The Signal

The Signal | Fighting for Women’s Rights with 365 Foundation Executive Director Natalie Venezia

Natalie Venezia is Executive Director of the 365 Foundation,  which promotes women's empowerment through art, advocacy, and community service. As a local, key figure in the feminist movement, Natalie is at the forefront of the Foundation's efforts to empower women and promote gender equality. Through strategic partnerships with local organizations and a steadfast commitment to advocating for women's rights, 365 Foundation is leaving a significant imprint on the Lansdale community, by fostering a more inclusive and equitable society. As we wind down Women’s History Month, I’m glad to welcome Natalie to the podcast to talk about her organization and how they are fighting for a better future for women – and everyone else.
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Book Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Issue 
After Misogyny: How the Law Fails Women and What to Do about It, by Julie Suk
Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America, by Dahlia Lithwick
Herstory: 50 Women and Girls Who Shook Up the World (Stories That Shook Up the World), by Katherine Halligan and Sarah Walsh (Illustrator)
Feminism for the 99%: A Manifesto, by Cinzia Arruzza, Tithi Bhattacharya, and Nancy Fraser
Books Through Bars: Stories From the Prison Books Movement, by Moira Marquis and Dave "Mac" Marquis 
ALSO LISTEN TO:
EPISODE 24 – Radical Independent Media, Feminist Struggles, and International Women’s Day: A View from Latin America, with Dawn Paley
EPISODE 17 –  After Misogyny: How the Law Fails Women and What to Do about It, with Julie C. Suk 
EPISODE 9 – Feminicide, Impunity, And The U.S.’S Bloody History In Guatemala, With Victoria Sanford
EPISODE 4 – Sylvia Pankhurst – Suffragette Socialist and Scourge of Empire, with Dr. Kate Connelly
EPISODE 3 – The Radical History of International Women’s Day and the Feminist Movement, with Liza Featherstone
 

The Signal | Radical Independent Media, Feminist Struggles, and International Women’s Day: A View from Latin America, with Dawn Paley

Dawn Marie Paley is an investigative journalist and author of Drug War Capitalism and Guerra Neoliberal. She is the editor of Ojalá (https://www.ojala.mx/en/ojala-home/), a feminist digital weekly providing reporting and analysis from Latin America. She is also a member of NACLA’s Editorial Committee.
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Book Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Issue 
Set Fear on Fire: The Feminist Call That Set the Americas Ablaze, by LASTESIS
Feminist International: How to Change Everything, by Verónica Gago, translated by Liz Mason-Deese
Compañeras: Zapatista Women's Stories, by Hilary Klein
Bananeras: Women Transforming the Banana Unions of Latin America, by Dana Frank
Textures of Terror: The Murder of Claudina Isabel Velasquez and Her Father's Quest for Justice, by Victoria Sanford
ALSO LISTEN TO:
EPISODE 17 –  After Misogyny: How the Law Fails Women and What to Do about It, with Julie C. Suk 
EPISODE 9 – Feminicide, Impunity, And The U.S.’S Bloody History In Guatemala, With Victoria Sanford
EPISODE 4 – Sylvia Pankhurst – Suffragette Socialist and Scourge of Empire, with Dr. Kate Connelly
EPISODE 3 – The Radical History of International Women’s Day and the Feminist Movement, with Liza Featherstone

