Welcome Change: Ending Casteist Policing

Casteist discrimination in India was codified into law in 1871 by the British colonial authorities when they enacted the Criminal Tribes Act branding several nomadic and tribal communities as “hereditary criminals” – criminals by birth, enforced through the institution of policing. Though this law was repealed in 1952, the devastating taint of criminality for these communities has persisted through vague laws and casteist policing. Lawyer and social entrepreneur Nikita Sonavane founded the Criminal Justice and Police Accountability Project in Bhopal, India to end the disproportionate targeting of oppressed caste communities by the criminal justice system.

On September 7 she joined us to share how they are bringing transparency to policing and addressing systemic discrimination – with lessons relevant across the globe.

Welcome Change: Lessons from Argentina - Expanding trans rights (EN)

Tune in to hear from Buenos Aires-based social entrepreneur Francisco Quiñones Cuartas about a pioneering high school for trans students that he cofounded and leads. We’ll also hear how Francisco - with his colleagues and students - helps companies and state and local governments build stronger organizations by welcoming diverse perspectives and life experiences. This conversation will be in Spanish with simultaneous English interpretation.

Welcome Change: Roma Women Leading Across Generations

Though by some estimates Roma people make up nearly 10 percent of Romania’s population, patterns of racism and social exclusion persist there and across Europe. Ashoka Fellow Carmen Gheorghe founded E-Romnja to bring Roma women out of the shadows as shapers of solutions for their communities. By strengthening intergenerational bonds, they are building civic, economic and organizing power to address housing and infrastructure issues, as well as gender, sexual and reproductive rights.

On June 29, 2022 we heard from Carmen about the birth of Roma feminism in Romania, and how moving at the speed of trust paved the way for resilient community responses during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Welcome Change: Telling the whole story, including what's working

On this episode of Welcome Change, Fellows David Bornstein and Morgan Dixon talk about solutions journalism, moral imagination, agency, framing assets, the role of curiosity, and more, with David sharing: “If you go to a doctor's office, and the doctor spends the entire time telling you how sick you are and never mentions treatment options, that’s a bad appointment. That’s the appointment we have when we meet a lot of media today.”

Guests are: David Bornstein - social entrepreneur, author, journalist, and co-founder of Solutions Journalism Network, a global network of newsrooms, editors, and reporters advancing journalism that is solutions-based. With convo host Morgan Dixon, also an Ashoka Fellow, and co-founder of GirlTrek, the largest health network of Black women in America, and a creator of GirlTrek's "Black History Bootcamp" podcast. Morgan is a board member of SJN.

Welcome Change: Making open prisons the norm in India

Kolkata-based social entrepreneur Smita Chakraburtty got a strange call one day as she was crisscrossing India researching inhumane conditions in prisons. The director general of Rajasthan's prisons had an emergency: the people imprisoned there did not want to leave. Why? The northern Indian state of Rajasthan has had an open prison system since the 1950s, where people are free to come and go, to live with their families and to work as long as they respect a daily curfew.

Smita immediately traveled there to speak with hundreds of people who are imprisoned and learn what was right with that system. Shortly thereafter, she founded Prison Aid & Action Research (Paar) to normalize open prisons across India.

Welcome Change: Cultivating healthy masculinities & uplifting fathers

What does it mean to be a man in America? Or a father? What should it mean? And how can we incorporate men more fully as partners in both child rearing and in the continued movement for gender equity?

On this episode of Welcome Change, we heard two Ashoka Fellows’ perspectives on these questions and more. Dr. Charles C. Daniels Jr. launched Father’s Uplift, the U.S.'s first mental health treatment facility for fathers and their families. Meanwhile, Gary Barker is a leading global voice in engaging men and boys in advancing gender equality and positive masculinities. He is the founder of Promundo and co-founder of MenEngage, a global alliance working in 70 countries

Welcome Change: How radical hope sustains us

On this episode of Welcome Change, we'll hear from Ashoka Fellows Rev. Jennifer Bailey and Angelou Ezeilo on how radical hope sustains us all - and especially Black women - through grief, loss, and seasons of change (and changemaking). The conversation will pick up on themes of Jen's new book: To My Beloveds.

