The Babblery https://babblery.com/series/the-babblery/ Visit BABBLERY.com. The Babblery features conversations about who we are and how we got this way. Modern humans can seem like the ancients building the Biblical Tower of Babel, cursed by God/nature never to understand each other. As Visiting Translators at the Tower of Babel, our guests delve into their work, their research, and their own experiences to try to explain the bits they've learned about Earth's most perplexing species. Though we all speak different languages, here at The Babblery we aim to promote understanding, one conversation at a time. Wed, 19 Aug 2026 03:00:00 +0000 en-US © The Babblery Translators Visit the Tower of Babble Suki Wessling episodic Visit BABBLERY.com. The Babblery features conversations about who we are and how we got this way. Modern humans can seem like the ancients building the Biblical Tower of Babel, cursed by God/nature never to understand each other. As Visiting Translators at the Tower of Babel, our guests delve into their work, their research, and their own experiences to try to explain the bits they've learned about Earth's most perplexing species. Though we all speak different languages, here at The Babblery we aim to promote understanding, one conversation at a time. The Babblery suki@sukiwessling.com false https://babblery.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/BabbleryLogoSQ.png The Babblery https://babblery.com/series/the-babblery/ suki@sukiwessling.com Visit BABBLERY.com. The Babblery features conversations about who we are and how we got this way. Modern humans can seem like the ancients building the Biblical Tower of Babel, cursed by God/nature never to understand each other. As Visiting Translators at the Tower of Babel, our guests delve into their work, their research, and their own experiences to try to explain the bits they've learned about Earth's most perplexing species. Though we all speak different languages, here at The Babblery we aim to promote understanding, one conversation at a time. No 224608cd-9b69-5d39-b90e-7936209ecd5b https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 25992572 Turning the World Upside-Down with Barbara Winslow https://babblery.com/2026/08/turning-the-world-upside-down-with-barbara-winslow/ Wed, 19 Aug 2026 03:00:00 +0000 2510cb87-20e6-5160-ad69-f4e2ebb69a69 Barbara Winslow has been a political activist since she was a kid campaigning for Stevenson over Eisenhower in the 1950s. By the late 1960s she was a founding member of Seattle Radical Women and then Women's Liberation Seattle, groups that fought for legal abortion in Washington State years before Roe v. Wade. Her book, Revolutionary Feminists, is a hyperlocal history of that movement: the meetings, the splits, the leafleting, and the door-knocking that changed minds and the law. In this conversation, we focus on that success, and how it mirrors the challenges faced by today's activists.

Barbara explores the galvanizing events: a doctor who wouldn't let her sign her own medical consent form, a pro-life billboard that got corrected, and a viral (well, 1968-viral) confrontation with a Playboy Playmate. But our conversation doesn't shy away from the uncomfortable parts of feminist history. Barbara talks candidly about how her overwhelmingly white organizing group failed to build real coalition with Black women for Seattle's abortion referendum, and how that failure showed up starkly on election night when the only precincts that voted against the measure were in the city's Black neighborhoods. We hear about the importance of the fruitful dialogue with antiabortion Black activists like Fannie Lou Hamer.

"We have to find ways to find joy and peace and serenity in small victories. But I also think we have to find it in friendships, in family and in the arts. If you're in meetings 24 hours a day, you're not going to find joy. So you have to find a way to balance the political activism and the things that nourish your persona."

All of this history supports Barbara's advice to activists today: to understand how the Democratic Party's retreat from grassroots politics after the early '70s left an opening the right eagerly filled, how local school boards and library boards matter more right now than national races, and how—even in the middle of exhausting, often losing fights—she still believes, as she puts it, that the struggle is the joy.

Barbara Winslow is Professor emerita Brooklyn College and founder and Director Emerita The Shirley Chisholm Project of Brooklyn Women's Activism. Barbara has been a political activist for over sixty years -  in the Civil rights movement, as an ally in the Black Freedom Struggle, the labor union, public education, anti-war and anti imperialist movements and the women's liberation movements. She is a retired professor and author of books and articles on these topics, including Revolutionary Feminists: The Women's Liberation Movement in Seattle.

