Best Gobernantes Podcasts (2024)

1
Looking Forward and Back After a Historic Year of Labor Strikes and Wins, with Carlos Jimenez 46:11

5M ago46:11

46:11

Throughout this season of Black Work Talk, we've explored how black workers have shown up in many of the big labor wins that happened in 2023. This season finale brings the full picture into perspective as Carlos Jimenez, head of the special projects division of the AFL-CIO, joins host Jamala Rogers to analyze the longer history of labor organizing…

1
Kaiser Workers' Unsung Win, with Rashad Pritchett and Theresa Myles 1:07:15

6M ago1:07:15

1:07:15

Rashaad Pritchett and Theresa Mtles of SEIU United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) join hosts Bianca Cunningham and Jamala Rogers for this episode of Black Work Talk. They delve into the challenges faced by Black healthcare support workers, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rashaad and Theresa recount their experiences of being on the f…

1
Preparing for a General Strike, with Cecily Myart-Cruz 1:12:08

6M ago1:12:08

1:12:08

In this episode, United Teachers Los Angeles President Cecily Myart-Cruz joins Bianca and Jamala to discuss the challenges she has faced as the first woman of color to head this powerhouse union, and a leader who took over during the COVID-19 pandemic. When she advocated for educators and students in 2020, she faced immediate backlash. The intervie…

1
Electoral Focus of the Working Class in 2024 and Beyond 48:41

7M ago48:41

48:41

BWT co-hosts Bianca Cunningham and Jamala Rogers take time this episode to explore a few of the crises and challenges shaking the world and the Left in this moment. The recent demands by the United Auto Workers (UAW) and a few other national unions for a ceasefire in Gaza suggest an opening for a worker-led movement for peace. Bianca and Jamala dis…

1
Solidarity in the South. Solidarity in Palestine. Solidarity Everywhere. With Shafeah M'Balia 1:02:12

7M ago1:02:12

1:02:12

Fifty-six percent of people in the US who self-identify as Black call the South home. Today's guest, Shafeah M'Balia, explains why and how we need to focus organizing strategies on Black workers in southern states. Shafeah is a lifelong activist and organizer with Black Workers for Justice and Muslims for Social Change. In this episode Shafeah talk…

1
Where the Writers Guild of America Goes Next to Support Marginalized Workers, with Angela Harvey and Tawal Panyacosit Jr. 52:23

7M ago52:23

52:23

After the second-longest strike in Hollywood history, members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) voted to ratify a new contract in October 2023. Their 146-day walkout brought wins on some of the most pressing issues they were fighting for. These included new standards governing the use of AI for producing content and the distribution of residual…

1
The Case for a Black Workers' Bill of Rights with Tanya Wallace Gobern 47:36

7M ago47:36

47:36

There is a lot of momentum in the organized labor movement right now and the National Black Worker Center is an organization which ensures black workers are strongly advocated for as we move through these moments. NBWC is a Black worker power building and worker’s rights advocacy organization that leads with militant joyfulness and Black movement c…

1
Teamsters' Hard Fight For a Fair UPS Contract, with Chris Williamson and Richard Hooker Jr. 1:29:48

8M ago1:29:48

1:29:48

Around 340,000 members of the Teamsters Union who work for UPS came within days of walking off the job in July 2023 in what would have been the one of the largest strikes in US history. In August, they voted 86.3% in favor of ratification of a new five-year contract with the company. The contract provides provisions like a $21 per hour minimum wage…

1
Passing the Torch - Welcome to Season Three 43:41

8M ago43:41

43:41

Black Work Talk’s third season explores where the energy for this current wave of labor activism comes from, how it impacts Black workers, and a fresh vision for what’s next. Listeners will hear conversations with rank and file workers from unions including the UAW, Teamsters, and the Writers Guild of America. New hosts Bianca Cunningham and Jamala…

1
Episode 19: Bill Fletcher 1:28:44

1+ y ago1:28:44

1:28:44

In this episode of Black Work Talk, Steven Pitts speaks with Bill Fletcher, long-time racial justice and labor activist. This is the last episode of this iteration of Black Work Talk, and we discuss many of the themes running through the two seasons of the podcast, including: Black worker organizing within a union context. The limitations of the ju…

1
Episode 18: Carroll Fife 1:01:11

1+ y ago1:01:11

1:01:11

In this episode of Black Work Talk, Steven Pitts and his co-host Lauren Jacobs talk with Carroll Fife. Carroll Fife is a Councilmember at the City of Oakland. Carroll was formerly director of the Oakland chapter of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE). Given Carroll’s previous position with ACCE, we started the episode disc…

1
Episode 17: PowerSwitch Action 1:02:34

1+ y ago1:02:34

1:02:34

In this episode of Black Work Talk, Steven Pitts and his co-host, Lauren Jacobs, talk with Kyra Greene and Branden Snyder. Kyra is Executive Director of the Center on Policy Initiatives, and is based in San Diego. Branden is Executive Director of Detroit Action. The Center on Policy Initiatives and Detroit Action are affiliates of PowerSwitch Actio…

1
Episode 16: Linda Burnham 56:57

2y ago56:57

56:57

In this episode of Black Work Talk’s Season Two, Steven Pitts launches the power-building mini-series with his co-host, Lauren Jacobs. Steven and Lauren talk with Linda Burnham – long-time social justice organizer, writer, and theoretician. Linda is co-editor of a phenomenal book entitled: Power Concedes Nothing: How Grassroots Organizing Wins Elec…

1
Episode 15: Stacy Davis Gates 1:09:02

2y ago1:09:02

1:09:02

In this episode of Black Work Talk’s Season Two, Steven Pitts and his co-host, Sheri Davis, talk with Stacy Davis Gates, President of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU). Stacy was one of the founding members of the caucus that formed in 2008 to revitalize the union and fight for a quality education for the youth of Chicago. After 2 years of organizin…

1
Episode 14: Labor Notes Conference Panel Part 2 51:26

2y ago51:26

51:26

This episode of Black Work Talk is the second of two covering the discussion held at the Labor Notes conference on June 17, 2022 titled “Black Labor Struggles Over Time: An Intergenerational Panel.” The panel moderators were Toussaint Losier of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Bianca Cunningham of the Action Center on Race and the Econom…

1
Episode 13: Labor Notes Conference Panel Part 1 57:36

2y ago57:36

57:36

This episode of Black Work Talk is the first of two covering the discussion held at the Labor Notes conference on June 17, 2022 titled “Black Labor Struggles Over Time: An Intergenerational Panel.” The panel moderators were Toussaint Losier of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Bianca Cunningham of the Action Center on Race and the Economy…

1
Episode 12: Erica Iheme 1:15:17

2y ago1:15:17

1:15:17

In this episode of Black Work Talk, Steven Pitts and his co-host, Sheri Davis, talk with Erica Iheme, the Deputy Director for Jobs to Move America, an organization dedicated to ensuring that government uses the power of public funds to create a just, clean, and worker-centered economy. The conversation focuses on Erica’s critique of traditional org…

1
Episode 11: Danielle Phillips-Cunningham 1:07:51

2y ago1:07:51

1:07:51

In this episode of Black Work Talk, Steven Pitts and his co-host, Sheri Davis, talk with Danielle Phillips-Cunningham, Associate Professor of Women's and Gender Studies at Texas Woman’s University. Danielle has been at the forefront of recent scholarship highlighting the efforts of Black working-class women to control their lives. Her book, “Puttin…

1
Episode 10: Beverly Guy-Sheftall 1:20:38

2y ago1:20:38

1:20:38

This episode launches Black Work Talk’s mini-series on Black feminism. Steven Pitts’ co-host for this mini-series is Sheri Davis, Associate Director, Center for Innovation in Worker Organization (CIWO) at Rutgers University. We talk with Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Professor of Women's Studies and English at Spelman College. Beverly has been at the cente…

1
Episode 9: Mariame Kaba 1:14:14

2y ago1:14:14

1:14:14

In this episode of Black Work Talk, Steven Pitts and his co-host, Toussaint Losier, talk with Mariame Kaba. Mariame is one of this country’s leading abolitionist thinkers and practitioners. She has founded several projects organizing around abolitionist principles including Project NIA. Many of her writings on abolition are collected in a recent bo…

1
Episode 8: NTanya Lee 1:05:19

2+ y ago1:05:19

1:05:19

In this episode of Black Work Talk, Steven Pitts and his co-host, Toussaint Losier talk with NTanya Lee, National Secretary of LeftRoots, a national organization of social movement organizers and activists. We began by reviewing the landscape of the Black Left today and continued by discussing the distinctions between the Black Left and Black Lives…

1
Episode 7: Bianca Cunningham 1:09:15

2+ y ago1:09:15

1:09:15

In this episode of Black Work Talk, Steven Pitts and his co-host, Toussaint Losier, talk with Bianca Cunningham, Campaign Director at the Action Center on Race and the Economy and a co-founder of the Afrosocialists and Socialists of Color Caucus of DSA, the Democratic Socialists of America. The three of us began the episode by exploring different d…

1
Episode 6: Lester Spence 59:51

2+ y ago59:51

59:51

In this sixth episode of Black Work Talk’s Season Two, Steven Pitts and his co-host, Toussaint Losier, talk with Lester Spence, Professor of Political Science at the Johns Hopkins University. We began the episode by defining the Black Left and power. We spoke about the changes in Black politics because of the advent of neoliberalism. We also had a …

1
Episode 5: Toussaint Losier 30:35

2+ y ago30:35

30:35

In this fifth episode of Black Work Talk’s Season Two, Steven Pitts talks with Toussaint Losier, his co-host for the second mini-series of Black Work Talk on the Black Left. Toussaint is professor in the African American Studies Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. During this episode, we previewed the mini-series by presenting ou…

1
Episode 4: Will Jones 54:42

2+ y ago54:42

54:42

In this fourth episode of Black Work Talk’s Season Two, co-hosts Steven Pitts and Bill Fletcher talk with Will Jones. Will is Professor of History at the University of Minnesota. His particular emphasis is understanding the relationship between race and class in the United States during the 20th Century. His 2013 book, “The March on Washington: Job…

1
Episode 3: Bert Bayou 39:55

2+ y ago39:55

39:55

In this third episode of Black Work Talk’s Season Two, co-hosts Steven Pitts and Bill Fletcher talk with Bert Bayou. Bert is DC Chapter Director of African Communities Together (ACT) and Vice President of UNITE HERE Local 23. ACT is an organization of African immigrants with chapters in Washington DC and New York. ACT provides services and organize…

1
Episode 2: April Verrett 53:53

2+ y ago53:53

53:53

In this second episode of Black Work Talk’s Season Two, co-hosts Steven Pitts and Bill Fletcher talk with April Verrett. April is president of SEIU 2015, a union of 400,000 long-term caregivers in California. April talked about the importance of Democracy Schools the union operated to engage members in basic political governance activities at the l…

1
Season 2 Premiere: Rob Baril 1:00:48

2+ y ago1:00:48

1:00:48

In this first episode of Black Work Talk’s Season Two, co-hosts Steven Pitts and Bill Fletcher talk with Rob Baril. Rob is the president of SEIU 1199NE, a union of health care workers in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Rob talked about how members of SEIU 1199NE have been fighting state officials in Connecticut for better working conditions during th…

1
Season 2: Trailer 8:32

2+ y ago8:32

8:32

In preparation for the Season Two of Black Work Talk, podcast host Steven Pitts got together with the four co-hosts of the new season: Bill Fletcher; Lauren Jacobs; Sheri Davis; and Toussaint Losier. In this trailer, they discussed the challenges facing the Left in 2022. Season Two launches Wednesday, November 17.…

