BrownTown chops it up with Dixon Romeo, Executive Director of NotMeWe and organizer with the Bring Chicago Home campaign. On March 19th, 2024, Chicago voters have the opportunity in the state primary elections to restructure the already existing, one-time Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) "on properties when they are sold to create a substantial and legally dedicated revenue stream to provide permanent affordable housing for people experiencing homelessness" (BringChicagoHome.org). The gang breaks down the years of organizing it took to get here and the ballot measure itself which increases the existing flat tax from .75% for the total price of all homes to 2% on the home price over $1 million and 3% for on the home price over $1.5 million, yet decreases for all homes under $1 million (~93% of new home buyers). BrownTown and Dixon also push back on real estate lobby-backed lies and places this moment in broader social and political context regarding the mere existence of homelessness in the richest, most powerful country in the world. Get in loser, we're Bringing Chicago Home! Originally recorded March 1, 2024. GUESTSDixon Romeo is a lifelong South Shore resident and executive director of Not Me We, a grassroots community group building power for poor and working-class folks in the neighborhood. Dixon is also an organizer with the Obama Community Benefits Agreement Coalition, which includes organizations across Chicago and residents at risk of being displaced by the Obama Center and the University of Chicago. Follow Dixon on Instagram and Twitter; and NowMeWe on Facebook and Instagram!Support Bring Chicago Home on their website and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! Vote now until March 19, 2024. Watch the SoapBox Micro-doc on Bring Chicago Home! Mentioned in episode and more information:Lightfoot’s Promises to Use Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds to Transform Chicago Falling Short (WTTW)Bring Chicago Home referendum info (WGN, Video)Chicago Coalition for the HomelessFebruary 23rd lawsuit and March 6th appeal win for BCHOpinions on this episode only reflect David, Caullen, and Dixon.CREDITS: Intro soundbite from ABC Chicago. Outro music from Journey by Tobe Nwigwe. Episode photo from Chicago Coalition for the Homeless' website. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

BrownTown sits down with co-authors of the "Girl, I Guess" Progressive Voter Guide, three-peat guest Stephanie Skora and newcomer Raeghn Draper to talk all things 2024 Cook County Democratic Primary Elections. From ethics and attitudes in long-form opinion journalism to new endorsement standards surrounding Palestinian liberation, the gang situates the relationship between electoralism and the Left in this moment and extrapolates its potential for the future. Originally recorded February 8, 2024. GUESTSStephanie Skora is a writer, educator, speaker, organizer, and non-profiteer based in Chicago, Illinois. She lives as a Stone Top hard femme trans Lesbian and working-class anti-Zionist Ashkenazi Jew, and mobilizes her identities to work in solidarity with Palestinians, to queer Jewish spaces, and to fight for justice and liberation for all trans people. Stephanie is the Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer of Brave Space Alliance, serves as Board Treasurer for the Midwest Institute for Sexuality and Gender Diversity, and is the co-author and editor of the "Girl, I Guess" Progressive Voter Guide. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.Raeghn Draper is a Chicago-based writer, community organizer, and hospitality professional originally from Milwaukee, WI. Since 2019, they have been involved in the Chicago social justice scene and co-founded the Chicago Hospitality Accountable Actions Database (CHAAD) Project. This commitment extends to their current role at Futures Institute as the Lead Storyteller, where they blend creativity with a drive for social change. Through their activism and advocacy, they strive to raise awareness of the issues that affect workers of color in the industry and work toward meaningful change. Follow them on Instagram. Mentioned in episode and more information:Previous episodes. 80 & 60 with Stephanie SkoraKim Foxx's trajectory (1, 2, 3, 4)Rossana Rodriguez: Passing the Chicago Ceasefire vote & 2019 election winHow the U.S. Drove Venezuelans North (In These Times)New endorsement standards regarding PalestineBring Chicago Home & its Golden Shrug!Injustice Watch's 2024 Cook County Judicial Primary Election GuideOpinions on this episode only reflect David, Caullen, Stephanie, and Raeghn as individuals, not their organizations or places of work.CREDITS: Intro and outro music from Polls by Piff Marti. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

BrownTown on BrownTown. BnB audio engineer Kiera Battles is back with her behind-the-scenes insights on the podcast as the team discusses the episodes of 2023. Last year brought the continuation of the Whiskey and Watching series, a host of episodes surrounding the 2023 Chicago Municipal Elections, a resurgent discussion of #NoCopAcademy in the midst of the #StopCopCity struggle in Atlanta, and plenty of reflective conversations on the podcast, SoapBox at large, and the direction of the movement media ecosystem. For better or worse, here's to 2024!With 17 total full episodes, 2023 brought 15 guest episodes (6 repeat guests; 8  with 2+ guests), only 1 with no guests, only 2 virtual recordings, 6 series-type episodes, and 2 bonus episodes. In addition to the breakdown, BrownTown chops it up about recording in different locations before settling into the new SoapBox office, their favorite episodes, and their hopes for 2024. Originally recorded December 19, 2023. GUEST: Kiera Battles is the BnB audio engineer and a music industry hopeful. Starting on the stage with choir and orchestra and later transitioning to life behind the scenes, music has always been with her. She began her audio journey during her junior year of high school as part of a vocational program to later get her BA from Columbia College Chicago in Interdisciplinary Studies focusing on Audio Arts with a concentration in live sound as well as Music Business. She continues to work in the audio and business side of the industry while earning her MA in Music Business at Berklee College of Music to later gain the tools and knowledge to start her own company. CREDITS: Audio engineered by Kiera Battles. Episode photo by Aidan Kranz. Listen to all the episodes on your chosen podcast application! For more information on the podcast, check out Bourbon 'n BrownTown on the SoapBox website.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

