To See Each Other

People for Pine Crest celebrates their victory in Lincoln County but faces a new challenge: nearby counties are also facing threats to their public nursing homes. Elder care has become a crucial issue for rural communities, sparking activism across Wisconsin. Visit ToSeeEachOther.org for more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Frustrated Merrill residents run for Board of Supervisors to stop the sale of public facilities. They win, and a lawsuit is filed to halt the process. At the same time, People for Pine Crest hear from neighbors in nearby Sauk County - their public nursing home has just been put up for sale.  Visit ToSeeEachOther.org for more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

People for Pine Crest organizes a Town Hall to oppose the sale of Pine Crest nursing home. Over 100 people attend, but the Board remains unmoved and they call for a vote.  Visit ToSeeEachOther.org for more.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

People For Pine Crest is fighting to keep the nursing home public by demanding transparency and a referendum. The board, however, is resistant and has voted down these requests. Despite this, a public survey shows strong support for keeping Pine Crest public, and locals are sharing their personal and heart-wrenching stories.  Visit ToSeeEachOther.org for more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A conservative-leaning Board of Supervisors in Merrill, Wisconsin is proposing to sell public entities, including a beloved nursing home. This decision has sparked community outrage, leading to the formation of a grassroots group to fight the sale, led by a group of local seniors.  Visit ToSeeEachOther.org for more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to Merrill, Wisconsin - a rural county in the Midwest that was built on farming and lumber and paper. George brings us into a town where farming and lumber have left, but there’s an unexpected fight brewing between residents and their Board of Supervisors. It’s about a beloved nursing home called Pine Crest that has been county-owned for decades and has provided care and jobs for generations of local residents. Visit ToSeeEachOther.org for more See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

To See Each Other is back on September 24! This season George travels to  Merrill,  Wisconsin - population 9,000 to get to know a group of small town folks fighting for community and dignity for the elderly - and a better future for us all. A beloved public nursing home is unexpectedly up for sale and a group of locals thinks there’s something fishy going on.  There are closed door meetings, unknown outside buyers, and the threat of private money coming in to change public institutions.  Folks are angry about being treated like they’re expendable – and they’re deeply afraid about what this means for them. It’s a heart-pounding roller coaster of a fight - in a swing state that could determine the election.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Introducing Grief, Collected from The Mash-Up Americans. We're thrilled to share an episode of a podcast that is so relevant to how many folks are feeling right now from the producers of To See Each Other. The Mash-Up Americans explores what it means to be American today and they just launched a new series about grieving and life in America. In the series, hosts Amy S. Choi and Rebecca Lehrer talk to experts about how grief moves through our bodies, our families, and our communities —  and why we need to feel it all in order to transform our future. Today we’re sharing an episode with you here about Collective Grief with Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg. What does it mean to grieve as a community? As a country? The conversation is about what it means to face our losses and our grief head on — together — in order to repair our society.  How Do We Grieve Collectively?  Collective grief! What does it mean to grieve as a community? As a country? We’re thinking about what it means to face our losses and our grief head on — together — in order to repair our society. What does it mean to lose a future that we might have imagined? Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg joins us to talk about some of the roots of our grief culture here in America, and with that knowledge, what collective grief and healing can look like in our communities. Part of that work includes looking at how societies globally have done this - and what we can learn from them.  Listen to the whole season here: https://link.chtbl.com/griefcollected You can find more info and resources at GriefCollected.com You can find Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg on Twitter @TheRaDR and on Instagram @RabbiDanyaRuttenberg or at DanyaRuttenberg.net  Credits  Grief, Collected is a production of The Mash-Up Americans. Executive produced by Amy S. Choi and Rebecca Lehrer. Senior editor and producer is Sara Pellegrini. Development Producer is Dupe Oyebolu. Production manager Shelby Sandlin. Original music composed by The Brothers Tang. Sound design support by Pedro Rafael Rosado. Website design by Rebecca Parks Fernandez. Grief, Collected was supported in part by a grant from The Pop Culture Collaborative. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sneak Peek of our podcast, Fundamentals of Organizing where host George Goehl is talking to fellow organizers about their organizing journey, and what they see as the essentials we most need to center in the months and years to come.  George Goehl is one of the nation’s leading progressive organizers and these conversations will fill you with clarity and purpose. Check out this episode from Season 3 right here! Starting From WithIn with Scott Reed So much of organizing is about radical imagination; in order to struggle for change, we must believe that another way of living is possible. In this episode, I talk with Scott Reed, whose own work reminds us that this radical imagining must start within and spread outward. Join us as we discuss the transformative power of agency, what power can look like, the role of faith-based organizations in broader movements and more. Scott Reed has been a community organizer since the early 70’s, working with leaders, clergy and staff to build organizations throughout the country that are able to effective negotiate values and interests of working families. For more than 40 years, Scott Reed helped build the PICO National Network, renamed Faith in Action in 2018. Faith in Action organizes people through faith-based congregations in over 150 American cities, and multiple other countries. Scott stepped down as Director in 2018. Subscribe to the Fundamentals of Organizing substack here. And listen to the full season wherever you are listening to this! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we're here with a special bonus story from Michigan.  This is the story of MariaElena Fournier, who lives in Detroit and who is out in the field right now traveling throughout Michigan, asking questions and holding really profound conversations - that change all the people involved.  MariaElena was born in Puerto Rico and moved to the mainland as a child. After navigating a difficult relationship with a white supremacist roommate in college, they were “bewildered” by people’s openness in rural areas when they were participating in the deep canvass — which gave them incredible hope. They shared their story with us.  And be sure to listen to all 6 episodes of To See Each Other wherever you're listening to this! You can learn more at ToSeeEachOther.org   People’s Action is a national network of 40 state and local grassroots, power-building organizations united in fighting for justice.