Welcome Change: Open-sourcing human rights investigations

When the Syria uprising started nearly 10 years ago, witness account videos of chemical attacks and bombed hospitals started appearing on social media and news reports. International human rights investigators couldn't get into the country, but citizens were risking their lives to document and share the abuses and war crimes on the ground.

When many social media platforms and governments started taking down this potential evidence from the Internet, Ashoka Fellow Hadi al Khatib understood that new open-source tools, methods and content moderation policies were needed. He founded the Syrian Archive in 2014, and Mnemonic in 2017, to properly archive and fact-check footage that would become an invaluable accountability tool to both journalists and future human rights investigations. So far, they've preserved and verified more than 3.5 million digital records from more than 3,000 sources, enabling criminal investigations by judicial authorities in Germany, France, and Sweden, among others.

Welcome Change: Young changemakers building a better future for people & planet

Young people have deservedly been in the spotlight as the leaders of new climate action movements around the world. But don’t be fooled! Young people are not simply outraged and anxious about the future of our planet. They are also leading us into a brighter future, crafting real solutions to address the problems that surround us.

On this episode of Welcome Change, listen in to see the future through the eyes of young changemakers from Indonesia & Brazil. With pragmatic optimism, Ara, Luan & Rafa are addressing e-waste, deforestation and sustainable agriculture. Whether or not they are the ones making decisions at this year's COP26, there is no doubt they are forging a critical path forward.

Welcome Change: Brazil’s indigenous rights & the future of land stewardship (English)

Indigenous groups and their allies across Brazil have been mobilizing amidst the Bolsonaro government's latest brazen attempt to roll back indigenous rights and bolster the economic interests of powerful agribusinesses. Brazil's Supreme Court is currently debating a case referred to as Marco Temporal that could substantially reduce constitutionally protected indigenous territories. History is unfolding before our eyes, with little attention from the press and world leaders.

In this episode of Welcome Change we'll hear from Ashoka Fellows and a Young Changemaker as they reflect in real-time about the impact of this pending ruling on indigenous rights, sustainable land stewardship, and democracy writ-large. We will be joined by Joênia Wapichana, Brazil's first female indigenous federal deputy, Ednei Arapiun, young indigenous leader from the Tapajós region, and Kátia Brasil, journalist and co-founder of Amazônia Real.

Welcome Change: Overcoming financial trauma & building wealth

How can we close the wealth gap for women of color in the U.S. - and particularly Black women? More financial literacy is not the answer, says Ashoka social entrepreneur Chloe McKenzie – as a solution, it overlooks the root causes of financial trauma. In this episode of Welcome Change we'll hear from Chloe about her team's whole-community approach that nurtures the wealth-building capabilities of Black women and girls and gives roles for all, including teachers, parents, cultural institutions, and policymakers. We'll also explore why a re-frame of "wealth justice" is helpful and necessary, especially at a moment when American banks and other financial institutions are committing billions to addressing the country's racial and gender wealth gaps.

Welcome Change: Nigeria's Twitter ban & what it means for democracy

Nigeria instituted a Twitter ban nation-wide on June 4, threatening "prosecution of offenders," after Twitter deleted a violence-inciting tweet by Nigerian President Buhari. Some believe this most recent move could be a precursor to further democratic clampdowns and an internet shutdown - a practice used in 29 countries last year to silence protests, sway elections or hide human rights violations.

As the clash between nation states and "cloud nations" intensifies, regular citizens are stepping up to defend democratic norms. On this episode, we speak with Ashoka Fellow 'Gbenga Sesan of Paradigm HQ about building civic power and defending digital rights & inclusion across the African continent.

Welcome Change: Young changemakers building a Bangladesh free of child marriage

Globally 23 girls under the age of 18 are married every minute, and the numbers are rising amidst the pandemic. 

On this session, we speak with Dola, a young changemaker from Bangladesh, who is mobilizing teenagers like herself to build a Bangladesh free of child marriage. In the last two years, Dola and her team have stopped more than 600 child marriages and she is only getting started. 