BrownTown invites Muhammad Sankari from the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) to discuss this current moment in the struggle to Free Palestine. The gang frames Israel's genocide in Gaza and assault on the other territories in historical context with regards to the long history of resistance struggles across the globe. #FreePalestine. Originally recorded December 19, 2023. GUESTMuhammad Sankari is an organizer with the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), a national, multi-generational Palestinian and Arab community-based organization in the U.S. fighting for the total liberation of Palestine. Follow USPCN on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!--Mentioned Topics & More Info:All Out for Palestine - Action ToolkitBlack and Palestinian Organizing ToolkitEpistemicide according to BnB Alum Ricardo GamboaWhite House funding for Weapons Sales in Israel (In These Times)Why Journalists Must Speak out About Gaza (In These Times)South Africans in Israel (Middle East Eye)Confronting colonialist propaganda, Zionism and the Civilized/Holy (TRiiBE)Biden says he has 'no confidence' in Palestinian death count (Reuters)White House walks back Biden’s claim he saw children beheaded by Hamas (Aljazeera)The Ferguson-Palestine connection (1, 2, 3)Hoda Katebi on holding your institutions accountablePro-Palestinian Protesters take Chicago's Lakeshore DriveChicago Elected Staffers demand Ceasefire Resolution (1, 2)"Israeli Diaper Forces"George Khoury of USPCN--CREDITS: Intro song MTAKTAK شب جديد - متكتك by Shabjdeed and outro song 47SOUL by Dabke System. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles. Episode photo by Jordan Esparza.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

BrownTown shares space with frequent collaborator, Isiah “ThoughtPoet” Veney, photographer, A&R, organizer, and overall creative from Chicago's South Side. ThoughtPoet and BrownTown unpack the Afro-futuristic and "hood empathetic" themes of his photography work, his and SoapBox's collaboration in the "One Million Experiments" film, lessons from the 2020 uprisings, and more. What does community-building really look like in Chicago's growing multidisciplinary creative scene when coupled with abolitionist politics and possibilities? Here's their take. Originally recorded October 25, 2023. GUESTIsiah “ThoughtPoet” Veney is a photographer, writer, A&R, and creative director from the Chatham and Burnside area of Chicago. While recently being named a Black history maker by the Chicago Sun Times and ever since his highlighted works with Truestar Magazine showcasing Chicago’s musical talent, he has been on a mission to capture and express powerful opinions and perceptions through imagery and writing. His #HeartMelanin portrait series (since 2013), is a collection of emotions and snapshots of the Black Chicago renaissance. He is also founder of the creative agency Unsocial Aesthetics (site, IG) which helps artists with their creative pursuits while also explaining the Black Chicago origins connected to the scene. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter!--Mentioned Topics:Ep. 95 - HomeChicago Drill 'n' ActivismBlack Chicago Renaissance (TRiiBE)Love and Struggle Photos#SadBoyEnergy (The Prelude) (Chicago Reader)Testimonies from the Land: A photo essay (South Side Weekly)Damon Williams’ "One Hundred Other Jobs" postOne Million Experiments (site, IG posts: 1, 2, 3, 4)Ep. 13 - Chi DNA: Black History & Resistance in Chicago ft. Kofi Ademola--CREDITS: Intro song Chronic Chronicles by Water & Farmabeats and outro song Smoke Anthem by Stock Marley. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles. Episode photo by Jansen B.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

BrownTown on BrownTown. Join Caullen and David as they celebrate BnB's 100th episode with guest hosts and homies Samantha Grund-Wickramasekera and Camille Williams. Sam is a long-time listener and SoapBox board member while Camille was one of the first podcast guests. As collaborators and friends of BrownTown, they have seen the podcast and SoapBox as a whole grow over the years and detail that as they lead a reflection on where the podcast has been, where it is, and where it's going. Here's to 100 more!GUESTSSamantha Grund-Wickramasekera is a proud Chicago native and Chicago Public School graduate who grew up in West Rogers Park. She graduated summa cum laude from DePaul University with a double major in political science and women and gender studies, with a minor in LGBTQ studies. Samantha became a Double Demon when she attended DePaul’s College of Law and graduated with a Juris Doctor and a Healthcare Law certificate in 2017. Since then, she has served as the senior judicial law clerk to the Honorable Franklin U. Valderrama in the Circuit Court of Cook County and as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois. Currently, she serves as an appellate judicial law clerk to the Honorable Cynthia Y. Cobbs in the Illinois Appellate Court, First District, where she reviews and decides state-based criminal and civil appeals. She also serves as an adjunct professor at DePaul’s College of Law, focusing on appellate advocacy. Samantha has served as a board member on Soapbox’s Board of Directors since 2020 and has authored various editorials for the organization. Finally, Samantha is the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and the daughter of a Sri Lankan immigrant. She is proudly brown, Jewish and intersectional, loves lifting weights and playing soccer, will judge a restaurant entirely on the quality of its French fries, and is the mother of the best doggo in the world, Hallo Mahalo.Camille Williams is a South Side resident, a community member whose foundation is built on advocacy. Camille is currently studying Health Science at Rush University and is the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Lead at Chicago Votes.Mentioned Episodes:Ep. 7 - Public Health & The Death Gap ft. Jessica PuriEp. 8.3 - Sexism in Mixed CompanyEp. 14 - Chi DNA: Electoral & Radical Politics ​ft. Camille WilliamsEp. 19 - Happy Father's Day ft. Larone EllisonEp. 25 - *LIVE AT DEPAUL* Chi DNA: Exile, Refuge, & Displacement ft. Jessica Puri & Heavy CrownzEp. 29 - Code Switching ft. Heavy CrownzEp. 37 - Public Health 2.0 ft. Le Greta HudsonEp. 53 - Police Abolition ft. Ariel AtkinsEp. 95 - HomeThe Collective Freedom Project (2021)Whiskey & Watching (2022-Present) Opinions on this episode only reflect Samantha, Camille, David, and Caullen as individuals, not their organizations or places of work. CREDITS: Intro music Celebration by Kool & The Gang and outro instrumental Weakest Link by Woozy & GENTA. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles. Episode photo by Aidan Kranz. Testimonials in order: Genta Tamashiro, Dakota Sillyman, Emma Terrazas, and Ernest Hudson. Listen to all the episodes on your chosen podcast application and SoapBoxPO.com/Podcast for more information.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

