Making Contact

Activists in the Latinx immigrant community of Los Angeles share what they do to take care of their mental health. The issues these activists work on often impact their personal lives, and people who work in the service of others are particularly at risk of burnout and compassion fatigue. Self-care becomes a "selfless act" when it allows activists to stay healthy and do their work in a sustainable way. This show first aired in August 2020. Featuring: **Paulina Velasco's** reporting on Self Care as Selfless Act: Mental Health at the Root of Activism was undertaken as a USC Center for Health Journalism 2020 California Fellow.  Credits: Writer, Producer, Host: Paulina Velasco Editor: Monica Lopez Voice Over Actor: Mariana Carstens Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Jeff Emtman Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Transcription Volunteer: Mickey Ellinger Special thanks to USC Senior Fellow, Catherine Stifter. Music " Elmore Heights", Blue Dot Sessions – 2018 – Skittle " Kid Kodi", Blue Dot Sessions – 2018 – Skittle " The Yards", Blue Dot Sessions – 2018 – Skittle " Copley Beat", Blue Dot Sessions – 2018 – Skittle " Greylock", Blue Dot Sessions – 2018 – Skittle " Boston Landing", Blue Dot Sessions – 2018 – Skittle " Pedalrider", Blue Dot Sessions – 2018 – Skittle Learn More: AltaMed Behavioral Health Services Plascencia Consulting Power California – Organize, Vote, Lead Instituto de Educación Popular del Sur de California Central American Resource Center Los Angeles Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we bring you a story at the intersection of therapy, healing and social justice. We'll hear about one therapist's work to bring the lens of radical therapy and community care into her practice. This piece was produced by the podcast Re:Work from the UCLA Labor Center. Featuring: Claudia Morales, therapist at Social Justice Healing Credits: Making Contact Episode host and producer: Lucy Kang Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Jeff Emtman  Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Music credit: "Documentary" by Coma-Media via Pixabay Re:Work Episode "Radical Therapy" Credits: Hosted and produced by Veena Hampapur and Saba Waheed Sound design and editing by Veena Hampapur Mixing by Aaron Dalton Learn More:  Making Contact homepage: https://focmedia.org Re:Work from the UCLA Labor Center: https://reworkradio.labor.ucla.edu Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.

In some parts of the world, traditional herbal remedies are the norm. When we think of natural remedies we tend to think of older generations living in remote areas, in far away countries, with little access to modern healthcare. We rarely think about the ancient medicinal plants that might exist in our very own cities. On today's episode we look at plant and herb medicines through the lens of Michele Elizabeth Lee the author of Working The Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African-American Healing. Featuring: Michele Elizabeth Lee, Traditional Healing Practitioner, Educator, Visual Artist and the Author of Working The Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African American Healing Brandi Mack, Holistic Health Educator, Therapeutic Massage Therapist, Trauma-Informed Youth developer, Powerful Presenter, and Permaculture Designer Estrella Davina, Holistic Practitioner Making Contact Team: Executive Director: Jina Chung Staff Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum and Lucy Kang Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Engineer: Jeff Emtman Music Credits: Blue Dot Session - Bedroll Blue Dot Session - 3rd Chair Lobo Loco - Alright in Louisiana Lobo Loco - Inside Your Body Audiobinger - The Garden State Learn More: Working The Roots Instagram Working The Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African American Healing Brandi Mack LA Times: Black Herbalist Black Women Herbalists Black Healers NY Times: Some Lessons from Herbalists Mojo Workin' African American Slave Medicine Sticks Stones Roots Bones Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.

Almost half of Puerto Rico's doctors have fled the island over the past decade, leading to a lack of specialists and treatment and incredibly long wait times. And this isn't just an inconvenience. People are dying from lack of care. Why is Puerto Rico's health care system collapsing, and why are doctors fleeing the island? We take a look at its deeply dysfunctional private medical system and why attempts to fix it, and create a universal health care plan on the island, are being hindered by Puerto Rico's status as a US colony. Its massive unpayable debt, held by investors in the US, means that it cannot make its own economic decisions, even when it affects the livelihood of poor Puerto Ricans living there. But there might be a fix, getting rid of Puerto Rico's debt and rethinking its colonial relationship to the US. This episode first aired in October 2024. Credits: Making Contact: Episode Host: Salima Hamirani Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Editor: Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong Engineer: Jeff Emtman Digital Marketing Manager: Lissa Deonarain Music Credits: Daniel Birch – Indigo Strokes Axletree – Goldfinch- Flight to the North Mindseye – Spores Soft and Furious – So What Learn More: Boricuas Unidos en la Diaspora The Nation Magazine Puerto Rico's Unnatural Disaster Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.