Books Mentioned

Publications & Organizations Mentioned

Topics Discussed

Music

]]> Barbara Winslow has been a political activist since she was a kid campaigning for Stevenson over Eisenhower in the 1950s. By the late 1960s she was a founding member of Seattle Radical Women and then Women's Liberation Seattle, groups that fought for legal abortion in Washington State years before Roe v. Wade. Her book, Revolutionary Feminists, is a hyperlocal history of that movement: the meetings, the splits, the leafleting, and the door-knocking that changed minds and the law. In this conversation, we focus on that success, and how it mirrors the challenges faced by today's activists.

Barbara explores the galvanizing events: a doctor who wouldn't let her sign her own medical consent form, a pro-life billboard that got corrected, and a viral (well, 1968-viral) confrontation with a Playboy Playmate. But our conversation doesn't shy away from the uncomfortable parts of feminist history. Barbara talks candidly about how her overwhelmingly white organizing group failed to build real coalition with Black women for Seattle's abortion referendum, and how that failure showed up starkly on election night when the only precincts that voted against the measure were in the city's Black neighborhoods. We hear about the importance of the fruitful dialogue with antiabortion Black activists like Fannie Lou Hamer.

"We have to find ways to find joy and peace and serenity in small victories. But I also think we have to find it in friendships, in family and in the arts. If you're in meetings 24 hours a day, you're not going to find joy. So you have to find a way to balance the political activism and the things that nourish your persona."

All of this history supports Barbara's advice to activists today: to understand how the Democratic Party's retreat from grassroots politics after the early '70s left an opening the right eagerly filled, how local school boards and library boards matter more right now than national races, and how—even in the middle of exhausting, often losing fights—she still believes, as she puts it, that the struggle is the joy.

Barbara Winslow is Professor emerita Brooklyn College and founder and Director Emerita The Shirley Chisholm Project of Brooklyn Women's Activism. Barbara has been a political activist for over sixty years -  in the Civil rights movement, as an ally in the Black Freedom Struggle, the labor union, public education, anti-war and anti imperialist movements and the women's liberation movements. She is a retired professor and author of books and articles on these topics, including Revolutionary Feminists: The Women's Liberation Movement in Seattle.

Books Mentioned

Publications & Organizations Mentioned

Topics Discussed

Music

]]> https://i0.wp.com/babblery.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Head-2608Winslow.jpg?fit=1600%2C920&ssl=1 Turning the World Upside-Down with Barbara Winslow false no 57:11 No no Minibabble: Enid Ryce Casts Spells https://babblery.com/2026/07/minibabble-enid-ryce-casts-spells/ Sun, 26 Jul 2026 03:00:00 +0000 42c7a545-5473-5920-842d-e6ba17e1872a Enid Baxter Ryce has just published a book that explores spells and incantations across time and cultures. In this short version of the full episode, Enid reads and explains some of her favorite spells. We also discuss the function of spells and incantations in people's lives. Please visit BABBLERY.com to listen to the full interview, in which we discuss magic and spells, but she also addresses the importance of nature and education in the age of artificial intelligence.

Related:

]]> Enid Baxter Ryce has just published a book that explores spells and incantations across time and cultures. In this short version of the full episode, Enid reads and explains some of her favorite spells. We also discuss the function of spells and incantations in people's lives. Please visit BABBLERY.com to listen to the full interview, in which we discuss magic and spells, but she also addresses the importance of nature and education in the age of artificial intelligence.

Related:

]]> https://i0.wp.com/babblery.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Head-Minibabble-2607EnidSpells.jpg?fit=1600%2C920&ssl=1 Minibabble: Enid Ryce Casts Spells false no 00:06:29 No no A Spell to Keep Us Human: In conversation with Enid Baxter Ryce https://babblery.com/2026/07/a-spell-to-keep-us-human-in-conversation-with-enid-baxter-ryce/ Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:01:24 +0000 db1825ac-f692-51b7-a40a-738044209d9d Artist, author, educator—Enid Baxter Ryce is on a roll. She's changed her careers on both sides: In her creative work, she is now publishing books rather than working with museums. As an educator, she is using her experience teaching students of all ages to train teachers on how to get students off their screens and back into the natural world.

