Back in the day, Michael Thompson was a local legend in Flint, Michigan. He brought acts like Aretha Franklin to town, and did incredible work to ease vicious gang violence in his community. So when he was sentenced to 42 to 60 years in prison, Flint was shocked, and devastated. His crime? Selling marijuana to a police informant. 

Michael was still serving time while recreational dispensaries began popping up all over his hometown, and he ended up serving the longest sentence for a nonviolent drug charge in Michigan’s history. As he navigates life post-release, he’s calling for others left behind in prison to get the same opportunity to walk free through clemency.

You can learn more about his mission at MTclemency.com.

(Archival news footage courtesy of WNEM TV5)

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Today, over 4.5 million people can't vote in the United States because of a mistake they made in the past. Desmond Meade is one of them. He's a "returning citizen" who understands the devastating impacts of having your civil rights stripped away, and the redemptive power of second chances. So, he set out to do something about it, and brought about the greatest expansion of voting rights in America in half a century. It’s that work that just earned his organization a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. 

You can learn more about Desmond’s work at the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition here.

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Ben & Jerry’s is back with another season of Into the Mix, a podcast about joy and justice. Hosted by Ashley C. Ford and produced with Vox Creative, this season will bring you stories of struggle and success from the everyday people at the heart of our greatest fights — from voting rights, to cannabis justice, to dignity for migrant workers — today. 

Season 2 begins with a conversation with the man who brought about the largest expansion of voting rights in half a century. Let’s get into it, starting on Wednesday, February 22nd!

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Ava DuVernay was a total film nerd growing up in Compton, CA; now she’s a bonafide Hollywood icon. Before making it big with films like Selma, 13th, and A Wrinkle in Time, Ava made her mark exploring themes and characters inspired by her own life. Join host Ashley C. Ford to learn how Ava uses her influence to make the film industry more inclusive, in front of, and behind, the camera.

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Erika Alexander started out as a child actor in Philadelphia before landing the iconic role of Maxine Shaw, Attorney at Law on the hit sitcom Living Single. Today, the veteran of screen and stage uses her storytelling skills to advocate for reparations for Black Americans. Host Ashley C. Ford interviews Erika Alexander about her career, family, and efforts to uplift Black voices.

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Laci Jordan was always a very serious student. When the time came to choose a career path, she decided to study criminal justice. But she soon found that her calling was not in law enforcement, but art. Host Ashley C. Ford interviews Laci about her journey from interning at the FBI, to using her art to envision a world free of police brutality.

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From the beginning, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield wanted their company to be about more than just ice cream; they knew they could leverage their popularity to advance progressive causes. Host Ashley C. Ford talks to them about their decades-long friendship, how they found early success combining ice cream with social values, and what they’re working on today.

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Phil Agnew first became an activist in 2006, after learning about a Black teenager who had been killed by guards in a Florida youth detention center. He became an organizer a few years later when he co-founded the Dream Defenders, a grassroots movement for prison abolition and more. In this episode, Phil talks with Ashley C. Ford about the nuances of activism and organizing, as well as the wins and losses he’s experienced on his journey toward a better future.

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Tackling climate change can feel so overwhelming, but the featured guests in this episode approach their climate justice work one event at a time. Punk icon Patti Smith, along with her friend, writer and activist Bill McKibben, stage inspiring events that use music, poetry and letter-writing (yes, letter-writing, in the middle of rock concerts) to mobilize against climate change.

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The online civil rights organization, Color of Change, has used many different tools to push for change: ads targeted to corporate leadership, fax machines sent to lawmakers, Twitter hashtags, and online petitions. Ashley C. Ford sits down with the head of the organization, Rashad Robinson, to talk about their innovative approach to improving Black lives.

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