Arrested Mobility

Essential Riders: Detroit People's Platform

One night in 2014, Renard Monczunski was stranded at a transit center in downtown Detroit. It took three hours for a bus to come. He was angry, but the experience got him thinking about the state of public transit in the city that built the American automobile industry. Renard decided to do something about it. Together with Detroit People's Platform, he built a team of transit riders that have learned to wield power by refusing to stay invisible. It's been years of difficult, often unglamorous work. But today, he's affected real change by making sure that city officials can't ignore the importance of transit justice in Detroit. Find The Detroit People's Platform at detroitpeoplesplatform.org

Supporting Young Athletes: Advancing Beyond in Sports (ABIS)

Advancing Beyond in Sports (ABIS) is an advocacy group that addresses sports-specific inequity, particularly for young athletes of color. Their work involves showing students alternate options to consider after their athletic career, and helping athletes secure Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals to build businesses and wealth. Today, Charles T. Brown and his son, Christian Brown, speak with ABIS Chief People Officer, Renae Myles Payne. Find ABIS at https://weareabis.org/

Narrative Change: The Center for Cultural Power

The Center for Cultural Power works with BIPOC communities to amplify authentic stories that counter harmful narratives and build public will for policy change. From supporting Walmart workers to advancing reproductive justice, they've seen firsthand how the right story told at the right time can reshape entire movements. In this episode, Charles T. Brown sits down with Aisha Goss, CEO of the Center for Cultural Power, to explore how narrative strategy creates lasting social change.  Find The Center for Cultural Power at https://www.culturalpower.org/

Housing Reparations: Taking Ownership PDX

In 2020, shortly after the murder of George Floyd, Portland native Randal Wyatt had an idea. As people asked him how they could be better allies to the Black community, he saw an opportunity to address a critical but often overlooked driver of gentrification: home maintenance. Taking Ownership PDX was born, providing free repairs and renovations for Black homeowners, particularly elderly residents at risk of displacement. Find Taking Ownership PDX at https://takingownershippdx.org/  

Fighting Food Apartheid: The Detroit People's Food Co-op

In 2024, the Detroit People's Food Co-op opened its doors in Detroit's North End neighborhood. This full-service grocery store was birthed by the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network, or DBCFSN. It's an organization that focuses on food justice, land access, and building Black self-determination.  Today, we will hear from Gi'anna Shears and Dr. Shakara Tyler Saba, the co-executive directors of the DBCFSN, about their vision for a more equitable food system, why language matters in discussing food access, and how their organization is creating a closed-loop economic ecosystem to serve their community.