Broken Office Chair

Cocktails & Complicity: Community of Care (Live Recording)

Broken Office Chair host, Bessie Alcantara is joined by Adela Carlin, Senior Director of Advocacy at Illinois Partners for Human Service and Sarah Daniels, Chief Of Staff at ICOY for a special live recording of Cocktails & Complicity. This event was recorded on March 12th, 2026, This is Part 1 of a series related to Community of Care. Speakers touched on how true community is defined by mutual accountability and restorative connection, standing in direct opposition to the modern shift toward transactional, isolationist, and work-centric lifestyles. As rising costs, diminishing social spaces, and digital distractions erode our collective "free time," the nonprofit sector, and society at large, risks prioritizing capitalistic productivity over the essential human need to care for one another. To reclaim our well-being, we must dismantle the systems that frame social obligations as "unprofessional" and instead prioritize the relational ties that allow diverse communities to truly thrive. Adela Carlin is a Latina community lawyer with more than 20 years of experience advancing equity and justice alongside individuals, families, and community groups. She serves as Senior Director of Advocacy, co-leading the Living Wages, Thriving Communities [https://www.livingwageil.org/] Campaign to advance sustainable, equitable investments in the human services workforce. In her senior advocacy role, she mobilizes and supports partners to engage in strategic, values-driven advocacy that centers community voice and lived experience. Adela develops equity-focused training for coalition partners and is a Racial Justice Institute Fellow, national facilitator with Reframing Aging, and member of the National Health Equity Collective. She serves on the boards of Solutions for Care, Forefront, and AMPT Chicago. Adela grew up in Little Village, is bilingual in English and Spanish, and earned her law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law at Urbana-Champaign. Sarah Daniels received her BA in Communication/Public Relations from Millikin University. While debating on whether grad school would be the next best thing, she decided to stay at Millikin as an AmeriCorps*VISTA, where she focused on economic development and education for one school year. Many of her duties entailed creating service-learning opportunities, grant management for voter engagement, solidifying and maintaining partnerships with community organizations. She then went on to complete her Master of Public Administration degree at the University of Illinois- Springfield. At the start of a global pandemic, she joined ICOY as a Policy Analyst. A year into her role, she was promoted to Assistant Executive Director. She represents ICOY and its members on policy commissions, committees, and various workgroups. As a public servant, Sarah is someone who wishes to always teach and give back to those in the community, especially as it relates to regaining power in underserved areas by extending resources and opportunities for growth. When she is not “working”, she can be found selling real estate in the Chicagoland area, traveling with friends and family, binge-watching the latest TV shows, or enjoying brunch and creating content for her socials.

Ald. Jessie Fuentes

Broken Office Chair host, Bessie Alcantara is joined by Ald. Jessie Fuentes, Alderperson of the 26th Ward and a queer Latina grassroots organizer, educator, and public policy advocate. Growing up in Humboldt Park amidst the generational traumas of parental substance use, mental illness, and job instability, Jessie resorted to dealing with her own struggles of resentment and anger with the juvenile justice system, as experienced by far too many young Chicagoans. Jessie found a home at Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, an alternative high school in the heart of Humboldt Park. Jessie was politicized by educators who understood her life experiences. She graduated high school, earned a degree from NEIU, and returned home to Humboldt Park to serve as the Dean of Students of both Roberto Clemente Community Academy and her alma mater, ensuring Black and Latine students had the resources to transcend trauma and pursue their aspirations. As Director of Policy and Youth Advocacy at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, she championed community-driven solutions that address violence, housing affordability, and re-entry for returning citizens. Now she utilizes her past experiences to serve as the Alderperson of the 26th Ward, bringing over a decade of experience in education, criminal justice reform, affordable housing, community development, and sustainability to give back to the community that shaped her. @Jessiefor26th @26thwardchicago www.the26thward.org

