Virginia Interfaith LIVE

Leah Jones, VAIPL's Outreach Coordinator presents an overview of VAIPL's 2021 legislative policy priorities

Join Virginia Interfaith Power & Light (VAIPL) in conversation with  Jorge Aguilar from Food & Water Watch for our second show on The Human Right to Water in Virginia. Learn more about why the human right to water is important for all Virginians and why it deserves to be prioritized to ensure all residents have access to safe, equitable water sources. Jorge Aguilar, Southern Region Director, Food and Water Watch Leah Jones, Faith Community Outreach Coordinator, VAIPL Rev. Dr. Faith Harris, Interim co-director of VAIPL

All mothers deserve prenatal care! Listen now to hear from the experts. GUESTS: Jill Hanken, Health Attorney @VPLC Melanie Rouse, PhD, Program Manager, Virginia Maternal Mortality Review Team @VDHgov Dora Muhammad, Congregation Engagement Director at @vainterfaith

Today at we'll be speaking with experts about the critical issue of public transportation, justice, and climate!  GUESTS: Karen Campblin, Environmental & Climate Justice Chair, VA State Conference of the NAACP Wyatt Gordan, Policy & Campaigns Manager, Land Use & Transportation, Virginia Conservation Network Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director, Coalition for Smarter Growth  MODERATOR: Rev. Dr. Faith Harris, Co-Director, Virginia Interfaith Power & Light

¡YA ES OFICIAL!   ¡El departamento de Inmigración (USCIS) estará aceptando aplicaciones INICIALES de DACA!   Estaremos hablando con la abogada de inmigración Astrid Lockwood que nos  explicar los requisitos, qué es el advance parole o permiso de viaje, extensión de TPS, donde puedes encontrar recursos comunitarios y también como evitar fraude.

Join Virginia Interfaith Power & Light for a discussion on the human right to water as a policy priority for VAIPL. Learn more about how local communities have been impacted and why the right to water is important for all Virginians GUESTS: Leah Jones, VAIPL Community Outreach Coordinator and Kidest Gibre, VAIPL Communications & Education Coordinator  As this long year comes to a close we would like to look forward to the new year and think about the changes that we would like to see, especially as we approach the 2021 General Assembly in January. At VAIPL, this year we are advocating for various environmental justice issues including energy burden, modernizing transportation as well as the human right to water. Today, on this episode of ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE NOW! we would like to talk about earth’s universal solvent, the most important resource to all living things on earth-- water. As many of us use water every day without an issue, it is easy to forget that on a global scale having clean water is actually a privilege.

Say it with us: Farmers need protections! Listen today to hear us discuss faith, farmworkers' conditions + rights, policies, and much more.   Guest: Tonya Osinkosky, Community Organizer, Virginia Justice Project for Farm and Immigrant Workers, Legal Aid Justice Center Moderator: Yanet Limon-Amado, Immigrant Justice Organizer, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

Listen to our podcast about our 2021 legislative priorities - advocating economic, racial, social, and environmental justice. GUESTS: Yanet Limon-Amado, Immigrant Justice Organizer Rev. Jamar Boyd, Economic Justice Organizer Rev. Dr. LaKeisha Cook, Justice Reform Organizer MODERATOR: Benjamin Hoyne, Policy & Campaigns Director

Want to learn about the death penalty in Virginia? We are working to abolish it! GUEST: Michael Stone, Executive Director, Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty MODERATOR: Rev. Dr. LaKeisha Cook, Justice Reform Organizer, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

Join Virginia Interfaith Power & Light and the Concerned Citizens of Charles City County (C5) for a discussion about environmental injustices in rural Virginia. C5 was formed in June 2019. C5 works to inform and educate county residents of issues facing the county. This group has been formed in response to the multiple power plants proposed for the county--with limited involvement from residents. Two new gas plants have been proposed for the Roxbury Road corridor in Charles City County, more might be in consideration. These plants will use fracked gas from the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Moreover, there is a proposal to expand the landfill that sits within the community. 

Guest: Kim Bobo, Executive Director, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy Moderator: Dr. Karen McElfish, UMW Virginia Conference Social Action Coordinator

A conversation about "Get Out the Vote Strategies for Faith Communities." We will also provide an update and resources on Virginia's vote count process on and after Election Day so voters know what to expect. GUESTS:  Rev. Marvin Silver, United Church of Christ Amir Saeed, Muslim Community Center of Chesterfield Cantor Jason Kaufman, Beth El Hebrew Congregation MODERATOR: Dora Muhammad, Congregation Engagement Director, VICPP

Listen "Eviction & Utility Moratoriums" and hear from experts Dana Wiggins from Virginia Poverty Law Center and Cassady Craighill from Clean Virginia.  Moderator: Rev. Dr. Faith Harris, Virginia Interfaith Power & Light. 

Learn about H.B. 1255, a new law that was passed by the General Assembly in April. Delegate Marcia Price, (D-95th) will speak with Benjamin Hoyne, Policy & Campaigns Director for the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. 