Dr. Flemmie Kittrell was a Black home economist whose research in the field of early childhood education shaped the way we think about child development today. She became the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in nutrition and contributed immensely to programs like Head Start – even though her name is often left out of the history. We'll hear more about her life and work in a story from the podcast _Lost Women of Science_,_ _hosted by Carol Sutton Lewis and Danya AbdelHameid. Featuring: Dolores Caffey-Fleming, Program director of Project STRIDE, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science Allison Horrocks, Public historian Lauren Bauer, fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution  Credits: Making Contact Episode host and producer: Lucy Kang Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Jeff Emtman  Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Music Credit: "Science Documentary" by Aleksey Chistilin (Lexin_Music) via Pixabay Lost Women of Science: "Flemmie Kittrell and the Preschool Experiment" Credits Hosted by Danya AbdelHameid and Carol Sutton Lewis Written and produced by Danya AbdelHameid with senior producer Elah Feder Music composed by Lizzie Younan  Episode sound designed and mastered by Alex Sugiura Executive producers: Amy Scharf and Katie Hafner Chief multimedia editor at our publishing partner, Scientific American: Jeff Delviscio Listen to the full episode from Lost Women of Science: https://www.lostwomenofscience.org/podcast-episodes/flemmie-kittrell-and-the-preschool-experiment Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.

Master filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished, Remember This House. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin's original words and flood of rich archival material. I Am Not Your Negro is a journey into black history that connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter. It is a film that questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond. And, ultimately, by confronting the deeper connections between the lives and assassination of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., Baldwin and Peck have produced a work that challenges the very definition of what America stands for. Featuring: Film Participants: James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte, Dick Cavett, Marlon Brando, Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and many more Credits: Host: Anita Johnson Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Jeff Emtman Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonorain Learn More: http://www.iamnotyournegrofilm.com/ http://www.magnoliapictures.com/ https://studios.amazon.com/ James Baldwin: The Last Interview: and other Conversations (The Last Interview Series) Interview with James Baldwin on Sexuality - Richard Goldstein Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.

On today's show, we take a look at the life and legacy of a central organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, Bayard Rustin. Rustin was an openly gay civil rights leader and a trusted advisor to labor leader A. Phillip Randolph and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This show first aired in June 2021. Special Thank You to Nancy Kates and Bennett Singer the producers/directors of Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin and Sam Pollard, the executive director.  And to the Pacifica Radio Archives for use of the Bayard Rustin archival materials. Featuring: Bayard Rustin –  the architect of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom Ashon Crawley – University of Virginia Associate Professor of Religious Studies and African-American and African Studies Nancy Kates – filmmaker and producer of Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin Bill Sutherland – Fellowship of Reconciliation Reverend A.J. Muste – pacifist and mentor of Rustin George Houser – Fellowship of Reconciliation Louis John – nephew of Bayard Rustin Devi Prasad – pacifist  Making Contact Team Episode host: Anita Johnson Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Jeff Emtman Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Music Credits Cory Gray – "Medieval Tension" Ketsa – "This Way Joyous"  Blue Dot Sessions – "Rally" Blue Dot Sessions – "Rayling" Dee Yan-Key – "Hold On" Dee Yan-Key – "Go Down Moses" Blue Dot Sessions – "3rd Chair" Andy G. Cohen – "Our Young Guts" Learn More Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin by John D'Emilio Bayard Rustin Fund Troublemaker for Justice: The Story of Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the March on Washington by Jacqueline Houtman, Michael G. Long, Walter Naegle I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin's Life in Letters by Bayard Rustin, edited by Michael G. Long Bayard Rustin: Troubles I've Seen Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers PBS History AFL-CIO Washington Post NYTimes Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.

To mark Indigenous People's Day, we'll hear two stories about communities working with food to revitalize identity and ancestry. First, we speak to Mariah Gladstone and Kenneth Cook in Blackfeet Nation in Montana about their online cooking show Indigikitchen and follow them into the field as they harvest a bison. Then, we talk to Dr. Keitlyn Alcantara about the Tlaxcala, an indigenous tribe living in central Mexico who were able to survive the expansive Aztec empire in the period just before colonization, and visit the Healing Garden at Hilltop in Bloomington, Indiana, where diaspora members connect with familiar plants, the earth and each other. This show first aired in August 2022. Featuring: Kenneth Cook, helps operate Indigikitchen Mariah Gladstone, founder of Indigikitchen Boyd Evans, rancher on Blackfeet Nation Dr Keitlyn Alcantara, assistant professor of archeology at Indiana University Margarita Martinez Osorio, PhD student of history at Indiana University Andre Bispo de Jesus, gardener at Indiana University Making Contact Team: Guest Reporter: Kathleen Shannon Episode hosts: Salima Hamirani and Amy Gastelum Staff Producers: Anita Johnson, Amy Gastelum, Salima Hamirani and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Jeff Emtman Digital Marketing Manager: Lissa Deonarain   Music Credits: Caslo – Freedom Jonny Ripper – Opening Credits Danny Bale – Grevillia Music Learn More:  Indigikitchen The Healing Garden Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.

Composer, pianist, and vocalist Samora Pinderhughes tells us about The Healing Project. The Healing Project, a fundamentally abolitionist project, explores the structures of systemic racism and the prison industrial complex. The Healing Project takes action towards abolition with forms such as musical songs, films, an exhibition, community gatherings, live performances, and a digital library of audio interviews. At the center of the project are the intergenerational voices of people across the country, including folks incarcerated in prisons and detention centers. Their stories, experiences, and ideas serve as the foundation for The Healing Project's vision for societal transformation. This story first aired in February 2023. Featuring: Samora Pinderhughes, composer, pianist/vocalist, and interdisciplinary artist Making Contact Credits: Episode Host: Anita Johnson Segment Editors: Jessica Partnow, Lucy Kang, Jacinda Abcarian Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Editor: Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong Engineer: Jeff Emtman  Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain  Music Credits: Borrtex – "Creeping" Samora Pinderhughes – "Process" Samora Pinderhughes – "Hope" Learn More:  Samora Pinderhughes | The Healing Project | Exhibition site | Tiny Desk Concert filmed live inside the exhibition | Exhibition films, "Masculinity" & "Hold that Weight" | Exhibition album  

In some parts of the world, traditional herbal remedies are the norm.  When we  think of natural remedies we tend to think of older generations living in remote areas, in far away  countries,  with little access to modern healthcare.  We rarely think about the ancient medicinal plants that might exist in our very own cities. On today's episode we look at plant and herb medicines through the lens of Michele Elizabeth. Lee the author of Working The Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African-American Healing.  Like this program? Please show us the love. Click here: http://bit.ly/3LYyl0R and support our non-profit journalism. Thanks! Featuring:  Michele Elizabeth Lee is a traditional healing practitioner, educator, visual artist and the author of Working The Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African American Healing.  Brandi Mack, a Holistic Health Educator, Therapeutic Massage Therapist, Trauma-Informed Youth developer, Powerful Presenter, and Permaculture Designer. Estrella  Davina is a holistic practitioner.   Making Contact Staff Executive Director: Jina Chung Staff Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum and Lucy Kang Engineer: Jeff Emtman Music Credits: Blue Dot Session - Bedroll Blue Dot Session - 3rd Chair Lobo Loco - Alright in Louisiana Lobo Loco - Inside Your Body Audiobinger - The Garden State Learn More:  Working The Roots Instagram Working The Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African American Healing Brandi Mack LA Times: Black Herbalist Black Women Herbalists Black Healers NY Times: Some Lessons from Herbalists Mojo Workin' African American Slave Medicine Sticks Stones Roots Bones

In 2019, a well known romance writer began tweeting about other writers in her community and concerns about racism. It led to a huge reckoning within an organization called the Romance Writers of America, which is still unfolding. And although the online debate seemed to be isolated to a specific community of romance writers and their fans, it was really a microcosm of what's been happening all over the US. We learn all about romance novels and how newer writers are changing the norms of the genre, and giving it a political power it's never had before. And, we talk about what it means for organizations to change as they grapple with questions of race, including organizations such as ours, at Making Contact. This is an encore presentation of part two of a two-part series. Like this program? Please show us the love. Click here: http://bit.ly/3LYyl0R and support our non-profit journalism. Thanks! Featuring: Contance Grady Shana McDavis-Conway CJ Broderick Jayashree Kamble Jessica Partnow  Making Contact Team: Host: Salima Hamirani Producers: Salima Hamirani, Anita Johnson, Lucy Kang and Amy Gastelum Interim Senior Producer: Jessica Partnow Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Jeff Emtman Music: Frequency Decree - Cenote Broke for Free- Washout Frequency Decree - Lithosphere Blue Dot Sessions - Boston Landing    Learn More: Constance Grady's Article for Vox The Romance Writers of America International Association for the Study of Popular Romance Making Meaning in Popular Romance Fiction: An Epistemología The Equity Project Smart Bitches, Trashy Books Recommended Reading list