BrownTown again chops it up with the Hoodoisie fam, co-host Ricardo Gamboa and Executive Director Mia Carbajal for "Whiskey & Watching." The team deconstructs the darling 90's comedy-drama "I Like It Like That" (1994), the first large studio film directed by a Black woman. The film centers around an Afro-Latina woman in the Bronx whose life is turned upside down when her husband is arrested after trying to steal a radio during a blackout. While he's incarcerated, she is forced to find a way to survive and take care of her family. Through that process, she comes into her own power, changing the dynamics of their relationship and that of the whole neighborhood. From the technical cinematic aspects of the film to decolonial politics it offers, the squad explores how femininity and sexuality is presented, the messiness and necessity of restorative practices, the intersections and limits of adultism and masculinity, and framing the hood as a site for capitalist production. Through the complexity of it all, Ricardo reminds us that revolution is attainable in the universe of relationships and we are lucky enough to rehearse what that looks like. Originally recorded September 2023. GUESTSThe Hoodoisie (1, 2) is a block-optic, radically politicized, biweekly live news show based in a different gentrifying neighborhood every month. Ricardo and Charles invite artists, activists, comedians, saboteurs, political figures, culture makers, and musical guests to share their experiences, perspectives, and talents. The Hoodoisie gives "the chance for everyday people [particularly queer, working-class, and people of color] to engage in the discourse that shapes their lives that they’re often excluded from.” Imagine if The Daily Show got hijacked by radical POC and queers and they brought along a DJ and a bar...that's the Hoodoisie. Come out for a conversation and follow Hoodoisie on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube! Follow Ricardo on Instagram and Twitter and Mia on Instagram and Twitter! CREDITS: Intro soundbite and episode photo from I Like It Like That by Pete Rodriguez. Outro music is Try A Little Tenderness by Otis Redding. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

BrownTown shares space with Chicago Southsider and former #NoCopAcademy organizer Freedom X as they reminisce about the height of the campaign and discuss what the new feature documentary means to them in this moment. Come see the film this #NoCopTOBER and be on the lookout for future screenings at Linktr.ee/NoCopAcademy and SoapBoxPO.com/NoCopAcademy! #NoCopDoc GUESTFreedom X is a Chicago South Side revolutionary who was a youth organizer during the #NoCopAcademy campaign from 2017-2019.--For all things #NoCopAcademy, visit Linktr.ee/NoCopAcademy. Peep NoCopAcademy.com for campaign information (Toolkit, Timeline, Chant Playlist, etc.); follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter; and visit SoapBoxPO.com/NoCopAcademy for all things documentary related! Announcements will also be made via SoapBox Newsletter, sign up!Public screenings as of 10/610/7: International Social Change Film Festival (Chicago)10/10: Announcement for November screenings and more10/15: Gary International Black Film Festival (Gary, IN)10/16: Campaign-produced Screening Malcolm X College (Chicago)10/21: International Social Change Film Festival (Atlanta)No Cop City Anywhere by Benji’s Hart (In These Times)Ep. 26 - Coalition-building & #NoCopAcademy ft. Monica Trinidad & Debbie Southorn CREDITS: Intro from No Cop Academy: The Documentary teaser trailer. Outro from the #NoCopAcademy chant playlist! Audio engineered by Kiera Battles.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

