Conversations From The Frontlines
Real Talk, Real Change with Shane Murphy Goldsmith
Start ListeningReal Talk, Real Change
Since 1976, Liberty Hill Foundation has leveraged the power of community partners, donor activists, foundation partners, grassroots leaders, and other allies to advance social justice and equity through strategic investment in grants, capacity building, leadership development, data and research, and convening.
Our new podcast, “Conversations From The Frontlines: Real Talk, Real Change with Shane Murphy Goldsmith” will serve you the insight and commentary you need to be a better ally in the fight for justice. Whether you’re an organizer, donor, or a concerned resident looking to get involved, we’re here to help you have real conversations about topics like race, community safety, and justice with empathy and humor.
Liberty Hill is giving you a front row seat—and a bird’s eye view—of the social justice battles shaping Los Angeles.
This podcast makes all of us part of the conversation—because we're all part of the story.
Join Liberty Hill President and CEO, Shane Murphy Goldsmith as she chats with insiders and outsiders fighting to create a more just society.
Season 3 Teaser
Season Three
Igniting Electoral Power & Defending Our Democracy
The Best of Season 2
We look back at some exciting moments from Season 2 and highlight engaging conversations with frontline organizers and community activists who are working to create a more just L.A.
Dr. Monique Couvson, Jessica Nowlan, Katherine Lucero
Recorded live at our annual Leadership Appreciation Brunch, we go behind-the-scenes of Liberty Hill’s new Liberation Fund—a groundbreaking initiative to end incarceration of girls and gender-expansive youth in L.A. County—with Dr. Monique Couvson, Jessica Nowlan, and Katherine Lucero.
Former L.A. City Councilmember Mike Bonin and Peter Dreier, Occidental College
Former LA City Councilmember Mike Bonin and Professor of Politics at Occidental College Peter Dreier discuss how the right-wing agenda influences and shapes the political terrain in Los Angeles.
Anthony Thigpenn, California Calls and Manuel Pastor, USC Equity Research Institute
Founder & President of California Calls Anthony Thigpenn and Director of the USC Equity Research Institute Manuel Pastor dive deep into the history of L.A. organizing and movement building and explore its role in shaping political power.
Harold Meyerson, The American Prospect
The American Prospect Editor-At-Large Harold Meyerson explores the evolution of progressive and grassroots movements in Los Angeles and the opportunities ahead for advancing social justice.
Christina Livingston, ACCE Institute and Meghan Choi, POWER & Ground Game LA
POWER & Ground Game LA Incoming Executive Director Meghan Choi and ACCE Institute Statewide Executive Director Christina Livingston delve into the role of strategic organizing and movement building in shaping political power in L.A.
Faizah Malik, Public Counsel, Estuardo Mazariegos, ACCE Institute and Pete White, LA Community Action Network
Public Counsel Managing Attorney Faizah Malik, ACCE Institute Los Angeles Co-Director Estuardo Mazariegos, and LA Community Action Network Executive Director Pete White discuss the latest Housing Justice headlines and recent developments from the frontlines.
Alexandra Suh, Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance and Joe Donlin, United to House LA Director
Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA) Executive Director Alexandra Suh and United to House LA Director Joe Donlin break down Measure ULA, the coalition work behind its success, and the Housing Justice movement it continues to inspire.
Elise Buik, United Way LA and Jennifer Hark Dietz, PATH
Subject matter experts United Way for Greater LA President & CEO Elise Buik and PATH Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Hark Dietz talk about the bold new way to house Los Angeles and movement building beyond the ballot box.
Alberto Retana, Community Coalition
Alberto Retana, President & CEO of Community Coalition, explores LA’s political and movement landscape and explains how LA organizers are turning progressive activism into electoral power.
Marqueece Harris-Dawson, LA City Council President Pro Tem
Los Angeles City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson joins in to talk about the inside-outside game and the generational shift happening in L.A. politics.
Miguel Santana, CA Community Foundation and Fred Blackwell, San Francisco Foundation
CA Community Foundation President & CEO Miguel Santana and San Francisco Foundation Chief Executive Officer Fred Blackwell go behind-the-scenes of what it takes to fund progressive change during an election year.
Joel Edward Goza, Author and Kaci Patterson, Black Equity Collective
“Rebirth of a Nation” author Joel Edward Goza joins Kaci Patterson of Black Equity Collective in this special live audience taping where they talk through the state-wide work being done around reparations in California.
