About
What is "How We Become"
"How We Become" is a narrative campaign from the Wieboldt Foundation that tells the stories of the people at the center of community organizing: who they are, what drew them to the work, and what keeps them going.
At its center is a six-episode podcast hosted by Damon Williams. Each episode follows a different Chicago organizer and explores how they became an organizer and why they stayed. Around the podcast, the campaign brings these stories to more people through media placements, an installation of objects that mattered in organizers' leadership journeys, and conversations led by Wieboldt's board members within their own networks.
We hope "How We Become" will help more people understand organizing for what it is: a long-term investment in people, leadership and community power. Organizing is often hard to see from the outside. Its results show up as stronger neighborhoods, new leaders and policy wins, but the human development behind those results rarely gets told. By making that journey visible, we hope to:
Help funders and donors see organizing as essential to lasting change, including those for whom it isn't yet a primary strategy.
Honor the organizers whose commitment holds Chicago's neighborhoods together.
Open new conversations that lead to deeper and more lasting support for organizing, in Chicago and beyond.
With Gratitude
How We Become exists because of the generosity of many people.
First and most of all, we thank the organizers who shared their stories with us. They trusted us with their histories, their doubts and the moments that changed them. This campaign is theirs as much as ours.
We are indebted to the team at Tenderfoot TV Labs for the care and talent they brought to this project that we hope you're able to experience with each listen. We are grateful to Damon Williams, along with Respair Media, for bringing these stories to life with care, craft and a deep respect for the people behind them.
We thank the community organizations Wieboldt is proud to support. Their daily work of building their membership, developing leaders and winning campaigns is the reason this story is worth telling.
Finally, we thank the Wieboldt Foundation's board of directors for carrying these stories into their own communities, and every listener, partner and fellow funder who joins us in this conversation.
Get Involved
Every organizer has a story of how they became one. Every funder has a chance to be part of what comes next.
Listen to the series, share it with someone in your network, and help us build a broader base of support for community organizing.
Visit our Support page to learn how you can help or get involved.
Stay up to date
New volumes, events, and news delivered when they happen.
Join the mailing list