BrownTown talks water access, water solidarity, and abolition as presence with Avalon Betts-Gatson and Tommy Hagan, organizers with the Coalition to Decarcerate Illinois (CDI). From indigenous land back struggles to fighting for clean drinking water for incarcerated peoples, water is the most basic human right. The gang gets meta discussing organizing strategies within coalitions of various ideologies, access points to abolition, and the role of prisons and carceral logics in current campaigns, recent events, and everyday life. Originally recorded September 11, 2023. GUESTSAvalon Betts-Gaston is a Chicago native, non-licensed attorney, ordained minister, and passionate advocate to dismantle, change and build a legal system focused on humane justice and harm reduction, not just punishment.  Avalon made her public debut as an advocate at a young age when she convinced her fellow Congressional pages to protest apartheid outside of the South African embassy in Washington, D.C.  This passion against various societal injustices continued throughout her life and was super-charged and focused on the criminal legal system after she was wrongfully convicted in 2015. She is the first known formerly incarcerated Board Chairperson for Community Renewal Society, and is also on the FreeHer Campaign Advisory Council, a board member of Chicago Votes, a 2022 JLUSA Leading with Conviction Fellow, and is currently the Project Manager at the Illinois Alliance for Reentry & Justice.Tommy Hagan is the Co-Director of the REAL Youth Initiative. He has spent the last 8 years working to build power with currently incarcerated people in the United States. As a student at the University of Chicago, he helped launch the Bridge Writing Workshop, a weekly creative writing workshop at Cook County Jail. Tommy also participated in and co-wrote a published report on Northwestern University’s Children and Family Justice Center’s Reimagining Youth Justice Project. From this report, Tommy helped launch the Final 5 Campaign - a coalition fighting to close the 5 remaining youth prisons in Illinois. Part of the Irish diaspora, Tommy is dedicated to ending practices of settler colonialism, imperialism, and military occupation.Learn more about CDI on their site and their SoapBox page; follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.--Mentioned in episode:#StopCopCity RICO charges & #NoCopAcademyThe Willie Lynch Letter and the Making of a SlaveRuth Wilson Gilmore - racism definition & "Abolition Geography"Bella BAHHS' January 6th article (TRiiBE)Dylan Rodríguez on Millennials Are Killing Capitalism“We can’t have #LandBack without #WaterBack” --Pueblo Action Alliance’s #WaterBack campaignWater access struggles (US): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8Water access struggles (Internat'l): Honduras, Palestine, Bangladesh --CREDITS: Intro from the SoapBox-produced Coalition to Decarcerate Illinois press conference video on April 21, 2022. Outro song Wavy by Tobe Nwigwe. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

BrownTown is delighted to -- for the first time -- share a new series from our movement media fam over at AirGo. Help This Garden Grow is a new six-part podcast documentary series telling the story of Hazel Johnson, a visionary of the Environmental Justice movement and a resident of the Altgeld Gardens community on the far South Side of Chicago. Hazel is the founder of People for Community Recovery, a 40 year-old organization that fights to address the toxic industrial pollution that has been killing the members of her community. Over the course of the multigenerational multipart documentary, hosts Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger talk with organizers, policy-makers, historians, and community members about how PCR emerged and led, the legacy of Ms. Johnson's work, and how this marginalized Chicago pocket built the lineage of today's vibrant, impactful, and necessary modern environmental justice movement. Help This Garden Grow is presented by Respair Production & Media, Elevate, and People for Community Recovery. Subscribe by searching Help This Garden Grow wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify), check out respairmedia.com for more info, and support the work of People for Community Recovery!--Be on the lookout for future screenings of One Million Experiments and new episodes from Bourbon ’n BrownTown including our 100th episode! CREDITS: Intro audio mixing by Kiera Battles. Episode music credits: Contact by Anitek, Sunrise Drive by South Londo HiFi, Intelligent Galaxy by The Insider, Roy by Blanked, Spilled Beans by Gurty Beats, Life Is by Cosimo Fogg, Merry Bay by Ghostwriter Official, Catch My Breath by Ambient Boy, Be Quiet by Jahzzar, Ashes by AANI - produced by Adlai, mixing/mastering by Nicky Young.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

BrownTown chops it up with Alderhomies Rossana Rodriguez (33rd) and Jessie Fuentes (26th) in the inaugural recording within the Harambe Studios at the SoapBox office. Chicago City Council is now the most Black and Latine, the most queer, the most politically left, and with the most female leaders in the city's history (and in some cases, currently in the country). With that, the gang discusses Mayor Johnson first 100 days, progressive city policy, the relationship between representation and the co-struggle for liberation, Twitter trolls, and everything in between. GUESTSAlderwoman Rossana Rodriguez (33rd), now in her second term, is the Chair of the Committee on Health and Human Relations for the Chicago City Council. Rossana was born and raised in Puerto Rico and started organizing at six years old when her community had to fight for access to running water. Organizing soon became a fundamental part of her life and remains her main tool within her work in government. Rossana came to Chicago after austerity and budget cuts forced her to leave her job as a drama teacher in Puerto Rico. She originally moved to Albany Park to work as a theatre director with a youth theatre company 14 years ago and chose to stay and organize around housing, education, immigrant rights, and mental health. She is the chief sponsor for the Treatment Not Trauma legislation and continues to organize with grassroots organizations to transform Chicago. Follow Rossana on Facebook, Instagram, (personal, political) and Twitter (personal, ward). Stay up to date with her City Council work and 33rd ward services at Rossanafor33.org.Alderperson Jessie Fuentes (26th) is a queer Latina grassroots organizer, educator, and public policy advocate with over a decade of experience in education, criminal justice reform, affordable housing, community development and sustainability. A lifelong Chicagoan and resident of the Northwest side, Jessie spent most of her formative years growing up and working in Humboldt Park. Through personal resilience, community support and restorative justice, Jessie turned her most traumatic life experiences into tools to uplift others facing similar circumstances. In her previous roles as an educator and Dean of Students at Roberto Clemente Community Academy and as an organizer around issues of violence prevention, housing affordability, and re-entry for returning citizens, she convened and connected community stakeholders to create community-driven solutions to the biggest problems facing Humboldt Park. Jessie recently served as the Director of Policy and Youth Advocacy at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center. She Co-chaired the Violence Prevention program of the Illinois Latino Agenda and is also a Founding Member of the Illinois Latino Agenda 2.0, focusing on community development and Latine equity. Follow Jessie on Facebook (personal, political), Instagram (personal, political), and Twitter (personal, political). Stay up to date with her City Council work and 26th ward at Jessiefor26thward.com.--Mentioned in episode:Ep. 90 - Electoral & Radical Politics 4.0 ft. Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez & Alderperson-elect Jessie FuentesEp. 91 - Narratives in Media & Documenting Movements 2.0 ft. Morgan Elise JohnsonEp. 94 - Police Abolition 2.0 ft. District Councilors David Orlikoff & Ashley VargasSh*t Talks: Studio Sessions - People Power & ElectoralismChicago’s Progressive Alderpeople Retain Seats, Look To Expand Influence On City Council — And Even Mayor’s Race (Block Club)Chicago Is About To Have The Gayest City Council In The Country (Chicago Magazine)We Have the Most Diverse City Council in Chicago History (Chicago Magazine)Brandon Johnson, LSCs, and police in schools (WBEZ)Treatment Not Truma (1, 2) and the 2022 referendumBring Chicago Home and One Fair WageContentious Co-governance (In These Times) Opinions on this episode only reflect David, Caullen, Rossana, and Jessie as individuals, not their organizations or places of work.--CREDITS: Intro soundbite of Rossana Rodriguez at the 2020 Freedom Square action. Outro song Contra Todo by iLe. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

