[Podcast] Swimming Against the Legislative Tides

Sarah Levin is the founder of Secular Strategies.  She is also a lobbyist and coalition builder.  Sarah has made it her life’s work to fight for legislation protecting secular points of view.

Gerardo (Gee) Matamoros is president of the SMART NYC Board, and  self-described newfound activist.  He is impacting his community through his passion and dedication to ensuring SMART is an option for everyone in recovery.

In this podcast, they talk about:

• Sarah growing up in a political family that loved to talk about religion and politics at the kitchen table
• Sarah being introduced to SMART when she worked for the Secular Coalition for America
• Being the engine of the secular movement
• Gee grew up in different countries and came to the US for college
• Gee’s stint with “naughty” substances and finding SMART
• What brought Sarah and Gee together
• Advocating for separation of church and state and evidence-based policy
• Explaining to law makers why Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) should be supported in recovery
• Ending the stigma of addiction for people in recovery
• The First Amendment cases that protect choice in recovery pathways
• Shifting the burden to the courts to ensure secular recovery options are given to people
• Gee’s outreach and awareness efforts in NYC
• Newfound energy in rallying people to get involved in SMART’s legislative changes
• Why it’s important to learn the ecosystem of decision makers in your community and make SMART known
• Telling your story because your voice matters to lawmakers at all levels

Additional resources:

• The Humanist – Sarah Levin
• Albert Ellis Institute
• SMART Español
• Oasas New York
• New York City Resources
• SMART Recovery Handbook
• New York Assembly Member Harvey Epstein
• New York Senator Pete Harckham

• Apple iTunes
• Google Play
• Spotify
• iHeartRadio
• RadioPublic
• The SMART Recovery YouTube channel

Click here to find all of SMART Recovery’s podcasts

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