Making Contact

George Floyd’s murder sparked increased attention toward Black liberation and by extension, racial discrimination generally. Institutions raced to check boxes for workplace diversity, equity and inclusion, but it’s hard to know whether real work has been done. In this episode, two thought leaders around race and belonging, Ruchika Tulshyan and Ijeoma Oluo, discuss the finer points of how to create equity in the workplace. This conversation takes place at Town Hall Seattle and center’s Tulshyan’s book Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work.  Like this program? Please show us the love. Click here: http://bit.ly/3LYyl0R and support our non-profit journalism. Thanks! Featuring:  Ruchika Tulshyan - Inclusion strategist, speaker and author of the bestseller Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work. Ijeoma Oluo - Speaker and writer, author of the New York Times bestseller, So You Want to Talk About Race  Making Contact Team: Host: Amy Gastelum Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Interim Senior Producer: Jessica Partnow Engineer: Jeff Emtman Digital Marketing Manager: Taylor Rapalyea Music: Joyful Ride via Descript stock music Trap Future Base, Royalty Free Music, via Pixabay  Learn More: Town Hall Seattle https://townhallseattle.org/event/ruchika-tulshyan-with-ijeoma-oluo/ Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262548496/inclusion-on-purpose/  Making Contact is a 29-minute weekly program committed to investigative journalism and in-depth critical analysis that goes beyond the breaking news. On the web at www.radioproject.org.

In this bonus clip, Marian Naranjo (Kha Po Owingeh), founder and director of Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE), speaks about the impact and legacy of the nuclear industry and Los Alamos National Laboratory on the Tewa people. The clip is from the 2021 video RadioActive: Nuclear Boom with Petuuch Gilbert and Marian Naranjo, courtesy of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The film Oppenheimer has reignited public interest in the Manhattan Project, the WWII-era secret program to develop the atomic bomb. But the movie leaves out important parts of the story. On today's show, we hear about the impact of nuclear colonialism and the Manhattan Project on the people and places of New Mexico with Myrriah Gómez, author of Nuclear Nuevo México: Colonialism and the Effects of the Nuclear Industrial Complex on Nuevomexicanos. And then we dig into how nuclear testing during the Cold War led to dangerous and lasting contamination in the Marshall Islands and San Francisco's Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood.  Like this program? Please show us the love. Click here: http://bit.ly/3LYyl0R and support our non-profit journalism. Thanks! Featuring:  Myrriah Gómez, associate professor in the Honors College at the University of New Mexico and author of Nuclear Nuevo México: Colonialism and the Effects of the Nuclear Industrial Complex on Nuevomexicanos     Making Contact Team: Host: Lucy Kang Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Interim Senior Producer: Jessica Partnow Digital Marketing Manager: Taylor Rapalyea Engineer: Jeff Emtman Music Credit: "Documentary Piano Ambient" by Bohdan Kuzmin via Pixabay The story from the second half of today’s episode was created and reported by Rebecca Bowe. It was originally commissioned and produced by the nonprofit news organization San Francisco Public Press as part of an upcoming audio and text series called “Exposed,” with editing by Michael Stoll; archival, audio and photographic research by Chris Roberts and Stacey Carter; engineering and sound design by Mel Baker; fact-checking by Ambika Kandasamy and support from the Fund for Environmental Journalism and the California Endowment. Today’s excerpted version, from the “Sandblasted at the Shipyard” audio series, had additional audio engineering and sound design by Jacob Nasim, with support from the Breathe Network for Racial, Environmental and Climate Justice.  Learn More:  Making Contact homepage Nuclear Nuevo México: Colonialism and the Effects of the Nuclear Industrial Complex on Nuevomexicanos San Francisco Public Press

