Ellie 2.0 - Am950 The Progressive Voice Of Minnesota

Our featured idealist is Van Jones, best-selling author, nonprofit creator, and CNN commentator, who’s used his imagination to change the social justice landscape. The Big Interview is with Fawzia Kahn, a physician-turned-artist, whose installation, “Becoming Visible,” highlights the invisible roles that women play. I’m happy to say that I was one of the women featured…

This week’s show begins by highlighting Darnella Frazier, the then-17-year-old who videoed Derek Chauvin as he suffocated the life out of George Floyd. I refer Darnella as a “defacto idealist” who may not have intended to change the world that afternoon, but yet still did so in a way that few could ever seek to…

Our featured idealist is Katie Porter, the California Congresswoman who represents Orange County and who’s known for using a whiteboard when questioning witnesses testifying before Congress. The Big Interview is with Sondra Samuels who shares about The Itasca Project’s “First Thousand Days” initiative aimed at protecting the physical and mental health of babies in their…

We begin by learning about McKenzie Scott, the former Mrs. Jeff Bezos, whose estimated $63 billion net worth makes her the richest woman in the world. An accomplished author, she has signed onto the Giving Pledge, vowing to give away half her wealth before she dies. The Big Interview is an encore interview of Mary…

This week’s idealist is Steven Donziger, an attorney who took on Chevron for polluting the Ecuadoran jungle and won a $9.5 billion judgment. When Donziger attempted to collect the judgment, Chevron fought back; now Donziger is on his 600th+ day of home confinement awaiting a contempt of court trial. The Big Interview is with Jamey…

A Live Show! Our theme is “Making Amends” and we begin by highlighting “The Longoria Affair” that arose in 1949 when a Three Rivers, Texas funeral home refused to allow a wake at the funeral home for Felix Z. Longoria, Jr., a Latino Army private killed in WWII and whose body was returned 4 years…

Our highlighted idealist is Marc Elias, an attorney who’s represented the Democratic National Committee and many other Dem entities; he also served as general counsel to the election campaigns of John Kerry and Hillary Clinton. Most importantly, he oversaw efforts to protect President Biden’s win versus the Big Lie about election fraud and he’s now…

We begin with a story about Stockton CA’s experiment of giving 125 random people $500/mo. for two years, no string attached. The results of this experiment are in and they show that overwhelmingly, people didn’t spend the stipend on cigarettes or alcohol, but instead on necessities in ways that greatly improved their lives. I also…

Our featured historical idealist is Chiune Sugihara, who as a Japanese diplomat posted to Lithuania in the summer of 1940 provided thousands of visas to Jews seeking to escape persecution. By some estimates, Chiune’s actions benefited 100,000 people (those who escaped and their descendants). The Big Interview is with Benya Kruas, co-founder of Lead for…

With this Ellie’s Talking Head Show, I start out highlighting Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland’s 8th District, who served as impeachment manager for the second impeachment. I then pivot to a wonderful story about a Louisiana man buying a basketball hoop for an eight-year-old-boy he saw using a garbage can for a hoop. From there,…

It’s a rare live Show! The theme is “Sacrificing for the Common Good”; would you be willing to give up money or resources or time or a luxury to benefit others who didn’t have the same opportunities as you? I also highlight U.S. Capitol police officer Eugene Goodman, who’s quick thinking and bravery on January…

We start the show with an explanation of how Black History Month originated; from there, we pivot to Rosa Parks and the little-known story of the sacrifices she and her family made in the wake of her 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her Montgomery, Alabama bus seat for a white-color person. The Big…

This week I give an update on Amanda Gorman, who’s been selected to read poetry at the Super Bowl—a first! I also share about a man who was spotted $12 by a Cedar Rapids HyVee checker; that man later launched a GoFundMe to honor the checker’s generosity. So far, the GoFundMe has raised $4700+. The…

It’s an Ellie’s Talking Head Show and this week’s featured idealist is Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old Poet Laureate who recited at the Inaugural. I also share about two instances of humans being good to other humans. In my C-Block, I make an offer to speak at schools and churches in my effort to spread a…

We begin with an audio blog post by Frank Schaeffer, a former evangelical conservative turned liberal democrat who talks about the January 6th insurrection being the product of evangelical white nationalism. The Big Interview is with Jen Bowen of the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, which helps humans experiencing incarceration tell their written stories. In the…

Our first show of ’21 has a nonprofit, Invisible People, and its founder, Mark Horvath, featured for their work in telling the stories of humans who are experiencing homelessness. The Big Interview is with U of M professor Dr. Keith Mayes, who talks about historical and current-day structural racism in the Twin Cities. In the…

We’ve got a holiday show with Attorney Larry McDonough, a nationally-recognized expert on landlord-tenant law, who talks about the plight of renters in Minnesota and the eviction moratoriums that are in place. Larry—a man for all seasons—is also an accomplished pianist and vocalist, so in between important information sharing about how the virus has adversely…

We start today’s show highlighting PandemicofLove.com, a mutual aid organization that directly matches donors with people in need; in barely 9 months, the organization has helped to transfer $40M in resources to folks in need. The Big Interview is with Kate Cimino of Citizens League, where we hear about the incredible work this 6-person nonprofit…

It’s an Ellie’s Talking Head Show! We start out highlighting Poetic Justice, an Oklahoma nonprofit that teaches writing and poetry to women who are incarcerated. In lieu of The Big Interview, I talk about allyship and share stories of how a neighborhood in North Little Rock Arkansas showed unique support for a family that was…

We begin by highlighting an Atlantic Magazine interview of the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II re: the need to avoid returning to “normal” (e.g. historical inequity) with the Biden-Harris Administration. The Big Interview is an encore of my March 2020 interview with Caitlin Rogers of Next Day Animations—you’ll love this young idealist’s spunk and…