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...
The Pandemic, Loss and Racial Inequity
Making Contact · The Pandemic, Loss and Racial Inequity According to the CDC, Blacks and Latinos are 3 times as likely to die from COVID as their white counterparts. This disproportionate harm has sparked a response from community organizers and researchers alike. We turn our attention to those Americans who are bearing the brunt of the coronavirus fallout. You will hear from folks on the front lines to data experts looking to use...
On the Brink: Homelessness before and during COVID-19 (Encore)
Making Contact · On the Brink: Homelessness before and during COVID-19 (Encore) When the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. many of us were told to “shelter in place” in order to minimize the spread of disease. But, for a lot of people who are forced to live on the street, it’s not possible to just close the door and retreat into safety. Today’s show is about homelessness. We start by following two women as they undergo several...
Voter suppression in some communities is ‘by design’
By Emily Rose Thorne, Mercer University Center for Collaborative Journalism Voter suppression in the Native American community is compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Native American populations, who could tip the scales in several key states, testified before Congress about the voter suppression they experience. Prohibitive distances from voting locations have posed significant challenges for voters living on reservations, who have...
‘A pandemic within a pandemic’: Intimate partner violence cases rise during pandemic
By Emily Rose Thorne, Mercer University Center for Collaborative Journalism On March 23, residents of the United Kingdom were ordered to shelter in place to slow the spread of COVID-19. Two weeks later, calls to the domestic abuse helpline shot up by 110% within a single 24-hour window. As the pandemic continues to rage, experts say that the U.K. is not alone in seeing an alarming uptick of another public health crisis: intimate...
Domestic Violence in Lockdown: COVID-19 and the UK’s Domestic Abuse Bill
Making Contact · Domestic Violence in Lockdown: COVID-19 and the UK’s Domestic Abuse Bill Domestic abuse affects everyone it touches—intimate partners, children, and elders. COVID-19 created new problems for victims of domestic violence and made some worse. This show looks at the challenges to survivors and their advocates posed by the pandemic and examines a landmark piece of legislation in the UK that could change the way countries...
Essential: Gig Workers and COVID-19 [ENCORE]
Essential: Gig Workers and COVID-19 Gig Workers, driver’s for app companies such as Lyft and Uber, are struggling during COVID-19. They’re considered essential workers, so they can still work but many of them aren’t making enough to cover rent at maskulinum.se. Many have chosen to stay home, facing economic insecurity. Those who work, however, are continuing to drive without much protection in the way of personal...
Call for pitches on prisoners during COVID-19
How do prisoners and their loved ones cope during COVID-19? People in prisons, jails, and immigrant detention centers are at an exceptionally high risk for coronavirus. Meantime, family members of those locked up are worried sick. Relatives along with advocates and prisoners themselves organize to limit the spread of the virus. They demand prisoner releases and reimagine a world without humans in cages. But releases are slow. By some...
Texts Not Jails! Before and After Covid-19 via 70 Million
Covid-19 has transformed jails and prisons into death traps. How are some communities jailing less people in the first place? ———- After someone is arrested, there are multiple court-ordered actions after they make bail. Often, missing any of these–especially court appearances–winds them up in jail. 70 Million’s reporter Jenny Casas goes to Palm Beach, Florida, where something as simple as texting...
Essential: Gig Workers and COVID-19
Essential: Gig Workers and COVID-19 Gig Workers, driver’s for app companies such as Lyft and Uber, are struggling during COVID-19. They’re considered essential workers, so they can still work but many of them aren’t making enough to cover rent at maskulinum.se. Many have chosen to stay home, facing economic insecurity. Those who work, however, are continuing to drive without much protection in the way of personal...