Season Two
Power, Politics and Solidarity in L.A.
Steve Phillips, New York Times Bestselling Author
Recorded Live from the SoCal Grantmakers 2023 Policy Conference, this episode explores the intersection of race and politics with New York Times Bestselling Author, Steve Phillips.
California Assemblymember Isaac Bryan
Two-part episode exploring multiracial solidarity in Los Angeles and the state-wide work being done around reparations with California Assemblymember Isaac Bryan.
Derek Steele, Social Justice Learning Institute
Catch part two of this engaging conversation as Executive Director of Social Justice Learning Institute, Derek Steele shares insight on the social justice ecosystem of Los Angeles.
L.A. City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez & Jared Rivera, SEIU Local 2015
L.A. City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez and SEIU Local 2015 Political Director Jared Rivera join the conversation around the landscape of the labor movement in L.A.
L.A. City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez & Ivette Alé-Ferlito, La Defensa
Frontline stories about movement solidarity and the inside-outside perspective of L.A. politics with L.A. City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez and Executive Director of La Defensa Ivette Ale-Ferlito.
L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman & Bill Przylucki, Ground Game LA
Turning progressive activism into electoral power with L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman and Ground Game LA Executive Director Bill Przylucki.
Ashley Hernandez, Communities for a Better Environment & Michele Prichard, Liberty Hill & Nalleli Cobo, People Not Pozos
Environmental justice champions Michele Prichard, Ashely Hernandez (Communities for a Better Environment), and Nalleli Cobo (People Not Pozos) join us for an in-depth conversation on the past, present, and future of the environmental justice movement in L.A.
Season One
Fearless conversations about social justice that you've been waiting for.
David Turner of Brothers, Sons, Selves Coalition
Dr. David Turner discusses the future of youth justice in Los Angeles, and the ways he is fighting for black and brown communities as both an educator and organizer. Also, David shares his love for tacos and basketball, discusses abolition as the future of community safety, and tells us why Kendrick Lamar's “Alright” holds a special place in his heart.
D'Artagnan Scorza, Executive Director, Racial Equity
Dr. D’Artagnan Scorza discusses institutional racism and its impact on community safety. Dr. Scorza leads the Anti Racism division and is working to eliminate systemic barriers that have made sure that large portions of the Black community, and other communities of color, live within the confines of concentrated disadvantage depriving communities of the opportunity to achieve self-determination and the opportunity to thrive.
Yue Begay of Indigenous Pride Los Angeles
Yuè shares how her experiences as a Navajo transgender woman influence her perspective as an artist and public health professional. Join Shane and Yuè for a bold conversation about reparations and campaigns to return stolen land back to indigenous people in Episode three.
Lorri L. Jean, CEO of Los Angeles LGBTQ Center
Lorri L. Jean has been an activist on LGBT issues since 1979 and is nationally recognized as one of the most seasoned and effective leaders in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights movement. Jean currently serves as CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the world's largest provider of programs and services for LGBT people.
Miguel Dominguez of Community Coalition
In this episode, Shane and Miguel discuss the future of youth justice and what it would take to build a more just community safety ecosystem. Hear Miguel reflect on how his experiences growing up in South LA and attending UCLA influenced his work organizing South LA youth to advocate for their neighborhoods.
The Honorable Peter P. Espinoza
The Honorable Peter P. Espinoza, a retired judge for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California joins Shane for Episode Four to discuss the future of youth justice and community safety in LA County.
Janette Robinson Flint & Laura Jimenez
Conversations From the Frontlines: Real Talk, Real Change is back with a special Season One Bonus Episode on the fight for reproductive justice—Defending the Future: America Post-Roe. Join Liberty Hill President/CEO Shane Murphy Goldsmith and her guests Janette Robinson Flint, Executive Director of Black Women for Wellness, and Laura Jimenez, Executive Director of CA Latinas for Reproductive Justice, as they tackle the future of the fight for bodily autonomy and the intersections of the movements for reproductive and housing justice.
Mayor Karen Bass
In this bonus episode of “Conversation From the Frontlines,” Mayor Karen Bass joins the Liberty Hill community on the eve of her inauguration to discuss her plans to address pressing issues facing the City of L.A. Tune in as Mayor Bass shares her vision for how to tackle youth incarceration, environmental justice, and housing the unhoused, as well as her top priorities for her first 100 days in office.