These changes have been heralded by a sudden-seeming blossoming of publishing activity on her part, beautifully illustrated books that explore the natural and spiritual worlds. But in this conversation, Enid explains how this work—four publications in a span of two years—is the culmination of years of experience and research. From the child who grew up "feral" in the woods to the woman who considers librarians co-conspirators in her research adventures, Enid pours her whole self into her work. She's no luddite—she's a practical user of technology and AI who wants to convince you not to leave nature behind.

Roll up your sleeves, put down your screen, and accept Enid's challenge. She'll lead you to look closely at the lives we are living and how we can make meaning and beauty amidst the chaos of our digital lives.

"I wanted to give people a sense of connection across time. That when you're feeling lonely, you are not alone—that is a human feeling. And when you're feeling angry, you're also part of a grand tradition of anger... Poetry is magical because it juxtaposes words that we see regularly and makes them magical again."

More information:

Books by Enid Baxter Ryce:

  • Ancient Spells and Incantations: Echoes of Magic Through the Ages and Across Cultures (Amazon | Bookshop)
  • Plant Magic at Home: A Complete Guide to Harnessing the Power of Nature from Rituals to DIYs (Amazon | Bookshop)
  • The Borderlands Tarot/ El Tarot de Tierras Fronterizas (Amazon | Bookshop)
  • Field Guide to Fort Ord (Amazon | Bookshop)
  • Grace Flows Through You: 101 Spiritual Verses from Around the World (Amazon | Bookshop)

Publications & Organizations Mentioned

List 3: Topics Discussed

Enid Baxter Ryce is an award-winning author, artist, and professor. Enid has exhibited internationally at museums and festivals, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Library of Congress, the Arnolfini, the Getty, and the Harvard Film Archive. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, People en Español, The Los Angeles Times, on CBS Radio News, NPR, and numerous other publications. She was co-PI on a five-year, $1.25 million National Institutes of Health grant and a researcher on a Getty Foundation PST Project in collaboration with the Huntington Botanical Gardens. Enid is a former guest curator for the MexiCali Biennial and the Philip Glass Center for Art, Science, and the Environment, where she created her film War and the Weather, featuring the music of Philip Glass. Enid has held fellowships from the National Academy of Sciences, the Getty Foundation, Western Growers and Shippers, and Yale University. Most recently, she was a fellow of the Sephardic Stories Initiative at the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, which awarded her novel manuscript, Beware the Azulay: A Pirate’s Tale, a Jewish Stories Award. She has an MFA in Visual Arts, having studied at The Cooper Union and Claremont Graduate University. Enid is Professor of Cinematic Arts, focusing on Scientific and Historical Storytelling at CSU Monterey Bay.

Music:

  • "Beauty" by Karyn Ellis, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org
  • "Magic Flute" by Suki Wessling

]]> Artist, author, educator—Enid Baxter Ryce is on a roll. She's changed her careers on both sides: In her creative work, she is now publishing books rather than working with museums. As an educator, she is using her experience teaching students of all ages to train teachers on how to get students off their screens and back into the natural world.

These changes have been heralded by a sudden-seeming blossoming of publishing activity on her part, beautifully illustrated books that explore the natural and spiritual worlds. But in this conversation, Enid explains how this work—four publications in a span of two years—is the culmination of years of experience and research. From the child who grew up "feral" in the woods to the woman who considers librarians co-conspirators in her research adventures, Enid pours her whole self into her work. She's no luddite—she's a practical user of technology and AI who wants to convince you not to leave nature behind.

Roll up your sleeves, put down your screen, and accept Enid's challenge. She'll lead you to look closely at the lives we are living and how we can make meaning and beauty amidst the chaos of our digital lives.

"I wanted to give people a sense of connection across time. That when you're feeling lonely, you are not alone—that is a human feeling. And when you're feeling angry, you're also part of a grand tradition of anger... Poetry is magical because it juxtaposes words that we see regularly and makes them magical again."

