Are you worried about voting rights going into this year's midterm elections? We are too.

But just being worried doesn't fix the problem. In fact, if we let it make us lose our sh!t, that worry can keep us from taking real action to protect our rights.

Luckily, Stacey Abrams is *the* expert on all things voting. She joined us a few weeks ago for a virtual event where she helped us understand how extremists are trying to take away our right to vote and what we can do to stop it. She shared that there are three important questions to ask: Can you register and stay on the rolls? Can you cast a ballot? And does that ballot get counted?

Each of these three questions comes with its own challenges and solutions, but -- crucially -- they help us take action. As Stacey said, "we see villains coming together, and we think the villains have won. But we have power too. And when you believe that we have the ability to be the heroes in our own stories, to be the hero for someone else, then we are not as daunted by the villains."

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Today we're getting back to our local organizing roots with Karen West, the leader of a Red Wine & Blue Network group in Pennsylvania. She recently held a talent show and raised $2000 for a local charity that helps immigrants and refugees -- which for an organization of their size, means more than their year's operating budget!

It would be inspiring enough to see Karen organize a creative event to benefit immigrants in her community, but there's another layer: she was going through a really difficult time in her personal life as her husband was in hospice. Karen cared so much about this fundraiser, it took her sister and an RWB organizer to convince her to postpone the event. And when her group finally held the talent show, of course, it was a rousing success. Let's keep making sure to take care of ourselves and the other "givers" in our lives! We CAN do this work without burning out.

On this episode, we also shared good local news about voting rights in Ohio, a judge siding with students over their schools being renamed after Confederate generals, and bipartisan victories over Flock surveillance cameras.

To reach us directly, email us at comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media:

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Red Wine & Blue is all about taking the "ick" out of politics. We believe that the best way to improve this country is to build community and listen to our neighbors rather than out-of-touch politicians or influencers who just want to make us mad.

Our guest this week, Bennett Rea (aka Cookin' With Congress), is doing something a little different. We couldn't stop laughing about how he's putting the "ick" *back* into politics.

But not in the way you think! He's not platforming billionaires or feeding the outrage machine. Instead, he's cooking.

On Cookin' With Congress, Bennett makes historical recipes from presidents, first ladies, and Congresspeople. And many of these recipes are inarguably... icky. We're talking mayo and jello salad, possum, and more liquor than you can imagine. His goal is to show how these powerful figures, from Andrew Jackson to RFK Jr., are really just people at the end of the day. Weird people with strange tastes, maybe, but people all the same. They're not untouchable. And actually, maybe a lot of them shouldn't have had that much power in the first place.

Katie and LaFonda had such a fun chat with Bennett. But it wasn't all laughs -- we also discovered how a show that isn't technically partisan can actually be very political.

We also started a new segment this week with the Good News You Might've Missed! Americans across the country have been winning against MAGA in school board races, cancelled Flock contracts, and so many places that aren't making headlines. Positive political news, laughter, and community are all helping us not lose our sh!t.

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This week, we were lucky enough to sit down with Sara Wiles: a mom, entrepreneur, political activist, and content creator. Whether it's reaching millions of people on Instagram or door-knocking for a local candidate, Sara is using her time and energy for good.

In an age where "influencers" are often (rightfully) dismissed as shallow or opportunistic, Sara is doing the real work and making a serious difference. She shared how the personal messages she receives give her the hope to keep going, how she approaches political disagreements with a MAGA family member, and how she spurs her followers into taking tangible political action.

More than anything, we came away from this conversation in awe of the power of women. Our country is in a tight spot right now, but we know women can figure this out -- women like Sara, her team, her local candidates, and the generations who have fought for our freedom.

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Red Wine & Blue is a sisterhood of diverse communities working to change the world together. We help you make meaningful connections, organize in your community, and become more effective than you ever imagined. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! 

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We're continuing the theme of women in the South fighting for democracy this week, and Red Wine & Blue Network leader Carrie Dix is such an inspiration. She lives in Georgia, surrounded by Republican voters, but she's connecting hundreds of other women with political actions that matter... and, just as importantly, with one another.

It's hard feeling isolated with no one who shares your values, but as we discuss in this episode, you're never alone. If you feel like a blue dot in a sea of red, we guarantee that there are other people in your community who feel the same as you. For Carrie, it's even more important to have that fellowship because her own husband is a three-time Trump voter. We so admire Carrie's grit and determination to lead this Network group despite all of the forces she's up against.

We're also joined this week by Sarah Goodman, our RWB Network South organizer, filling in for LaFonda Cousin. Sarah recently went on an organizing road trip through Georgia where she met dozens of organizers like Carrie. We've got a little over 80 days until the midterms now, and it's local groups like Carrie's that are going to carry us over the finish line.