The Signal | American Patriots: A Short History of Dissent, with Ralph Young

Ralph Young is a history professor at Temple University. He is the winner of several major teaching awards, including the College of Liberal Arts Distinguished Teaching Award, the Provost’s Award for Innovative Teaching in General Education, Honors Professor of the Year, the Lindback Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence, and Temple’s highest honor, the Great Teacher Award.
Young has taught at Temple’s Rome campus for the fall 2019 semester and has led several Education Abroad summer courses in Northern Ireland. He is the founder of the weekly campus-wide “teach-ins” at Temple in which students and faculty investigate the historical context of controversial contemporary issues.
Dr. Young’s writings have appeared in such publications as The New England Quarterly, USA Today Magazine, the History News Network, and in blogs for the National Constitution Center, Salon, and Truthout.org. He is frequently interviewed and quoted by such media outlets as the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Christian Science Monitor, the Washington Post, the Guardian, Reuters, the Associated Press, CBS, NPR, CNN, and SiriusXM. 
His book, Dissent: The History of an American Idea, a narrative history of the United States from the standpoint of dissenters and protest movements, was a finalist for the 2016 Phi Beta Kappa Ralph Waldo Emerson Award. His other books are Dissent in America: Voices That Shaped a Nation, Make Art Not War: Political Protest Posters from the Twentieth Century, and most recently American Patriots: A Short History of Dissent.
Today we speak with Ralph to talk about one of my favorite subjects: Dissent.
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Book Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Issue 
A People's History of the United States, by Howard Zinn
Resistance Stories from Black History for Kids, by Rann Miller
Direct Action: Protest and the Reinvention of American Radicalism, by L.A. Kauffman
American Insurgents: A Brief History of American Anti-Imperialism, by Richard Seymour
Left Americana, by Paul Le Blanc
ALSO LISTEN TO:
EPISODE 22 - Black History Is a History of Resistance and Liberation, with Rann Miller
EPISODE 4 - Sylvia Pankhurst – Suffragette Socialist and Scourge of Empire, with Dr. Kate Connelly
EPISODE 3 -  The Radical History of International Women’s Day and the Feminist Movement, with Liza Featherstone

The Signal | Black History Is a History of Resistance and Liberation, with Rann Miller

Black History is a history of resistance and liberation. This may explain why, in part, we’ve seen such a whitelash and a war against Black studies – and Black history in general – being waged by right-wing reactionary groups like Moms for Liberty, and Republican lawmakers. 
Today I am joined by Rann Miller. Rann is an author, educator, and advocate for the education of Black children in the Delaware Valley Region. His experience as an author and writer spans over ten years and his experience in both K-12 settings and higher education settings spans over 15 years. As an educator, he’s served in various capacities, including faculty and administration. His current role is Director of DEI Initiatives. He is the author of the recently released, Resistance Stories from Black History for Kids. 
Rann is also an opinion columnist for Atlanta Black Star. His writing has also appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Washington Post, Education Week, Salon, and a host of other platforms. Rann is a graduate of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. 
Rann can be followed on Twitter @RealRannMiller. You can also keep up with Rann at linktr.ee/rannmiller.  
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Reading Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Issue:
How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, by Clint Smith
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, by Nikole Hannah-Jones
Force and Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence (America in the Nineteenth Century), Kellie Carter Jackson 
For 150 Years, Black Journalists Have Known What Confederate Monuments Really Stood For,  Donovan Schaefer
Teachers, Students and the Central York Community Defeated a Racist Book Ban in Their School District, by Cyril Mychalejko
ALSO LISTEN TO: 
EPISODE 2 – The Merchants of Deception: The Dark Money and Front Groups Behind School Privatization, with Maurice Cunningham
EPISODE 6 – The Right’s Long War On Public Education, With Jennifer Berkshire
EPISODE 7 – Understanding Backlash Politics And Religious Conservatives Inciting School Board Wars, With PRRI’s Melissa Deckman
EPISODE 8 – Students and Teachers Fight Back Against Book Banning in Central York, with Christina Ellis and Ben Hodge
EPISODE 11 –Unmasking Moms For Liberty’s Extremism, With Olivia Little And Diana Leygerman
EPISODE 21- Understanding the Nation’s Mounting Book Banning Crisis in Public Schools, with PEN America’s Sabrina Baêta