More information:

Books by Enid Baxter Ryce:

  • Ancient Spells and Incantations: Echoes of Magic Through the Ages and Across Cultures (Amazon | Bookshop)
  • Plant Magic at Home: A Complete Guide to Harnessing the Power of Nature from Rituals to DIYs (Amazon | Bookshop)
  • The Borderlands Tarot/ El Tarot de Tierras Fronterizas (Amazon | Bookshop)
  • Field Guide to Fort Ord (Amazon | Bookshop)
  • Grace Flows Through You: 101 Spiritual Verses from Around the World (Amazon | Bookshop)

Publications & Organizations Mentioned

List 3: Topics Discussed

Enid Baxter Ryce is an award-winning author, artist, and professor. Enid has exhibited internationally at museums and festivals, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Library of Congress, the Arnolfini, the Getty, and the Harvard Film Archive. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, People en Español, The Los Angeles Times, on CBS Radio News, NPR, and numerous other publications. She was co-PI on a five-year, $1.25 million National Institutes of Health grant and a researcher on a Getty Foundation PST Project in collaboration with the Huntington Botanical Gardens. Enid is a former guest curator for the MexiCali Biennial and the Philip Glass Center for Art, Science, and the Environment, where she created her film War and the Weather, featuring the music of Philip Glass. Enid has held fellowships from the National Academy of Sciences, the Getty Foundation, Western Growers and Shippers, and Yale University. Most recently, she was a fellow of the Sephardic Stories Initiative at the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, which awarded her novel manuscript, Beware the Azulay: A Pirate’s Tale, a Jewish Stories Award. She has an MFA in Visual Arts, having studied at The Cooper Union and Claremont Graduate University. Enid is Professor of Cinematic Arts, focusing on Scientific and Historical Storytelling at CSU Monterey Bay.

Music:

  • "Beauty" by Karyn Ellis, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org
  • "Magic Flute" by Suki Wessling

]]> https://i0.wp.com/babblery.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Head-2607Enid.jpg?fit=1600%2C920&ssl=1 A Spell to Keep Us Human: In conversation with Enid Baxter Ryce false no 1:00:49 No no Minibabble: Merle Hoffman follows her own voice https://babblery.com/2026/06/minibabble-merle-hoffman-follows-her-own-voice/ Mon, 29 Jun 2026 18:53:16 +0000 315c9197-4561-5d55-af96-bd165ec5fc39 In this short adaptation of the full episode, "Living within the questions," women's healthcare pioneer Merle Hoffman speaks about the importance of trusting women to know their own bodies and needs. She speaks about how hard it is to talk about such a fundamental issue when people tend to shy away from deep conversations. And she speaks about her fundamental trust in herself, which has led her to fight on, from founding one of the nation's first women's health clinics in 1971 to fighting for women's rights in the post-Roe world.

]]> In this short adaptation of the full episode, "Living within the questions," women's healthcare pioneer Merle Hoffman speaks about the importance of trusting women to know their own bodies and needs. She speaks about how hard it is to talk about such a fundamental issue when people tend to shy away from deep conversations. And she speaks about her fundamental trust in herself, which has led her to fight on, from founding one of the nation's first women's health clinics in 1971 to fighting for women's rights in the post-Roe world.

]]> https://i0.wp.com/babblery.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Head-Mini2606-Hoffman.jpg?fit=1600%2C920&ssl=1 Minibabble: Merle Hoffman follows her own voice false no 00:10:54 No no Living Within the Questions with Merle Hoffman https://babblery.com/2026/06/living-within-the-questions-with-merle-hoffman/ Tue, 16 Jun 2026 21:44:32 +0000 23bd0090-3234-532a-894e-e882798dfaec When abortion became legal in New York State in 1970, Merle Hoffman didn't celebrate—she got to work. While others were still absorbing the news, she opened one of the first standalone women's health clinics in the country. No medical guidelines existed for a procedure that had only ever been done in secret, so she wrote them. Her patients didn't know their rights, so she wrote those down, too—a document that became the blueprint for the federal Patient's Bill of Rights.