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Amanda Nelson has become a political powerhouse without really meaning to. After Trump's second inauguration, she started posting online as Amanda's Mild Takes, sharing stories from history alongside Trump's failures and losses. Now, she has almost 2 million fans.

What was so striking, however, was just how many of her perspectives were shared by Red Wine & Blue! Amanda emphasized the importance of local politics and relational organizing -- aka talking to our friends and family about politics. She was truly singing from our songbook.

Amanda's relational organizing is playing out in her Y'all Vote initiative, where she's recruiting small content creators in the South to share information about voting with their audiences. Whether it's a small-town bakery posting resources about registration or someone talking to their neighbor in person about the importance of voting, it all comes down to those real authentic connections.

We're not abandoning our neighbors, whether it's women in the South, other red states, the suburbs, religious groups, or anyone else. We're not throwing our hands up or calling any community a lost cause. We're all Americans, we share so many values, and it's only by working together that we can create a better nation.

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While presenting at TED Democracy last month, Katie Paris met a fellow presenter named Danielle Roberts. Danielle calls herself an "anti-career coach" and is all about dealing with burnout, finding a better balance, and how to follow our passion. Katie had such great conversations with her at TED that we knew we needed to bring Danielle to the pod to share those conversations with our community.

And Danielle didn't disappoint! She gave some valuable advice about how we can feel more fulfilled in our work and tools to re-evaluate whether we should be doing another kind of work entirely! And her advice isn't limited to traditional jobs with a 40-hour workweek -- it can apply to parenting, volunteering, relationships, or anything else in our life that we care about deeply but can burn us out.

Danielle was an amazing balance point between our resident workaholic Katie and our self-care advocate LaFonda. Whether you work full-time, you're retired, your activism is your work, your family is your work, or anything in between, there's something for everyone to learn from Danielle's wisdom.

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Kristin Du Mez's book Jesus and John Wayne changed the way that America sees evangelicals. It even inspired many evangelical women to leave the church, giving them words for the gender inequalities they'd felt all along.

Our guest host Aimee Saunders, a Red Wine & Blue organizer in Pennsylvania, is one of these women. She grew up in the evangelical church and did everything that was expected of her: submitting to her husband, homeschooling her kids, and not pursuing her own career. It didn't feel right, but she was told that she was the problem. She just had to pray and obey harder. But reading Jesus and John Wayne with a virtual bookclub six years ago, Aimee realized she needed to break up with the evangelical church.

Kristin Du Mez has a new book coming out in September, Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made. Aimee and Kristin's conversation about gender, community, politics, and the church was fascinating... Aimee lived the history that Kristin writes about in her books! Whether you're from the evangelical world yourself or it's brand new to you, there's something for everyone to learn from these smart thoughtful women.

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When Julie joined us on our Heather Cox Richardson event this month, she shared how she's supporting immigrants by taking groups of friends to Spanish-speaking restaurants in her town. Heather was so excited about the idea, and Julie was such a ray of sunshine, that we knew we needed to bring her on the podcast!

Julie's a Spanish teacher in Omaha, Nebraska, but she doesn't stop at teaching the language. She shares cultural information about the many Spanish-speaking immigrants in their community and, of course, their delicious food. Food brings us together! The more we can understand and empathize with our immigrant neighbors, the better we can protect them from ICE.

It's been a particularly heartbreaking week as two fathers -- one in Houston and one in Maine -- have been murdered by ICE agents. Resistance to their inhumane methods can take many forms, from protesting detention centers to vigils to legal support. Going out to dinner may feel like an impossibly small way to oppose ICE, but for the immigrant restaurant owners in our communities, it makes a huge difference. 

We can't only fight against what we don't support; we also have to fight for the better world we want. By patronizing immigrant-owned restaurants in our own towns, we contribute not just our dollars but our emotional support. 

And as a bonus, it tastes pretty good too.

If you want to learn more about Julie and her chat shows and restaurant outings, you can visit her website at spanishchatshow.com. And if you'd like to join or start a Bonfire group, you can learn more at redwine.blue/network/bonfire.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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Allison Gill has lived a lot of lives. She's a Navy veteran, a PhD, a comedian, a whistleblower at the VA, and a podcaster. And we actually consider all of that public service -- even the comedy -- because boy do we ever need a good laugh right now. If we don't laugh, we're liable to cry.

Here at Red Wine & Blue, we're officially announcing a partnership with Allison Gill and the community that has rallied around her podcast, The Daily Beans. Because we're stronger together than we ever could be apart.