BrownTown sits down with the original "Ad Man" Justin Stillmaker to reflect on the role of advertising as propaganda, its attempts to co-opt social movement language and optics throughout the past half decade, and the odd trajectory of the term "woke" (and the right-wing obsession with hating it). Now in 2023, with unapologetic anti-LGBTQ+, anti-Black, and anti-labor laws and rhetoric sweeping the country, where do we situate so-called “wokeism” in normalizing hate, harm, and regression? With their varied experiences creating and consuming media as well as involvement in liberatory struggles, BrownTown and Justin try to make sense of the relationship between the current political landscape and the media industry . Originally recorded July 10, 2023. 2019's first installment established advertising as a pillar of consumerism serving as a jester for a larger capitalist economic structure while analyzing the then unique wave of commercials co-opting movement optics and language. Episode 2.0 in early 2021 reflected on the institutional and media landscape post-COVID lockdown, post-George Floyd uprisings, and post-2020 elections, where the movement co-optation skewed towards “uplifting Black voices'' regardless of anti-Black policies, shitty marketing, and the mere fact that the capitalism can’t breed liberation. Full Transcriptions Here! GUESTJustin Stillmaker has been a creative director at Publicis and Leo Burnett and has directed commercials for Disney, Target, Dremel, Nickelodeon, and ComEd. He has worked with Fortune 500 brands from Target to TikTok and has a deep understanding of designing and operating Artificial Intelligence platforms, communicating messaging for emerging brands, and developing the visual language of companies and brands. Justin has directed numerous short films, web series, and music videos that have been screened at dozens of film festivals around the country. He has a deep passion for film, basketball, and terrible puns. Follow Justin on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and his site JustinStillmaker.com. Watch and/or listen to his Twitch show Connect the Dots on YouTube or whoever you find your podcasts.--Mentioned Topics:Episode 95 - HomeChicago Drill 'n' ActivismPaul Ryan likes RATM?SNL sketch on Kendall Jenner's Pepsi AdDave Chappelle & "cancel culture"#MeToo & Anziz Ansari “cancelation” (1, 2)CPD sexual assault allegations--CREDITS: Intro soundbite from The Daily Show and outro Wake Up by Rage Against the Machine. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

BrownTown on BrownTown. As SoapBox (the film and movement media hub that powers Bourbon 'n BrownTown) moves into its first-ever office, Caullen and David discuss their journeys finding and curating spaces to call home, personally and professionally. BrownTown affirms housing as a human right while examining Chicago and America's dialectical relationships -- the housing crisis and Bring Chicago Home legislation, decades of US imperialism and caring for asylum seekers, Wall Street bailouts and billionaire tax breaks while the working many unionize for better workplaces, etc. While films like SoapBox's Calvin's Story (2016) create empathy, we must balance the interpersonal with the need to radically transform systems if we are ever to bring everyone home. Originally recorded June 19, 2023.Full Transcriptions Here!Topics Mentioned:Ep. 64 - Non-Profit Industrial Complex ft. Lizette GarzaHot Ones event with Digs With DignityChicago Coalition for the HomelessCorporate landlords (1, 2)--CREDITS: Intro soundbite from PBS Newshour and outro music Dirty Money by Diddy ft. Skylar Grey. Episode photo by James  Murray of SoapBox. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Support

