The American Slumber Party: Sam Daley-Harris on Waking Up Democracy

Sam Daley-Harris spent twelve years as a professional percussionist and a career as a music teacher before a single question changed the direction of his life: does your member of Congress know your name? In 1978, he asked 7,000 high school students, classroom by classroom, if they could name their own representative. Fewer than three percent could. That gap became the anti-poverty lobby RESULTS, and nearly five decades of work teaching ordinary citizens how to find and use their power.In this conversation, Sam and Jelani trace his path from music to movement-building — co-founding the Microcredit Summit alongside Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, and developing the idea of "transformational advocacy," where the people who show up to change something are changed themselves. Sam shares the stories of two volunteers, Maxine Thomas and Ellie Sparks, whose journeys from "clueless" and "climate trauma" to "euphoric" and "sacred and profound" illustrate what's possible when citizens are trained, not just recruited.They also talk about what Sam calls the "American Slumber Party" — the pattern of low civic participation he's tracked since the 1970s — and how small, organized groups of trained volunteers have recently helped shape the outcome of proposed federal budget cuts to programs like the EPA and global maternal and child health funding. It's a conversation about cynicism, hope, and the practical, unglamorous work of reclaiming a voice in your own democracy.Chapters:00:03 — From percussion to purpose: Sam's unlikely path into activism02:45 — The question that started it all: naming your member of Congress06:25 — Co-founding the Microcredit Summit and meeting Muhammad Yunus13:17 — Transactional vs. transformational advocacy13:47 — Maxine's story: from "clueless" to "euphoric"14:44 — Ellie's story: from "climate trauma" to "sacred and profound"21:19 — Three questions to ask someone you disagree with33:53 — How organized advocacy shaped a maternal and child health funding decision39:02 — How a small grassroots network engaged on a proposed EPA budget cut44:11 — The eighteen commitments behind transformational advocacy53:15 — Where to start tomorrow: reclaimingourdemocracy.comGuest's book: Reclaiming Our Democracy — reclaimingourdemocracy.comGet connected with an advocacy group near you: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdCQuqj-4O2eh4Sfy_E-dfVntbPlqg1A4T4oQ8E2J0nuZbD-w/viewformSend us Fan MailThe Canadian Money RoadmapPlain-English money advice for Canadians on investing, retirement, taxes and more.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify