In light of DC and Maryland suing President Trump with allegations that he has violated anti-corruption clauses in the Constitution, we SPOTLIGHT Julie Silverbrook. Julie is Executive Director of The Constitutional Sources Project, a non-profit devoted to educating lawyers, judges, teachers, and students about United States Constitutional History. Prior to leading The Constitutional Sources Project, Julie was the Founding Director of an award-winning constitutional literacy program called Constitutional Conversations, in collaboration with the Institute of Bill of Rights Law, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and the Williamsburg Regional Library System. Media includes: NPR Norfolk Virginia, Fairfax Network, Daily Press, Hearsay.
Despite President Trump withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, cities across the U.S. have committed to hitting targets set up by the agreement. To discuss this effort to fight climate change, we FEATURE Dana R. Fisher. Dana is a Professor of Sociology and the Director of the Program for Society and the Environment at the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on understanding the relationship between environmentalism and democracy—most recently focusing on environmental stewardship and American climate politics. This research employs a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods. Her current research employs data collected from environmental activists, stewardship organizations, volunteer stewards, students in the DC school system, as well as political elites involved in climate policy-making in the United States and internationally. Media includes: Today Show, USA Today, NY Times, Chicago Tribune, various NPR shows.
In a referendum, Puerto Rico has voted to ask Congress to become the 51st U.S. state. To discuss what the next step for Puerto Rico is and what would happen if it were to become a state, we FEATURE Ada Alvarez. Ada works in the Senate of Puerto Rico as Director of the Women Commission. She has studied and promoted the role of Women in Politics and the Hispanic Vote in the United States. As she works in the Senate, she also is a freelance journalist and adjourn professor. CNN español, Al Jazeera, Univision, Azteca America.
150 executives have committed to fostering diversity and inclusion and we FEATURE Rinku Sen. Rinku is the President and Executive Director of Race Forward: The Center for Racial Justice Innovation and the Publisher of the award-winning news site Colorlines. Race Forward brings systemic analysis and an innovative approach to complex race issues to help people take effective action toward racial equity through research, media, and practice. A visionary and a pragmatist, Sen is one of the leading voices in the racial justice movement, building upon the legacy of civil rights by transforming the way we talk about race, from something that is individual, intentional, and overt to something that is systemic, unconscious, and hidden. Media includes: Huffington Post, The Nation, MSNBC, National Public Radio, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle Tavis Smiley Show, Diane Rehm Show , Utne Reader.
Today, June 12th, is the first anniversary of the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting. As a reminder of why LGBTQ Pride is still celebrated and necessary, we FEATURE Anna Vishkaee Eskamani. Anna, who was instrumental in helping survivors and families of victims of the Pulse shooting, and who serves as the Senior Director of Public Affairs and Communications for Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, which has partnered with the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. An Iranian-American and Florida native, Anna is committed to her community. Her first four years at the University of Central Florida (UCF) were spent researching, writing, advocating, and organizing for social justice. Media includes: the Central Florida Future, Orlando Sentinel, The Huffington Post, and Independent Journal Review.