BrownTown breaks down the relationship between police abolition and state-sanctioned police accountability measures with newly elected Police District Councilors David Orlikoff and Ashley Vargas. The guests square their PIC abolitionist organizing roots with the new accountability structure, Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA), for the Chicago Police Department. Three years after the first installment in the midst of the 2020 uprisings, BrownTown and the organizers-turned-electeds re-contextualize the path to abolition with the paradoxes, nuances, benefits, and challenges of this new structure on the foreground of the decades-long demand for community control over the police. Originally recorded June 19, 2023.Full Transcripts Here!GUESTSDavid is a grassroots organizer from Chicago who moved to the Northwest side 10 years ago. He was the Defund CPD Outreach Lead for the 35th Ward, where they received over 2,500 petition signatures and 71 group endorsements to reduce CPD's budget by 75% and reinvest in solutions that provide the care our communities need. He became very involved in organizing during college with Occupy Chicago, marching against the banks that stole millions of families' homes and then got huge handouts while people suffered.Ashley was born and raised in Logan Square. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and the youngest of 5 children. She ran and won as a write-in candidate for the 14th District Police District Council. She began to get involved in her community during high school, organizing for immigrant rights and affordable housing. Now, she has worked in successful grassroots campaigns and plans to continue her work of liberating marginalized people. Follow David on Ashley on Instagram. Topics Mentioned and GlossaryThe youth are on fire by Jim Daley (Chicago Reader)Progressive primary winner loses Buffalo New York Mayorship to write-in (AP)LAPD Officers’ Union Lists 28 Calls for Service That Someone Else Can Handle (Los Angeles Magazine)Abolition resources in the 1.0 descriptionTermsOPS = Office of Professional Standards which turned into IPRA = Independent Police Review Authority which turned into the present-day  COPA = Civilian Office of Police AccountabilityCAARPR = Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political RepressionCPAC = Civilian Police Accountability CouncilGAPA = Grassroots Alliance for Police AccountabilityECPS = Empower Communities for Public Safety (which turned into...)CCPSA = Community Commission for Public Safety and AccountabilityBIA = Bureau of Interval AffairsSAFE-T Act--CREDITS: Intro soundbite from Police District Council swearing in and outro music from BnB alum Fiendish. Episode photo by Darius Griffin of The TRiiBE. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Support

BrownTown virtually visits Atlanta and chops it up with Chelle Sanders and Jasmine Burnett, organizers with #StopCopCity. Chicago’s #NoCopAcademy and Atlanta’s #StopCopCity movements are part of the same struggle: to end violent policing, protect the environment and defend Black and brown lives. As similar as they are, only years apart, they also both vary in terms of structure and place-based history. Still, the Black-led, multi-racial constellations of grassroots organizations, concerned citizens, and organizers worked and are working to stop their municipalities from investing into a new police compound and divert those resources into the community and life-affirming networks of care. Building coalition and growing more general solidarity both bring strength in the very same ways they can prove difficult to navigate with groups/people coming to an issue from different perspectives, ideologies, and tactics. BrownTown, Chelle, and Jasmine unpack these struggles and the corresponding #DefendAtlantaForest effort to uplift our collective fights for liberation.Full Transcriptions Here!GUESTSChelle is an organizer with EndstateATL, an ATL-based organization committed to the liberation of Black folk everywhere and building the future we imagine with a Black Queer Feminist politic. Chelle has organized with ESA for four years facilitating political education sessions from abolition to alternative economic systems and connecting Black folks in the city to mutual aid resources, building community along the way. In the fight to Stop Cop City, Chelle co-coordinated and facilitated the 2021 fellowship hosted by In Defense of Black Lives that helped to jumpstart the Black Stop Cop City coalition. Today, that coalition continues to build community with the Black folks who will be most impacted by its construction.Jasmine is an Atlanta native and abolitionist organizer with Community Movement Builders who has been building power in the Black community around displacement, gentrification, and to Stop Cop City.Follow Stop Cop City on Instagram and Twitter and follow Defend Atlanta Forest on Instagram and Twitter. More information on episode topics:Atlanta Community Press CollectiveGet involved with Stop Cop City For Our Futures CampaignNo Cop City Anywhere by Benji’s Hart (In These Times)#NoCopAcademy Site, Toolkit, and ReportEp. 26 - Coalition-building & #NoCopAcademy ft. Monica Trinidad & Debbie Southorn CREDITS: Intro and outro soundbite a #StopCopCity protest in March 2023. Intro speaker is former #NoCopAcademy organizer Destiny Harris. Inserts within the episode are from SoapBox's No Cop Academy: The Documentary. Episode graphic from Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

BrownTown shares space with the Hoodoisie hosts Ricardo Gamboa and Charles Preston and Executive Director Mia Carbajal in the return of "Whiskey & Watching." BrownTown and the Hoodoise deconstruct the Oscar Best Picture "Everything Everywhere All At Once" (2022): When an interdimensional rupture unravels reality, a middle-aged Chinese immigrant must channel her newfound powers to fight bizarre and bewildering dangers from the multiverse as the fate of her family and the world hangs in the balance. From philosophical nodes on decision-making under capitalism to nihilism in modern activism, the squad brings in their perspectives on love, queerness, combatting patriarchy, growing up in immigrant families, and the opportunities for grounded representation of people of color in media. Through the heaviness of it all, Charles just encourages us to, "embrace the whimsical."Full Transcriptions Here!GUESTSThe Hoodoisie (1, 2) is a block-optic, radically politicized, biweekly live news show based in a different gentrifying neighborhood every month. Ricardo and Charles invite artists, activists, comedians, saboteurs, political figures, culture makers, and musical guests to share their experiences, perspectives, and talents. The Hoodoisie gives "the chance for everyday people [particularly queer, working-class, and people of color] to engage in the discourse that shapes their lives that they’re often excluded from.” Imagine if The Daily Show got hijacked by radical POC and queers and they brought along a DJ and a bar...that's the Hoodoisie. Come out for a conversation and follow Hoodoisie on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube! Follow Ricardo on Instagram and Twitter; Charles on Instagram and Twitter; and Mia on Instagram and Twitter! CREDITS: Intro soundbite and episode photo from Everything Everywhere All At Once. Outro music is Foldin Clothes by J. Cole. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

