Making Contact

When communities face the aftermath of catastrophes, what does it take to ensure that the next time will be different? In Houston, it takes a city council member who bicycles in her neighborhood to hear from constituents about what they need most. It takes 12 moms who organize to take legal action against the landlords that have kept their families in moldy, substandard apartments.  In this fourth episode of the podcast But Next Time hosts Chrishelle Palay and Rose Arrieta head back to Houston to meet organizers making a difference.

In cities around the globe community organizers and direct service agencies are often the first line of response when a climate fueled natural disaster strikes. In this third episode of the podcast But Next Time we meet organizers in Houston and Puerto Rico whose shared experiences of hurricane response bind them together in the effort to assure next time things will be different.

We’re popping into your feed today with a quick announcement for fans of Making Contact. We know you love the show, and right now we’ve got an extra special opportunity for your support to go twice as far. Every donation you send to Making Contact through the end of the year will be doubled by NewsMatch! And if you sign up as a new monthly sustainer, your donation will be matched all year long. You can visit our donation page to make your gift right away, or click to listen to this special year-end message from our board of directors. https://makingcontact.networkforgood.com/projects/39193-making-contact-year-round

Our radio adaptation of the film Beyond Recognition by Underexposed films, "After decades struggling to protect her ancestors’ burial places, a Native woman from a non-federally recognized Ohlone tribe and her allies occupy a sacred site to prevent its desecration. They then vow to follow a new path- to establish the first women-led urban Indigenous land trust. 

There’s a place in rural St. Johns, Arizona, where teens who have encounters with officers of the law can play pool, make music, and get mentored instead of going to jail. It’s called The Loft, and it’s the brainchild of a judge who wanted to save the county hundreds of millions of dollars and divert young people towards the support many were not getting at home.

In some parts of the world, traditional herbal remedies are the norm.  When we  think of natural remedies we tend to think of older generations living in remote areas, in far away  countries,  with little access to modern healthcare.  We rarely think about the ancient medicinal plants that might exist in our very own cities. On today's episode we look at plant and herb medicines through the lens of Michele E. Lee the author of Working The Roots.  

One of the most common forms of trafficking is labor trafficking. In this episode, Re:Work Radio brings you the story of Lester Ramos and his journey from the Philippines. Later in the broadcast, we hear from Filipino migration expert, Dr. Robyn Magalit Rodriguez, on the circumstances in the Philippines and the US that drive Filipinos to work abroad.

In today’s program, sociology professor Lisa Hajjar traces the rise and fall of torture after 9/11. She examines the ways in which torture and the fight against it have altered the legal terrain on torture in the United States, and potentially on a global scale.

Nearly one in two Black women in the US have a loved one who has been impacted by our prison system. Many become de facto civilian experts as a result. Some rise to lead as  catalysts for change. And now, scores of Black women are joining the ranks—as officers of the court, police, and judges—to manage and advance a system that has had such an outsized impact on their lives. On today's episode we look at the many ways Black women are leading the conversation around policy and reform within the criminal justice system. 

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 people on the frontlines of California’s wildfires and Texas’ storms as they work to answer the question, how can next time be different?