With these important midterms coming up in a few months, it's more important than ever that we hold onto our community -- and in fact, that we grow it bigger and stronger than before. That means voting, marching, and, yes, laughing together.

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Last night, we were joined by historian Heather Cox Richardson to celebrate America's 250th birthday -- not with a UFC fight or a poorly-planned "Great American State Fair," but by talking to each other about how we can move this country closer to our ideals. 

Together with Heather, we reflected on our history, celebrated the people who impacted our nation, and acknowledged the work needed to live up to our values. Heather shared how we can celebrate America's 250th in a way that honors our full history and helps us build a better future for all Americans.

We hope you have a meaningful Independence Day that helps you celebrate the ideals and potential of America... your own way.

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This week, the podcast is coming one day late… but it’s for a very good reason! Our favorite historian Heather Cox Richardson is joining us tonight to talk about reclaiming America as we head into our 250th Independence Day.

America’s 250th celebration should be a time to reflect on our history, celebrate the people who impacted our nation, and acknowledge the work needed to live up to our ideals. Instead, the current Administration is giving us UFC fights, gold plated statues, and an algae-filled Reflecting Pool.

Join Heather Cox Richardson and our own Katie Paris at 7:30pm ET tonight to talk about how we can celebrate America's birthday in a way that honors our full history and helps us build a better future for all Americans. Heather will share more about her own 250 Project, how we counter this administration and protect our democracy, and the information we all should be sharing with family and friends. 

America’s story belongs to all of us, so let’s reclaim it!

You can register to attend here and if you can’t make it tonight (or you just want to hear Heather again!), we’ll be sharing the recording tomorrow right here on the podcast.

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Today is the four-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision -- the day the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade and with it, our constitutional right to abortion care.

But women across the country have been fighting back: marching, calling their legislators, and sharing their personal abortion stories. Places like Ohio have even put laws and constitutional amendments on the ballot to enshrine abortion rights in their state.

Doctors and providers have been working hard to make sure reproductive care stays available too. In today's episode, we talked to Nan Whaley and Gwynne Perry from Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio. Earlier this spring, an anti-choice protester attacked their clinic and set it on fire, but Nan and Gwynne didn't hesitate. They opened the clinic the very next day, ensuring that patients didn't experience even a one-day interruption in their care.

In Gwynne's words, "We thought, hell no. We're not doing this. We're gonna see patients. So we did."

Four years on from the Dobbs decision, lifesaving care is being provided not by politicians or Supreme Court Justices. It's coming from women like Gwynne and Nan -- and for that, we're grateful.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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Last year, political journalist Zerlina Maxwell did something that most of us only dream about: she moved to Sicily.

She’s been speaking truth to power for years as a radio and TV host but after losing her mom and seeing Trump elected for a second time, she knew she had to make a change. And now that she’s living full-time in Italy, she’s seeing America more clearly than ever.

She’s still hosting her radio show Mornings with Zerlina and contributing to the hard work of defending American democracy, but it all feels very different now. She’s able to slow down, be more intentional, appreciate time with friends, and escape the hamster wheel of busyness and to-do lists.

She’s not the first Black American to seek refuge overseas; James Baldwin, for example, wrote much of his groundbreaking work while abroad in Turkey. Outside of the “haze of racism and hostility and oppression,” as Zerlina put it, she can find the clarity to really examine this moment in American history.

Even if you can’t move to Italy (and don’t be so sure you can’t!), you can learn from Zerlina’s journey. Every day, you can do one soft thing and one civic thing. Have a dance party in your kitchen, or meditate, or grab a coffee or ice cream with a friend… and text your neighbors about an upcoming election, or attend a city hall meeting, or donate to an organization you believe in.

We can’t heal a broken country without healing ourselves — and that can happen from anywhere.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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This week, we're re-running one of our favorite episodes: our conversation with the incredibly wise Prentis Hemphill. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode!

So often we hear women say that things feel deeply wrong right now and they want to do something about it. But how do we engage without losing ourselves? It can feel like pain is the only way to make change, like we can only heal the world if we’re willing to be exhausted and broken ourselves along the way.

Prentis Hemphill offers a different perspective. What if we can actually heal our systems while healing ourselves? What if it’s not about checking off items on a to-do list? If we can be more present, listen with curiosity to ourselves and our neighbors, it doesn’t just make us feel more centered. It’s actually more effective organizing.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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“Sin, Glitter, and Lattes.”

That’s what Ghiovanna, owner of Coterie Lounge & Cafe, recently started printing on t-shirts. Her friends and customers love it — not just because it’s a catchy phrase, but because it’s a reminder that community love can defeat extremist hate.

