PathBreakers

Hugo Morales is preserving culture and protecting community over the airwaves

Hugo Morales grew up picking produce in the farm fields of Fresno with his family. When he returned to Fresno after college, he saw that his community – the Central Valle

Mayor Jerry Dyer is building Fresno’s economy beyond the farm

Fresno, California is smack-dab in the middle of the state, a city surrounded by farmland, seen by many as just the half-way point between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Anna McQuiston is Toppling Barriers to Collaboration in the MidSouth

Anna McQuiston says the MidSouth is at a tipping point. While the region – which comprises 6 counties and 38 cities across West Tennessee, East Arkansas, and North Missis

Archie Willis and Alex Willis-Boddie are Restoring Neighborhood Anchors

Most real estate developers have dollar signs in their eyes. But in the rare instance when the developers actually come from the communities being redeveloped, they are a

Marlon Foster is Stabilizing Families in South Memphis

There’s a two-mile corridor along Walker Avenue in South Memphis that Marlon Foster calls The Knowledge Quest Kid Zone. It’s a multi-site neighborhood campus dedicated to

Mayor Paul Young is Fighting for Memphis Families

Memphis is a city with serious momentum and serious ambition. Neighborhoods that were written off are being reinvested. Families who have been here for generations are ch

Simone Sagovac is Organizing for Community Benefits

When a $6 billion bridge comes to your neighborhood, who decides what the residents get in return? Simone Sagovac and the community-elected Southwest Detroit Community Be

Caitlin Murphy is Leading Neighborhood Development without Displacement

A commercial corridor in Detroit went from 10% occupancy to a thriving neighborhood hub–and they’re just getting started. In this episode, co-hosts Tracey Pearson and Jam

Orlando Bailey's Newsroom is Accountable to its Readers

You can’t shape your neighborhood if you don’t know what’s happening to it.  In this episode, co-hosts Tracey Pearson and Jamie Bennett talk to Orlando Bailey about how

Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield is Tending to Every Neighborhood

Season 2 of PathBreakers opens in Detroit — Kresge's hometown and a city whose comeback story has been told for a decade. But as hosts Tracey Pearson and Jamie Bennett no

Trailer: PathBreakers Season 2 Premieres May 13th!

Four American cities. Sixteen people working to improve where they live. One central question: Who has power to shape what happens in their city? In Detroit, New Orleans,

Rip Rapson is Leading Kresge into a New Chapter

In this special season finale episode, hosts Tracey Pearson and Jamie Bennet welcome Kresge Foundation President & CEO Rip Rapson back to reflect back on the stories hear

Dr. Darrick Hamilton is Utilizing Academic Research for Social Action

What is the purpose of an economy? What if economies were centered on people instead of money? What if everyone had access to both income AND wealth? These are the questi

Dr. Beverly Wright is Cultivating the Next Generation of Climate Leaders

Dr. Beverly Wright has been working in climate and environmental justice since before the movement had a name. After 30+ years of leading groundbreaking community-based p

Dr. Bridget Burns is Fostering Inter-Institutional Problem Solving at Colleges Across the Country

After a challenging experience of her own as a low-income, first-gen college student, Dr. Bridget Burns understood that higher education was not “user-friendly” for every

Cardell Orrin is Catalyzing Community to Support Education in Tennessee

Cardell Orrin spent years as a high-level IT strategist and engineer. Now, as the executive director of Stand for Children Tennessee, he is “debugging” the processes by w

Samantha Hamilton is Bringing Community Voices to Climate Response in Western Massachusetts

The natural topography and the social geography of Springfield, Massachusetts make it a place especially vulnerable to climate change. Samantha Hamilton is bringing Sprin

Quetzal Flores is Centering Culture in East LA Community Powerbuilding

Quetzal Flores is a Grammy-winning musician who combines his immense creative skillset and his deep knowledge of cultural traditions to ignite community participation in

Richard Burrell is Making Space for Healing in Fresno, California

As a kid, Richard Burrell lived in the motels along Parkway Drive in Fresno, California. As an adult he founded and runs an organization that supports the wellbeing of th

Dr. Mona Hanna is Writing Cash Prescriptions for Families in Michigan

Dr. Mona Hanna, affectionately known as “Dr. Mona”, is best known as the pediatrician who exposed the Flint water crisis. She is also the associate dean for Public Health