In 2019 a well known romance writer began tweeting about other writers in her community and concerns about racism. It led to a huge reckoning within an organization called the Romance Writers of America, which is still unfolding. And although the online debate seemed to be isolated to a specific community of romance writers and their fans, it was really a microcosm of what's been happening all over the US. In this episode we learn all about romance novels and how newer writers are changing the norms of the genre, and giving it a political power it's never had before. And, we talk about what it means for organizations to change as they grapple with questions of race.   Like this program? Please show us the love. Click here: http://bit.ly/3LYyl0R and support our non-profit journalism. Thanks! Featuring Jayashree Kamble; professor of English Literature at La Guardia Community College Reagan Jackson; co-executive director, Young Women Empowered, also a romance reader and fan Contance Grady; Senior Culture Reporter for Vox Elise Staples, member of a romance reading book club through meetup.com  Making Contact Team Episode Host: Salima Hamirani Producers: Salima Hamirani, Anita Johnson, Lucy Kang, Amy Gastelum Executive Director: Jina Chung Interim Senior Producer: Jessica Partnow Engineer: Jeff Emtman Music: Johnny Ripper - Overout Johnny Ripper - Sfhk (mental breakdown) Johnny Ripper - Untitled (waking up) Johnny Ripper - In a Dream Dance of the Seahorse - Gideon Freudman Pictures of the Floating World - Waves Bio Unit - Subterannean Ketsa - you asked Learn More: Constance Grady's Article for Vox The Romance Writers of America International Association for the Study of Popular Romance Making Meaning in Popular Romance Fiction: An Epistemología Recommended Reading list Making Contact is a 29-minute weekly program committed to investigative journalism and in-depth critical analysis that goes beyond the breaking news. On the web at www.radioproject.org.

Federal food programs, like WIC, face big changes coming out of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. Meanwhile, a single moms collective in Ohio holds it down for the single pregnant and parenting people in their community. Motherful's resource pantry serves their 325-strong membership out of a garage three times a week.  We talk to members and founders to learn what's it's like to participate, how it all started and where food justice is headed for them now and in their wildest dreams.   Like this program? Please show us the love. Click here: http://bit.ly/3LYyl0R and support our non-profit journalism. Thanks! Featuring: Kay Riley, college student and Mom to baby Wisdom, Motherful Member Rugi Ngaide, Ohio supreme court translator, Mom, Motherful member Lisa Woodrow, Co-Founder and Co-Director of Motherful, Mom Heidi Howes - Co-Founder and Co-Director of Motherful, Mom Rebecca Piazza: Senior Advisor for Delivery, Food and Nutrition Service, Mom  Making Contact Team: Host: Amy Gastelum Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Interim Senior Producer: Jessica Partnow Engineer: Jeff Emtman Music:  HoliznaCC0, Sky Scrapers Learn More:  Motherful: www.motherful.org Changes to WIC: https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2022/10/19/usda-makes-major-investments-wic-improve-maternal-and-child-health

While wages have flatlined for most working class people, rents have reached new highs, leaving most people struggling. But it's not just in the US. The rising cost of living is affected the entire world. Samuel Stein's new book, Capital City and the Real Estate State, highlights the growing influence of investment capital into land as the driving force behind gentrification and the power developers have over city and local governments. We talk to Samuel about the rise of the global real estate market and we look at how radical city planning, rent control and socialized land projects can help fight gentrification. 

While wages have flatlined for most working-class people, rents have reached new highs, leaving most people struggling. But it's not just in the US. The rising cost of living has affected the entire world. Samuel Stein's new book, Capital City and the Real Estate State, highlights the growing influence of investment capital into land as the driving force behind gentrification and the power developers have over city and local governments. We talk to Samuel about the rise of the global real estate market and we look at how radical city planning, rent control and socialized land projects can help fight gentrification.

On today's program we honor Bayard Rustin, one of the most central figures in the African American struggle for Civil Rights and Freedom. Rustin was a pacifist, homosexual and practitioner of nonviolence who dedicated his life to racial equality, economic justice and ending warfare. 

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, many Americans are worried about their health insurance. The cost of treating the illness, if a patient ends up in the ICU, can run into the tens of thousands of dollars without coverage. Which most people just can't afford. Today we bring you a piece we produced last year about a related topic -the rising cost of insulin, and the effectiveness of medicare for all. First, we visit a group of community scientists called the Open Insulin Project, an organization trying to create its own insulin outside the lengthy FDA process and whether it's worth the associated risks. And we talk about the benefits of Medicare for All, a policy which would get rid of private insurance and make all medicine and medical care accessible and affordable.

We think of Artificial Intelligence as being the stuff of science fiction movies, set far in the future. But it's already having an impact on our lives. We look at a kind of decision made by artificial intelligence called a risk assessment and how it impacts the poor and people of color and we talk about ways to fight back.

Megafarms and oil & gas producers in California's Central Valley are some of the worst polluters of local air, soil, and water. We'll hear how Central Valley residents are pushing back. Later, author Naomi Klein talks about her book, On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal. But first, we go to Pine Ridge, South Dakota, where reporter we learn how six Native American tribes are harnessing wind power to bring economic development to their members. 

Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools is an examination of the experiences of black girls across the country whose intricate lives are misunderstood, highly judged "by teachers, administrators, and the justice system "and degraded by the very institutions charged with helping them flourish. In her new book, Morris shows how, despite obstacles, stigmas, stereotypes, and despair, black girls still find ways to breathe remarkable dignity into their lives in classrooms, juvenile facilities, and beyond.  

On this edition of Making Contact we present, The Struggle Inside: The Murder of George Jackson, a program about the modern anti-prison movement. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Black August, first originated in the California prisons to honor fallen Freedom Fighters, George and Jonathan Jackson, Khatari Gaulden, James McClain, and William Christmas.

Some call it "Paradise", but Hawaii isn't just a tourist getaway. Look beyond the resorts, and you'll find a history of opposition to US occupation. From sacred sites, to indigenous language, Hawaiians are fighting hard to protect their traditions, and their future. On this edition we hear excerpts from the 2012 film by Catherine Bauknight "Hawaii: A Voice for Sovereignty," which explores the history of Hawaii - from the beginning of the US occupation up to statehood and the present day.

The US dropped the world's first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. Three days later, the small fishing city of Nagasaki also fell victim. On this edition, we hear the voices of the most deadly attacks the world had ever seen.  We commemorate the anniversary of the bombings with excerpts from two documentaries: "Hiroshima Countdown" and "Nagasaki Journey."

We go back to the night in June 1969 at the New York City Stonewall Inn that sparked the LGBT rights movement. On today's show we'll hear about the day that galvanized a generation and the continued fight for LGBT civil rights. The first Pride parades took place in June 1970 marking the 1st anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. Michael Schirker and David Isay bring us an oral history Remembering Stonewall: The Birth of a Movement. Editor at large of the Huffington Posts' Gay Voices Michelangelo Signorile says while there have been a series of recent wins for the LGBT rights movement, bigotry remains a daily reality for many. At a  New America NYC forum Signorile spoke with June Thomas, Culture Critic and Editor of Outward, Slate's LGBTQ Section about what he calls "victory blindness". It's a central theme in his new book, "It's Not Over, Getting to Beyond Tolerance Defeating Homophobia and Winning True Equality." Special thanks to Pacifica Radio Archives for "Remembering Stonewall: The Birth of a Movement" produced by David Isay for Pacifica Radio,  New America NYC for "It's Not Over: Winning True Equality."

I Am Because I Am, explores the expansion of gender identity and presumed roles in our society. A look beyond the socially constructed ideas of what is male, female, masculine or feminine. Especially considering Trump's administration attempts to redefine gender to be solely based on a person's genitalia at birth. Thus potentially threatening Transgender, Intersex and Non-Binary Identity.

President Donald Trump's tax plan may exacerbate wealth inequity in the US. Chuck Collins, Director of the Program on Inequality at the Institute for Policy Studies addresses the complex history of the wealth gap. Also, producers from the Upstream podcast ask: is it time for Universal Basic Income?

Cesar Chavez has made it to the big screen. Millions of people are now learning about the legendary farmworker organizer. But where did Chavez get his organizing philosophies? This week, Paul Ingles and Carol Boss of Peacetalks radio take us down The Non-Violent path of Cesar Chavez , through conversations with Chavez colleague and friend Dolores Huerta, and Jose Antonio Orozco, author of the book, Cesar Chavez and the Common Sense of Nonviolence.  

