This Brave Nation: Carl Pope and Van Jones teaser

"...Just take what you love doing and do it with enough other people to make it the future", Carl Pope - This Brave Nation

As the associate producer of This Brave Nation, I got to watch hours of conversations between everyone from Van Jones to Tom Hayden to 17-year-old peace activist Ava Lowery. Watching the conversations between these progressive change makers inspired me in different ways. There was never a moment when I wasn't excited about a poignant statement from Carl Pope, an insightful exchange between Majora Carter and Pete Seeger, or engaged by a flash of vulnerability on Anthony Romero's face as he related a story from his youth.

Looking for the footage used in each of these episodes immediately drew me into one social movement after the next. Listening to Tom Hayden talk about Freedom Summer made me understand the struggle for civil rights in a way I never did before. Feminism takes on a deeper meaning when Dolores Huerta talks about organizing in the fields or when Naomi Klein talks about her activist mother.

What was most common among everyone we spoke to -- outside of the fact that they were inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., beyond the fact that many of them had lived through the resistance to the Viet Nam war, despite the fact that they are all still part of huge social movements -- is that they all began making a difference, joining movements, taking risks, making change in a big way, at a very young age.

The good news? You're going to get to see all the best parts of these conversations in one place (BraveNation.com) every week. This Brave Nation was a series created to honor courageous activist that have made changes to create the Brave Nation that you and I inhabit and to encourage a new generation of brave activists. We hope you enjoy Carl Pope and Van Jones in this, the first episode of This Brave Nation.

Be sure to visit BraveNation.com to see future episodes and nominate a local young activist for the Brave Nation award.

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[KSanth100]

Of Course, having comfort in the history is perfect statement. we truly learn lessons from history or past, get motivation to deal with our present problems

[THEMASTEROFYOU2000]

yea the same site that ran with the jena6!.raised over 1/4 million for them kids, who never paid their lawyers and had to finally admit that race had nothing at all to do with that issue, it was totally made up situatuion, read the REAL story.Texas Monthly wrote it.and it's one of the most left wing mags out there

[hannah4peace]

you should contact him and tell him what you wrote. he is a good and open person. i mean this sincerely, write him on colorofchange.

[peacebeing]

Thanks for sharing this! Looking forward to this whole series!

[sugarpuddin88]

You look at Churchill?!

You better go back and read history

He put his country into WW2; and lost their vast empire

Worse yet, Churchill cut the middle east up across tribal boundaries to guarantee sectarian violence -- Churchill felt as long as the region was volatile, England could take advantage of the region

We can thank Churchill for the Middle East being such a big mess - And for getting America involved in WW2! etc. etc. etc.

[sugarpuddin88]

The Civil Rights movement taught us that our government will not help us

Only the people can make changes happen - Not politicians

[dexterriley]

what a fantastic initiative,,bravo. a renewd intrest in the peace corps, i believe may be afoot as well. Ithink the youth will be the ones getting behind the Zenn cars as well. electric vehicles ideal for urban commute for 12,grand whats not to like. regardless of which side of the aisle u are in terms of the validity of global warming, it cannot be disputed that civic pride, community service, not for resumes or photo-ops, but rather for the greater good, is beneficial to us all, bravo