Podcast
Sticky Note Conversations
Hosted by Erika Washington · EN
To keep my thoughts in order and my to-do lists remotely manageable I create arrays of sticky notes on my desk and wall. New idea? Stick note! Someone I want to meet with? Sticky Note! Need to remember to pay a parking ticket? Write it on a sticky note. Over the course of the last year, I have wanted to create a podcast that allowed me to dive deep into conversations with interesting people.. I wanted to have real conversations that were more than sound bites or regurgitated talking points about fluffy topics. My hope is that each episode feels like old friends catching up. Revealing great information but also humanity, struggle, victory, joy, grief, and possibly, a flicker of transcendence.
I hope you will enjoy these as much as I do creating them.
Join me here every Saturday as I pull a new sticky note off my desk.
24episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Revisiting Jovan Jackson - "Dreaming of the Day I Wake Up" (from the American Dreams Podcast)
5d ago00:57:43Tap to summarizeThis revisiting episode of American Dreams: Reproductive Justice continues examining how the carceral system affects families and communities through the story of Jovan Jackson, a 32-year-old Las Vegas entrepreneur and community advocate who became a convicted felon after methamphetamine use, mental health crisis, and a robbery tied to suicidal desperation. His parents describe his compassionate childhood, the family trauma after his brother Matthew was killed, and the lack of long-term adult treatment options in Nevada. Jovan says incarceration helped him sober, receive medication, and find purpose in a Nevada firefighting work camp, while criticizing prison labor pay as slavery under constitutional exception clauses; Nevada Assemblyman Howard Watts III discusses a ballot amendment to remove that language. The episode also covers barriers to employment after release, the importance of family support, AB431 restoring voting rights in Nevada, and Jovan’s decision to register to vote, run for office, and campaign on housing, criminal justice reform, and free mental health services while recovering from testicular cancer.
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Revisiting: Claytee White "Fight the Power" A Tribute To Dr. Ruby Duncan
2w ago01:00:23Tap to summarizeIn this replay episode, host Erika Washington talks with Claytee White, recently retired founding director of UNLV’s Oral History Research Center, about how the center was built through training and fundraising to preserve Las Vegas history and how the public can access UNLV’s library archives and digitized oral histories. They revisit Ruby Duncan’s life and impact following her recent death, including her leadership in the welfare rights movement, her lobbying for food stamps and WIC, and the multicultural organizing connected to national leader George Wiley and the March 6, 1971 “Storming Caesars Palace” march. White describes Operation Life’s long-running community work—opening the West Las Vegas library, creating clinics and employment programs, and establishing Ruby Duncan Manor—and they discuss sustaining momentum through voting, policy engagement, and continued activism as rights are rolled back. (00:00) - SNC S3 Claytee White - Ruby Duncan Final (01:50) - Introduction & Tribute to Ruby Duncan (04:04) - Clay T. White & the Oral History Research Center (04:50) - How UNLV Started Collecting Las Vegas History (08:19) - Learning Las Vegas History & Meeting Ruby Duncan (11:54) - The Oral History Project & Documenting the African American Community (16:43) - Ruby Duncan's Work & Operation Life (18:40) - The Welfare Rights Movement & Food Stamps in Nevada (21:12) - Operation Life's Lasting Legacy (34:00) - Storming Caesars Palace & the Multicultural Movement (36:37) - Keeping the Momentum: Democracy & Civic Engagement (45:34) - Ruby Duncan's Legacy (52:08) - Accessing UNLV's Oral History Archives (54:31) - The American Dream & Closing Tribute
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Revisiting Alicia Contreras Alas - "Taking the Time We've Fought For"
3w ago01:21:32Tap to summarizeHost Erica Washington welcomes Alicia Contreras, founding executive director of RAIZ Arizona (an interfaith organizing community working for an Arizona where all people belong and live with abundance and dignity), to discuss sustaining leadership and organizing in the current political moment. Alicia reflects on taking a three-week WinCall residency respite in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula to rest, regulate her nervous system, and confront workaholism and imposter syndrome, noting many leaders only stop when illness forces it. They discuss Arizona’s climate of fear around ICE raids, rapid-response readiness, heightened risks for Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities, and why organizing may need to look different amid funding and safety concerns. The conversation explores relationship-based interfaith organizing, confronting weaponized Christianity, defining democracy, mutual aid and neighbor-to-neighbor organizing, Pope Francis’ death and its implications, and Alicia’s vision of an American Dream grounded in safety, care, rest, and dignity
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Dawn Blagrove - "This Woman's Work"