Fresh water is one of our most precious natural resources. This week contributor Maria Doerr looks at what's being done to protect the watersheds of Mexico City-- natural water systems that provide water to one of the largest metropolises in the world.

The stage is set for a battle between two worldviews. Is housing a human right, or a commodity? And where on that continuum is California's common ground? This week, we look at the fight over rent control, and police policies that affect the homeless.

On this edition of Making Contact we present, The Struggle Inside: The Murder of George Jackson, a program about the modern anti-prison movement.

When one or both parents are incarcerated the family is also incarcerated and are adversely affected in profound ways that exacerbate existing structural inequalities and struggles. Programs for inmates and families like FamilyWorks and the Storybook Program, encourage rebuilding and maintaining relationships despite being separated by prison.

On this edition of Making Contact, after the  US Supreme Court's ruling on Trump's travel ban, we'll discuss how the new order impacts people from affected, Muslim-majority countries. We also talk about what's different about the new ban and how to fight it.  We begin with the story of a woman who was in flight to the US when President Trump signed his first travel ban.

We go back to the night in June 1969 at the New York City Stonewall Inn that sparked the LGBTQ rights movement. On this episode, we'll hear about the day that galvanized a generation and the continued fight for LGBTQ civil rights.

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated 50 years ago, and is widely remembered for his speech, 'I Have a Dream.' Journalist Gary Younge analyzes the King's speech, highlighting the importance of remembering the entirety of King's message and evolution as a critical activist.

As relations between the United States and Russian governments continue to deteriorate, people are growing concerned that we're on the brink of another nuclear arms race.  Both the U.S. and Russia are modernizing their nuclear arsenals.  According to Jackie Cabasso, Executive Director of the Western States Legal Foundation, "it's frighteningly easy to imagine how something could go wrong in that situation."  Women Rising Radio takes us inside the movement for nuclear disarmament, to meet the women on the frontlines of the fight for a future free of nuclear weapons.  From the US to Russia, the UK, Israel, the Marshall Islands and Japan, these dedicated advocates make the case for returning to the Nonproliferation Treaty and fulfilling its mandate.    Featuring:  Jackie Cabasso, Executive Director of Western States Legal Foundation, Mayors for Peace, and Abolition 2000 Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons. Abacca Anjain-Maddison, Marshall Islands Senator, member of Marshall Islands delegation arguing the case against 9 nuclear nations at the International Court of Justice. Kate Hudson, General Secretary of Britain's Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and National Secretary for the Left Unity party in the UK.  Nadezda Kutepova, born and raised in a secret city, in Ozyorsk,  Russia, survivor of the explosion of the Mayak nuclear weapons plant. Sharon Dolev, Israeli Disarmament Movement. Fujiko Yoshikawa, writer, Rafu Shimpo newspaper in Los Angeles, Japanese language magazine TV Fan.  She and her family lived in a village near Hiroshima in Japan, when the atom bomb fell August 6, 1945.  

Since the 2013 Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act, many states have pushed changes to voter laws that raise disturbing connections to the past. Before the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act on August 6th, we revisit the hard fought battles for voting rights and the implications of new laws. Featuring: Reverend Tyrone Edwards, civil rights historian in Plaquemines Parish Louisiana Tyrone Brooks, Georgia State Representative Clifford Kuhn, Professor of History at Georgia State University JT Johnson, civil rights organizer Allen Secher, rabbi Jerel James, Tamia Adkinson, docents at Civil Rights Museum of St. Augustine August Tinson, testified in U.S. vs Fox (1962) Gary May, professor of history at the University of Delaware and the author of Bending Towards Justice: The Voting Rights Act and the Transformation of American Democracy.

