The Unrig The System Summit in New Orleans was a historic event that brought together people from across the political spectrum who could all agree on at least one thing: Our political process is corrupt, rigged, and need of broad systemic reform.

Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, progressives, independents, and more shared the spotlight together not to talk about the political issues that divide them, but the reform initiatives that can unite them.

I am a physician and a black woman who grew up poor and came of age in the 1970’s. I‘ve spent 25 years practicing medicine, mainly in Harlem, and I care deeply about the state of our country, about the state of black America, and about the state of our democracy.

I am also a political independent and reform activist who has worked for years to help generate conversations about our dysfunctional and divisive political system and the overwhelming social crisis that results from it.

Michael Allman would not be the first politician to attempt a successful campaign based on the idea of "Direct Democracy," but he is the latest. And perhaps most surprising, he is a Republican running on that message.

Also interesting is the fact that California is a top two state meaning the top two finishers in the primary will go on to the general election, regardless of party preference.

Welcome to The Pickle podcast. My ambitions are high. I want to interview political, reform, independent, business, creative, nonprofit, entrepreneurial, and cultural movers and shakers about the pickle we are in as a country and as a world.

This is a reflective piece more than a data-driven piece. I’m venturing, foolishly perhaps, into a topic that hasn’t traditionally been “one of my issues.”

Of course, it’s everybody’s issue to some degree, as we all see the news and experience a bit of the heart-wrench of the individuals, families, and communities who experience the unthinkable tragedy of a shooting, especially mass shootings.

Nick Brana is the founder of the Movement for a People’s Party.  Its goal is to build a strong coalition of voters, progressive groups and politicians to divert power away from the nation’s established political factions, Brana says don’t adequately represent the people.

Three lessons for independent and third-party candidates and activists will determine the future of our nation and our shared planet.

My position is simple: We are the answer. Our nation and our democracy are in trouble. We need more than enthusiasm from the independent movement. Candidates and activists must sit at the same physical or digital table, debate specific problems, agree on a framework for specific solution sets, then move on to the next problem.

Democracy Initiative is a coalition that has 64 member groups representing nearly 40 million workers.

Launched in 2013, the Democracy Initiative's website says its fundamental mission is to ensure that the voice of every citizen should be heard and counted, so all of us have an equal say in a democracy that's reflective of the constitution.

What is very strangely missing from nearly every discussion in the aftermath of a mass shooting in America is a fundamental belief about ourselves that I thought we had all settled and agreed to as a civilization and codified from the highest philosophical abstractions to the most specific legal applications: The belief that people bear individual, personal responsibility for their actions.

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>

Another major independent campaign officially announced its launch Thursday. Craig O'Dear, a prominent attorney in Missouri, has officially entered the race for US Senate.

"On this tough day for our nation, I am more resolved than ever to chart a new way forward," O'Dear said on his Facebook Page.