Welcome to Season 5! If you're feeling election anxiety, I've got a way for you to direct that energy towards winning in November. In addition to winning the White House, we also need to retake the House and keep the Senate; the change we need requires a blue trifecta. With that in mind, here are a few places where you can donate to key congressional races, i.e. races that are really close and underfunded, so a boost in funding can make a difference in the voter turnout needed to ensure a blue trifecta.

key House races

key Senate races

key House and state races

key House, Senate, and state races

*full disclosure: I have donated to each of these funds, so I am recommending what I myself have used

I have collaborated again with Mike Pinto, host of the Singing for Survival capoeira history podcast. This time, we discuss sexual abuse in capoeira and what we as capoeiristas can do to address the wrong that has happened and how to prevent it moving forward. One of those ways is to support CapoeirAcolher, an organization in Brazil that supports victims of such abuse.

My thoughts on voting no on Prop. 36.

More information:

LA Times Editorial Board piece on No on Prop. 36

Stop Prop. 36 campaign

Independent journalist Judd Legum has done several pieces on retail theft and Prop. 36:

• California's shoplifting laws are not broken. California is "fixing" them anyway
• A closer look at California's $267 million war on "organized retail crime"
• UPDATE: The truth about Target

The Vera Institute Infographic on Prop. 36 and longer analysis

Politico coverage on Prop. 36

How California's incarceration rates compare to other states and countries, by the Prison Policy Initiative

I will be doing a two-part series on why to vote NO on Prop. 36. Part one is a quick share on some upcoming opportunities to learn about Prop. 36 from reputable criminal justice organizations.

Wednesday, September 25th at 5:30pm PST (virtual) - Initiate Justice's No on Prop. 36 Workshop

Thursday, October 3rd at 6pm PST (in-person in Oakland) - Ella Baker Center and Urban Peace Movement Prop. 36 Town Hall

Stay tuned for part two!

With the November election coming up soon, it's time to get out the vote! In this episode, I share some ways you can help boost voter turnout.

• register to vote
• check your voter registration status
• save the Election Protection Hotline number to your phone: 866-687-8683
• Vote Save America's Empower GOTV initiative - get paid to get out of the vote in swing states
• North Carolina - register to vote by mail. To learn about what's been going on in NC on the voting front, check out this article.
• Neighbor2Neighbor initiative by Indivisible
• Postcards to Voters
• sign up for voting rights news from Democracy Docket

As part of my election series, today's episode is about why I am voting for Nikki Bas for Alameda County Supervisor, District 5.

To hear directly from the candidates, check out the ⁠candidate forum on zoom⁠ on September 5th from 4-5:30pm.

I discuss the ⁠Oakland Reimagining Public Safety Task Force Report⁠ that Nikki was highly involved in and why that's a great thing.

I talk about the MACRO program, which Nikki was instrumental in making a reality.

I also discuss why Nikki is more likely to implement the ⁠Care First, Jails Last Taskforce⁠ Final Report, which is one of Supervisor Carson's legacies and critical to public safety.

A couple of articles on some recent scandals with the Alameda County sheriff's office and why we need county supervisors who will provide oversight of the sheriff.

A gorgeous work of historical fiction that tells the story of a woman born during the Spanish flu pandemic and who dies during the coronavirus pandemic 100 years later. Allende introduces us to multiple generations of a family and their loves and losses, hopes and disasters, while exploring historical events like the military dictatorships in Chile and Argentina during the 1970s and 80s. I reflect on how this book reminds me of my own grandmother and what this book can teach us about the current moment.

I recommended the following movies for a deeper dive:

Machuca

La Historia Oficial

I referenced the following articles during the episode:

https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/southern-cone/2021-03-23/argentinas-military-coup-what-us-knew

https://www.mediamatters.org/russ-vought/undercover-interview-project-2025-architect-gets-candid-initiatives-radical-goals-and

My reflections on the 2024 US presidential election.