Laura Flanders and Friends: Intersectional Solution Centered Journalism on Democracy, Movements, Society and Culture

Rosa Parks is best known to Americans as a national treasure — the little old lady who sat down on a bus and “ended racism.” What we lose in that depiction is what happened before and afterward, which is to say most of the story of Park’s lifetime of activism. Soledad O'Brien, the award-winning journalist and producer, has just executive  produced the first ever full-length documentary on the Civil Rights icon, titled “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks.” based on the book by Jeanne Theoharis, and directed by Yoruba Richen and Johanna Hamilton. The film tells a much fuller story of the woman best known for her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The film is also being used to create a curriculum for K-12 students. Laura welcomes back Soledad for this revealing conversation on Parks, her legacy, and what the media got wrong. Why is it essential to dispel the myths and to fully understand the role that strategic organizing played in the actions of Rosa Parks, and the implications for her life, and ours today?“Who knew Rosa Parks was a fan of the Black Panthers? Who knew Rosa Parks was as much of a fan of Malcolm X as she was of Dr. King? What does it say about this vision we had of Rosa Parks, where everybody knows her and yet even Hollywood celebrities can't identify this woman who's called the mother of the movement.”“I talk about mistakes I made all the time. I don't mind. I'm happy to, I did them. They exist on tape somewhere. It's okay, let's fix it. Let's get better from it. I think we just need more introspection.”Guest:Soledad O’Brien, CEO of Soledad O'Brien Productions; Award-winning Journalist, Producer & Philanthropist; Executive Producer, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks Full Episode Notes are available to Patreon members and non-members.  We are listener and viewer supported media.  Patreon members receive early access to the full uncut conversation at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow  For more ways to donate go to LauraFlanders.org/donate   Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner.  FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Hey Boomers: When it comes to the climate crisis, are you the problem, the solution or both? In this episode Laura sits down with acclaimed author and environmental activist Bill McKibben and author Akaya Windwood to find out what's required from all of us to solve the climate crisis. McKibben was the founder of 350.org. He's the author of “The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened.” Windwood is co-author of the newly-released book “Leading with Joy: Practices for Uncertain Times.” The two recently launched Third Act, a new environmental group inviting people over 60 to join the movement. The group embraces getting old, taking responsibility and throwing the full weight of the boomers generation at the climate crisis. Can cutting up our credit cards and organizing to withdraw funds from the big banks funding climate destruction make the impact we need? Explore the steps we can take now to ensure a livable and equitable future for all generations.“I kept hearing people say, ‘It's up to the next generation to solve these problems.’ That's ignoble and impractical . . . They lack the structural power by themselves to make the changes that we need.” - Bill McKibben“I've been talking with a number of young folks over the years. Because I thought, ‘It's time for us to step back, right?’ . . . They're actually saying, ‘No, that's not what we want you to do. We don't want you to step aside or step back. What we want you to do is step beside us.’” - Akaya WindwoodGuests:Bill McKibben, Environmentalist, Founder 350.org & Third ActAkaya Windwood, Author, Leading with Joy: Practices for Uncertain Times IN PERSON BENEFIT EVENT & LIVESTREAM...Join us October 16th, 2022, in Callicoon, New York,  where we’ve been filming the show for the past several years.  Laura will be in conversation with Bill McKibben live and with a performance by Taina Asili.   Details, including ticket information, are at LauraFlanders.orgThe event is hosted by Catskill Mountainkeeper, an organization empowering environmental justice communities throughout the region toward a 100% clean and just energy future.  The event is sponsored by Catskill Provisions Pollinator Spirits, a woman led company that donates a portion of their proceeds to support the Bees.   Again, it is a fundraiser! While we are on PBS, we are not funded by PBS.  We are listener and viewer supported media.   We couldn’t do this show without you. We remain independent of government and corporate funding.  And if you can’t join us, there’s information on how you can donate and become a member supporter at LauraFlanders.org.  Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner.  FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

In March 2021, a 21-year-old man murdered eight people, including six women of Asian descent, at three spas in Atlanta, Georgia. The act of violence was one of the most dramatic assaults in a wave of anti-Asian hate that surged during COVID. For many, the tragic events became a galvanizing moment, reigniting a sense of collective identity and political engagement within Asian American and Pacific Island (AAPI) communities. A new documentary on PBS, Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March, spotlights the movement to turn grief into action and address the challenges that exist when it comes to prosecuting anti-Asian hate crimes. Executive producer Gina Kim is an Emmy-nominated producer, and the film features narration from actress Sandra Oh, original music by Jon Batiste and is directed by Titi Yu. Join Laura and Gina for this impactful conversation on combating anti-Asian hate.“Out of the hate crimes that were being prosecuted against Asian Americans, only 3% ended in a conviction, which is incredibly low.” - Gina Kim". . . People aren't just lying down and saying, ‘This is what it is.’ They're fighting back and protecting their communities.” - Gina KimGuest:  Gina Kim, Emmy-nominated Producer & Executive Producer, Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March Celebrate changemakers with us in beautiful Callicoon, NY! We're hosting our first in-person fundraiser with food, drinks, a live performance from Taína Asili and a Q&A and book signing with environmentalist Bill McKibben. Find more information and tickets here: https://tinyurl.com/5n8de6vn  Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner.  FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

