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Investigating #Reprorights in Mexico
In March 2015, I traveled to Mexico to continue my reporting on reproductive justice issues that I began with Making Contact in 2014. Before heading to the Yucatan, I met with Project Luz students from Nezahualcoyotl. Karen, one of my former photojournalism and radio reporting students was able to collaborate with me as I traveled through three communities in the Yucatan. Here are some photos from the trip and look for the show to air next month. Students from Project Luz. Obstetric violence/maternal health workshop with Maya women in...
read moreCoffee: Trouble Brewing? (see list for free coffee below)
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 and Green 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 Fairtrade Resource Network Jeff Chean, Principal and Chief Coffee Guy Groundworks Roasters John Hazen, single-cup coffee machine owner Rebecca...
read moreFighting Goliath (Part 2)
On last week’s show we brought you to Idaho and Montana, where hundreds of trucks were routed to haul gigantic mining equipment to the Tar Sands oil fields of Alberta Canada, but an alliance of citizens and community groups was able to block the transport through environmentally sensitive land. This week we continue the saga of the megaloads heading to the Tar Sands through the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies. We also follow two more tendrils of the Tar Sands project stretching from Alberta to the coast of British Columbia. This...
read moreFighting Goliath (Part 1)
The Canadian Tar Sands is the largest industrial project on earth. And the potential environmental consequences have brought together citizens from across borders, to fight its rippling effects. This is the first of a two part special, on the growing resistance to the tar sands, produced by Barbara Bernstein. Featuring: Kevin Lewis, Idaho Rivers United conservation director Linwood Laughy, writer & historian Borg Hendrickson, Clearwater Country co-author Andrew Nikiforuk, Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the...
read moreWomen Rising 27: Ann Lopez on the reality of farm workers in the US and Mexico
Download We follow Dr. Ann Aurelia Lopez as she shows us the reality of farm workers’ lives in the United States and Mexico. Dr. Lopez founded the Center for Farmworker Families in Watsonville, California. Featuring: Dr. Ann Aurelia Lopez, founder and director of the Center for Farmworker Families Women farmworkers Host: Sandina Robbins Producers: Lynn Feinerman, Antonio Ortiz More information Women Rising Radio Center for Farmworker Families California Rural Legal Assistance Lettuce Wars: 10 years of work and struggle in the fields...
read moreDeadly Force- Interview with Julie Perini
Following up on last week’s show on police shootings, Making Contact’s George Lavender interview Julie Perini one of the producers of “Arresting Power: Resisting Police Violence in Portland, Oregon” about the “ghostly scratchings” she created at the sites of police violence. Listen to the entire show here: https://focmedia.org/2015/02/deadly-force-police-shootings-in-black-and-white/ And for more about her work go to:...
read moreSquatters: Intruders or Innovators?
Click to Download 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...
read moreStorytelling fellow Rochelle Robinson on normalized violence against black women.
I am a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault. My experience informs my narrative and the perspective I plan to bring to this project as the new Community Storytelling Radio Fellowship – about how it feels to be Black, female, often economically disadvantaged, and at a disproportionately high risk of physical and sexual violence. These stories rarely make it into mainstream media; our lives and our deaths get no attention and would appear we don’t deserve any…There is little justice, little consequence, and no national outcry to put...
read moreWe’re Hiring! Managing Producer
NOTE: We are not accepting applications at this time. We currently have 4 awesome core producers. Please pitch us as a freelance contributor. See https://focmedia.org/desk/pitches/ and https://focmedia.org/production/submission-guidelines/ We’re looking for a Managing Producer to join our team. Please take some time to listen to our shows and familiarize yourself with our work before applying. Managing Producer Full Time based in Oakland/Bay Area Making Contact, focmedia.org seeks a managing producer with a passion for...
read moreProPublica’s Ryan Gabrielson on police shootings and black teenage males
The investigative journalism outlet ProPublica set out to analyze the data on hundreds of cases for signs of racial disparity. Their startling findings were released in the report “Deadly Force in Black and White” In this extended interview, Making Contact Producer George Lavender interviews Propublica reporter Ryan Gabrielson on the the finding s in their report and how police justification for shootings has changed with new laws. Listen to our show “Deadly Force: Police Shootings in Black and...