The Signal | America's Book Banning Crisis, with PEN America's Sabrina Baêta

While voters overwhelmingly rejected pro-book banning, Moms for Liberty-backed Republican school board candidates in Bucks County – and across the United States – at the polls in November, the country still finds itself in the midst of a book-banning crisis. Pennsylvania has the dubious distinction of cracking the Top 5 book banning states, coming in at #3 with a reported 644 instances of bans across 16 districts. PEN America published a report last month, Spineless Shelves, documenting this censorship scourge afflicting K-12 school libraries and classrooms. I spoke with one of the report’s authors to discuss the scope of this problem over the last two years and why librarians, teachers, students and communities need to remain vigilant and proactive in protecting student’s freedom to read.
Sabrina Baêta is a Program Manager with Freedom to Read at PEN America. She engages in research and awareness-building around censorship attacks on public K-12 education, especially as it relates to literature accessibility in libraries and classrooms. Sabrina graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Music in Voice, and then from the University of Central Florida with a Master of Nonprofit Management. She is a poet, essayist, and writer and prior to PEN America, worked in educational publishing and in a variety of performing arts and education nonprofits.
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Reading Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Issue:
The Magic Pebble and a Lazy Bull: The Book Ban Movement Has a Long Timeline, by Laura Pappano
‘Major Win’ in Florida Court Case Against Book Banning, by School Library Journal
Book Banning Will Not Stop at Schools, Kelly Jensen
Teachers, Students and the Central York Community Defeated a Racist Book Ban in Their School District, by Cyril Mychalejko
The Bucks County Courier Times Fails Readers With Its Book (Banning) Policy Editorial, by Cyril Mychalejko
ORGANIZATIONS
PEN America
American Library Association
Advocates for Inclusive Education (Bucks County)
Ridge Network
The Network for Public Education
ALSO LISTEN TO: 
EPISODE 2 – The Merchants of Deception: The Dark Money and Front Groups Behind School Privatization, with Maurice Cunningham
EPISODE 6 – The Right’s Long War On Public Education, With Jennifer Berkshire
EPISODE 7 – Understanding Backlash Politics And Religious Conservatives Inciting School Board Wars, With PRRI’s Melissa Deckman
EPISODE 8 – Students and Teachers Fight Back Against Book Banning in Central York, with Christina Ellis and Ben Hodge
EPISODE 11 –Unmasking Moms For Liberty’s Extremism, With Olivia Little And Diana Leygerman

The Signal | Notes on Bucks County: Reflections on Politics in Pennsylvania’s Most Curious and Captivating Collar County, with Andy Warren and Hal Marcovitz

A public works project that exploded into protests, mass arrests and political upheaval. A decades-long feud between two of the region’s best-known elected officials. Judges who feared their own constitutional rights were being ignored. The travels and travails of two candidates who went on to win statewide office, albeit with more than a few nervous moments along the way. Controversies that were sparked by such diverse issues as the drugging of racehorses, a nuclear freeze resolution and who exactly was it that spilled water on First Lady Barbara Bush. And, of course, a look at the 2020 election.
These are among the issues authors Andy Warren and Hal Marcovitz examine in Notes on Bucks County. At one time, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was known for its lush farmlands, charming small towns, covered bridges and as a home to authors, artists and other celebrities. Over the past 75 years, the county has emerged as a sprawling suburban community that has found itself playing an important role in regional, state and national politics. Indeed, readers of Notes on Bucks County will learn that politics in Bucks County can be two-fisted, as local elected officials spar over issues that affect the quality of life for the county’s more than 600,000 citizens.
Andy Warren attended elementary school in a one-room schoolhouse in rural Gardenville and later graduated from William Tennent High School in Warminster. Following graduation from Westminster College, Andy joined the faculty of Tennent as a teacher and cross-country coach. His political career began with election as a Warminster Township supervisor. In 1979 he was elected to his first term as a Bucks County commissioner, ultimately serving until 1995. He has also served as president of the Pennsylvania State Association of County Commissioners, chairman of the National Rebuild America Coalition, regional executive for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, director of the PENJERDEL Council and is the recipient of numerous awards for innovation and leadership.
Hal Marcovitz is a former newspaper reporter and columnist who spent 30 years in journalism. During his career he was employed by the Pottsville Republican, Doylestown Intelligencer and Allentown Morning Call. He has received awards for news and column writing from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers Association. Since 1999 he has authored more than 200 nonfiction books for young readers. Since 2015 Hal has served as a judge for the Eric Hoffer Prize, a national literary competition. He is also the author of the novels Painting the White House and My Life With Wings. 
Order Notes on Bucks County: Reflections on Politics in Pennsylvania’s Most Curious and Captivating Collar County at your local bookstore. 
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Reading Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Issue
30 years after bitter election Kostmayer and Greenwood unite at Bucks reunion, by Hal Marcovitz
Abbie Hoffman's presence still echoes in Bucks County, by Ben Finley
History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, edited by J.H. Battle
Bucks County must band together to ‘Ban the Bomb’, by Cyril Mychalejko
The American Fuehrer Fritz Kuhn's Neo-nazi Rally in Sellersville Was His Last Hurrah, Morning Call Staff Report
ALSO LISTEN TO:
EPISODE 1 – Immigrant Solidarity: From Bucks County to the Border with Sue-Ann DiVito
EPISODE 10 – Raising a Transgender Child in an Increasingly Transphobic Country, with Brett Freeman
EPISODE 13 – Peace Activism from Bucks County to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with Barbara Simmons
EPISODE 14 – Fighting for Students’ and Teachers’ Rights in Central Bucks School District, with ACLU’s Witold Walczak
 