Fifty-plus years later, Hoffman is still at it—still running Choices Women's Medical Center in Queens, still fighting, and still asking the questions that don't have easy answers.

"It's an intrinsic trust in myself, which I've always noticed and always had. Things come to me and I feel them organically, and I want to do this, and I trust that my decision is the right decision. And I follow my own voice."

To call Merle Hoffman the owner of an abortion clinic is only to scratch the surface of her complexity. She's a pianist, a philosopher, an activist, a mother, and an adventurer in the world of spirituality. This is a conversation about courage, conviction, and what happens when we decide to trust ourselves.

"I can live in the question. I don't have to know. I don't know if we'll ever know. But the question is so incomparably deep, profound, interesting, frustrating."

Related:

Mentioned in this episode

Books

Publications & Organizations

Topics discussed

About Merle Hoffman

Merle Hoffman is an internationally known leader in the struggle for women’s rights, a healthcare pioneer, founder of women’s health, political, and reproductive rights organizations, and a prize-winning writer and publisher. Her work spans 52 years and continues today, proving to be more essential and relevant than ever in the ongoing fight for women’s human rights, including the ability to make their own reproductive choices.

About Merle Hoffman

]]> When abortion became legal in New York State in 1970, Merle Hoffman didn't celebrate—she got to work. While others were still absorbing the news, she opened one of the first standalone women's health clinics in the country. No medical guidelines existed for a procedure that had only ever been done in secret, so she wrote them. Her patients didn't know their rights, so she wrote those down, too—a document that became the blueprint for the federal Patient's Bill of Rights.

Fifty-plus years later, Hoffman is still at it—still running Choices Women's Medical Center in Queens, still fighting, and still asking the questions that don't have easy answers.

"It's an intrinsic trust in myself, which I've always noticed and always had. Things come to me and I feel them organically, and I want to do this, and I trust that my decision is the right decision. And I follow my own voice."

To call Merle Hoffman the owner of an abortion clinic is only to scratch the surface of her complexity. She's a pianist, a philosopher, an activist, a mother, and an adventurer in the world of spirituality. This is a conversation about courage, conviction, and what happens when we decide to trust ourselves.

"I can live in the question. I don't have to know. I don't know if we'll ever know. But the question is so incomparably deep, profound, interesting, frustrating."

Related:

Mentioned in this episode

Books

Publications & Organizations

Topics discussed

About Merle Hoffman

Merle Hoffman is an internationally known leader in the struggle for women’s rights, a healthcare pioneer, founder of women’s health, political, and reproductive rights organizations, and a prize-winning writer and publisher. Her work spans 52 years and continues today, proving to be more essential and relevant than ever in the ongoing fight for women’s human rights, including the ability to make their own reproductive choices.

About Merle Hoffman

]]> https://i0.wp.com/babblery.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Head-WEBSITE-2606Merle.jpg?fit=1600%2C920&ssl=1 Living Within the Questions with Merle Hoffman false no 1:07:09 No no Minibabble: Cindy Cohn on protecting our online freedoms https://babblery.com/2026/06/minibabble-cindy-cohn-on-protecting-our-online-freedoms/ Mon, 08 Jun 2026 22:21:58 +0000 886eb159-50a0-55b7-baa1-c33848004e3f Cindy Cohn, retiring executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, speaks about the controversies regarding restriction of online speech. Addressing everything from breastfeeding forums to human rights abuses in Sudan, she argues forcefully that despite the drawbacks, we must conserver our right to speak freely and privately on the Internet.

Related:

News clip courtesy of NPR.  "Silence" courtesy of  Unwoman at Unwoman.com.

]]> Cindy Cohn, retiring executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, speaks about the controversies regarding restriction of online speech. Addressing everything from breastfeeding forums to human rights abuses in Sudan, she argues forcefully that despite the drawbacks, we must conserver our right to speak freely and privately on the Internet.

Related:

News clip courtesy of NPR.  "Silence" courtesy of  Unwoman at Unwoman.com.