Welcome Change: Indigenous traditions & the future of food systems

How can Indigenous traditions inspire and inform a more sustainable food system?

On this episode of Welcome Change we hear from incoming Ashoka social entrepreneur Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota), founder of Minneapolis-based Sioux Chef, NATIFS, and Indigenous Food Lab. Sean has extensively studied Native American farming techniques, wild food usage and harvesting, land stewardship, food preservation, and more, in order to revitalize Native American cuisine.

Guiding the conversation will be Ashoka Fellow Paula Daniels, founder of Center for Good Food Purchasing, who is working toward sustainable regional food systems throughout the country, including her home state of Hawai'i.

Welcome Change: The right to sign - Deaf culture & language access

About 95% of Deaf children are born to hearing parents - as a result, many do not learn sign language early in life when it matters most for cognitive and emotional development. 

On this episode of Welcome Change, we'll check in with Melissa Malzkuhn, founder of Motion Light Lab at Gallaudet University and creator of bilingual (ASL-English) digital storybooks for Deaf children. Melissa is 3rd generation Deaf and from a family of storytellers. She'll share what's ahead for language access, and game-changing projects coming up at the Lab. Think: motion capture technology for 3D signing!

Welcome Change: From Trans* visibility to liberation: building a gender equal world

Recent years have seen far more visibility for Trans* people in media & politics in many parts of the world. But as we know from changemakers working in this area, visibility has yet to translate into liberation & full citizenship. While some countries are beginning to recognize the right to gender self-determination, many continue to pass discriminatory laws - from “bathroom bills” in parts of the U.S. to the Transgender Persons Bill in India.

On this episode, we speak with Dr. Akkai Padmashali, live from Bangalore, about her approach to building a world that works for all of us. Co-founder of Ondede, she has been trailblazing new paths for India’s sexual minorities to lead change and build political power, in coalition with allied movements, such as those advancing the rights of children and women.

The * in Trans* indicates the inclusion of other gender identities such as gender-fluid, agender, etc. alongside transgender and transsexual.

Welcome Change: From rights to jobs: LGBTQ+ liberation in the Arab World with Tarek Zeidan

Before the Beirut Port blast last August that killed hundreds and destroyed entire neighborhoods, Lebanon’s economy was already under enormous pressure due to long-standing political challenges and the Covid pandemic. Amid all of this, Lebanon’s LGBTQIA+ community has been particularly hard hit. Come meet social entrepreneur Tarek Zeidan who is building a better economic future for Lebanon by elevating queer voices. The conversation will run about 30 minutes. Bring your questions!

Welcome Change: Creating community wealth & economies that work for everyone

In this session of Welcome Change, we hear from Tim Lampkin in Clarksdale, Mississippi, about how he and his team at Higher Purpose Co. are expanding Black ownership - of businesses, homes, and land - and resourcing a statewide network of entrepreneurs, artists, and farmers with deep roots in the region. Listen and learn about what's working in the Mississippi Delta, and what lessons can extend to rural economies elsewhere. Bring your questions!

Welcome Change: Better Pathways to Asylum, with Swapna Reddy

While in law school in 2015, Ashoka Fellow Swapna Reddy started the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project to bring emergency legal aid to asylum seekers and push for systemic reform.

In this conversation we talk to Swapna about her changemaker journey, the border crisis, and the future she sees: where the United States welcomes individuals and families who are fleeing violence.

Welcome Change: Why we need data for Black Lives, with Yeshimabeit Milner

Algorithms may be hidden from most of us, yet they are shaping many aspects of our lives - and they perpetuate systemic racism.

In this conversation, you'll hear from Ashoka Fellow Yeshimabeit Milner who co-founded Data 4 Black Lives and Ashoka's, Konstanze Frischen. Learn how biases and discriminatory practices land in algorithms in healthcare, education, economic development, and the criminal justice system, and how a movement of mathematicians, tech experts, and community changemakers use data and movement building as tools for a more equitable world.