Misrepresented: Interrupting Muslim & Arab Stereotypes
Hollywood has had a long history of whitewashing and stereotyping different groups –from brownface to blackface and yellowface. For Arabs and Muslims, persistent clichés throughout Hollywood’s history range from desert scenes with camels and palm trees, and characters cast as barbaric villains, belly dancers, or terrorists among others. On this edition of Making Contact we’ll meet people confronting racist depictions of Muslims...
From Dreamers in Arizona to Muslims in Michigan: Immigrant Communities Upholding Democracy
This edition of Making Contact is Part I of our special series examining how immigrants are responding and participating in elections and politics today. From Dreamers in Arizona to Muslims in Michigan, we’ll meet immigrant communities upholding democracy. We’ll also have a conversation with the Brennan Center for Justice President and author of the Fight to Vote, Michael Waldman about how immigrants throughout history have...
Call for Pitches: April 14, 2016
We’re looking for pitches from freelancers on several themes. See list below. If you feel you have a story that fits or you have a new idea, please let us know! We’re also always interested in pitches on any of our ongoing beats: prisons, poverty, corporations’ undue influence, reproductive health, climate change and the environment. We’re still looking for reporters who are themselves immigrants for our Immigrants...
Caring Relationships: Negotiating Meaning and Maintaining Dignity
The vast majority of care recipients are exclusively receiving unpaid care from a family member, friend, or neighbor. The rest receive a combination of family care and paid assistance, or exclusively paid formal care. Whether you’re a paid home care provider, or rely on personal assistance to meet your daily needs, or a family member caring for a loved one, the nature of the working relationship depends on mutual respect and...
Radio Producer Part-Time based in the Bay Area
NOTE: We are not accepting applications at this time. We currently have 4 awesome core producers. Please pitch us as a freelance contributor. See https://www.radioproject.org/desk/pitches/ and https://www.radioproject.org/production/submission-guidelines/ Are you an energetic, organized creative producer with strong radio-writing, audio editing and sound mixing skills? Able to work on your own features and edit...
Not a Drop to Drink: our dwindling access to clean drinking water
It’s something many of us take for granted: access to clean drinking water. But for many Americans it’s not something they can rely on. From chemical spills in West Virginia to ecoli in the water on the Texas-Mexico border, to contamination from farming in California. On this edition, we hear what happens when there’s not a drop to drink. Featuring: Angela Walker, Charleston resident Neena Satija, environment reporter Texas Tribune...
Diversifying Radio with Disabled Voices
Radio can be a familiar friend, source of knowledge, a marker of time and place. But as a cultural institution, what constitutes a “good voice” in radio reflects and transmits cultural norms and structures. When I started my Community Storytelling Radio Fellowship at Making Contact, I prepared by reading articles from Transom and AIR media about interviewing, storytelling, and production. I felt more intimidated as I...
The true cost of fast fashion: a look inside Los Angeles sweatshops
Los Angeles’ garment district is notorious for sweatshop conditions, abuse, and the outright theft of earned wages. Yet the name-brand clothes that some of us are wearing right now, may have been produced in factories like these. On this edition of Making Contact we’ll take you on a trip through LA’s garment district. Featuring: Irma, Eulalia, garment workers Marissa Nuncio, the director of LA’s Garment Worker Center Credits Host:...
Unstoppable: The Fight for 15
In 2012, fast food workers in NYC kicked off a movement that has exceeded all expectations, and changed the conversation about the minimum wage. On this edition, low paid workers tell the story of the fight for 15, the exploding nationwide movement for fair wages. Featuring: Alvin Major, KFC employee and original NYC striker Richard Wilson, Walmart employee Bernardo Monteo, Chanda Roberts, Jayla Mosley; fast food workers Mary Kay...
Life, Breath, and Toxics: Lethal Negligence of Northeast and South L.A.
From Norco, Louisiana to Flint, Michigan to Los Angeles, California – environmental racism is real. On this edition of Making Contact, we look at polluting industries in Northeast and South L.A. We begin with a story by Making Contact’s Community Storytelling Fellow Ivan Rodriguez, followed by an interview with journalist Aura Bogado and Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis. Featuring Ivan Maceda Rodriguez, Making Contact...
