The Fallen of 2020
Making Contact · The Fallen of 2020 2020 was a tumultuous year rocked by two twin plagues: police violence which led to the George Floyd protests and continued discussions about police brutality and of course the novel disease COVID-19. Normally here at Making Contact, we look back on movement leaders we’ve lost over the year in order to pay them tribute and honor their lifetime of work. But this year, we’re commemorating...
Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools
The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools 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,...
70 Million – Reform Activists and a New DA Find Common Ground
70 Million Activists in Houston were galvanized by events in Ferguson in 2014 following the death of Michael Brown. First, they took to the streets in protest. Then they started organizing. Not long after, they found a kindred spirit in the most unlikely person: a candidate for the DA office. 70 Million reporter, Ruxandra Guidi, chronicles how activists and reformers are succeeding in cutting the jail population, diverting...
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...