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 Elizabeth. Lee the author of Working The Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African-American Healing.  Like this program? Please show us the love. Click here: http://bit.ly/3LYyl0R and support our non-profit journalism. Thanks! Featuring:  Michele Elizabeth Lee is a traditional healing practitioner, educator, visual artist and the author of Working The Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African American Healing.  Brandi Mack, a Holistic Health Educator, Therapeutic Massage Therapist, Trauma-Informed Youth developer, Powerful Presenter, and Permaculture Designer. Estrella  Davina is a holistic practitioner.   Making Contact Staff Executive Director: Jina Chung Staff Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum and Lucy Kang Engineer: Jeff Emtman Music Credits: Blue Dot Session - Bedroll Blue Dot Session - 3rd Chair Lobo Loco - Alright in Louisiana Lobo Loco - Inside Your Body Audiobinger - The Garden State Learn More:  Working The Roots Instagram Working The Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African American Healing Brandi Mack LA Times: Black Herbalist Black Women Herbalists Black Healers NY Times: Some Lessons from Herbalists Mojo Workin' African American Slave Medicine Sticks Stones Roots Bones

On today's show, we'll hear an encore of a show from our archives that first aired in April. We'll be looking at the environmental impact of the rail industry and hear from people in two communities currently impacted by rail-related contamination. In February, a Suffolk Northern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, and residents are still recovering from the disaster over two months later. Residents like Jami Wallace and community organizations are fighting for relief. In Houston's Fifth Ward, residents have been living with the dire health effects of carcinogenic creosote used to treat railroad ties decades ago. Health officials have found cancer clusters in the neighborhood, where many have been devastated by the loss of friends, neighbors and loved ones. We'll hear a story from Living Downstream about the impacts to this close-knit community, where residents and organizers like Sandra Edwards continue to advocate for accountability and justice.  Like this program? Please show us the love. Click here: http://bit.ly/3LYyl0R and support our non-profit journalism. Thanks!   Featuring:  Jami Wallace, community organizer and East Palestine resident  Sandra Edwards, community organizer, member of Impact Fifth Ward and Impact Justice, and Fifth Ward resident  Making Contact Staff: Host: Lucy Kang Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Interim Senior Producer: Jessica Partnow Engineer: Jeff Emtman Living Downstream Staff: Story: Generations in Houston's 5th Ward Contend With Contamination, Cancer Clusters Story producer: Laura Isensee Story editor: Steve Mencher Living Downstream founding producer: Steve Mencher President and CEO of Northern California Public Media: Darren LaShelle Story music: Minimal Documentary by penguinmusic via Pixabay Documentary by The Mountain via Pixabay Lobo Loco and Nine Inch Nails, under Creative Commons licenses Smithsonian Folkways Recordings for the use of music by the late Texas blues artist, Lightnin’ Hopkins    Learn More:  Making Contact Homepage: www.radioproject.org Unity Council for EP Train Derailment petition urging President Biden to issue a Major Disaster Declaration for the Norfolk Southern train derailment: https://only.one/act/east-palestine Impact Fifth Ward: https://www.facebook.com/cleanupthecreosote Texas Standard's story and interview with reporter Laura Isensee: https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/houstonians-living-in-neighborhoods-with-high-rates-of-cancer-say-rail-yards-cleanup-plans-fall-short/ Spotify link to Living Downstream series, including the story heard on this episode: https://open.spotify.com/show/1tPKsb6vtQkuJjNrn5MEij    Making Contact is a 29-minute weekly program committed to investigative journalism and in-depth critical analysis that goes beyond the breaking news. On the web at www.radioproject.org.