4w ago01:15:36Tap to summarizeHost Erika Washington welcomes back Dawn Blaigrove, executive director of Emancipate NC, to process the Supreme Court decision weakening Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and what it means for Black political power. They argue that chasing temporary wins and constant crisis response has prevented long-term strategy, succession planning, and “inoculation” against policymakers’ whims. Dawn urges building bottom-up power by taking over local governments, school boards, and municipal systems, creating cooperative, self-sustaining community pillars (education, safety, health, food, shelter, security) that can function with, without, and against government. They discuss collective economic responsibility, urging Black people with means to materially support others to create breathing room for long-term decisions, reject leader-centered celebrity politics, fund Black-led organizing, and still vote while holding elected officials accountable and pushing reforms, including Supreme Court reform.(00:00) - Introduction (01:54) - How We Keep Ending Up Back Here (03:04) - Building Local Power & Inoculating from Policymakers (06:00) - Sovereign Spaces & Co-ops (09:04) - Ruby Duncan, Welfare Rights & The Cycle of Fighting (11:27) - Long-Term Planning vs. Survival Mode (18:20) - Economic Solidarity: Each One Help Three (24:25) - Funding Our Own Liberation (42:11) - Vested Interests in Black Pain (53:46) - The Voting Rights Act & Supreme Court Decision (01:00:26) - What This Means for the 2026 Midterms (01:07:22) - Voting Is a Process, Not Just an Act (01:12:36) - Radical Imagination & Strategic Planning
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Claytee White - "Fight the Power" A Tribute to Dr. Ruby Duncan
May 201:00:23Tap to summarizeHost Erika Washington dedicates this special episode of Sticky Note Conversations to the late Dr. Ruby Duncan (1932–2026), her friend and mentor, recounting Duncan’s move from Louisiana to Las Vegas and her leadership as co-founder of Operation Life and president of the Clark County Welfare Rights Organization, including the 1971 protest that shut down Caesars Palace and her work to bring food stamps to Nevada. Erika interviews retired UNLV Oral History Research Center founding director Claytee D. White about why documenting Las Vegas history matters, how the center collected oral histories of the Black community, and Ruby’s multicultural coalition-building, lobbying, and community programs such as WIC offices, a West Las Vegas library, clinics, employment efforts, and Ruby Duncan Manor. They discuss ongoing threats to voting and civil rights, the need for sustained civic action, and Ruby’s legacy of education, equity, and systemic change.(00:00) - SNC S3 Claytee White - Ruby Duncan Final (01:50) - Introduction & Tribute to Ruby Duncan (04:04) - Clay T. White & the Oral History Research Center (04:50) - How UNLV Started Collecting Las Vegas History (08:19) - Learning Las Vegas History & Meeting Ruby Duncan (11:54) - The Oral History Project & Documenting the African American Community (16:43) - Ruby Duncan's Work & Operation Life (18:40) - The Welfare Rights Movement & Food Stamps in Nevada (21:12) - Operation Life's Lasting Legacy (34:00) - Storming Caesars Palace & the Multicultural Movement (36:37) - Keeping the Momentum: Democracy & Civic Engagement (45:34) - Ruby Duncan's Legacy (52:08) - Accessing UNLV's Oral History Archives (54:31) - The American Dream & Closing Tribute
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Revisited: DaMareo Cooper - "Democracy Is Right in Front of Us"
Apr 2501:24:10Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Sticky Note Conversations, host Erika Washington sits down with DaMareo Cooper, co-executive director of Popular Democracy. Erika and DaMareo engage in a rich discussion on topics such as the challenges of creating innovative social justice initiatives, the importance of grassroots organizing, and the current state of democracy in the United States. DaMareo shares valuable insights from his 15+ years of activism, including book recommendations and reflections on the intersections of race, class, and policies. The conversation also delves into the importance of the 14th Amendment, the potential impact of reparations, and the need for long-term community investments. This episode serves as a thought-provoking dialogue on how to foster a more cohesive and equitable society.(00:00) - Introduction and Host's Creative Struggles (01:42) - Guest Introduction: DeMareo Cooper (05:17) - Defining Democracy and Its Challenges (07:16) - Historical Context and Constitutional Amendments (14:11) - Current Political Climate and Social Issues (16:36) - Community and Organizational Roles (21:04) - Economic Inequality and Racial Capitalism (32:07) - Religion and Social Responsibility (43:10) - The Dilemma of Black Men Voting for Trump (44:13) - The Struggles of Black Communities and Political Disillusionment (47:17) - The Importance of Long-Term Investment in Black Men (54:26) - Building Power in Black and Brown Communities (01:10:19) - The Role of the 14th Amendment in Civil Rights (01:14:08) - Reparations and the Path to Equity (01:19:42) - Envisioning the American Dream (01:22:51) - Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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Democracy Recap
Apr 1800:58:47Tap to summarizeErika Washington centers her recurring question—what is democracy and do we have it—noting democracy’s Greek roots (“people” and “rule”) and that there’s no single agreed-upon definition beyond voting. She compiles past guest perspectives that describe democracy as people choosing government, having a voice, freedom and constitutional protections, fairness and opportunity, and community responsibility, while many argue the U.S. is backsliding toward oligarchy or authoritarianism through weakened checks and balances, billionaire influence, voter suppression, and public apathy. Several guests stress local action, collective organizing, and defending civil rights as essential to keeping a “republic,” echoing Benjamin Franklin’s warning.