Ghiovanna and her friend Roxie D. Mocracy had already worked together to put on drag shows at her cafe. The community loved the shows, despite being a fairly conservative suburban area, so Roxie and Ghiovanna thought a Drag Story Hour could be a fun new addition. Unfortunately, a right-wing extremist saw a post advertising the event and began coordinating an attack against Ghiovanna and her business.

But Ghiovanna’s community rallied around her. They defended her and Coterie on social media, sold out the Drag Story Hour event (along with the t-shirts), and business has been better than ever. More tourists have started stopping by to buy coffee from her as they drive through the area, and she’s even received messages of support from as far as Denmark and Australia. 

Most importantly, she’s heard from parents in her own community that they appreciate having a safe space for their kids. 

The Drag Story Hour was such a success, Ghiovanna and Roxie have already planned more drag and other LGBTQ-friendly events throughout June — and all year long! Because supporting the queer community isn’t just for Pride Month. It’s for every month.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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We were so lucky this week to talk to Judy Richardson, who fought for civil rights alongside John Lewis during the original 1964 Freedom Summer. 

She hasn't stopped fighting in the years since and we were honored to hear her inspiring (and, at times, harrowing) stories of being shot at by white supremacists, years of on-the-ground organizing, and hunger strikes in jail. It was all worth it, Judy says, to pursue voting rights for Black people in the South.

When we asked her what kept her going through the hard times (and what keeps her going today), she had a few answers that we could really relate to. First, she said it's her anger at the injustice. Second, it's music -- protest music, gospel music, and even salsa. Third, and most importantly, it's the people. Once she saw the courage and dedication of her fellow workers at the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, she felt she didn't have a choice but to continue the work. 

What we're seeing with voting rights this year is unfortunately way too similar to what Judy was fighting back in the 1960s. But far from giving up, Judy energized us to carry on the work for the next generation.

Don't miss this episode! Judy is a national treasure.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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Memorial Day is almost here, so we thought it was a perfect moment to check in with a veteran. 

Katie Chorbak isn't just any veteran -- she's passionate about helping other vets in her community adjust to civilian life and heal their mental health. She started a movement called Our Sister's Keeper, which advocates for veterans who survived sexual assault just like Katie herself did. She was also arrested last month at the Capitol for protesting the war in Iran alongside other vets.

Basically, Katie is a badass.

We were also lucky enough to be joined by Red Wine & Blue organizer Torrie, who grew up in a military family and is now a military spouse. She shared her own perspective on military service, community support, and how being honest about your mental health is the first step to feeling better.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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Attacks on voting rights got you down? Tired of feeling like you can’t make a difference on a federal level? Have you considered focusing on… sex ed???

Wait, hear us out! We talked to Jaclyn Friedman and Jenny Steadman from EducateUS this week and it turns out that comprehensive sex education has the power to change everything about our culture and our politics. There’s a reason that authoritarian governments crack down on sex ed.

It’s not just about sex — in fact, in the younger grades, it’s not about sex at all. Jaclyn encouraged us to imagine what our government would look like if every man in power was taught about consent and how to handle rejection from a young age. That’s just one sex ed lesson that could change our country.

It’s also wildly popular, across all demographics and political parties. Not only do 75% of all Americans want sex ed in schools, that number remains at 72% even when they’re specifically told that would include education and inclusion for transgender students.

Extremist politicians and pundits want us to believe this is a divisive issue, but it’s simply not.

If you’re not already a believer based on all of that, sex education is also an issue where you can make a serious difference in your community! A simple conversation with one of your school board members can have a huge impact. And EducateUS is making it even simpler by offering to reach out to your school board members for you! All you have to do is fill out this form.

If you need more resources to help you talk about sex ed with the people in your life, the EducateUS website has tons of free resources.

Happy Sex Ed For All Month!

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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This week, we were joined by Tory Gavito, the president and co-founder of Way To Win — they’re an organization that focuses on multi-racial collaboration to win elections. In fact, this episode itself was a microcosm of how we can win: a Black woman, a Latina woman, and a white woman all chatting together about how we save democracy.

Tory talked to us about how we can turn this country around, even in places like Texas where it seems impossible. She also shared how community and creativity are the secret sauce and, of course, what keeps her from losing her shit.

Speaking of losing our shit, did you catch the news that the Supreme Court just overturned a key part of the Voting Rights Act? We were joined last week by Janai Nelson, the President of the Legal Defense Fund, who argued this case before the Supreme Court. 

Janai is coming back this Wednesday to explain what the court decided, how the decision weakens the political power of Black and brown voters, and what steps we can take now to fight back and protect the right to vote for all. You can learn more and RSVP here.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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