Skip to content Skip to footer

Making Waves

Sections

Convergence

William Lawrence

William Lawrence

5 articles and 32 podcasts

William Lawrence is an organizer and social movement strategist from Lansing, Michigan. He was a co-founder of Sunrise Movement, where he helped shape and popularize the Green New Deal. He is currently the Coordinator of the MI Rent Is Too Damn High coalition, fighting for rent control, tenants rights, and social housing in the Great Lakes State.

Contributions from William Lawrence

Preparing the Ground For Cadre Organizations, with Milena Velis and Jayanni Webster of LeftRoots

Hosted by
In this episode, William sits down with Milena Velis and Jayanni Webster, who were both deeply engaged with LeftRoots, an organization that operated for about 10 years before intentionally sunsetting at the end of 2023. LeftRoots's major mission was training and preparing people to become cadre. The term "cadre" might be initially confusing to some listeners; This episode explains how LeftRoots understood the nature and importance of cadre, and what it did in its 10 years of work.

Envisioning a United Socialist Future, with DSA’s National Political Committee Co-Chairs Ashik Siddique and Megan Romer

Hosted by
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has shown itself to be resilient in the challenging period of 2020-2023 — Bernie’s defeat, the pandemic, a new terrain under Biden and ensuing re-evaluation on the Left. In this episode, DSA's National Political Committee Co-Chairs Megan Romer and Ashik Siddique join Hegemonicon host William Lawrence to discuss the process, struggles, and potential of the organization in this moment.

Building Community, Fighting Poverty, Reducing Harm – Mutual Aid in Action, with Jerry Norris and Julia Miller

Hosted by
In this episode, William is joined by two purveyors of mutual aid he is very familiar with, as they work in his hometown of Lansing, Michigan. Jerry Norris is the founder of the Fledge, a truly special and one-of-a-kind community center. Julia Miller is the driving force behind Punks With Lunch, an organization providing food, personal care, warm clothes, and harm reduction resources for people struggling with homelessness and addiction, which operates out of the Fledge.

2024 Election Emergency with Waleed Shahid

Hosted by
In this episode William talks with Waleed Shahid, a progressive Democratic strategist and former national spokesperson for Justice Democrats. They discuss the recent "Vote Ceasefire" campaign in New Hampshire and an upcoming "Vote Uncommitted" campaign in Michigan, and ask if there are any other strategies available to stop a genocide, while giving ourselves the best chance to defeat Trump in November.

The State of Left Ideological Infrastructure, with Johanna Bozuwa, Corinne Blalock, and Daniel Denvir

Hosted by
This episode continues the series on “What We’re Building” - the most relevant and necessary work happening on the US Left today. Immanuel Wallerstein, the sociologist behind World-Systems Theory, wrote: "The key problem for the Global Left is not its organization, however important that be. The key problem is lucidity." William is joined this episode by three guests who are working to develop a more lucid understanding of reality and what to do about it. Together they explore the Left's own ideological infrastructure - the ideas we’re developing, and the means of disseminating them.

Social Movements, Political Instruments, and Governing Power, a panel hosted by Momentum

Hosted by
What have we learned about bridging the work of organization-building and protest with efforts to elect champions to public office? How close are we to our goal of actual governing power? How important is it to deliver material wins to communities through political action while building "political instruments"? This episode features a panel on inside/outside strategies hosted by Momentum and moderated by Hegemonicon host William Lawrence. The four panelists have each built a somewhat different political instrument for their own contexts: Lizzy Oh of NYC-DSA; Kamau Chege of Washington Community Alliance; Asha Ransby-Sporn, Chicago organizer; and Evan Weber of Sunrise Movement and Our Hawai’i.

Organizing Tenants for Housing Security, with John Washington

Hosted by
This episode's guest, John Washington, is an expert on the landlord-tenant relationship. John brings vast experience from his work as a housing organizer with the Homes Guarantee program and as co-director of PUSH Buffalo. Together, he and William explore ways tenants are organizing for their rights across the country and the pros and cons of "affordable housing" initiatives popular amongst more center-left activists, and dig into the importance of housing guarantees for all people.