We Got Next: Youth Poets Changing the World
On this edition of Making Contact, we’ll examine how young people, particularly queer POC youth, are using spoken word as a mechanism for social change. The show also will explore how Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam has challenged mainstream culture and created spaces that welcome and encourage marginalized communities to speak up about their life experiences – all through poetry. Special thanks to James Kass...
Fallen Heroes of 2017
Like this program? Please show us the love. Click here and support our non-profit journalism. Thanks! Thousands of local social justice organizers, activists and other leaders passed away this year. People doing crucial work in their communities, whose deaths didn’t make the headlines. On this edition of Making Contact, as we do every December, we’ll hear about some of the fallen heroes of 2017. Special thanks to...
The Far Right and Antifa
In this episode of Making Contact, we explore the past and present of the far right and anti-fascism. We begin with a story from Athens on the murder of Greek anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas and the resulting investigation. In the second half of the show, historian and author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, Mark Bray, describes anti-fascist responses to Hitler and Mussolini in the 1920’s and 30’s. Image Credits: Photo by...
A Tale of Two Heights
Two neighborhoods — Boyle Heights in Los Angeles and Crown Heights, Brooklyn New York — are experiencing the gamut of changes associated with gentrification. And some are pushing back against those who would cash in on the eviction and displacement of longtime residents. On this edition of Making Contact we hear how one Crown Heights restaurant drew the protest of local residents, and how a coalition of activists in Boyle...
Fantastic Negrito and The Last Days of Oakland
In the last three years, Fantastic Negrito, an Oakland-based black roots revivalist has gone from busking at bus stops to winning a Grammy and touring internationally. He’s done this by creating a unique sound — melodic hooks, primal blues-rock chords, clever lyricism, a killer falsetto, and in-your-face social consciousness. On this week’s Making Contact, we learn about Fantastic Negrito’s journey, his creative process, and how...
At the Intersection of Faith and Reproductive Justice
Faith and reproductive justice: we rarely hear these words in the same sentence. Instead, we associate faith with the belligerent protester outside an abortion clinic or sex ed curriculums that shame young women for their sexuality. But what if faith could fuel a movement that supports women and families in having real choices over their lives and their bodies? On this week’s Making Contact, we head to the crossroads of faith...