read moreDeadly Force: Police Shootings in Black and White
Why are so many of those killed by police young people of color? A recent ProPublica investigation found that a young black male is at twenty one times greater risk of being shot dead by police than his white counterparts. On this edition of Making Contact we’ll hear from one of the reporters who analyzed the data on police killings to come up with that startling conclusion, as well as stories of family and community members who say the justice system itself needs to be put on trial. Featuring: Ryan Gabrielson, journalist ProPublica...
read moreFrom Montgomery to Ferguson
Some call it a new civil rights movement. Others simply call it “black lives matter”. But its yet to be seen if the momentum for justice will result in systemic change. And to get there, what kind of strategies are needed? On this weeks edition, a conversation about waging non-violence between civil rights movement veteran David Hartsough and Ferguson activist Reverend Osagyefo Uhuru.Sekou. Special thanks to Waging Nonviolence. Featuring: David Hartsough, civil rights activist and author of “Waging...
read moreMaking Contact’s Diverse #PubRadioVoice Playlist
Last week an article by aspiring radio journalist and professor Chenjerai Kumanyika, brought the question of diversity in public radio to light and using the hashtag #PubRadioVoice, journalists, activists and community members weighed in and offered ways to increase diversity on the airwaves. For the last 20 years Making Contact has worked hard to build a more diverse public radio community and provide a platform for some of our most vital but unheard communities. We’re glad the subject of diversity on public media is gaining more...
read moreMotherhood by Choice not Chance
Before it was legal in the United States, some doctors would risk arrest to provide women with access to safe abortions. When that wasn’t possible, some sought abortions from unsafe providers, often with deadly consequences. The Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973, and the numbers of people dying after having an abortion dropped, but are we now seeing a return to the past? On this edition, what can the time before abortion was legal tell us about the dangers of restricting access to abortion today? We’ll hear a special radio adaption of...
read moreYou’ve heard of Hip-Hop, but what about Krip-Hop?
You’ve heard of Hip-Hop, but what about Krip-Hop? That’s the name for the international movement of disabled artists, poets, musicians, and MCs. On this edition of Making Contact, we hear the story of Krip Hop from hate mail to worldwide phenomenon. Featuring: Leroy Moore, co-founder of Krip Hop Nation, poet, activist, journalist; Joy Elan, poet More Information Joy Elan Leroy Moore Krip Hop in Poor Magazine Krip-Hop Nation Police Brutality Music Krip-Hop Nation Music Krip-Hop Nation Worldwide Krip-Hop Nation FB group Diversifying Hip Hop:...
read moreMy Body My Message: women’s bodies as tools of self-empowerment
The female body as medium, and as message. How can a woman determine how she is perceived by the world, and even by herself? On this edition, we hear stories of women who are using their bodies for political protest, and as tools of self-empowerment…forcing everyone to reevaluate their perspectives on the female form. Featuring: Neda Topaloski & Xenia Chernyshova, Femen members Galia Ackerman, author of the book “Femen” Catherine King, Executive Producer, Global Fund for Women Yolando Y’Netta Harbin-Venson, Big Ol Pretty Girls owner...
read moreA Dream Remembered?: Martin Luther King Jr and the Grassroots Civil Rights Movement
. 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. Producer: George Lavender Special thanks to the New School for use of their recording. Featuring: Gary Younge, author of “The Speech: Martin Luther King Jr’s Dream and the Story Behind...
read moreRace to an Emergency-examining 911 responses Pt. 2
What are the roots of the historic mistrust between people of color, especially African Americans, and the police? And how does 911 really work? Is slow response time just perception, or reality? During the 2nd half of our 2-part special—The Race to An Emergency, we follow the path of a 911 call, and along the way, encounter decades of mistrust that fuel a lack of confidence in the system.
Special thanks to KALW Radio.
read moreRace to an Emergency-examining 911 responses Pt. 1
When you call 911, who answers the phone? How do they decide who to send to the scene, and how fast will they get there? We bring you a 2-part special—The Race to An Emergency, produced by KALW radio in San Francisco.
We follow the path of a 911 call, and along the way, encounter decades of mistrust that fuel a lack of confidence in the system.
Special thanks to KALW Radio.
read moreLooking Back, Moving Forward: 2014 Year in Review
In today’s news cycle it’s challenging keeping up with the latest developments around the world. In 2014 we saw pro-democracy protests spanning 75 days in Hong Kong to the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S. Often we just get the stories when they first break, then once the height of a conflict diminishes or really when another issue surfaces to the top of the news cycle, that’s it. After that we don’t hear much more about the issue. Even though we know that the issues remain. On today’s show we’re going to bring you an update on some of...
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