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Claire Thomas - "You Don't Own Me"
Apr 1101:10:12Tap to summarizeHost Erika Washington interviews former Nevada Assemblywoman and Air Force veteran Claire Thomas, who shares why she moved from Brooklyn to Las Vegas, her experience facing racism and sexism in the Air Force, and what led her to run for Assembly District 17 after Tyrone Thompson’s death. Thomas discusses her opposition to 2023 school discipline bills AB285 and the governor’s SB330, arguing they pushed permanent expulsion for very young children and undermined restorative justice efforts like Thompson’s AB169, especially after COVID disruptions. She reflects on legislative culture, leadership and clique dynamics, and why she ran—and lost—a bid for Senate District 1. Thomas critiques current Nevada Democratic Party leadership, urges voters to focus on local races and accountability, and shares her vision of the American Dream centered on happiness, education, community engagement, and her pursuit of a doctorate in public policy. (00:00) - SNC S3 Ep 10 Claire Thomas full final (00:42) - Introduction (00:47) - Claire's Background & Love for Las Vegas (05:01) - Air Force Experience (14:48) - Running for Office (20:39) - Education Bills & Assembly Votes (41:43) - Leaving the Assembly (45:30) - The Democratic Party & Nevada Politics (59:33) - Local Elections & What Matters (01:05:56) - The American Dream & Closing
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Recap: "What's Your Version of The American Dream?"
Apr 400:48:34Tap to summarizeHost Erika Washington revisits the recurring Sticky Note Conversations question—“What’s your version of the American Dream?”—through clips from past guests who define it as health and happiness, equality and cultural coexistence, a safety net for housing and healthcare, the right to rest and global awareness, hope as an immigrant, collective responsibility, freedom and time, safety for children, and reparations and equity. The episode also examines the origins of the term from James Truslow Adams’ 1931 The Epic of America, with scholars discussing how the dream was shaped by the Great Depression, Jefferson and Hamilton’s competing visions, industrialization, slavery, segregation, and critiques of assimilation and colorblindness, including references to MLK and Malcolm X. Erika closes by reflecting on whose dreams fit together, who is left out, and the need to keep talking.
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Noé Orosco - "We Don't Need Another Hero"
Mar 2800:57:31Tap to summarizeHost and executive producer Erika Washington and guest Noé Orosco discuss reactions to a New York Times investigation alleging Cesar Chavez was a rapist and child molester, and what the news could mean for the Latino community, civil rights movements, solidarity, and women and girls. Noé, a Las Vegas resident and former seasonal farmworker from California’s Central Valley, shares experiences harvesting and planting orchards, describing long, piece-rate workdays involving whole families and the impact of weather on income. He reflects on how labor organizing improved conditions (including limits on pesticide spraying over workers and banning the short-handle hoe) while noting tensions between the UFW and undocumented workers. They emphasize separating the movement from a single figure, discuss renaming Chavez-linked honors to better recognize Dolores Huerta, and argue for accountability and checks and balances within movements. (00:00) - Content Warning Intro (00:32) - Why Chavez Story Matters (02:44) - Meet Noé Orosco (03:51) - Identity and Indigeneity (05:58) - Growing Up Farmworking (07:39) - Inside the Orchard Grind (12:25) - Families and Child Labor Reality (14:53) - Did the Movement Improve Safety (18:32) - Chavez in His Family History (22:53) - NYT Allegations Gut Punch (25:22) - Separating Man from Movement (27:08) - Will This Derail Progress (29:17) - Movement Over Heroes (29:57) - Dolores Huerta Sacrifice (31:14) - Silence And Derailing (34:02) - Gender Dynamics Machismo (36:24) - Renaming And Reckoning (38:27) - Dangers Of Idolization (42:16) - Checks And Balances (45:09) - Training Behind Movements (51:21) - Accountability In Community (53:31) - Democracy And Storytelling (56:14) - Closing Thanks And Credits
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