Stacey Abrams

Dr. Celine Gounder, thank you so much for joining us here and informing us here at Assembly Required. At Assembly Required, we encourage the audience to be curious, solve problems, and do good through a segment we call Our Toolkit. Now, we're going to fight the allergy to science and information by being curious.

During my time in the Georgia State Legislature, I relied heavily on KFF News, and it's still my go-to. KFF News is an independent source with news and health policy research. So sign up for their newsletters at kff.org slash email. For regular listeners, you're going to notice that today I'm doing things a little differently.

During my time in the Georgia State Legislature, I relied heavily on KFF News, and it's still my go-to. KFF News is an independent source with news and health policy research. So sign up for their newsletters at kff.org slash email. For regular listeners, you're going to notice that today I'm doing things a little differently.

You see, we've gotten quite a few listener questions that have a running theme. First, Ed Bogue wrote an email titled, How to Be an Activist with Social Anxiety. He writes, since the election, I have felt energized to help defend human rights, but severe social anxiety has been a major barrier for me. Even when it's just low stakes, small talk, my throat gets so dry that I can barely speak.

You see, we've gotten quite a few listener questions that have a running theme. First, Ed Bogue wrote an email titled, How to Be an Activist with Social Anxiety. He writes, since the election, I have felt energized to help defend human rights, but severe social anxiety has been a major barrier for me. Even when it's just low stakes, small talk, my throat gets so dry that I can barely speak.

And years of customer service work hasn't helped me overcome this. How do I get involved and make a difference when so much of the work is about connecting people? Number two. Muyan Chen wrote about wanting to be politically engaged even though she just has a green card. I came to the U.S. from China more than 10 years ago and now work as a researcher in a national lab.

And years of customer service work hasn't helped me overcome this. How do I get involved and make a difference when so much of the work is about connecting people? Number two. Muyan Chen wrote about wanting to be politically engaged even though she just has a green card. I came to the U.S. from China more than 10 years ago and now work as a researcher in a national lab.

Being a foreign national with a green card now, it's been quite stressful to watch the events unfolding, but it seems difficult to do anything about it legally. I'm wondering if there are anything such as volunteer opportunities that I can contribute to. And number three, a caller whose name I didn't quite catch called in and left a voicemail responding to the Heather Cox Richardson episode.

Being a foreign national with a green card now, it's been quite stressful to watch the events unfolding, but it seems difficult to do anything about it legally. I'm wondering if there are anything such as volunteer opportunities that I can contribute to. And number three, a caller whose name I didn't quite catch called in and left a voicemail responding to the Heather Cox Richardson episode.

She writes, I've been getting myself and my small online community to call our representative every day and leave messages with them, as well as an email. Just kind of letting them know, you know, what we think and what we need from them. And so I'm just wondering, are there specific folks we could be calling and writing? I like the idea of a bunch of us doing this kind of small thing together.

She writes, I've been getting myself and my small online community to call our representative every day and leave messages with them, as well as an email. Just kind of letting them know, you know, what we think and what we need from them. And so I'm just wondering, are there specific folks we could be calling and writing? I like the idea of a bunch of us doing this kind of small thing together.

We've been calling individual members that we can, also writing and calling our senators about Trump's nominations to his cabinet. but just looking for any other ideas for folks to call. Now, normally this is where I'd either answer your questions or give you resources on what to do about what we just discussed, like public health. But today, we're going to begin a capsule course.

We've been calling individual members that we can, also writing and calling our senators about Trump's nominations to his cabinet. but just looking for any other ideas for folks to call. Now, normally this is where I'd either answer your questions or give you resources on what to do about what we just discussed, like public health. But today, we're going to begin a capsule course.

In grassroots organizing, Ed's social anxiety means we just find a different way for him to contribute to the cause, like setting up agendas or coordinating resources. For Muyan, her expertise can be a major asset in finding information and developing communication systems. And for our phone warrior, you're in the midst of convening advocates to push our agenda for good.

In grassroots organizing, Ed's social anxiety means we just find a different way for him to contribute to the cause, like setting up agendas or coordinating resources. For Muyan, her expertise can be a major asset in finding information and developing communication systems. And for our phone warrior, you're in the midst of convening advocates to push our agenda for good.

Because here at Assembly Required, we know we can start solving problems by showing up and taking action. Over the next several episodes, we're going to use this segment to talk about concrete steps that we can take towards insisting that political leaders do their jobs. Federal action will obviously matter, and absolutely it's important.

Because here at Assembly Required, we know we can start solving problems by showing up and taking action. Over the next several episodes, we're going to use this segment to talk about concrete steps that we can take towards insisting that political leaders do their jobs. Federal action will obviously matter, and absolutely it's important.

But what I hope you've heard over these many episodes is that we're here to win. However, winning won't be fast, and it will require many of us across the country to take on different parts of the problem and combine our successes. And that means often working at the local level so we can one day have federal impact. This is not in lieu of federal action. It's in addition to. Let's get started.

But what I hope you've heard over these many episodes is that we're here to win. However, winning won't be fast, and it will require many of us across the country to take on different parts of the problem and combine our successes. And that means often working at the local level so we can one day have federal impact. This is not in lieu of federal action. It's in addition to. Let's get started.

Our first step is identifying the issue that matters to you most. Is it your state's refusal to expand Medicaid, book bans in your local school district, a food desert that seems to be growing? Do you need to launch a tenants union? Pick one as your tester pancake, the issue that you want to start with. So over the holidays, your task is to decide on the issue you want to tackle.