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n this episode, I sit down with Allyn Maxwell Steele, co-executive director of the Highlander Research and Education Center — one of the most influential yet often overlooked institutions in American social movement history. Founded in 1932, Highlander played a critical role in shaping labor organizing, the Civil Rights Movement, and grassroots leadership across generations, hosting figures like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and Septima Clark. But Highlander isn’t just history — it’s a living institution that continues to train organizers and communities today.
Our conversation explores what it actually takes to build movements that last, how leadership is cultivated rather than born, and why spaces for collective learning remain essential in moments of political and social tension. We also discuss Highlander’s resilience — from government targeting during the Red Scare to modern-day attacks — and what its survival reveals about the enduring struggle for democracy in America.
This episode is ultimately about power: where it comes from, how ordinary people learn to claim it, and why institutions like Highlander still matter in shaping the future.