]]> https://i0.wp.com/babblery.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Head-Mini-2506Cohn.jpg?fit=1600%2C920&ssl=1 Minibabble: Cindy Cohn on protecting our online freedoms false no 00:13:19 No no Minibabble: 3 women. 3 lawyers. 3 ways to change the world. https://babblery.com/2026/05/minibabble-3-women-3-lawyers-3-ways-to-change-the-world/ Wed, 27 May 2026 17:37:53 +0000 6c432bfa-e2f8-55a1-95fa-470f59e98f04 LaDoris Cordell, Denise Miranda, and Cindy Cohn are three very different women who have had three very different careers. But all three have drawn their inspiration from using their legal training to make a difference in the world. In this short excerpt, we explore how their legal training led them to fulfilling and meaningful careers.

Listen to the full episodes:

Access the episode pages for links and notes.

"Silence" is courtesy of Unwoman at Unwoman.com.

]]> LaDoris Cordell, Denise Miranda, and Cindy Cohn are three very different women who have had three very different careers. But all three have drawn their inspiration from using their legal training to make a difference in the world. In this short excerpt, we explore how their legal training led them to fulfilling and meaningful careers.

Listen to the full episodes:

Access the episode pages for links and notes.

"Silence" is courtesy of Unwoman at Unwoman.com.

]]> https://i0.wp.com/babblery.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Head-3lawyers2605.jpg?fit=1600%2C920&ssl=1 Minibabble: 3 women. 3 lawyers. 3 ways to change the world. false no 00:12:52 No no The Internet doesn’t have an anonymity problem—it has a body problem https://babblery.com/2026/05/the-internet-doesnt-have-an-anonymity-problem-it-has-a-body-problem/ Tue, 26 May 2026 04:00:00 +0000 2c5921ce-68b0-525a-939c-d482b71adacd I went into my interview with Cindy Cohn of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ready to argue my case that anonymity is the problem. I came away with a more nuanced understanding.

Read the text on Substack or listen here!

]]> I went into my interview with Cindy Cohn of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ready to argue my case that anonymity is the problem. I came away with a more nuanced understanding.

Read the text on Substack or listen here!

]]> https://i0.wp.com/babblery.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Head-WEBSITE-1506MiniAnon.jpg?fit=1600%2C920&ssl=1 The Internet doesn’t have an anonymity problem—it has a body problem false no 00:15:31 No no Fighting for a Better Online World with Cindy Cohn https://babblery.com/2026/05/fighting-for-a-better-online-world-with-cindy-cohn/ Tue, 19 May 2026 18:48:31 +0000 1d77e77a-523c-5ce6-a4e8-c12ec30dd913 Cindy Cohn joined the Electronic Frontier Foundation to argue cases like Bernstein v. Dept. of Justice, the successful First Amendment challenge to the U.S. export restrictions on cryptography. But she says that she actually spends more time on breastfeeding than any other topic.

" We've spent years trying to help women who have breastfeeding forums continue to have their forums when they get flagged for nudity because somebody's taking a picture and saying she's not latching—how does this work?"

It's that wide experience, from cryptography and surveillance technologies to breastfeeding and stalking, that makes Cindy an unusual advocate for freedom of speech and privacy on the Internet. And it makes her a particularly interesting person to talk to about women's freedom of speech and privacy on the Internet, which forms the core of our conversation here.

Advocates for women are not universally convinced that continuing to insure privacy and free speech on the Internet is wholly good for women, who are often the targets of specific threats of bodily violence. But Cindy Cohn has an expansive view of what we can do with an open Internet, while also respecting women's rights. Tune in for a fascinating conversation!

Mentioned in this episode:

Cindy Cohn of Electronic Frontier Foundation photogrphed by SRK Headshot Day in San Francisco, CA

Cindy Cohn is the Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. From 2000-2015 she served as EFF’s Legal Director as well as its General Counsel.  Ms. Cohn first became involved with EFF in 1993, when EFF asked her to serve as the outside lead attorney in Bernstein v. Dept. of Justice, the successful First Amendment challenge to the U.S. export restrictions on cryptography. 

