New York Live Debut
With Special Guest Toure'
Organizer and activist DeRay Mckesson takes you inside conversations about culture, social justice, and politics by exploring the history, language, and people who are shaping the struggle for progress — and talking about the steps that each of us can take to make a difference. Each week brings a news analysis, followed by deep conversations about social, political and cultural issues with experts, influencers, and diverse local and national leaders.
Doors: 6:00 PM
Show: 7 - 8:30 PM
Please be advised our presentation of Pod Save The People will have pre-show security screenings. All bags and large containers will be subject to search prior to entering the theater. Please plan to arrive early so we may be sure to start our show on time. We also recommend that you refrain from bringing large bags and backpacks.
About The Hosts:
DeRay Mckesson is a civil rights activist focused primarily on issues of innovation, equity and justice. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, he graduated from Bowdoin College and holds an honorary doctorate from The New School.
DeRay has advocated for issues related to children, youth, and families since he was a teen. As a leading voice in the Black Lives Matter Movement and the co-founder of Campaign Zero and OurStates.org, DeRay has worked to connect individuals with knowledge and tools, and provide citizens and policy makers with commonsense policies to ensure equity. Spurred by the death of Mike Brown and the subsequent protests in Ferguson, Missouri, DeRay has become a key voice in the effort to confront the systems and structures that have led to the mass incarceration and police killings of black and other minority populations. DeRay was named as one of the World’s Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine in 2015 and as one of the 30 Most Important People On The Internet by Time Magazine in 2016.
Brittany Packnett is an unapologetic educator, activist, writer, and national leader in social justice. Known as @MsPackyetti on social media, she is Vice President of National Community Alliances for Teach For America, where she leads partnerships with communities of color. Brittany is Co-Founder of Campaign Zero, a comprehensive policy platform to end police violence, and the author of the popular blog series, Falling in Love, which challenges women of all backgrounds to move boldly into their power. Recently she founded Love + Power, a platform to inspire and outfit people for justice. An active protestor, she sat on the Ferguson Commission and President Barack Obama’s 21st Century Policing Task Force. She speaks worldwide and has graced the cover of Essence Magazine. Brittany has been named one TIME Magazine’s 12 New Faces of Black Leadership, LinkedIn’s Next Wave, received the Peter Jennings Award for Civic Leadership and shares the number 3 spot on Politico’s 2016 Most Influential list.
Samuel Sinyangwe, 26, is a policy analyst and data scientist who works with communities of color to fight systemic racism through cutting-edge policies and strategies.Samuel co-founded Mapping Police Violence to support activists across the country to collect and use data to fight police violence and co-founded Campaign Zero to advocate for local, state, and federal policy solutions to end police violence. Samuel has been featured on MSNBC, CNN, BBC, LA Times, the Forbes 30 under 30 and The Root 100. Previously, Samuel worked at PolicyLink to support a national network of 61 Promise Neighborhoods communities to build cradle-to-career systems of support for low-income families. He grew up in Orlando, FL and graduated from Stanford University in 2012, where he studied how race and racism impact the U.S. political system.
Clint Smith is a doctoral candidate at Harvard University and has received fellowships from Cave Canem, the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop, and the National Science Foundation. He is a 2014 National Poetry Slam champion and a recipient of the 2017 Jerome J. Shestack Prize from the American Poetry Review. His writing has been published in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The New Republic, and numerous other publications. He is the author of Counting Descent (2016), which won the 2017 Literary Award for Best Poetry Book from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award. He was born and raised in New Orleans.
Please note: the Mezzanine section of the Playhouse is not wheelchair accessible.
There is limited wheelchair accessible seating available. To request wheelchair accessible seating and for more information on access services, please email audienceservices@henrystreet.org.
For questions about ticketing, including pricing and fees, please contact the NYC PodFest at nycpodfest@gmail.com.