"How do you spark alarm, inform the public, prod people to act, if the media aren’t covering the news, political fundraisers griped to the press this week....It’s a problem social movements in the US have faced for decades, of course, and met none of the same sympathy from the press."For independent reporting on grassroots change makers around the world and right here in the US, every week, catch the Laura Flanders Show on a public television station near you, or subscribe to the free podcast. This week, Sara Lomax Reese and S Mitra Kalita, co-founders of URL Media, report on the intersections between Black and Indigenous power movements. You can watch, listen and subscribe, at lauraflanders.org.The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Flex your media muscles, become a monthly sustaining member for $3, $5, $12 at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow  Independent Media! Advertising free!  Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner.  FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

How do Black and Indigenous communities intersect? This special feature for Indigenous People’s day explores the forces that have both facilitated and thwarted collaboration and movement-making among Black and Indigenous people in the United States. Exploitation of Black and Indigenous people was integral to the founding of this country, but the nature of that exploitation wasn’t exactly the same. Mitra Kalita and Sara Lomax Reese of URL Media return for this month’s “Meet the BIPOC Press”. Their guests are Levi Rickert, a citizen of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, founder and publisher, Native News Online and Dr. Kyle T. Mays from the Saginaw Chippewa Nations, Afro-Indigenous scholar and author of An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States. Mays asks: “How can we imagine and put into praxis a world in the aftermath of settler colonialism and white supremacy?”“It’s imperative to not only center blackness, but also to center Indigenous peoples because upon whose land were African Americans exploited? This is Indigenous land.” - Dr. Kyle T. Mays“We need to keep the gas pedal on getting Congress to appropriate the proper level of funding. We still have some of the highest levels of disparity when it comes to health disparity and lack of housing. A third of the people on the Navajo nation do not have running water or electricity. These are Third World living conditions, and this is what our native people are still living with.” - Levi RickertGuests:Levi Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) Publisher & Editor, Native News Online;  Author of Visions for a Better Indian Country: One Potawatomi Editor’s OpinionsKyle T. Mays, Ph.D. (Saginaw Chippewa Nation) Associate Professor UCLA,  Departments of African American Studies, American Indian Studies & History;  Author, An Afro-Indigenous History of the United StatesS. Mitra Kalita (Co-Host): Co-Founder, URL MediaSara Lomax-Reese (Co-Host): Co-Founder, URL MediaTickets are on sale now for our first in-person fundraiser! Show your support for the LF Show in Sullivan County, NY, where the show is produced. Plus, environmentalist Bill McKibben will be there for a live Q&A and book signing! Find more information and tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/419711015947   Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner.  FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Can a novel become a catalyst to help us address impending climate disaster? That’s one question posed by the legendary Kim Stanley Robinson, in his best-selling novel The Ministry for the Future, which begins with millions of Indians dying from temperatures that send people cramming into lakes to cool off — where they literally poach to death. The book has been praised by everyone from Barack Obama to the Dalai Lama and seems to be turning even bureaucrats and bankers' heads. In his work, Robinson creates space for the possibility of change, possible worlds of equity, not only for survival but for justice and a liveable future. Call it speculative fiction, sci-fi, even “cli-fi”, The Ministry for the Future is a blueprint for transformation and pushes us to think not just about how close to the end we might be. If 20 million people in India died in a heatwave today would that be enough to force humanity to act? Join Laura and Stan for this conversation on how we can all imagine change and work to preserve our planet.  Music featured in the middle of the podcast:  “False Alarm” by Ryan Amador and Alixa Garcia, and produced by Brad Kemp, courtesy of the artist.“I'm seeing people responding to my novel, which is just a story, because they want that story. What I'm seeing now is that the 2020s will be a time of intense action and it will mean intense conflict, but good things can come of it.”“I think it's a problem being noticed more and more — that we value the present much more than future generations, who are sure to come if we don't wreck everything.”GUEST:  Kim Stanley Robinson, a multi-award winning, NY Times best selling Science-Fiction novelist; author of over 20 books, including the The Ministry for the Future, Mars trilogy, Aurora, New York 2140 and his most recent, The High Sierra: A Love Story;  named a Hero of the Environment by Time magazine.BECOME A MEMBER:  It’s our members that have kept this show available to hundreds of thousands of listeners and viewers like you, but it takes a lot of funds to keep the show flowing nationally. We do not take corporate or government underwriting, we rely on you.  Go to Patreon.com/theLFShow and join our team, by becoming a patron partner or for more ways to donate go to LauraFlanders.org/donate  Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner.  FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

"Even more than democracy, the language of freedom vs tyranny has characterized this year’s mid-term election campaigns."The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Flex your media muscles, become a monthly sustaining member for $3, $5, $12 at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow  Independent Media! Advertising free!  Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner.  FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