Ms. Cohn has been named to TheNonProfitTimes 2020 Power & Influence TOP 50 list, honoring 2020's movers and shakers.  In 2018, Forbes included Ms. Cohn as one of America's Top 50 Women in Tech. The National Law Journal named Ms. Cohn one of 100 most influential lawyers in America in 2013, noting: "[I]f Big Brother is watching, he better look out for Cindy Cohn." She was also named in 2006 for "rushing to the barricades wherever freedom and civil liberties are at stake online."  In 2007 the National Law Journal named her one of the 50 most influential women lawyers in America. In 2010 the Intellectual Property Section of the State Bar of California awarded her its Intellectual Property Vanguard Award and in 2012 the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists awarded her the James Madison Freedom of Information Award.  

Ms. Cohn is the author of the professional memoir, called Privacy's Defender published by MIT Press in March, 2026. As part of promoting the book, she appeared on The Daily Show in April, 2026. She is also the co-host of EFF's award-winning podcast, How to Fix the Internet.

"Silence" courtesy of  Unwoman at Unwoman.com.

]]> Cindy Cohn joined the Electronic Frontier Foundation to argue cases like Bernstein v. Dept. of Justice, the successful First Amendment challenge to the U.S. export restrictions on cryptography. But she says that she actually spends more time on breastfeeding than any other topic.

" We've spent years trying to help women who have breastfeeding forums continue to have their forums when they get flagged for nudity because somebody's taking a picture and saying she's not latching—how does this work?"

It's that wide experience, from cryptography and surveillance technologies to breastfeeding and stalking, that makes Cindy an unusual advocate for freedom of speech and privacy on the Internet. And it makes her a particularly interesting person to talk to about women's freedom of speech and privacy on the Internet, which forms the core of our conversation here.

Advocates for women are not universally convinced that continuing to insure privacy and free speech on the Internet is wholly good for women, who are often the targets of specific threats of bodily violence. But Cindy Cohn has an expansive view of what we can do with an open Internet, while also respecting women's rights. Tune in for a fascinating conversation!

Mentioned in this episode:

Cindy Cohn of Electronic Frontier Foundation photogrphed by SRK Headshot Day in San Francisco, CA

Cindy Cohn is the Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. From 2000-2015 she served as EFF’s Legal Director as well as its General Counsel.  Ms. Cohn first became involved with EFF in 1993, when EFF asked her to serve as the outside lead attorney in Bernstein v. Dept. of Justice, the successful First Amendment challenge to the U.S. export restrictions on cryptography. 

Ms. Cohn has been named to TheNonProfitTimes 2020 Power & Influence TOP 50 list, honoring 2020's movers and shakers.  In 2018, Forbes included Ms. Cohn as one of America's Top 50 Women in Tech. The National Law Journal named Ms. Cohn one of 100 most influential lawyers in America in 2013, noting: "[I]f Big Brother is watching, he better look out for Cindy Cohn." She was also named in 2006 for "rushing to the barricades wherever freedom and civil liberties are at stake online."  In 2007 the National Law Journal named her one of the 50 most influential women lawyers in America. In 2010 the Intellectual Property Section of the State Bar of California awarded her its Intellectual Property Vanguard Award and in 2012 the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists awarded her the James Madison Freedom of Information Award.  

Ms. Cohn is the author of the professional memoir, called Privacy's Defender published by MIT Press in March, 2026. As part of promoting the book, she appeared on The Daily Show in April, 2026. She is also the co-host of EFF's award-winning podcast, How to Fix the Internet.

"Silence" courtesy of  Unwoman at Unwoman.com.