BrownTown reflects on the 2023 Chicago municipal elections and the importance of disrupting dominant media narratives with Morgan Elise Johnson, filmmaker, publisher, and co-creator of the TRiiBE, an award-winning digital publication and production company dedicated to reshaping the narrative of Black Chicago.Local, community, and especially radical and movement-based actors in radio, film, podcasts, and documentation have greatly disrupted the broader media landscape in the past decade for the better. BrownTown and Morgan discuss all the things from her presence on the WGN run-off election panel, the history and spectacle of political punditry, the real meaning of "tough on crime" rhetoric and what it obscures, to the harmful journalistic myth of objectivity and the violent status quo it upholds. How do we use these mediums, skills, experiences, and analyses to challenge the false/misinformed dominant narratives and uplift radical politics while continuing to access mass audiences in the ever-changing, fast-paced digital ecosystem? Here's their take. Originally recorded April 27, 2023.Full Transcriptions Here!GUESTMorgan (she/her) is an independent filmmaker and publisher based in Chicago who is creating and preserving Black history. Most recently, she produced Unapologetic (2020). Morgan’s documentary career was born at Northwestern University and grew at Milwaukee-based production house, 371 Productions, where she produced and co-directed her first documentary, There Are Jews Here (PBS/WORLD CHANNEL, 2016). She also associate produced a Virtual Reality exploration of abortion clinic harassment called Across The Line (2016) which premiered at Sundance Film Festival’s New Frontiers exhibit. Her life and career evolved when she co-created The TRiiBE in 2018. Morgan has earned a spot on DOC NYC’s 40 under 40 list (2021), the Rolling Stones Cultural Council and Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Media Class of 2019. Follow Morgan on Instagram, and Twitter! and the TRiiBE on their site, Instagram, and Twitter!--Mentioned and related:First installment Ep. 70 ft. Mateo ZapataAre there too many Black people running for Chicago mayor? Residents weigh in by Tonia Hill (TRiiBE)Editorial: Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson found a place in his acceptance speech for God. But not Barack Obama. (Chicago Tribune)Brandon Johnson’s Ground Game Defeats Obama Machine in Chicago by Luke Goldstein (American Prospect)Activist and BnB alum Damon Williams on the '23 election (before, after)Tonia and Tiffany of the TRiiBE on Ben Joravsky’s podcastObama Library Lease, 19 Acres For $10 by Heather Cherone (Block Club Chicago)Benji Hart's Twitter post - election highlights and reflective thoughts--CREDITS: Intro soundbite from Mateo Zapata, guest on the first installment of Narratives in Media & Documenting Movements, Episode 70 and outro soundbite from Tahman Bradley of WGN on run-off election night, April 4, 2023. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

