Good Things from Lemonada

In 2023, multiple wildfires broke out in Hawaii, devastating the island of Maui. The town of Lahaina was destroyed, with more than 2000 buildings burned, and over a hundred deaths. The wildfires shocked the country, but there were people on the ground in Hawaii who had been raising the alarm for years. Elizabeth Pickett, the Co-Director of the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, joins us to discuss her efforts to raise awareness about the growing wildfire vulnerabilities in Hawaii over the last two decades. Now she’s helping the state lead the charge in wildfire prevention, making sure its communities continue to stand strong.  

A year ago, North Carolina experienced one of the worst storms in history when Hurricane Helene hit. As a result of the historic rainfall, several rivers in the region overflowed, causing major destruction and over a hundred deaths. Two council members in North Carolina have been at the forefront of helping rebuild their communities from the ground up. Councilwoman Maggie Ullman and Councilman Anthony Sutton join us to discuss their response both during the hurricane and its aftermath, including their efforts to secure more recovery funds from D.C. and ensure their towns can rebuild stronger, giving them a fighting chance during hurricane season. 

America is experiencing a maternal health crisis. We are witnessing the worst maternal death rate for Black mothers amongst developed nations. Shawnee Gibson is ensuring we don't forget the women behind the numbers. She lost her daughter to a pulmonary embolism a few weeks after giving birth and has been fighting for reproductive justice with her organization, The ARIAH Foundation. She joins Danielle Atkinson, founder of Mothering Justice, to talk about the “In Her Honor Project,” a series of portraits featuring women who have died due to maternal health complications.

After wildfires razed Los Angeles neighborhoods at the start of this year, the city was reeling. Repair the World, a Jewish service organization, mobilized hundreds of people to support wildfire relief efforts. They also launched a service corps specifically focused on assisting wildfire victims. In this episode, we’ll hear from Cindy Greenberg, CEO of Repair the World, and Michael Auerbach, who oversees their Los Angeles programs. You’ll also hear stories from volunteers on the ground, who show us that the power of service is in all of us.