]]> https://i0.wp.com/babblery.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Head-WEBSITE-2605-Cohn.jpg?fit=1600%2C920&ssl=1 Fighting for a Better Online World with Cindy Cohn false no 00:59:20 No no Rooted in Service with Human Rights Commissioner Denise Miranda https://babblery.com/2026/05/rooted-in-service-with-human-rights-commissioner-denise-miranda/ Tue, 05 May 2026 17:00:00 +0000 b4c6c67e-117c-5ad7-9bf9-9a75852ca9b7 Denise Miranda is New York State's top civil rights official, the head of an agency that is charged with monitoring and promoting civil rights in the state. She's also a proud native of the Bronx, daughter of Puerto Rican-born parents, and a mother. It's an unusual time for Denise—a Black Latina—to be in charge of the part of the government so despised by New York's most famous native son.

Denise sees herself not as protecting certain groups of people, but fostering a culture that respects the rights of all people. She sees New York State as part of the bulwark against the normalization of hate and marginalization promoted by our current federal administration. And she offers up her own life as proof that rootedness and pride in our culture is not just an attribute of white Americans—it's an essential characteristic that spans all the divisions so emphasized our current political climate.

"This notion that somehow I've got to make sure that I put these other people down or else I'm not going to have a chance to win, is absolutely rooted in ignorance and it's rooted in racism."

Denise Miranda is on the board of Women Creating Change. Thanks to CEO Sharon Sewell Fairman and Board Chair Penny Cagan for connecting The Babblery with Denise and other fabulous New York women.

In this episode:

Denise M. Miranda, Esq. was nominated by Governor Kathy Hochul in March 2024 and confirmed by the New York State Senate in May 2025 to serve as the Commissioner of the New York State Division of Human Rights, which is dedicated to eliminating discrimination, remedying injustice and promoting equal opportunity, access, and dignity. Under Commissioner Miranda’s leadership, the Division has launched ambitious efforts to overhaul the agency’s discrimination complaint intake and case management processes while also implementing vital organizational changes and operational improvements. These essential upgrades have resulted in a bolder, more powerful, and more efficient Division that is prepared to protect the rights of all New Yorkers at a time when that mission has never been more critical. Commissioner Miranda has spent her nearly 30 years career actively engaged in the practice of law, focusing on social justice issues and protecting the rights of vulnerable individuals.

Music:

]]> Denise Miranda is New York State's top civil rights official, the head of an agency that is charged with monitoring and promoting civil rights in the state. She's also a proud native of the Bronx, daughter of Puerto Rican-born parents, and a mother. It's an unusual time for Denise—a Black Latina—to be in charge of the part of the government so despised by New York's most famous native son.

Denise sees herself not as protecting certain groups of people, but fostering a culture that respects the rights of all people. She sees New York State as part of the bulwark against the normalization of hate and marginalization promoted by our current federal administration. And she offers up her own life as proof that rootedness and pride in our culture is not just an attribute of white Americans—it's an essential characteristic that spans all the divisions so emphasized our current political climate.

"This notion that somehow I've got to make sure that I put these other people down or else I'm not going to have a chance to win, is absolutely rooted in ignorance and it's rooted in racism."

Denise Miranda is on the board of Women Creating Change. Thanks to CEO Sharon Sewell Fairman and Board Chair Penny Cagan for connecting The Babblery with Denise and other fabulous New York women.

In this episode:

Denise M. Miranda, Esq. was nominated by Governor Kathy Hochul in March 2024 and confirmed by the New York State Senate in May 2025 to serve as the Commissioner of the New York State Division of Human Rights, which is dedicated to eliminating discrimination, remedying injustice and promoting equal opportunity, access, and dignity. Under Commissioner Miranda’s leadership, the Division has launched ambitious efforts to overhaul the agency’s discrimination complaint intake and case management processes while also implementing vital organizational changes and operational improvements. These essential upgrades have resulted in a bolder, more powerful, and more efficient Division that is prepared to protect the rights of all New Yorkers at a time when that mission has never been more critical. Commissioner Miranda has spent her nearly 30 years career actively engaged in the practice of law, focusing on social justice issues and protecting the rights of vulnerable individuals.

Music:

]]> https://i0.wp.com/babblery.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Head-WEBSITE-2605Miranda.jpg?fit=1600%2C920&ssl=1 Rooted in Service with Human Rights Commissioner Denise Miranda false no 1:00:17 No no