Our American Discourse, Ep. 13: How to Stop Feeling Marginalized and Start Engaging in Politics

You may think politics isn’t for you. It’s for the elites. It’s for the rich and powerful. It isn’t for people who look like you or talk like you or live like you. Well, that may be the world we’ve constructed, but it’s not right. It’s not inevitable. And it’s not the future. You deserve better. Still not convinced? Good, then this episode is for you. Unlock your passion for public policy and learn how you can become a part of the solution you’ve always longed for.In this episode, inspirational speaker and social work professor Melissa Bird knocks down the misconceptions that marginalize us and replaces them with the attitude we need to take on the injustices in our nation today.Dr. Bird is a college lecturer and public speaker on issues ranging from social work to public policy to leadership. She publishes research on women’s health and social justice. She has worked as a therapist, a program manager for homeless youth policy, a citizen lobbyist, and as the Executive Director of the Planned Parenthood Action Council and the Vice President of Public Policy for the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah. She holds a PhD in social work from the University of Southern California. She is launching a new online program, “Marginalized No More,” to inspire and teach average citizens how to engage in politics and enact change. More details are available on her website, birdgirlindustries.com.To listen to this episode of Our American Discourse, click the orange arrow in the Soundcloud player at the top of this post. Or you can download it and subscribe through iTunes, Soundcloud, or Google Play.==========“Our American Discourse” is produced by Aubrey Hicks, Jonathan Schwartz, and myself, and mixed by Corey and Ryan Hedden.