Sufyan Sohel Pt. 2

In part 2 of their conversation, Broken Office Chair host, Bessie Alcantara is joined by Sufyan Sohel, Chair of Cook County Commission on Human Rights - Consultant Social Impact, board member of ACLU, whose career centers on combating hate and advancing justice for marginalized communities, and he is the Founder of Globalize Good, where he advises leaders and supports nonprofits, foundations, and social enterprises in navigating internal conflict, building strategic capacity, and scaling equity-centered solutions. He also leads CAIR-Chicago’s Travelers Assistance Project, providing critical guidance and support to individuals and families facing challenges at airports and borders. In part 1 of this conversation, Bessie and Sufyan talk about privilege, values, politics and cancel culture. Sufyan currently chairs the Cook County Commission on Human Rights, serves as Equity Officer for the ACLU of Illinois, co-chairs the DePaul Law Diversity Council, is Board Chair of the South Asian American Coalition to Renew Democracy (SACRED), and facilitates anti-hate and bystander intervention trainings with Right To Be. A trained facilitator, storyteller, and poet, he uses public narrative, media, and movement-building to uplift impacted communities and inspire collective action rooted in justice, dignity, and belonging. You can follow Sufyan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sufyansohel [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sufyansohel] https://www.instagram.com/sufyansohel/ [https://www.instagram.com/sufyansohel/] https://www.threads.com/@sufyansohel [https://www.threads.com/@sufyansohel] ---------------------------------------------------------- CAIR-Chicago provides information and legal services free of charge. [http://cairchicago.org/] For EMERGENCIES AT THE AIRPORT ONLY, please text (630) 930-2987 with the traveler’s full name, passport number, nationality, flight departure/arrival/airline details, visa details, and emergency contact person’s details.

Sufyan Sohel - Pt. 1

Broken Office Chair host, Bessie Alcantara is joined by Sufyan Sohel, Chair of Cook County Commission on Human Rights - Consultant Social Impact, board member of ACLU, whose career centers on combating hate and advancing justice for marginalized communities, and he is the Founder of Globalize Good, where he advises leaders and supports nonprofits, foundations, and social enterprises in navigating internal conflict, building strategic capacity, and scaling equity-centered solutions. He also leads CAIR-Chicago’s Travelers Assistance Project, providing critical guidance and support to individuals and families facing challenges at airports and borders. In part 1 of this conversation, Bessie and Sufyan talk about privilege, values, politics and cancel culture. Sufyan currently chairs the Cook County Commission on Human Rights, serves as Equity Officer for the ACLU of Illinois, co-chairs the DePaul Law Diversity Council, is Board Chair of the South Asian American Coalition to Renew Democracy (SACRED), and facilitates anti-hate and bystander intervention trainings with Right To Be. A trained facilitator, storyteller, and poet, he uses public narrative, media, and movement-building to uplift impacted communities and inspire collective action rooted in justice, dignity, and belonging. You can follow Sufyan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sufyansohel [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sufyansohel] https://www.instagram.com/sufyansohel/ [https://www.instagram.com/sufyansohel/] https://www.threads.com/@sufyansohel [https://www.threads.com/@sufyansohel] ---------------------------------------------------------- CAIR-Chicago provides information and legal services free of charge. [http://cairchicago.org/] For EMERGENCIES AT THE AIRPORT ONLY, please text (630) 930-2987 with the traveler’s full name, passport number, nationality, flight departure/arrival/airline details, visa details, and emergency contact person’s details.

Building Movement Project

Broken Office Chair host, Bessie Alcantara is joined by Mercedes Brown Racial Equity Assessment Director from the Building Movement Project (BMP) and Frances Kunreuther former Co-Executive Director from BMP. BMP supports and pushes the nonprofit sector to tackle the most significant social issues of our times by developing research, creating tools and training materials, providing guidance, and facilitating networks for social change. In this episode, Bessie, Frances, and Mercedes talk about the Race to Lead surveys, the difference between DEI and Racial Equity, and other surprising (and not so surprising) results from the Race to Lead survey. Frances Kunreuther (she/her) Former Co-Executive Director Building Movement Project Frances Kunreuther is the Former Co-Executive Director of the Building Movement Project, dedicated to strengthening U.S. nonprofits as sites for civic engagement and social change. She co-authored From the Ground Up (Cornell, 2006) and Working Across Generations (Jossey Bass, 2009). Frances was a senior fellow at Harvard’s Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations for five years and previously led the Hetrick-Martin Institute for LGBTQ youth. She has been recognized with an Annie E. Casey Foundation Fellowship for her work with homeless youth and families, undocumented immigrants, and other vulnerable populations. She writes and presents frequently on nonprofits, leadership, and social change issues. Mercedes Brown (she/her) Race Equity Assessment Director Building Movement Project Mercedes Brown is the Director of Race Equity Assessment at the Building Movement Project, where she leads the organization’s race equity assessment process, Building Blocks for Change, to strengthen racial equity in the nonprofit sector. With nearly 17 years of experience in public policy and social services, Mercedes has a background in advancing social and racial justice through cross-system transformation. She previously served as Michigan Director at the Corporation for Supportive Housing. Mercedes holds a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Michigan and a JD from Western Michigan University. She also teaches policy and community organizing as a part-time lecturer.