The Asheville Blade: A Conversation With David Forbes

04/15/20 • 44 min

On this episode of the Firestorm Community Sustainers Drive, we sit down with local investigative journalist David Forbes. David is the founder and editor of The Asheville Blade, a local news site known for its rigorous long-form journalism and principled perspectives on the inner workings of Asheville city government’s economic and social issues. In our talk, we discuss what first drew David to journalism, the factors that led them to start the Asheville Blade, her ideas of what it takes for grassroots organizing to successfully push back against monied interest in the city, and ways listeners can support her ongoing efforts. We hope you enjoy the informed insights shared here today.

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Harm Reduction: A Conversation with Steady Collective

For the second installment of our Community Sustainers Drive we sit down with Hillary Brown, director of the Steady Collective, an organization committed to improving overall community health by reducing the rate of drug overdose and the spread of infectious disease with education, advocacy, and direct services. In our conversation we discuss the approach and principles of harm reduction, the challenges involved in implementing these programs, the connection between the opioid crisis, racism, and criminalization, and ways in which listeners can support the work of Steady Collective. We offer this vital conversation in hopes of shedding light on what is needed to continue this life-saving work.

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Mutual Aid: A Conversation With Rural Organizing And Resilience

On this episode of the Firestorm Community Sustainers Drive, I sit down with Whitney and Leslie from Rural Organizing And Resilience – otherwise known as ROAR, a project started in 2017 with a goal of increasing access to essential resources for all people and communities in rural Madison County, North Carolina. Throughout our conversation, we discuss how they got involved with the project, their organizing approach of mutual aid, how the context of Southern Appalachia influences their work, and how listeners can get involved in supporting what they do. We encourage listeners to actively engage with this strategic and critical conversation on the importance of relationship building in the midst of capitalist and climate catastrophe.