Behind the Kitchen Door: Restaurant Workers’ Fight for Justice
Americans eat out more than any other people. But the workers who put food on our restaurant tables are struggling to feed themselves and their families. On this edition, Saru Jayaraman, co-director of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United and author of “Behind the Kitchen Door” makes the case for bringing justice to our restaurants, and how ordinary diners can help.
Reclaiming the Commons
From pedestrian plazas to pop-up-parklets…cities are looking to create spaces for people to gather, interact and create. But are some people being left out of this new urban renaissance? This week: from Detroit, to Montreal, to Istanbul, people are reclaiming the commons. How do we create public spaces that are embracing and inclusive? Featuring: Susan Silberberg, MIT lecturer in Urban Design and Planning...
Words vs. Bars: How Prison Poets Escape
Locked up for month, years, or decades, poetry is form of self-expression that’s become vital to the incarcerated. In Prison, Poetry can keep you sane, and help you move towards a better future. To mark National Poetry Month, we bring you a special production by the Prison Poetry Workshop. We go from California’s San Quentin prison, to a group of Alabama prison poets. And we’ll meet a legendary prison poet of the 1960’s who helped...
Shh! Life in a State of Surveillance
Who’s watching you? Nowadays it seems everyone wants to get their hands on our personal data. From the FBI to the welfare department, to some of the country’s biggest retailers. On this edition, we take a closer look at the world of surveillance. Featuring Hasan Elahi, artist and Associate Professor at the University of Maryland Charles Duhigg, New York Times journalist and author of “The Power of Habit” Jodie Berger,...
School’s Out: The Decimation of Public Education
On this edition of Making Contact we’ll explore how the privatization of public education is playing out across the country and how students and teachers are fighting back. Featuring: Nuwar Ahmed, Philadelphia Student Union member Joanne Tien, Teach for America alum Su Jin Jez, assistant professor at California State University in Sacramento Justin Fong, Teach For America’s Vice President of Internal Communications Kerry Kretchmar,...
Insult to Injury? American Indian Sports Mascots
They may not have made it to the Superbowl- but the “Washington Football team” has gotten a lot of attention this season- not so much for their performance on the field, but rather their refusal to change the name of their team. From FedEx Field to High School Football teams, pressure is increasing on teams to stop using American Indian names and mascots. The battle is playing out in stadiums, court rooms, and in the media. And some...
