You can purchase Some Kids Left Behind at https://bookshop.org/books/some-kids-left-behind-a-survivor-s-fight-for-health-care-in-the-wake-of-9-11/9781948062626 or anywhere books are sold.

Kelly chats with Heidi Sieck, Co-Founder and CEO of #VoteProChoice, about legislation restricting abortion in Texas, the looming Supreme Court cases about reproductive rights, and what activists can do to fight back.

Anne Caprara has managed and consulted with candidates and elected officials at every level of state and federal government. She currently serves as the chief of staff for Illinois governor, JB Pritzker. Before that she was the campaign manager for Pritzker’s successful gubernatorial campaign where he defeated the Republican incumbent by almost 16 points. Before that, Anne served as the Executive Director for Priorities USA Action, the main SuperPAC supporting Hillary Clinton for President in 2016. In 2014, Anne was political director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, helping to oversee Senate races in 33 states. In 2011 and 2012, Anne served as the DSCC’s Deputy Political Director, covering all Senate races east of Wisconsin. In 2008, Anne was the campaign manager for Betsy Markey, a first-time candidate running against a 3-term Republican Congresswoman in Colorado’s 4th congressional district. Betsy won by the race by 12 points and over 41,000 votes in a district where Republicans outnumber Democrats by 45,000 voters. Anne subsequently served as Betsy’s chief of staff from 2008 until 2010. Anne also served as Chief of Staff for Ohio Congresswoman Betty Sutton and as the Deputy Research Director at EMILY’s List. She obtained her Master's degree from George Washington University and her undergraduate degree from American University. Anne was born and raised in the Philadelphia area and is an avid surfer and a tried and true Eagles fan.

Kelly chats with Krystale Littlejohn, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Oregon, about her upcoming book, *Just Get on the Pill: The Uneven Burden of Reproductive Politics.*

LIVE #VoteHerIn, a collaboration of Two Broads Talking Politics & Rebecca Sive with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. "Jocelyn Benson is Michigan’s 43rd Secretary of State. In this role she is focused on ensuring that all Michigan elections are secure and accessible. Benson is the author of State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process, the first major book on the role of the secretary of state in enforcing election and campaign finance laws. She is also the Chair of Michigan’s Task Force on Women in Sports, created by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2019 to advance opportunities for women in Michigan as athletes and sports leaders. A graduate of Harvard Law School and expert on civil rights law, education law and election law, Benson served as dean of Wayne State University Law School in Detroit. When she was appointed dean at age 36, she became the youngest woman in U.S. history to lead a top-100, accredited law school. She continues to serve as vice chair of the advisory board for the Levin Center at Wayne Law, which she founded with former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. Previously, Benson was an associate professor and associate director of Wayne Law’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights." -excerpted from Michigan Secretary of State Website

Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois joins the Broads to discuss the role of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in combating climate change. Come check out the #HotFERCSummer!

On the 71st Episode of the #VoteHerIn Series, guests Kathryn Kolbert and Julie F. Kay discuss their book, Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom. "Controlling Women, by distinguished lawyers Kathryn Kolbert and Julie F. Kay, is the definitive account of the battle for American women’s reproductive freedom. Roe v. Wade protected abortion rights and Planned Parenthood v. Casey preserved them. Yet, in the subsequent decades, these constitutional rights have been gutted by restrictive state legislation, the appointment of hundreds of anti-abortion judges, and violence against abortion providers. Today, the ultra-conservative majority at the Supreme Court has Americans worried that American women are about to lose their most fundamental reproductive protections. When Roe is toppled, abortion may quickly become a criminal offense in nearly one-third of the United States. At least six states have enacted bans on abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy—before many women are even aware they are pregnant. Today, 89% of U.S. counties do not have a single abortion provider, in part due to escalating violence and intimidation aimed at disrupting services. Authors Kolbert and Kay share the story of one of the most divisive issues in American politics through behind-the-scenes personal narratives of stunning losses, hard-earned victories, and moving accounts of women and health care providers at the heart of nearly five decades of legal battles. At this make-or-break moment for legal abortion in the United States, Kolbert and Kay propose audacious new strategies inspired by medical advances, state-level protections, human rights models, and activists across the globe whose courage and determination are making a difference." -excerpted from Hachette Books