Uncovering the Refugee Experience & Healing Through Storytelling (Encore)
This week’s Making Contact episode is about two strong women who survived historic trauma, and the stories they later told their families. We start with the story of Katie Wilson. Born to an Orthodox Jewish family in Kiev, Ukraine, she grew up safe and comfortable – until the Russian Revolution. After holding it close for years to protect the next generation, she tells the story of the family she lost to her...
The Origins of Zionism
In this episode with a brief report from Gaza-based journalist Rami Almeghari, we talk to Rashid Khalidi about his book “The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine” to learn about the early history of the Zionist movement and his argument that it was, from the start, a settler-colonial endeavor. Featuring: Rami Almeghari – Palestinian reporter from Gaza Rashid Khalidi – Historian and Edward Said Professor of...
Gaza, Solidarity, and the Movement for Palestinian Liberation
For weeks people around the world have been witness to Israel’s deadly assault on Gaza. Today, we uncover the military corporations profiting from the war, and highlight the activism in every corner of the world in support of Palestinian liberation. We’ll hear from Rami Almeghari, a Gaza-based journalist, to get insight on the conditions on the ground in Gaza before zooming out with Nora Barrows-Friedman to look at...
Two Revolutions, Many Secrets (ENCORE)
In the midst of our stress and trauma dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s hard to imagine what stories we will ultimately tell our children and grandchildren. This week’s Making Contact episode is about two strong women who survived historic trauma, and the stories they later told their families. During this time of social distancing, these stories remind us of the importance of being in relationship with our loved ones,...
U.S. Anti-Torture History After 9/11
Making Contact · U.S. Anti-Torture History After 9/11 In today’s program, we turn our attention to the history of torture in the U.S. since the 9/11 attacks. Sociology professor Lisa Hajjar traces the post-9/11 history of torture through the victories and defeats, and to the ways in which torture and the fight against it have altered the legal terrain on torture, not only in the United States, but potentially on a global scale....
Two Revolutions, Many Secrets
Two Revolutions, Many Secrets In the midst of our stress and trauma dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s hard to imagine what stories we will ultimately tell our children and grandchildren. This week’s Making Contact episode is about two strong women who survived historic trauma, and the stories they later told their families. During this time of social distancing, these stories remind us of the importance of being in...
The Nakba, the Naksa, and the Future of Palestine
In 1948 Zionist militias expelled over 700,000 Palestinians from their villages and towns. The event, and the ongoing destruction and occupation of Palestine are referred to as the Nakba, “The Catastrophe.” How did the events of 1948 shape Palestine and its diaspora? And now, 70 years later, how are Palestinians fighting to return home? As news spreads of recent violence against Palestinian demonstrators calling for their right to...
The Spirit of Vietnam Is Stronger Than U.S. Bombs
Fifty years ago, the American War in Vietnam was at its height. There, people had fought against Japanese and French colonial rule, and now, the U.S. attempt at domination was once again, turning family members, friends, and neighbors against each other. For the U.S. government, this was just another Cold War battleground, and deaths of 2.1 – 3.8 million Vietnamese people were seen as collateral damage to establishing U.S. rule...
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 Draft, Duty, and Dissent: G.I. Resistance to War
It was the 1960s ” and throughout the United States, opposition to the War in Vietnam was growing. The Draft forced young men to make a choice about their own participation in the war. And many chose to resist. Over the course of the war, 2.6 million went to fight in Vietnam. More than 15 million were exempt or disqualified from military service. And over 200,000 officially defied the draft. Today, the US military is made up...
