This episode is a slight pivot from this season on the wildfires in Los Angeles because I felt I needed to do something in response to the protests and injustices happening right now. I had no idea when I interviewed Ed Robinson this morning that I would be staying up late to publish it tonight, but I found him so insightful and very helpful in this moment. Ed and I connected over podcasting and a mutual interest in grief, but Ed is a lifelong community organizer who has lived in L.A. all his life and was around during the Watts riots of 1965 and the protests after the acquittal of four police officers who were caught on video beating Rodney King in 1992. The protests right now are very different: They are largely peaceful and ongoing in reaction to the continued violence committed by law enforcement on the protesters and the abductions and detentions by ICE that are tearing families apart. But it's useful to look back on these previous historical turning points to understand what's happening today and to listen to elders like Ed, who has lived through them and helped his community respond. When I asked Ed how he was personally dealing with what's going on he said, "I wake up every morning asking myself who I can help today." When we all do that, we can prevail over the hate and senseless violence being done to our communities.
Ed mentioned the Compton Initiative, which you can learn more about at JustDoGood.Org
Ed has worn many hats including hosting a public access cable TV show, being a pastor at two different churches in Compton, being a podcaster, and most recently becoming a life coach. You can find Ed on Instagram @connectwithed. I also recommend his podcast @deependwithed.
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Special thanks to Josephine Wiggs for the song "Time Does Not Bring Relief" from her album "We Fall."
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