BrownTown continues to dialogue about the relationship between electoral and radical politics with Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez and Alderperson-elect Jessie Fuentes. With the historic 2023 Chicago municipal elections in the rearview, the team situates what this never-before-seen cohort of socialist and progressive alderpeople and new mayor means in terms of the city's social movements and political history. If electoralism is a mere tool in the toolbox in the work towards collective liberation, what potential does this new energy from Chicago's Left have to facilitate the conditions for political and social transformation?In this fourth installment, BrownTown and the alders discus everything from the decades-long history of mayors and movement, voter turnout, the power of relationships in organizing, to pop culture-saavy internet memes. We've witnessed the number of socialist and progressive alders grow exponentially from 2015 to 2019 to 2023. As insiders, Byron and Jessie share about going from movement to municipal government while all four unpack the nuances of sustaining a liberatory praxis in relationship to the state apparatus. Originally recorded April 6, 2023, two days after the municipal run-off elections.Full Transcription Here!GUESTSAlderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) came to the US alone as a teenager where he found care in teachers, coaches, and community members who gave him shelter, guidance, taught him English, and a pathway to a good education. He eventually settled in Pilsen, a historic immigrant working class neighborhood in Chicago, and worked as an adult education teacher, founding the bilingual adult education program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Byron became politically active when he successfully lead community efforts to keep a neighborhood public school open after then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel attempted to close it. Later, he served as the Director of the Pilsen Alliance and co-founding the campaign to Lift the Ban on rent control in Illinois. As alderman, Byron was the Chief Sponsor of an ordinance to curtail harassment of homeowners who have been targeted by predatory developers. He is a member of the Chicago DSA. Byron holds a BS in Mathematics and Business Administration, an MS in Economics, and is currently a PhD candidate in Urban Education Policy. Follow Byron on Facebook (political), Instagram (personal, political), and Twitter (personal, political). Stay up to date with his City Council work and 25th ward services at 25thward.org.Alderperson-elect Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) is a queer Latina grassroots organizer, educator, and public policy advocate with over a decade of experience in education, criminal justice reform, affordable housing, community development and sustainability. A child of Humboldt Park and a seasoned organizer, Jessie’s lived experience overcoming poverty, violence and generational trauma, coupled with her professional accomplishments, prepared her to serve the residents of the 26th Ward. Through personal resilience, community support, and restorative justice she was able to turn her most challenging life experiences into tools to uplift others facing similar life circumstances. Jessie sees her new role in City Council as a message to young people that transformation and change are possible and that one’s life circumstances do not dictate their destiny. Follow Jessie on Facebook (personal, political), Instagram (personal, political), and Twitter (personal, political). Stay up to date with her upcoming City Council work at Jessiefor26thward.com. Mentioned or alluded to in episode:Previous installments: (1.0 with Camille Williams (2018), 2.0 with Ald. Maria Hadden (pre-COVID 2020), 3.0 with Stephanie Skora (fall 2020))Chicago’s Progressive Alderpeople Retain Seats, Look To Expand Influence On City Council — And Even Mayor’s Race (Block Club Chi)Caullen's election Instagram highlights -- memes and commentary :)Commentary | An appeal to Chicago’s Black voters: don’t fear your liberation by Damon Williams (TRiiBE)The Revolutionary Column | The War on Gangs stunted our growth by Bella BAHHS (TRiiBE)Midwest Socialist Article on 2023 Municipal Elections by Chris O.Brandon Johnson’s Ground Game Defeats Obama Machine in Chicago by Luke Goldstein (The American Prospect)Election Night Coverage: Morgan Elise-Johnson (of the TRiiBE) on WTTWEve Ewing’s Instagram post on electoralism and movementBenji Hart's Twitter post -- election highlights and reflective thoughtsEpisode Note: Byron SIGCHO-Lopez is NOT RAYMOND Lopez, despite what David may say... Opinions on this episode only reflect David, Caullen, Byron, and Jessie as individuals, not their organizations or places of work.--CREDITS: Intro soundbite from Brandon Johnson's April 4, 2023 mayoral election victory speech. Outro song Chi City by Common. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles. Episode photo by Davon Clark.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

BrownTown again invites Hannah Linsky (she/her), vintage stylist, seller, educator, and liver and breather of all things fashion to unpack the politics of dress. In part 2, the friends go macro and discuss fashion within current and historical social movements and its impact on policy and popular culture. From Scottish Resistance to the Black Panthers to Iran's Hijab Protest Movement and everything in between, we understand that dress communicates strong cultural messages. Though often created out of specific contexts, these stylings last generations, travel across cultures, and make us investigate our notions of respectability, autonomy, and mobilization. “If fashion resists power, it is also a compelling form of it,” (Tansy Hoskins). Listen to Episode 85, Part 1!Full Transcription Here!GUEST: Hannah Linsky is a vintage stylist, seller, occasional model and avid collector. She lives and breathes fashion and loves playing dress up almost as much as she loves talking fashion. She is a recent graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she earned her Master’s in Art Education. Her work Revolutionary Dress (site, Instagram) centers around examining historical movements through the lens of dress."Past social and political movements provide a basis for conversations about race, class, gender, sexuality, ability and culture, while dress acts as a vehicle to move the conversations from past events to the personal, present and future. Learning about the power of dress in historical movements allows for a wide range of new material to supplement common subjects already covered in educational spaces. It opens up space for discussions about social structures, culture and self-reflection."  -RevDress Mentioned in episode:Hoda Katebi's Work -- Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Websiteon WGN-TV,  "You don't sound American"on France's hijab ban and the Iran hijab protests (1, 2)2016: Beyoncé at 2016 Super Bowl and #RememberRekia Action in ChicagoNWA, Los Angeles Raiders, and the Straight Outta LA documentary (1, 2, 3)SoapBox's What's Beef? documentary on neoliberalism, gangsta rap, and NWAMexican RebozoPunk Attitude documentary and Pistol TV Miniseries CREDITS: Intro soundbite from Hoda Katebi on WGN-TV. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles. Episode photo by Hannah Linsky. --Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

BrownTown on BrownTown. Now-BnB audio engineer Kiera Battles makes her debut bringing in behind-the-scenes insights to the podcast as the gang unpacks the episodes, new series, and various recording environments that made up 2022. For better or worse, here's to 2023!With 11 total full episodes, this shortened year brought 8 guest episodes (3 repeat guests), only 1 with no guests, and 2 new series (1 ongoing; 1 completed). In addition to breaking down 2022 episodes, BrownTown chops it out about episodes from 2021, the unofficial "in the age of spin" framework throughout the tenure of BnB, recording virtually versus in-person and switching locations, unions for creative industries, as well as body positivity and fat liberation. Full Transcriptions Here! GUEST: Kiera Battles is the BnB audio engineer and all around audio extraordinaire who has been into music ever since starting the violin in the 4th grade and joining a choir in high school. She began her audio journey her junior year of high school and has enjoyed it ever since. Kiera graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2022 with an Interdisciplinary degree in Audio Arts and Music Business and is currently pursuing a masters in the field at Berklee College of Music. Within these departments, she hopes to break into the music industry through both the audio and the business world! CREDITS: Audio engineered by Kiera Battles. Episode photo by Aidan Kranz. Listen to all the episodes on your chosen podcast application! For more information on the podcast, check out Bourbon 'n BrownTown on the SoapBox website.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support