Today we're here with a special bonus story from Michigan.  This is the story of MariaElena Fournier, who lives in Detroit and who is out in the field right now traveling throughout Michigan, asking questions and holding really profound conversations - that change all the people involved.  MariaElena was born in Puerto Rico and moved to the mainland as a child. After navigating a difficult relationship with a white supremacist roommate in college, they were “bewildered” by people’s openness in rural areas when they were participating in the deep canvass — which gave them incredible hope. They shared their story with us.  And be sure to listen to all 6 episodes of To See Each Other wherever you're listening to this! You can learn more at ToSeeEachOther.org   People’s Action is a national network of 40 state and local grassroots, power-building organizations united in fighting for justice. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In our final episode, George goes home to Indiana. It's a place where the most pressing issues of our time come together, and maybe our solutions too. We'll meet a doctor, a mother, and a recovering addict doing their best to mobilize their community, eradicate their shame, speak, and work with compassion to help their neighbors and win change against the odds. Hoosier Action is refusing to give up on fellow Hoosiers. George recalls growing up in Indiana with Kate Hess Pace, founder of Hoosier Action. Members of Hoosier Action like Tyla Barrick Pond, Scott County physician Dr. William Cooke, and Tracy Skaggs detail environmental hazards and the devastations of Indiana’s opioid epidemic. Together, they have made space for shame to turn into vulnerability and creative resilience. All these Hoosiers — George included — testify to how when we see each other, we strengthen our communities together. And we win. Additional music this episode by Brad Leftwich and the Humdingers. You can learn more at ToSeeEachOther.org   People’s Action is a national network of 40 state and local grassroots, power-building organizations united in fighting for justice. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In our final episode, George goes home to Indiana. It's a place where the most pressing issues of our time come together, and maybe our solutions too. We'll meet a doctor, a mother, and a recovering addict doing their best to mobilize their community, eradicate their shame, speak, and work with compassion to help their neighbors and win change against the odds. Hoosier Action is refusing to give up on fellow Hoosiers. George recalls growing up in Indiana with Kate Hess Pace, founder of Hoosier Action. Members of Hoosier Action like Tyla Barrick Pond, Scott County physician Dr. William Cooke, and Tracy Skaggs detail environmental hazards and the devastations of Indiana’s opioid epidemic. Together, they have made space for shame to turn into vulnerability and creative resilience. All these Hoosiers — George included — testify to how when we see each other, we strengthen our communities together. And we win. Additional music this episode by Brad Leftwich and the Humdingers. You can learn more at ToSeeEachOther.org   People’s Action is a national network of 40 state and local grassroots, power-building organizations united in fighting for justice.

In North Carolina, we see friendships being forged in the face of centuries of racism; anti-racist organizing happening at the corner of Plantation and Corporation avenues; and meet a historical political candidate, a Black woman quite literally from the wrong side of the tracks, campaigning to co-govern with her community. In Alamance County, Down Home North Carolina has been building a multi-racial grassroots movement against white supremacy. George talks to Brigid Flaherty, co-founder of Down Home North Carolina; Sugelema Lynch, a Latinx mother; Pat Rogers, a young white engineer; and Dreama Caldwell, who’s running to serve as Alamance County’s first Black woman Commissioner. For all of them, meeting the left-behind where they are is key to transforming the landscape. And it’s creating a new common identity that Alamance County can be proud of. This episode features additional music by Jake and Sarah Owen. You can learn more at ToSeeEachOther.org   People’s Action is a national network of 40 state and local grassroots, power-building organizations united in fighting for justice. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In North Carolina, we see friendships being forged in the face of centuries of racism; anti-racist organizing happening at the corner of Plantation and Corporation avenues; and meet a historical political candidate, a Black woman quite literally from the wrong side of the tracks, campaigning to co-govern with her community. In Alamance County, Down Home North Carolina has been building a multi-racial grassroots movement against white supremacy. George talks to Brigid Flaherty, co-founder of Down Home North Carolina; Sugelema Lynch, a Latinx mother; Pat Rogers, a young white engineer; and Dreama Caldwell, who’s running to serve as Alamance County’s first Black woman Commissioner. For all of them, meeting the left-behind where they are is key to transforming the landscape. And it’s creating a new common identity that Alamance County can be proud of. This episode features additional music by Jake and Sarah Owen. You can learn more at ToSeeEachOther.org   People’s Action is a national network of 40 state and local grassroots, power-building organizations united in fighting for justice.