Millions of people around the world work in jobs that aren't formally recognized or afforded legal protections typical of wage earning jobs. They're often not even thought of as legitimate work. On this edition of Making Contact, we're going to meet people making work where there is no work for them. From recyclers, to border couriers, to waste pickers, we're exploring the informal labor sector and what some are doing to gain greater recognition, protections, and rights. Featuring   Landon Goodwin, recycler and pastor and also featured in documentary Dogtown Redemption Aicha al Azzouzi border courier Salma al Azzouzi, Aicha's oldest daughter Charles Gachanga Gichonge, creator of the Mustard Seed Courtyard clean-up campaign Antony Makau, Dandora resident Richard Munene, Dandora restaurant owner Sally Roever, Urban Policy Director for Women in Informal Employment Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) Malati Gadgil, KKPKP

It's the second most-traded commodity in the world after oil but how much do you think about your cup of coffee? From coffee farmers in Colombia to the trash produced by your single-cup coffee machine, Making Contact andGreen Grid Radio team up to count the costs of your morning cup o'joe. Featuring: Jairo Martinez, Mariana Cruz, Suzana Angarita,coffee farmers Jeff Goldman, former executive director FairtradeResource Network Jeff Chean, Principal and Chief Coffee GuyGroundworks Roasters John Hazen, single-cup coffee machine owner Rebecca Jewell, recycling program manager for Davis Street Transfer Station

The alternatives to prison are few and far between.  And after serving time, the options for getting back on your feet are even worse.  Finding food, a job and a place to live with a criminal record can become an almost impossible task.  On this edition, Women building their own support network after being released from prison. We'll hear "A New Way of Life and the New Underground Railroad" a documentary by Chris-Moore Backman. Featuring: Susan Burton, A New Way of Life Re-Entry Project executive director and founder; Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness author; Alika Savage, Yolanda Brown, Renee Levi, Maisha Bailey, Sabrayiah DeMoss, Samantha Jenkins, A New Way of Life residents. For More Information:A New Way of Life Re-Entry ProjectThe Sentencing Project Formerly Incarcerated & Convicted Peoples MovementCritical ResistanceMichelle Alexander-The New Jim CrowBringing Down the New Jim Crow

Women Rising radio profiles food sovereignty activists from India, Mexico, and Native American communities. If you are interested in GMOs, TTP, seed saving, herbal medicine, food, trade & activism –then tune in! Featuring: Vandana Shiva, founder of Navdanya Adelita San Vicente Tello, founder of Semillas de Vida Sage La Pena, Native American, ethno- botanist and food sovereignty activist Kanyon Sayers-Roods, Native American youth educator

In the midst of police shooting community members and gunmen shooting police, and as the republican and democratic conventions wrap up, we look back at the history of secret surveillance and disruption of organizations dissenting and struggling against all odds. COINTELPRO, the secret FBI project to infiltrate and disrupt domestic organizations thought to be "subversive," targeted many African-American, Native-American, and other movements for self-determination by people of color in the U.S..  Between 1956 and 1971, the FBI conducted more than 2,000 COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) operations.  This week we broadcast the second half of the documentary film "COINTELPRO 101," produced by The Freedom Archives. Special thanks to The Freedom Archives.

Ross McKenzie was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but after 15 years on Lithium, he wasn't getting any better. He decided to take matters into his own hands, get off the drug, and find out why so many people are being told they have mental illnesses. This week on Making Contact, we bring you an abridged version of the film Bipolarized; Rethinking Mental Illness, chronicling McKenzie's journey. Featuring: Ross McKenzie, diagnosed with Bipolar disorder Ross McKenzie's mother and sister Gwen Olsen, former pharmaceutical rep Laura Delano, psychiatry survivor Robert Whitaker, author of Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America Dr. Charles Whitfield, trauma recovery specialist Dr. Peter Levine, founder of Somatic Experiencing

In 1973 the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade established the legal right to abortion in the United States. Since then, state legislative and executive bodies have battled to restrict access to abortions. Federal law banned the use of federal funds for most abortions in 1977, and public funding for abortion remains a contested issue. One recent study in Texas found that more than 200,000 women performed abortions on themselves because they weren't able to find clinical services. From restrictive laws to a lack of information to violent attacks, the blocking of abortion access is eroding the reproductive rights of women. On this edition, we hear from women at the New Orleans Abortion Fund and Ibis Reproductive Health, as well as experiences from a doctor who provides abortions and a woman that sought abortion access in New Orleans, Louisiana. Featuring: Jessie Nieblas, New Orleans Abortion Fund Liza Fuentes, Ibis Reproductive Health Natalie, teacher in New Orleans Diary excerpt from Dr. Susan Wicklund, an abortion provider under attack, as performed for Making Contact by Words of Choice with Actor Claudia Scheider, Directed by Francesca Mantani Arkus,Created and Produced by Cindy Cooper

Among the effects of climate change are more extreme weather events, such as Typhoon Haiyan, Superstorm Sandy, and a severe drought stretching across much of the Western United States. On this edition of Making Contact we'll take a deeper look at the social and psychological impacts of climate change, and the weight of inaction. Featuring: Niki Stanley and Derice Klass, Far Rockaway residents Zardos V. Abela, firefighter for the Bureau of Fire Protection in Tacloban, Philippines Abigail Gewirtz,  psychologist at the University of Minnesota Stephan Wasik, Valley Fire survivor Jeff Keenan, Valley Fire survivor Erica Petersen, Valley Fire survivor Manuel Orozco, Behavioral Health Fiscal Manager, Lake County Behavioral Health.

