The Pledge Podcast - Persevere with Dignity and Grace

Persevere with Dignity and Grace

10/15/20 • 15 min

Laura Misumi, a fourth generation Japanese American, will give you hope! With her innovative strategy for organizing and mobilizing Asian Americans in Michigan, she is building community and fostering lasting political engagement. She will also open your eyes to the ways in which Japanese Americans have been fighting for justice for decades. Laura’s organization, Rising Voices for Asian American Families, is targeting 183,000 Asian American voters in carefully selected counties in this very important swing state. It’s an effort and a constituency that absolutely have the capacity to change the outcome of the State and Federal elections.

Guests:

Laura Misumi (Managing Director, Detroit Action and Executive Director, Rising Voices of Asian American Families)
Munni Rahman (Canvasser)
Branden Snyder (Executive Director, Detroit Action)

Find Us Online:

-Website: https://www.thepledgepodcast.com/

-Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://bit.ly/2FJVtjN

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PledgetoAct

-Twitter: https://twitter.com/PledgePodcast

Guests:

Laura Misumi (Managing Director, Detroit Action and Executive Director, Rising Voices of Asian American Families)
Munni Rahman (Canvasser)
Branden Snyder (Executive Director, Detroit Action)

Find Us Online:

-Website: https://www.thepledgepodcast.com/

-Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://bit.ly/2FJVtjN

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PledgetoAct

-Twitter: https://twitter.com/PledgePodcast

Previous Episode

Let's Get Out There!

As a sixteen year old growing up outside Detroit, Vanessa Velazquez was shocked by her family’s outrageous water bill. After helping her mom pay the bill, she questioned the bigger political context of social justice issues in her city. In Let’s Get Out There, we learn how that experience motivated her to study political science at Michigan State, and end up as an organizer in the Detroit area fighting to do something about it.

Now, as the Field Director for Detroit Action, Vanessa is managing a team of organizers working nonstop to reach 150,000 potential voters in their critical swing state. Their goal goes far beyond getting the residents to vote--they’re building power and a voting culture that can transform the political context and guarantee people’s basic rights--rights like secure housing and government accountability. Of course, voting in November is a crucial first step!

Guest: Vanessa Velazquez--Field Director for Detroit Action

Find Us Online:

-Website: https://www.thepledgepodcast.com/

-Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://bit.ly/2FJVtjN

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PledgetoAct

-Twitter: https://twitter.com/PledgePodcast

Next Episode

Now is the Moment

The Moment is Now takes us to the grassroots campaign centered on reproductive justice - meaning the right to decide if, when, and how to have children. Katrina Rogers's story shows us the potentially devastating impact of Amendment One on lower-income people and people of color. We also hear from Kim O’Brien, a white, economically secure professional, who shares her story of being forced to go out of state to terminate a pregnancy after she learned that the child she and her husband eagerly expected would have severe neurological defects. Her story gives perspective on the burden that restrictive abortion laws impose on parents that may already be suffering, but it also shows that when the state takes away abortion rights, it’s really just taking away the right to choose from the people with fewer resources.

Guests: