Please support our programs

Denial of the Funk: The Impact of Racism on our Nation’s Health
Jan10

Denial of the Funk: The Impact of Racism on our Nation’s Health

The problem in America is, America’s been in denial about its problems. And that’s a problem.  America doesn’t have a race problem, in reality there’s been catastrophes visited upon Black people. Catastrophes visited on Indigenous brothers and sisters. Catastrophes visited on Latino brothers and sisters. Catastrophes visited on working people. Catastrophes visited on women of all colors. We can go on and on.  This week on...

Read More
Whose Point Reyes? Indigenous History and Public Lands
Oct18

Whose Point Reyes? Indigenous History and Public Lands

Dive into the history of Point Reyes National Seashore in northern California with us. It’s one of the most iconic national parks in the region, known for rugged sweeping beaches and the famous tule elk. We’ll recount the waves of colonization that violently upended the lives of the Coast Miwok peoples who lived there – and one Indigenous woman’s struggle to preserve her family history. The story of Point Reyes is a...

Read More
Mexicans Confronting Racism: Aztec myths to modern stereotypes
Aug23

Mexicans Confronting Racism: Aztec myths to modern stereotypes

There’s an idea in Mexico that racism doesn’t exist, that all Mexicans are “mestizo” – a homogenous blend of Spanish and indigenous. But cultural worker José Antonio Aguilar says racism is lived by Black and brown Mexicans in many ways.  He founded Racismo MX, an organization which seeks to dismantle racism, after coming to terms with his own racial reality as a “prieto” – a brown man.  We also hear from anthropologist...

Read More
A History of Development and Disruption: Hella Town
Jun14

A History of Development and Disruption: Hella Town

This week on Making Contact, we bring you a story of urban planning and how race has shaped American cities.  In his book, Hella Town: Oakland’s History of Development and Disruption, Mitchell Schwarzer explores the origins and the lasting impacts of transportation improvements, systemic racism, and regional competition on Oakland’s built environment. Schwarzer, an architectural and urban historian, pulls from his...

Read More
The Nakba: 75 Years On
May17

The Nakba: 75 Years On

This week marks the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, or the “catastrophe” in Arabic. It refers both to the events starting in late 1947, when Zionist militias expelled over 700,000 Palestinians from their homes, and the ongoing destruction and occupation of their lands. Today, Palestinians continue to commemorate the Nakba by reclaiming their history, resisting the occupation, and calling for their right to return. We start...

Read More
Blindspot: Tulsa Burning and Focus: Black Oklahoma
Mar22

Blindspot: Tulsa Burning and Focus: Black Oklahoma

  On this episode, we turn our focus to how journalists and historians today are covering the Tulsa Race Massacre. We hear from KalaLea, host of the critically acclaimed podcast series Blindspot: Tulsa Burning. The series tells the story of the rise of Greenwood, a prosperous Black neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, also known as Black Wall Street. The podcast recounts the brutal 1921 massacre and attack led by a group of white...

Read More