 

The Signal | A Conversation with André Gagné About His Book “American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times”

André Gagné is Full Professor and Chair of the Department of Theological Studies at Concordia University in Montreal. His teaching and scholarship focus on political theology, religion and violence, and the interpretation and reception of the Bible. Dr. Gagné's work and interviews have been featured over 300 times in media outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Huffington Post, The Guardian, and many more.
Today we talk about his book American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times.
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Book Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Issue
Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy, by Frederick Clarkson
A New Apostolic Reformation?: A Biblical Response to a Worldwide Movement, by R. Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec
The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, by Katherine Stewart
American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays The Gospel And Threatens The Church, by Andrew L. Whitehead 
QAnon, Chaos, and the Cross: Christianity and Conspiracy Theories, by Michael W Austin and Gregory L Bock
ALSO LISTEN TO:
EPISODE 5 – The Growing Fascist Threat To American Democracy, With Jeff Sharlet
EPISODE 7 – Understanding Backlash Politics And Religious Conservatives Inciting School Board Wars, With PRRI’s Melissa Deckman
EPISODE 12 – The New Apostolic Reformation: A Revolutionary Theocratic Movement Coming For Pennsylvania, The Nation, And The World
EPISODE 18 - The Christian Right’s Crusade for Power and War on Democracy, with Katherine Stewart

The Signal | The Christian Right’s Crusade for Power and War on Democracy, with Katherine Stewart

Katherine Stewart is an investigative reporter and author who has covered the Christian right, politics, policy, and education for over a decade.
Her latest book, THE POWER WORSHIPPERS: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, pulls back the curtain on the inner workings and leading personalities of a movement that has turned religion into a tool for political power and domination. Stewart’s journalism appears in the New York Times op ed, NBC, the New Republic, and the New York Review of Books.
Katherine has been researching and reporting on the Christian right since 2009. She joins The Signal to talk about this movement, its strategies and tactics, and the very real threat it poses to democracy.
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Book Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Christian Right
The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, by Katherine Stewart
The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children, by Katherine Stewart
The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy, by Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry
American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church, by Andrew L. Whitehead
Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy, by Frederick Clarkson
ALSO LISTEN TO:
EPISODE 5 – The Growing Fascist Threat To American Democracy, With Jeff Sharlet
EPISODE 7 – Understanding Backlash Politics And Religious Conservatives Inciting School Board Wars, With PRRI’s Melissa Deckman
EPISODE 12 – The New Apostolic Reformation: A Revolutionary Theocratic Movement Coming For Pennsylvania, The Nation, And The World
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