Published date
Written by
Amanda Lovelee
amandalovelee.com
Carl Swanson
Cast Consulting
Eric Olander
The China-Global South Project
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General Update

Conversation Changers: Resistance and the Power of Neighboring

Salzburg Global Fellows Amanda Lovelee and Carl Atiya Swanson discuss how Minneapolis transformed "neighboring" into life-saving defiance during an unprecedented U.S. immigration crackdown

Published date
Written by
Amanda Lovelee
amandalovelee.com
Carl Swanson
Cast Consulting
Eric Olander
The China-Global South Project
Share
a graphic showing headshots of carl swanson and amanda lovelee

Conversation Changers, Salzburg Global's podcast, brings together thought leaders, artists, policymakers, and change-makers from around the globe to reframe dialogue, explore new ideas, and imagine better futures.

Listen to Conversation Changers

In this episode of Conversation Changers, host Eric Olander explores the aftermath of an unprecedented immigration crackdown in the United States, where aggressive raids and mass deportations became a daily reality earlier this year. While federal authorities aimed for a swift, large-scale operation, they encountered a wall of resistance in an unexpected location: Minneapolis.

Joining the conversation are Salzburg Global Fellows Amanda Lovelee, a Parks Ambassador and artist who serves as a "translator" between government and communities, and Carl Atiya Swanson, an organizational strategist and founder of Cast Consulting. Together, they reflect on the "violent puncturing" of the American self-image and how a city built on a history of organizing transformed "neighboring" into a life-saving act of defiance.

From the front lines of the Twin Cities to the intersection of climate anxiety and community care, this episode examines how collective memory and local relationships can dismantle systemic aggression.

Highlights From This Episode

  • The Minneapolis Resistance: How average citizens and "neighborhood care" forced a retreat of paramilitary forces earlier this year.
  • Visibility as a Tool: Why narrating the "dystopian" reality of ICE raids is crucial to prevent collective forgetting.
  • Neighboring as a Verb: The surprising link between building community resilience for political crises and surviving climate disasters.
  • Race, Class, and Privilege: An honest look at how white middle-class communities stood up for their Black and Brown neighbours, challenging tactical assumptions.
  • The Legacy of George Floyd: How years of organizing and past cycles of trauma prepared Minneapolis to hold the line.
  • The Power of Small Actions: Why the "revolution" often looks like buying nappies, jumping car batteries, and sitting on the front porch.

Continue the Conversation

Click here to subscribe to Conversation Changers on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media using #ConversationChangers and tag @SalzburgGlobal.

Follow Amanda Lovelee on LinkedIn.

Follow Carl Swanson on LinkedIn.

Follow Eric Olander on LinkedIn.

Topic
General
Tags
Social Justice
Citizenship
US
Amanda Lovelee

Amanda Lovelee is an artist who works in civic systems as a translator between government and community with the goal of building places where everyone belongs. She currently works as the Parks Ambassador for the Metropolitan Council based in the Twin Cities where her job is to connect people to the outdoors with a focus on equity. The creative tools Amanda has created for community engagement and connection have been used and replicated across the US. She is interested in how people connect and the spaces in which they do. Amanda holds an MFA in Visual Studies from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and a BFA in Photography from University of Hartford. Amanda is a Fellow of Salzburg Global Seminar.

Carl Swanson

Carl Atiya Swanson is a creative with an MBA, a third-culture kid, and a practical optimist. Swanson is the founder of Cast Consulting, an organizational facilitation and strategy practice working with clients in the civic,?cultural, and entrepreneurship sectors. Swanson is a nonprofit leader, artist, and advocate with 20 years of professional experience, including as Executive Director of the National Independent Venue Foundation and Associate Director of Springboard for the Arts. He is a Cultural Innovator Fellow with Salzburg Global, and trained in Facilitation for Racial Justice by the Interaction Institute for Social Change. Swanson holds a BA in Studio Art from the University of Southern California and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business. He is based in Minneapolis with his wife, two boys, and two cats.

Eric Olander

Eric is the Editor-in-Chief of The China-Global South Project, bringing over 30 years of journalism experience across global newsrooms, including CNN, FRANCE 24, and the BBC World Service. His career spans reporting, production, and newsroom leadership in the United States, Europe, Africa, and Asia. He notably served as General Director of FBNC, Vietnam's largest all-business cable TV channel, becoming the first foreigner to lead a national Vietnamese media company. Eric holds a bachelor's degree in East African history from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master's in International Public Affairs with a focus on Chinese foreign policy from the University of Hong Kong. Eric is a Salzburg Global Fellow.

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