Want the latest updates on COVID-19 in Virginia? Dr. Danny Avula, Director of Richmond and Henrico County Health Departments speaks with Kim Bobo, Executive Director of the Virginia Interfaith Center.   GUEST: Dr. Danny Avula, Director of Richmond and Henrico Health Departments Kim Bobo, Executive Director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

Virginia Interfaith LIVE!  "Voting & Election Protection 101" GUESTS: Alexandria Bratton, Program Manager, Virginia Civic Engagement Table Abby Spencer, Congregation Engagement Coordinator, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy MODERATOR: Kim Bobo, Executive Director, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

GUESTS: Anna Scholl, executive director, Progress Virginia and Deb Wake, President League of Women Voters of Virginia. MODERATOR: Dora Muhammad, Congregational Engagement Director, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

What is Virginia doing to protect workers from spreading COVID-19 in the workplace? Listen to the experts discuss Virginia's "Emergency Temporary Standards" for health & safety regulations in the workplace. GUESTS:  Debbie Berkowitz, Worker Health and Safety Program Director, National Employment Law Project Travis Parsons, Associate Director, Occupational Safety and Health, Laborers’ Health & Safety Fund of North Americas Moderator: Kim Bobo, Executive Director, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

GUEST: Manuel Gego, Organizador Comunitario, Centro de Justicia y Asistencia Legal MODERATOR: Yanet Limon-Amado, Organizadora de Justicia para Inmigrantes, Centro Interreligioso de Virginia

GUEST: Michael Snell-Feikema, Coordinator for the Community solidarity with Poultry Workers  MODERATOR: Yanet Limon-Amado, Immigrant Justice Organizer, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

Rev. Dr. Faith Harris moderates a conversation about Virginia Interfaith Power & Light's "Climate in the Pulpit, on the Bimah and in the Minbar" program - encouraging faith communities to VOTE and work on environmental justice.    GUESTS:  Meg Mall, Executive Director Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions   Joelle Novey, Director Interfaith Power & Light, DC, MD, N. VA    MODERATOR: Faith Harris, Interim Co-Director Virginia Interfaith Power & Light

This episode of Virginia Interfaith LIVE! is the inaugural press conference of a new coalition advocating paid sick days for Virginia workers, hosted on August 17, 2020. This press conference features speakers from coalition members, including SEIU Virginia 512, Virginia AFL-CIO, and Virginia Organizing, as well as patrons Del. Elizabeth Guzman and Sen. Barbara Favola, and workers and business owners. It is moderated by Kim Bobo, Executive Director of Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. We hope you enjoy it, and you can find us at virginiainterfaithcenter.org or at vainterfaith on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

On this episode of Virginia Interfaith LIVE, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy’s Policy Director Benjamin Hoyne talks with three elected officials about the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus’s priorities for the upcoming General Assembly, including criminal justice reform, tenant protections, and paid sick days. Our wonderful guests are Delegate Lamont Bagby, Chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus; Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy; and Senator Jennifer McClellan. We hope you enjoy and you can find us at virginiainterfaithcenter.org or at vainterfaith on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

On this episode of Virginia Interfaith LIVE, Virginia Interfaith Power & Light’s Co-Director Rev. Dr. Faith Harris talks with two local leaders about the water crisis in Virginia, the difficulty of implementing policies ensuring fair access to water, and what citizens can do to push for more action on leadership's part. Our wonderful guests are Delegate Lashrecse Aird (D, 63rd) and Jamshid Bakhtiari, Community Organizer with the Virginia Poverty Law Center. We hope you enjoy and you can find us at virginiainterfaithcenter.org or at vainterfaith on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

GUESTS: Phil Storey, Abogado con Virginia Poverty Law Center Edgar Aranda-Yanoc, Director Ejecutivo, Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations MODERATOR: Yanet Limon-Amado, Organizadora de Justicia para Inmigrantes, Centro Interreligioso de Virginia

On this episode of Virginia Interfaith LIVE, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy's Welcoming All Program Coordinator Jase Hatcher talks with attorneys and a faith leader about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the eviction crisis in Virginia, the legal resources available to tenants, and the disparities within the housing market and evictions. GUESTS: Elaine Poon, Attorney with Legal Aid Justice Center; Phil Storey, Attorney with the Virginia Poverty Law Center; and Rev. Donte McCutchen, from Love Cathedral Community Church. We hope you enjoy and you can find us at virginiainterfaithcenter.org or at vainterfaith on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

On this episode of Virginia Interfaith LIVE, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy's Communications Director Roberta Oster talks with two local experts about John Lewis’s lasting and ongoing impact and the face of activism today. Our wonderful guests are Rev. Dr. Leslie Copeland-Tune, COO of the National Council of Churches, and Professor Corey D. B. Walker, from Wake Forest University. We hope you enjoy and you can find us at virginiainterfaithcenter.org or at vainterfaith on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

On this episode of Virginia Interfaith LIVE, Kidest Gebre from Virginia Interfaith Power and Light talks with three local experts about how clean energy is being utilized in Virginia, the pushback from the state and power companies, and the social justice intricacies of environmental activism. Our wonderful guests are Mary Finley-Brook, Associate Professor at the University of Richmond; Narissa Turner, Campaign and Policy Manager at the Virginia Conservation Network; and Harrison Wallace, Virginia Director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. We hope you enjoy and you can find us at virginiainterfaithcenter.org or at vainterfaith on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

This episode of Virginia Interfaith LIVE! is a press conference from July 13, 2020 hosted by the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, the Virginia AFL-CIO, and the Legal Aid Justice Center to learn why the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board must adopt clear standards and not allow employers to simply follow CDC guidelines if they feel like it.  The Virginia Health and Safety Codes Board will hold a meeting on July 15, 2020, and worker advocates and health and safety experts are calling on Governor Northam and the Board to enact a strong Virginia OSHA Standard. Our speakers are Joyce Barnes, home health aide; Doris Crouse-Mays, President of the Virginia AFL-CIO; Jason Yarashes, Attorney with the Legal Aid Justice Center; Deborah Berkowitz, Worker Health and Safety Program Director at the National Employment Law Project; Delegate Jeion Ward (D, 92nd district); David Walrod from the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers; and Deborah Talley, a worker at a Boar's Head factory. This press conference is moderated by Kim Bobo, Executive Director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. We hope you enjoy it. You can find us at virginiainterfaithcenter.org or at vainterfaith on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. 

On this week's episode of Virginia Interfaith LIVE!, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy’s Policy and Campaigns Director Benjamin Hoyne talks with two state leaders about why there’s such a push for reform right now, Virginia’s current status in terms of reform, and the future of the criminal justice system. Our wonderful guests are Valerie Slater, Executive Director of RISE for Youth, and Delegate Joshua Cole, representing the 28th district. We hope you enjoy, and you can find us at virginiainterfaithcenter.org or at vainterfaith on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

On this episode of Virginia Interfaith LIVE, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy's Immigrant Justice Organizer Yanet Limon-Amado talks with immigration attorney and activist Lizbeth Mateo about the Supreme Court's recent decision regarding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and what it means for new applications and travel. We hope you enjoy and you can find us at virginiainterfaithcenter.org or at vainterfaith on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. En este episodio de Virginia Interfaith LIVE, Organizadora de Justicia para Inmigrantes del Centro Interreligioso de Virginia Yanet Limon-Amado habla con Abogada de Inmigración y Activista Lizbeth Mateo sobre la decisión reciente de la Corte Suprema sobre DACA (Acción Diferida) y que significa para nuevas aplicaciones y permisos de viaje. Esperamos que disfrute y puede encontrarnos en virginiainterfaithcenter.org o en vainterfaith en Instagram, Twitter y Facebook.

On this episode of Virginia Interfaith LIVE, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy’s Immigrant Justice Organizer Yanet Limon-Amado talks with four young activists of different religious backgrounds about how their faith guides their activism, the lessons we can pull from faith and history, and what religious communities can do to have a more substantial impact in society. Our wonderful guests are student Abby Adams; Salaam Bhatti, attorney with the Virginia Poverty Law Center; Allan-Charles Chipman, faith-rooted organizer and strategist with Initiatives of Change; and student Eesha Randhawa. We hope you enjoy and you can find us at virginiainterfaithcenter.org or at vainterfaith on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

This week on Virginia Interfaith LIVE! we discuss "white fragility" with three incredible guests. We tackle the history of white supremacy in Virginia,  the role white supremacy plays on an institutional and individual level, and actions we can take as people of faith to combat white privilege. Please join us as we talk to Reverend Ben Campbell, Professor Corinna Barrett Lain, and Reverend Jamie Lynn Haskins. 

On this episode of Virginia Interfaith LIVE, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy's Executive Director Kim Bobo talks with state and national leaders about worker health and safety, particularly in the time of COVID-19, and the unique opportunity Virginia has to set a standard for health and safety regulations. Our wonderful guests are Deborah Berkowitz, the Worker Health & Safety Program Director for the National Employment Law Project, Rebecca Reindel, the Safety and Health Director for AFL-CIO, Jason Yarashes, an attorney at Legal Aid Justice Center, and Michael Pope from the Virginia Public Radio. We hope you enjoy and you can find us at virginiainterfaithcenter.org or at vainterfaith on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. 

On this episode of VIrginia Interfaith LIVE, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy's Economic Justice Program Director Amanda Silcox talks with two local labor leaders about what a living wage is, the importance of workers' rights, and the business models that are successfully supporting a living wage. Our wonderful guests are Evette Roots, the Social Enterprise Specialist for the City of Richmond and Chris Hoover Seidel, the Co-Leader of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Living Wage Certification Program. We hope you enjoy and you can find us at virginiainterfaithcenter.org or at vainterfaith on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Welcome to Virginia Interfaith LIVE! This podcast is the audio version of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy's weekly live broadcast. This week, we discuss the value of casting a ballot and the ways in which Virginia residents can vote in upcoming elections with Jessica Bowman, the Deputy Commission for the Virginia Department of Elections. For more information, visit virginiainterfaithcenter.org. We hope you enjoy!

This is the first podcast produced by the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, based in Richmond, Virginia! We are so excited to release this audio version of our weekly LIVE shows that air every Thursday at 11am on our social media platforms. We hope you enjoy!