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Logo for the To See Each Other podcast, hosted by George Goehl

To See Each Other: The Real Story of Rural Americans

To See Each Other is a documentary series that complicates the narrative about rural Americans in our most misunderstood, and often abandoned, communities. Host George Goehl – a leading grassroots organizer – travels to Michigan, Iowa, New Jersey, North Carolina and Indiana to reveal how small town folks are working together in fights for everything from clean water and racial justice to immigrant rights and climate change.

When we see each other, we’ll understand that we can never give up on each other.

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To See Each Other

Episode Guide

Episode 1: Introduction

In the first episode of To See Each Other, our host, George Goehl, Director of People’s Action, shares more about growing up in Medora, Indiana, and the economic devastation that’s left his hometown and so many others feeling left behind. By resisting the urge to write these communities off as Trump country, organizers are building people power, listening to their neighbors, and building community.
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Episode 2: Learning How to Listen – Michigan

Our first stop is Michigan, where deep listening animates the immigration work of Michigan United, a People’s Action affiliate. George visits with Ryan Bates, director of Michigan United, and Caitlin Homrich-Kneilen, a native of The Thumb, and the leader of Michigan United’s Hometown Voices program. Caitlin organizes volunteers and staff to go door to door, meeting constituents -- many of them older and white -- where they’re at, and fostering conversations with radical empathy.
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Episode 3: Raising Hell for Clean Water - Iowa

In Iowa, as factory farms have been poisoning the drinking water, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement have been re-imagining what rural Iowa’s community looks like. In this episode, George talks with Hugh Espey, Director of Iowa CCI; Larry Ginter, a retired, third-generation farmer based in Rhodes; Emma Schmit, an organizer with Food and Water Watch; and Lakeisha Perkins, a lifelong Des Moines resident and Iowa CCI community organizer.
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Episode 4: Refusing to be Washed Away - New Jersey

How do we cope with the storm after the storm? During this episode of To See Each Other, George talks to members of the New Jersey Organizing Project, who have been building solidarity among Jersey Shore residents since Hurricane Sandy. Co-founder Amanda Devecka-Rinear is joined by Sandy survivors Jody Stewart, a native of Little Egg and NJOP organizer; Alison Arne, an NJOP organizer; and Chuck Griffin, a victim of contractor fraud who has found solidarity through NJOP.
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Episode 5: Fighting White Nationalism - North Carolina

In Alamance County, at the intersection of Plantation and Corporation boulevards, Down Home North Carolina has been building a multi-racial grassroots movement against white supremacy. George talks to Brigid Flaherty, co-founder of Down Home North Carolina; Sugelema Lynch, a Latina mother; Pat Rogers, a young white engineer; and Dreama Caldwell, who’s running to serve as an Alamance County’s first Black woman Commissioner.
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Episode 6: Seeing Each Other - Indiana

George goes back home to Indiana, where members of Hoosier Action are refusing to give up on fellow Hoosiers. George recalls growing up with Kate Hess Pace, founder of Hoosier Action. Members of Hoosier Action like Tyla Barrick Pond, Scott County physician Dr. William Cooke, and Tracy Skaggs detail environmental hazards and the devastations of Indiana’s opioid epidemic. Together, they have made space for shame to turn into vulnerability and creative resilience.
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