Climate change is a relentless disaster. It is wreaking havoc on entire regions, countries, and continents, which will need to be rebuilt and reorganized. While we do all we can to prevent that decimation from happening, we also have to learn from the rebuilding and recovery that we do do. In New Jersey, we get the chance to learn from Hurricane Sandy survivors who refuse to give up and let their community be washed away, against all odds. During this episode of To See Each Other, George talks to members of the New Jersey Organizing Project, who have been building solidarity among Jersey Shore residents since Hurricane Sandy. Co-founder Amanda Devecka-Rinear is joined by Sandy survivors Jody Stewart, a native of Little Egg and NJOP organizer; Alison Arne, an NJOP organizer; and Chuck Griffin, a victim of contractor fraud who has found solidarity through NJOP. Coming from across the political spectrum, NJOP’s membership doesn’t always agree on climate change. But from the wreckage, they have found collective purpose and are remaking their community together.   You can learn more at ToSeeEachOther.org   People’s Action is a national network of 40 state and local grassroots, power-building organizations united in fighting for justice. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Climate change is a relentless disaster. It is wreaking havoc on entire regions, countries, and continents, which will need to be rebuilt and reorganized. While we do all we can to prevent that decimation from happening, we also have to learn from the rebuilding and recovery that we do do. In New Jersey, we get the chance to learn from Hurricane Sandy survivors who refuse to give up and let their community be washed away, against all odds. During this episode of To See Each Other, George talks to members of the New Jersey Organizing Project, who have been building solidarity among Jersey Shore residents since Hurricane Sandy. Co-founder Amanda Devecka-Rinear is joined by Sandy survivors Jody Stewart, a native of Little Egg and NJOP organizer; Alison Arne, an NJOP organizer; and Chuck Griffin, a victim of contractor fraud who has found solidarity through NJOP. Coming from across the political spectrum, NJOP’s membership doesn’t always agree on climate change. But from the wreckage, they have found collective purpose and are remaking their community together.   You can learn more at ToSeeEachOther.org   People’s Action is a national network of 40 state and local grassroots, power-building organizations united in fighting for justice.

The fight for clean water is a form of inequality. The people who are poisoning the well and those who have to drink from it. The people who have access to water and those who don't. The people who can afford to be healthy and those who can't. George takes us to Iowa, to the frontlines of an intergenerational, intersectional fight for the right to clean water and a return to a stewardship of the earth, while local farmers push against corporate greed and environmental contamination. In Iowa, as factory farms have been poisoning the drinking water, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement has been re-imagining what rural Iowa’s community looks like. In this episode, George talks with Hugh Espey, Director of Iowa CCI; Larry Ginter, a retired, third-generation farmer based in Rhodes; Emma Schmit, an organizer with Food and Water Watch; and Lakeisha Perkins, a lifelong Des Moines resident and Iowa CCI community organizer. They’ve discovered that it’s not greed or individualism that bind Iowans together. It’s a concern for everyone’s safety, a commitment to responsible stewardship of the land, and leaning on each other. In honor of the great Joe Fagan.   You can learn more at ToSeeEachOther.org   People’s Action is a national network of 40 state and local grassroots, power-building organizations united in fighting for justice.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The fight for clean water is a form of inequality. The people who are poisoning the well and those who have to drink from it. The people who have access to water and those who don't. The people who can afford to be healthy and those who can't. George takes us to Iowa, to the frontlines of an intergenerational, intersectional fight for the right to clean water and a return to a stewardship of the earth, while local farmers push against corporate greed and environmental contamination. In Iowa, as factory farms have been poisoning the drinking water, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement has been re-imagining what rural Iowa’s community looks like. In this episode, George talks with Hugh Espey, Director of Iowa CCI; Larry Ginter, a retired, third-generation farmer based in Rhodes; Emma Schmit, an organizer with Food and Water Watch; and Lakeisha Perkins, a lifelong Des Moines resident and Iowa CCI community organizer. They’ve discovered that it’s not greed or individualism that bind Iowans together. It’s a concern for everyone’s safety, a commitment to responsible stewardship of the land, and leaning on each other. In honor of the great Joe Fagan.   You can learn more at ToSeeEachOther.org   People’s Action is a national network of 40 state and local grassroots, power-building organizations united in fighting for justice. 

Today we're traveling to Michigan, where we hear how our politics are separating us from our neighbors, from our families, and from our friends — and how listening can bring us back together again. In Michigan, deep listening animates the immigration work of Michigan United. George visits with Ryan Bates, director of Michigan United, and Caitlin Homrich-Knieling, a native of The Thumb, and the leader of Michigan United’s Hometown Voices program. Caitlin organizes volunteers and staff to go door to door, meeting constituents — many of them older and white — where they’re at, and fostering conversations with radical empathy. Just as Caitlin herself has discovered, deep listening helps us rediscover the dignity of everyone’s experience, and helps us rediscover ourselves, as well. You can learn more at ToSeeEachOther.org   People’s Action is a national network of 40 state and local grassroots, power-building organizations united in fighting for justice. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.