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70 Million – Forget Reform, They Want Abolition
Aug24

70 Million – Forget Reform, They Want Abolition

  This week on Making Contact we’re taking you to St. Louis, Missouri with the Podcast 70 Million to learn about the city’s ongoing efforts to re-imagine public safety beyond incarceration. Organizers in St. Louis have given up on trying to simply reform the criminal legal system. Now, they’re working to abolish it. And they’re starting with the closure of the “Medium Security Institution” known as...

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Re:Work Soul Force, Part 1
Feb23

Re:Work Soul Force, Part 1

On Dec. 11, 2021, the UCLA Labor Center’s historic MacArthur Park building was officially named the UCLA James Lawson Jr. Worker Justice Center, in honor of a civil and worker rights icon who has been teaching at UCLA for the last 2 decades. In this episode of Re:Work, 93-year-old Rev. Lawson shares stories from his youth, and how he came to discover soul force and the path of nonviolence. This episode contains material from Rev....

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U.S. Anti-Torture History After 9/11
Oct27

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....

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But Next Time Part 2: From the Ashes
Oct12

But Next Time Part 2: From the Ashes

Making Contact · But Next Time Part 2: From the Ashes   As fires ravaged California’s world-famous wine country in 2017, a community radio station, emergency dispatcher, and tenant organizers helped the most vulnerable in their community survive and recover. Continue delving into community-rooted responses to disaster in California, from the fires to the pandemic.  You’ll hear about how people banded together to build...

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But Next Time Part 1: Toward the Fire
Oct06

But Next Time Part 1: Toward the Fire

Making Contact · But Next Time Part 1: Toward the Fire   As fires ravaged California’s world-famous wine country in 2017, a community radio station, emergency dispatcher, and tenant organizers helped the most vulnerable in their community survive and recover. Community organizers and hosts of the podcasts But Next Time Chrishelle Palay and Rose Arrieta bring us the first of four stories of hard-won lessons learned from...

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A More Perfect Union: Latinos, Minority Majorities, and Redistricting
Sep29

A More Perfect Union: Latinos, Minority Majorities, and Redistricting

Making Contact · A More Perfect Union: Latinos, Minority Majorities, and Redistricting   How will major demographic shifts affect redistricting in 2021? According to the U.S. Census, Asian American & Pacific Islander and Latino populations grew significantly in some parts of country, while the white population decreased for the first time. Whites are still the largest racial group in the country. Nationally, Latinos grew to...

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