(Full Episode Notes are at Patreon.com/theLFShow)  Salman Rushdie praised A.M. Homes’ latest novel, The Unfolding as, “A terrific black comedy, written almost entirely in pitch-perfect dialogue, that feels terrifyingly close to the unfunny truth.” In this episode, A.M. and Laura discuss political fiction, women writers and the unraveling of American democracy. Homes is an American writer best known for her novel The End of Alice, about a convicted child molester and murderer and Music for Torching, about the run-up to a school shooting. The Unfolding, written in the decade before the January 6th Insurrection, is similarly anticipatory. It follows a Republican donor plotting a mob assault on Washington. It was published this September 6th. Also included, a clip of a solidarity reading at the New York Public Library in support of Rushdie. And a commentary from Laura on the reality journalism of the late Barbara Ehrenreich.  Music featured in the middle of the podcast:  “Miracle” by Ultra Naté from her new album “Ultra” courtesy of Peace Biscuit.Guest, A.M. Homes: Author of over 30 books including The Unfolding; recipient of the 2013 Women’s Prize for Fiction; contributing editor to Vanity Fair and BOMB Magazine, and appears regularly in several publications including, The New York Times, Harpers, Art Forum and The New Yorker.  She also writes for film and television including writing the adaptation for Showtime of her first novel JACK.  She teaches in the Creative Writing Program at Princeton University.*Books by A.M. Homes:“The Unfolding” , Find More About the Book Here“This Book Will Save Your Life”, Find More About the Book Here(*Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. The LF Show is an affiliate of bookshop.org and will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.) It’s our members that have kept this show available to hundreds of thousands of listeners and viewers like you, but it takes a lot of funds to keep the show flowing nationally. We do not take corporate or government underwriting, we rely on you.  Go to Patreon.com/theLFShow and join our team, by becoming a patron partner or for more ways to donate go to LauraFlanders.org/donate  Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner.  FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Are you drowning? The start of the school year can be stressful for parents, teachers and students. And this summer hasn’t been smooth sailing for many of us either — with extreme temperatures, a global pandemic and other crises. How do we take a breath? Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ UNDROWNED: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals, draws on the practices of marine mammals — they are the experts, after all, in not drowning. (The harbor seal can slow its breath to about four beats per minute!) The book landed her the prestigious 2022 Whiting Prize for nonfiction, and now she is working on a biography of Audre Lorde. Plus, she is bringing people together through Soul Sanctuary, retreats that center a Black, feminist and queer vision. Join Laura and Gumbs for a conversation on how we can all practice “another way to breathe.”  Music featured in the middle of the radio show and podcast is the title track of Samora Pinderhughes’ “Transformation Suite”.“This is an offering towards evolution, towards our evolution, towards the possibility that instead of continuing the trajectory of slavery, entrapment, separation, and domination, and making our atmosphere unbreakable, we might instead practice another way to breathe.” - Alexis Pauline Gumbs“The context of undrowning, breathing in unbreathable circumstances is what we do every day, in the choke hold of racial, gendered, ableist capitalism. We are still undrowning. And by we, I don't only mean people like myself whose ancestors specifically survive the middle passage.” - Alexis Pauline GumbsGUEST:Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Poet, Independent Scholar & Activist, author of  “Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals” published by AK Press as part of adrienne maree brown’s Emergent Strategy Series We do not accept advertisements or government funding.  We are independent movement media for the people, and funded by the people!  Become a member by making a one time donation or make it a monthly contribution at https://LauraFlanders.org/donate  Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner.  FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

(This full conversation is from the episode 'Ibram X. Kendi: How to Make America Antiracist?')The fight over what can and can’t be taught in schools is shaping up to be one of the most controversial issues in a pivotal mid-term election year. White voters are being mobilized to ban books, censor honest discussions of US history and current day racism, and organize against a fake spectre of “critical race theory” being taught in schools. So what is to be done? In this episode, Laura and co-hosts Sara Lomax-Reese and Mitra Kalita interview Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, one of the most visible and vocal proponents of anti-racist education. Dr. Kendi shot to prominence with his 2019 New York Times bestseller How to be an Antiracist, making a name for himself as one of the most renowned antiracist scholars in the country and winning a MacArthur “genius” grant in 2021. His latest picture book, the New York Times bestseller Antiracist Baby, has made headlines, even being held aloft by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) at the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. How does the reaction against antiracist education hurt us all? GuestsIbram X. Kendi, Director, Boston University Center for Antiracist ResearchS. Mitra Kalita (Co-Host), CEO & Co-Founder, URL MediaSara Lomax-Reese (Co-Host), Co-Founder, URL Media Full episode notes including related articles and LFShow episodes to watch and/or listen to are posted at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow. Patreon Members receive access to the entire library of FULL UNCUT CONVERSATIONS from the weekly podcasts. The show is listener supported and originates as a TV Show airing weekly on over 300+ PBS stations across the U.S. and on 50+ community radio stations.  Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner.  FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel