118: Jeanette Mott Oxford Puts the POW in Empower Missouri

Collateral Damage

Jeanette Mott Oxford is the executive director of Empower Missouri, an organization that "envisions Missouri becoming a more just, equitable and democratic society that assures every person’s health, safety, security, independence, human rights, dignity and the opportunity to reach full potential."

DJ and Jeanette's conversation follows Mott Oxford's career in politics, the work of Empower Missouri, and, of course, our state and nation's political climate.

Here's a look at how the conversation went:

0:00-15:00 - Who is J-MO and what does Empower Missouri do? "Why should workers live in poverty?"

15:00-22:00 - How does EmpowerMO help children and combat structural barriers to overcoming poverty? "It's in everyone's interest to solve housing and hunger."

22:00-28:15 - Toxic stress and kids. Some children are growing up with PTSD - what can we do about it?

28:15-32:00 - What's it like working with our state and federal representatives? Missouri is #2 in hunger and misconceptions are holding us back from making a change.

32:00-36:30 - EmPOWer Missouri's upcoming conference. POW stands for "Persisting in Organizing to Win."

36:30-40:30 - How has the MO house of representatives changed since J-MO left office? Mott Oxford's hope is in people, not party.

40:30-43:00 - Mott Oxford is a plaintiff in a lawsuit to prevent city funds going to support upgrades to the ScottTrade Center, something DJ has discussed with Cara Spencer (episode 108) and Fred Lindecke (episode 107).

43:00-49:00 - Why Trump is president and wrap-up. No president can just make things happen, that's why organizations like Empower Missouri are needed to advocate for change.