1
Season 2: Preview 11:50

2+ y ago11:50

11:50

Season Two of Black Work Talk will launch on November 17. In this Preview Episode, host Steven Pitts reviews Season One highlighting the reality that Black workers are impacted by race and class and debates within the movement over the primacy of one over the other are not just fruitless, but counter-productive. His review concludes by discuss the …

1
Episode 18: Bill Fletcher 1:19:34

3y ago1:19:34

1:19:34

In this eighteenth episode of Black Work Talk, we end Season One as we began it with Bill Fletcher, long-time racial justice and labor activist. We reviewed the events over the past 8 months: the insurrection; the determined GOP efforts to promote the Big Lie about the election and insist the adherence to the Big Lie would be a litmus test for GOP …

1
Episode 17: Dawn Gearhart 52:19

3y ago52:19

52:19

In this seventeenth episode of Black Work Talk, our guest today is Dawn Gearhart. Dawn is the Director of Gig Economy Organizing for the National Domestic Workers Alliance. Dawn is leading efforts to organize workers who utilize an app to connect with potential clients desiring domestic work services. Prior to joining NDWA, Dawn organized taxi driv…

1
Episode 16: Michael Dawson 48:36

3y ago48:36

48:36

In this sixteenth episode of Black Work Talk, our guest is Michael Dawson. Michael is a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, where he has written extensively about the intertwined nature of Black politics and Left politics. Currently, he co-leads the Race and Capitalism Project that seeks to understand how the racial and cap…

1
Episode 15: Lauren Jacobs 1:01:46

3y ago1:01:46

1:01:46

In this fifteenth episode of Black Work Talk, our guest is Lauren Jacobs. Lauren is the Executive Director of the Partnership for Working Families – a national network of regional power-building organizations. Lauren and I have been friends for over 15 years…I remember when she was a union organizer in Boston. I have always loved the way Lauren com…

1
Episode 14: Sheri Davis 1:03:37

3y ago1:03:37

1:03:37

In this fourteenth episode of Black Work Talk, today’s Sheri Davis. Sheri is the Associate Director of the Center for Innovation in Worker Organization (CIWO) at Rutgers University and the Senior Program Director – WILL Empower at CIWO. The purpose of WILL Empower is to develop the next generation of women in the labor movement - unions and worker …

1
Episode 13: Maurice Mitchell 1:01:13

3y ago1:01:13

1:01:13

In this thirteenth episode of Black Work Talk, Today’s guest is Maurice Mitchell. Maurice is the National Director of the Working Families Party. Since its inception, the Working Families Party has done a good job of navigating the complicated waters of combining Left political perspectives with building bases among working class people and maintai…

1
Episode 12: Barbara Ransby 1:01:13

3y ago1:01:13

1:01:13

In this twelfth episode of Black Work Talk, host Steven Pitts welcomes Barbara Ransby, professor of history at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Barbara has written extensively on the Black Freedom Movement on topics ranging from Ella Baker and Eslanda Robeson to the current Black Lives Matter movement. Our conversation took place soon after the …

1
Episode 11: Robin D.G. Kelley 1:34:34

3y ago1:34:34

1:34:34

This eleventh episode of Black Work Talk was a joint effort with Dissent Magazine’s podcast, Belabored. Belabored’s co-hosts, Michelle Chen and Sarah Jaffe, and Black Work Talk’s host, Steven Pitts were joined by historian Robin D.G. Kelley. Robin’s book, Hammer and Hoe, details the organizing work in the Birmingham metropolitan area during the 193…

1
Episode 10: Maurice BP-Weeks 1:02:08

3+ y ago1:02:08

1:02:08

In this tenth episode of Black Work Talk, host Steven Pitts welcomes Maurice BP-Weeks, co-founder of the Action Center on Race and the Economy (ACRE). ACRE sits at the nexus of the struggles for racial and economic justice. As such, they provide campaign assistance to local organizations and engage in national campaigns against corporate elites. Eq…

