ABOUT US
The Bloc builds infrastructure for the populist era and the attention economy. We work with base-building groups, advocacy campaigns, policymakers, content creators, and coalitions to move their priorities and narratives through mainstream media, political forums, and digital platforms. Our goal is to ensure that multi-racial, working-class voices don’t just speak coherently, they break through the noise, shape public debate, and build power.
Our program consists of three components - Movements, Media, and Politics.
We train movements to articulate a more compelling, populist and majoritarian vision of social and economic justice - by mobilizing and expanding the base, persuading the middle, and isolating the opposition.
Our media program supports movements and allies with the communications and media savvy required in the age of the attention economy. We secure consistent and strategic representation in influential media spaces, including elite media, mainstream media, and new digital media.
The Bloc’s political program channels and amplifies movement energy into the offices of decision makers, ensuring that they are not just sympathetic to progressive demands but champion them. We provide the strategies and support necessary to navigate the complexities of electoral and legislative politics, building influence, relationships, and allies.
MEET THE TEAM
Waleed Shahid
Waleed is a political strategist who helped launch the 2024 Uncommitted campaign in the Michigan Democratic primaries. He also advised the Green New Deal campaign in 2018-2020. Through his role as spokesperson at Justice Democrats, he served as a senior advisor to candidates like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman, and Summer Lee. He was also a staffer and DNC delegate for Bernie Sanders presidential campaign in 2016. He is a member of The Nation’s editorial board and has commented on politics on MSNBC, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and several other outlets.
Twitter: https://x.com/_waleedshahid
Executive Director
Ilona Duverge
Ilona Duverge is the Program Director at The BLOC, where she is responsible for building and executing programs that train movement leaders, support campaigns, and build political power through strategic communications and media. Previously, she co-founded and led Movement School, an organization dedicated to training working-class leaders by connecting the skills of electoral organizing with the values of community organizing. She launched Movement School while working on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 campaign, as a way to share the campaign’s lessons and invest in the leadership of everyday people. In addition, Ilona served as a Campaigns Advisor at Justice Democrats, specializing in field strategy and distributed organizing.
Program Director
Jee Kim
Vaibhav has worked across Congress, campaigns, and national advocacy organizations. He has served as Communications Director for Rep. Summer Lee and as Communications Strategist for both Rep. Pramila Jayapal and the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center. His work has helped bridge the gap between movement spaces and federal and local politics, shape national narratives around corporate power and democracy, and build communications infrastructure for progressive coalitions. He holds a Master of Public Policy from George Washington University.
Senior Advisor
Vaibhav Vijay
Jee has served at numerous start-ups focused on media, technology, and politics. He was the founding Executive Director of the Narrative Initiative and played the same role at 18MillionRising.org. His stints in philanthropy include the Ford and Surdna Foundations, where he supported civic engagement and democratic participation. Previously, Jee was a Fellow and Senior Advisor at the Roosevelt Institute.
Strategic Communications Director
Vanessa Parra
Vanessa Parra is a seasoned communications strategist who has spent her career shaping powerful narratives at the intersection of policy, movement-building, and media. With deep experience across the nonprofit, advocacy, and progressivement movements, she has led global campaigns on human rights, climate, migration, and democracy.
Previously, Vanessa served in senior roles at organizations like Oxfam, the Solidarity Center, and CARE where she helped drive public engagement, navigate crisis response, and amplify the voices of frontline communities.
