How To Citizen with Baratunde - Libraries Are Hubs for Citizening – Story 1

Watch this first video story from the Week of Citizening on Instagram or LinkedIn: https://newsletter.baratunde.com/p/1st-story-libraries-are-hubs-for?r=204q7

What if every library in the world was a hub for citizening—a space where people could come together, tell their own stories, and build new ones? It’s already happening. And Cossit Llibrary in downtown Memphis is leading the way.

🎙️ Meet Ena Esco — Innovator-in-Residence for podcast programming. In a city that’s majority Black and shaped by deep economic challenges, Ena is turning a traditional library into a platform for power.

Inside this public library you’ll find:

📸 A podcast studio

🎥 A video + photo lab

🎭 A performance space

All free. All open to the public.

“We live in an era where a lot of people are being silenced. I’m proud to mentor folks and watch them realize: they can say what they truly want to say.” — Ena Esco

This is what it looks like to practice power. To citizen.

🔗 Want more stories like this? Visit https://stories.howtocitizen.com 

Story produced by Tess Novotnoy

This is part of the Week Of Citizening stories jointly amplified by How To Citizen, Jon Alexander, and Baratunde Thurston

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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How To Citizen with Baratunde - We’re Back (Kind of) with More Stories All Week

It's been almost two years, and I (Baratunde) am back with an experimental drop because democracy is something we DO, not something we HAVE (or don't), and this moment calls for that reminder. So...

I’m teaming up with my friend and fellow citizenist Jon Alexander (author of CITIZENS) to do something we believe is urgent and necessary: shine a light on the everyday people practicing democracy in extraordinary ways.

We’ve gathered a week’s worth of short, powerful stories from across the U.S.—people showing up for their communities, bridging divides, building something better.

We’re releasing one story per day this week on LinkedIn and Instagram. But we know there are more.

We’re not doing this for clicks. We’re doing this to prove there’s demand for a different kind of story.

One where people aren’t problems to be fixed, but solutions already in motion.

Here’s how you can help:

📩 Sign up at https://stories.howtocitizen.com

✅ Follow @baratunde, Jon (@thecitizensguy), and @HowToCitizen on Instagram

💬 Engage. Comment. Share. Tag someone doing similar work.

📣 Know someone with a platform or newsletter? Ask them to help spread the word.

We want to show funders—and each other—that this kind of storytelling matters.

Let’s make this the week we saw the democracy we deserve and counterprogram the nonsense and chaos with something beautiful and joyful already happening.

Major appreciation to Shira Abramowitz who has run point on finding the stories we are releasing this week. And to Elizabeth Stewart for great partnership.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - CLASSIC: What happened to Jimmy Hoffa?

In his day, American labor union leader James "Jimmy" Riddle Hoffa was one of the most well-known figures in the US. On July 30th, 1975, Hoffa disappeared. He has not been seen, living or dead, since that day. In the decades following his death numerous investigators have tried (and failed) to figure out what exactly happened to this infamous American icon. So what actually happened to Jimmy Hoffa? Tune in to learn more in tonight's Classic episode.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It Could Happen Here - When Care Workers Organize

Mia talks with Jess and Jesus from Friends PDX Union Network about their work mentoring underprivileged youth at Friends of the Children and their unionization efforts.

https://www.instagram.com/friendspdxunionnetwork/

https://friendspdx.org/donate

Better Offline & Weird Little Guys are nominated for this year’s Webby Awards! Get your votes in by April 17th! 🗳️🗳️🗳️

https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/individual-episode/business

https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/individual-episode/crime-justice

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It Could Happen Here - CZM Book Club: The Barrow Will Send What it May, Chapter Four

Margaret reads another chapter from the second book in her Danielle Cain series.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It Could Happen Here - It Could Happen Here Weekly 177

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file. 

  1. Behind the Scenes of That Teen Vogue Article on Vivian Wilson, Elon Musk's Daughter

  2. Why Watching Actors Get Maimed By Big Cats Gives Me Hope For The Future

  3. How ICE Kidnapped A Farmworker Union Organizer

  4. Esperanto with Andrew
  5. Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #11

You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today!

http://apple.co/coolerzone 

Sources/Links:

Behind the Scenes of that Teen Vogue Article on Vivian Wilson, Elon Musk's Daughter

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/vivian-jenna-wilson-elon-musk-trans-youth

Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #11

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/us/politics/trump-administration-immigrant-detention-facilities-services.html?unlocked_article_code=1.-E4.PL6V.gJR0OQEOJP8G&smid=url-share 

https://ucsdguardian.org/2025/04/07/5-ucsd-students-face-sudden-f-1-visa-terminations-a-6th-deported-at-the-border-no-apparent-pattern-among-students-targeted/ 

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/university-california-statement-international-students-visa-status-terminations 

https://bsky.app/profile/reichlinmelnick.bsky.social/post/3lmcxoqk2ts24

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.278147/gov.uscourts.dcd.278147.30.1_1.pdf

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a931_2c83.pdf

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25881144-24a949/

https://bsky.app/profile/khuddleston.bsky.social/post/3lmaiaxi7f226

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/immigration/2025/03/18/516185/hpd-says-their-stance-on-immigration-enforcement-hasnt-changed-despite-recent-turnover-to-ice/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/04/cea-chairman-steve-miran-hudson-institute-event-remarks/

https://apnews.com/article/china-response-us-tariffs-104-d40d497f6e07ee4163d88443cb75ab3f

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - Interview: Up and Vanished Weekly, with Maggie Freleng

Alien abductions. Unexplained disappearances. Unsolved murders. In tonight's interview, the guys join the legendary, award-winning journalist Maggie Freleng to learn more about her newest podcast, Up and Vanished Weekly.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - Listener Mail: Science and Astrology, Secrets of the Pyramids, and “Chicken Tax”

Astrolojon prompts an exploration of a possible scientific basis to astrology. Flea asks for more information about the viral claims concerning purported pillars deep beneath the Pyramids of Giza. AngryBizkitz inspires an investigation into the weird, conspiratorial world of tariff loopholes and the infamous "Chicken Tax." All this and more in this week's listener mail segment.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It Could Happen Here - Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #11

The gang discuss tariff chaos, the IRS handing over data to ICE, student visa cancellations, “lethality” in the military, and the Supreme Court.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/us/politics/trump-administration-immigrant-detention-facilities-services.html?unlocked_article_code=1.-E4.PL6V.gJR0OQEOJP8G&smid=url-share 

https://ucsdguardian.org/2025/04/07/5-ucsd-students-face-sudden-f-1-visa-terminations-a-6th-deported-at-the-border-no-apparent-pattern-among-students-targeted/ 

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/university-california-statement-international-students-visa-status-terminations 

https://bsky.app/profile/reichlinmelnick.bsky.social/post/3lmcxoqk2ts24

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.278147/gov.uscourts.dcd.278147.30.1_1.pdf

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a931_2c83.pdf

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25881144-24a949/

https://bsky.app/profile/khuddleston.bsky.social/post/3lmaiaxi7f226

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/immigration/2025/03/18/516185/hpd-says-their-stance-on-immigration-enforcement-hasnt-changed-despite-recent-turnover-to-ice/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/04/cea-chairman-steve-miran-hudson-institute-event-remarks/

https://apnews.com/article/china-response-us-tariffs-104-d40d497f6e07ee4163d88443cb75ab3f

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It Could Happen Here - Esperanto with Andrew

Andrew is joined by James to discuss the history and practice of Esperanto, the global language.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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