Adrienne Maree Brown is the head of the Ruckus Society, an institute that has trained social justice organizers for more than a decade. A writer, singer and organizer, Brown was also a founder of the League of Young Voters and the co-editor of How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office.

Andre Banks: Can you talk a little about your vision, big picture, but also the work you’re doing now at Ruckus?

Adrienne Maree Brown: I think in a word, my vision is really about leadership—being able to see strong leaders in communities that really need leadership right now. I feel like we’re in a moment of peaked resources at every level: human resources, fiscal resources, oil, water, air. We have reached the point of running ourselves out of what we most need.