1
Episode 9: Jesse Hagopian 1:02:12

3+ y ago1:02:12

1:02:12

In this ninth episode of Black Work Talk, host Steven Pitts welcomes Jesse Hagopian, an Ethnic Studies teacher at Garfield High School in Seattle, Washington. The public schools in the United States have been near Ground Zero during this confluence of COVID, the recession, and the fight for racial justice and because of this, education has become a…

1
Episode 8: Michelle Crentsil 44:00

3+ y ago44:00

44:00

In this eighth episode of Black Work Talk, host Steven Pitts welcomes Michelle Crentsil, political director for the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA). The members of NYSNA have been through hell this past year dealing with the extreme conditions caused by COVID and federal government ineptitude. We talked about these struggles and the reali…

1
Episode 7: Erica Smiley 44:40

3+ y ago44:40

44:40

In this seventh episode of Black Work Talk, host Steven Pitts welcomes Erica Smiley, Executive Director of Jobs with Justice. Smiley has been with Jobs with Justice for over 15 years. Prior to joining the organization, she worked at a number of unions and community-based organizations. During the episode, we spoke about a variety of topics includin…

1
Episode 6: Bill Lucy 57:54

3+ y ago57:54

57:54

In this sixth episode of Black Work Talk, host Steven Pitts welcomes William A. Lucy. Bill retired in 2010 after over 50 years in the leadership of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Union (AFSCME). Bill talked about his beginnings in the labor movement organizing government workers in Contra Costa County (CA). He later represe…

1
Episode 5: April Sims 53:33

3+ y ago53:33

53:33

In the fifth episode of Black Work Talk, host Steven Pitts welcomes April Sims, Secretary-Treasurer of the Washington State Labor Council. April told us a bit about her background, in particular, how the experiences of her mother led April to understand the importance of unions to working people’s lives. She also talked about the work of the State …

1
Episode 4: Greg Kelley 40:34

3+ y ago40:34

40:34

In the fourth episode of Black Work Talk, host Steven Pitts welcomes Greg Kelley, President of SEIU Health Care Illinois. Greg gave us a sense of how he got into labor organizing. We moved to get a sense of how COVID has impacted union members and their resolve to use the power of their union to protect their quality of life on the job. Greg relaye…

1
Episode 3: Tanya Wallace Gobern 1:02:33

3+ y ago1:02:33

1:02:33

In this third episode of Black Work Talk, host Steven Pitts welcomes Tanya Wallace Gobern, Executive Director of the National Black Worker Center. Tanya spoke of how growing up in Chicago shaped her passion for social justice and worker organizing. She continued to share lessons from her years of organizing Black workers especially to need to build…

1
Episode 2: Dorian Warren 52:32

3+ y ago52:32

52:32

In this second episode of Black Work Talk, host Steven Pitts welcomes Dorian Warren, President of Community Change. Dorian talks about the organizational weakness of the Democratic Party and the subsequent growth of grass-roots groups at the local and state level to fill this void. We also talk about the need for a Third Reconstruction and the natu…

1
Episode 1: Bill Fletcher 52:22

3+ y ago52:22

52:22

In this first episode of Black Work Talk, host Steven Pitts welcomes Bill Fletcher, long-time racial justice and labor activist. Bill talks about key takeaways from the 2020 Election and steps needed to build a progressive governing majority. Also, we discuss why it is important to build Black worker power and how to go about doing this.…

1
Interview Sneak Peek: Bill Fletcher 3:40

3+ y ago3:40

3:40

Guest Bill Fletcher sits down with Steven and previews for us the big questions he will address in our first real episode, dropping November 11th, one week after the election. Bill tells us what he thinks Black workers and organizers should be paying attention to as election day approaches. This is an important glimpse into the most important chall…

1
Introducing Black Work Talk: A Trailer 1:44

3+ y ago1:44

1:44

Welcome to Black Work Talk, an Organizing Upgrade podcast by Steven Pitts launching on Wednesday, November 11th. We'll look at struggles to build the collective power of Black workers and challenge racial capitalism. Come be a part of our community of supporters on Patreon today!By Steven Pitts

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