It’s something many of us take for granted: access to clean drinking water. But for many Americans it’s not something they can rely on.  From chemical spills in  West Virginia to ecoli in the water on the Texas-Mexico border, to contamination from farming in California. On this edition, we hear what happens when there’s not a drop to drink. Featuring: Angela Walker, Charleston resident Neena Satija, environment reporter Texas Tribune Daisy Gonzalez and Vicente Lara, Environmental Justice Coalition for Water Horacio Amezquita, resident San Jerado

This show takes a look at issues within the foster care system in the U.S. from the high rate of teen pregnancy to the alarming use of psychiatric medications in California’s foster care system.   Featuring: Nicole Rocke, former foster youth Kyle Lafferty, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy Linda Bryant, Clinical Professor at New York University’s School of Social Work Benita Miller, Deputy Commissioner of Family Permanency Services at the Administration of Children’s Services Lorraine Jacobs, caseworker Yolanda Vasquez, former foster youth Adriane Fugh-Berman, Pharmacology Professor at Georgetown University’s Medical Center Bill Grimm, Attorney at National Center for Youth Law Susan Bullard David Arrendondo, Child psychiatrist Dr. Edmund Levin, at the Lincoln Child Center Nancy Forster, Therapist at the Lincoln Child Center April Rene Sanders, former foster youth and recipient of AB12 Kyle Sporleader, Statewide Legislative Coordinator for California Youth Connection (CYC)

On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28th 1963, Martin Luther King Jr delivered one of the most famous speeches of all time. But it nearly didn’t happen. On this special edition of Making Contact for MLK Day, Gary Younge, author of “The Speech” talks about Martin Luther King Junior’s “Dream” and the story behind it.

Robert Neuwirth, author of “Shadow Cities: A Billion Squatters, A New Urban World”, estimates that more than a billion people–thats 1 in 7–are squatters.  This week, we visit squats in Venezuela and the Philippines, and find out why squatters aren’t just tolerated…they are crucial to the growth of major cities and national economies. Featuring: Robert Neuwirth, author of “Shadow Cities: A Billion Squatters, A New Urban World” Filomena Cinco, Barangay captain of Estero de San Miguel Luz Sudueste, Urban Poor Associates organizer William Gonzalez, Gladys Flores, Jacqueline Calderon and Yolimar Noriega, Toree David residents Andres Antillano, Universidad Central de Venezuela professor & activist for squatters’ rights.

In this radio adaptation of the documentary film, Walking in Two Worlds, we bring you to Alaska’s Tongass Forest, where the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act turned tribes into corporations and sparked a lengthy logging frenzy. We meet a Tlingit brother and sister, who are trying to heal both the forest and their native community. Special thanks to Specialty Studios. Featuring: Wanda Culp & Bob Loescher, Tlinget brother & Sister Peter Coyote, narrator Mike Jackson, Tlingit tribal historian Ernestine Hanlon-Abel, Weaver & Activist Byron Mallott, Former Seaalaska CEO Israel Shotridge, Tlingit carver Tom Thorton, anthropologist Lydia George, Tlingit Clan Mother Joe Sebastian, Alaska Fisherman & guide Deny Bschor, former US Forest Service Regional Forester John Rowan, Tlingit carver Richard Nixon, President of the United States Rick Harris, Former Seaalaska Executive VP Rosita Worl, Seaalaska Board member

They say a smart athlete will use their head. But what if using your head cost you everything? That’s a question being asked in locker rooms the world over. Whether it’s boxing, hockey, or soccer, it seems that head injuries are finally being taken seriously. In the United States, lawsuits brought by players, as well as a body of scientific evidence, has lead to growing awareness about the impact American football has on players’ brains. And now a similar debate has kicked off across the Atlantic among players and fans of the sport that American football evolved from: rugby. On this special edition of Making Contact, producer Luke Eldridge brings us to the UK to hear how rugby is dealing with the issue of head injuries.