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Race 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.

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Looking Back, Moving Forward: 2013 Year in Review

Making Contact’s media mission is to give voice to those who don’t usually make it on to the airwaves. We look back on how we did in 2013 and bring you up to date on our most compelling and resonating stories of the year. From pregnant women in prison who’ve been mistreated; to the tomato fields of Florida, where the power of community radio helps workers take action. Then out west, to a national forest in California, where wildfires...

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Fleeing Syria, Seeking Refuge

Over 2 million Syrians have been displaced by that country’s ongoing civil war. Neighboring countries are overwhelmed with refugees. So where else to turn? Heading to more affluent nations isn’t so easy. On this edition, we meet refugees who’ve fled Syria to Turkey, Sweden, and Thailand. They’re trying to navigate a fragmented global refugee policy, in a time of extreme need. Special thanks to our freelance reporters Dalia Mortada,...

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Greatest hits: Partners in the Struggle-allies in political movements

What does it mean to be an ally in a political movement? From white Americans in the civil rights era, to Israelis in Palestine, to Latino-Americans working with the undocumented…a roundtable discussion on the do’s and don’ts of how to be an effective ally.

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2013: The Year the Prison System Changed?

Years of campaigning for basic human rights for people caught up in America’s criminal justice system may finally be paying off.

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Conquest: Sexual Violence and Native American Genocide

Native American women experience the highest rates of violence of any other group in the United States. One in three native women have been victims of sexual assault and the murder rate of indigenous women is consistently higher than the national average. On this edition, Andrea Smith, author of “Conquest: Sexual Violence and Native American Genocide” explains the connection between violence against women, and the colonization of native lands and bodies.

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Atomic States of America: The Rise and Fall of Nuclear Energy

While countries like Japan, Italy and Germany begin to phase out their use of nuclear energy, the US aims to build the first new nuclear power plant in nearly thirty years. We hear excerpts from the film The Atomic States of America , which chronicles the rise of nuclear energy, the high price some communities have paid for it, and how the U.S. is pushing to redefine nuclear as green to meet our energy demand. Special thanks to...

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Greatest hits-Bigger Than Hip-Hop: Youth Speakin’ for Themselves

Spoken word. Its poetry…its hip-hop…and it’s increasingly, the chosen means of expression for today’s youth. On this edition we bring you the poets and students of Youth Speaks, from their annual event in honor of another master orator, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. Special thanks to Youth Speaks. Featuring: James Kass, Youth Speaks founder & executive director; Talia Young, Dante Clark, Gretchen Carvahol, Prentice Powell, Justin...

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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.

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Into Eternity

The nation of Finland is building an underground cave, to hold thousands of tones of nuclear waste, for at least 100 thousand years. We hear excerpts of the film, “Into Eternity”, which explores the logistical and philosophical quandries around the construction of something that if it works, might very well outlast the entire human race.

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