Press

Forbes Q&A

A conversation with Kimberlé Crenshaw

I’ve long been interested in the relationship between power and policy, and few scholars have shaped that conversation more than Kimberle Crenshaw, who coined the terms intersectionality and Critical Race Theory. In her new memoir, Backtalker, Crenshaw reflects on the origins of those ideas, how they’ve been distorted in public debate and why Black women remain central to any honest conversation about economic justice. In this conversation, she talks about the limits of race neutral approaches, the ways Black women are left out of policymaking and why she decided to tell this story now.

The Root

New polling shows Black women are asking for economic policies that prioritize dignity and financial security.

“Black women understand that success is holistic. It is spiritual. It is relational. It is grounded in family, faith and the ability to live without constant financial strain. That is not a narrow definition of well-being. It is a fuller one than many of our public policies are designed to recognize.” – Aisha Nyandoro

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

The MMT is an initiative from Springboard to Opportunities, a non-profit organization that Aisha Nyandoro, from Mississippi, co-founded in 2013. Springboard works directly with families who live in federally supported affordable housing in Jackson. Nyandoro calls it a “radically resident-driven approach”.

But by 2017, Nyandoro became concerned that Springboard wasn’t moving the needle enough on poverty. Though the organization has after-school programs, workforce development, reading circles and other programing, she started wondering what else they needed to offer.

A chance conversation with a mother put her on a new path.

Mississippi Today Article: Summer EBT

Mississippi is one of a dozen states where the end of the school year can mean the start of a serious food shortage for families who depend on school meals, due to state leaders opting out of a federal program meant to feed hungry kids when they’re home during the summer. Springboard to Opportunities is helping to close that gap with direct cash assistance for families after the state again opted out of the SUN Bucks program.

Policy choices have real consequences for families — and while community-based solutions can support when systems fall short — the real solution is sustained, federal support: hunger does not fall on state or party lines.

READ THE FULL MISSISSIPPI TODAY ARTICLE HERE

Feature: The ROOTED Substack

“Living in Mississippi taught me how much wisdom exists in communities that are often underestimated. That understanding has shaped every aspect of my work.”

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE

Forbes: Why Drug Pricing Is Really About Power

In a wide-ranging conversation, access to medicines advocate Tahir Amin explains how patent rules, neoliberal policy and corporate influence shape who gets lifesaving care.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Tahir Amin has spent years tracing a through line from patent law to pharmaceutical pricing to the question of who really holds power in both the U.S. and global economies. In this conversation, he explains how his path from private law practice to the access to medicines movement led him to a central conclusion: “I’m not practicing law, I’m practicing power.” We sat down to discuss how this power translates to the financial and physical health of Americans, and other themes from the new book he co-authored, Pharma Monopoly: The Battle for the Future of Medicines, which is out this week.