This week on Making Contact, we bring you a story from our podcast partners, 70 Million titled Highway Robbery: How a Small-Town Traffic Trap Became A Legal Black Hole. About 20 minutes north of Birmingham, Alabama, on Interstate 22, is the working-class town of Brookside. Its almost 1300 residents make it about the size of a large high school. According to the 2020 census, Brookside's population is mostly White and 21% are Black. On paper, it's a lot like other small towns in this part of Alabama. That is, until 2022, when Brookside became infamous for, of all things, a traffic trap. Like this program? Please show us the love. Click here: http://bit.ly/3LYyl0R and support our non-profit journalism. Thanks! John Archibald, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist - Sandra Harris - Town Hall Speaker 1 - Ashley - Leah Nelson, research director for the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice - Bill Dawson, a criminal, and civil rights lawyer from Birmingham - Adam Danneman, the head of the Public Defender's office in Jefferson County - Joanna Weiss  70 Million Staff: Episode Reporter: Rhana Natour Editor: Monica Lopez and Juleyka Lantigua Host: Mitzi Miller Sound Designer: Erica Huang Photo Editor: Michelle Baker Staff Writer and Designer: Kori Doran Lead Fact Checker: Haylee Millikan Lead Producer: Pamela Kirkland Episode Photographer: Amarr Croskey Creator/Executive Producer: Juleyka Lantigua Making Contact Staff: Hosts:  Anita Johnson Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Senior Producer: Jessica Partnow                                                                                                          Engineer: Jeff Emtman Learn More:  70 Million  Sandra Harris - Grandmother accounts unjust arrest  AL.com Brookside Police Chief Resigns  Target Speed Traps   Class Action Complaint  

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 Ismael Rivera and Aztec expert Camilla Townsend as they unravel lies the Spanish colonizers told about ancient Aztecs that still feed racist tropes today. Like this program? Please show us the love. Click here: http://bit.ly/3LYyl0R and support our non-profit journalism. Thanks! Featuring: José Antonio Aguilar - Racismo MX, Founder and Director,  Ismael Rivera - Anthropologist, Historian, Cultural Guide,  Dr. Camilla Townsend, P.h.D. - Rutgers University, Professor    Host: Amy Gastelum Freelance Producer: Anthony Wallace Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Interim Senior Producer: Jessica Partnow Engineer: Jeff Emtman Learn More:  Ismael Rivera Tours https://riveratrips.wordpress.com/ Racismo MX https://racismo.mx/ Camilla Townsend https://history.rutgers.edu/people/faculty/details/188-townsend-camilla

On today's show, we'll revisit the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic by looking at two alternative supply chains for masks during the fallout from the Trump administration's failure to prepare. We'll be speaking with the ProPublica reporter David McSwane about his book Pandemic, Inc.: Chasing the Capitalists and Thieves Who Got Rich While We Got Sick. The book details the shadowy supply chain of brokers looking to profit from the pandemic – to the tune of millions of dollars. We'll also hear from Mai-Linh Hong, co-editor and co-author of The Auntie Sewing Squad Guide to Mask Making, Radical Care, and Racial Justice, about a mutual aid organization that created a different supply chain for homemade masks based on community, care and connection over profit.  Like this program? Please show us the love. Click here: http://bit.ly/3LYyl0R and support our non-profit journalism. Thanks! Featuring: J. David McSwane, award-winning ProPublica investigative reporter and author of Pandemic, Inc.: Chasing the Capitalists and Thieves Who Got Rich While We Got Sick  Mai-Ling Hong, UC Merced assistant professor of literature, co-editor and co-author of The Auntie Sewing Squad Guide to Mask Making, Radical Care, and Racial Justice    Making Contact Staff: Host: Lucy Kang Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Interim Senior Producer: Jessica Partnow Engineer: Jeff Emtman Music Credit: Blue Dot Session  -  Order of Entrance    Learn More:  Making Contact Dr. Mai-Linh Hong J. David McSwane Pandemic, Inc.: Chasing the Capitalists and Thieves Who Got Rich While We Got Sick The Auntie Sewing Squad Guide to Mask Making, Radical Care, and Racial Justice

In 2019, a well known romance writer began tweeting about other writers in her community and concerns about racism. It led to a huge reckoning within an organization called the Romance Writers of America, which is still unfolding. And although the online debate seemed to be isolated to a specific community of romance writers and their fans, it was really a microcosm of what's been happening all over the US. We learn all about romance novels and how newer writers are changing the norms of the genre, and giving it a political power it's never had before. And, we talk about what it means for organizations to change as they grapple with questions of race, including organizations such as ours, at Making Contact. This is an encore presentation of part two of a two-part series. Like this program? Please show us the love. Click here: http://bit.ly/3LYyl0R and support our non-profit journalism. Thanks! Featuring: Contance Grady Shana McDavis-Conway CJ Broderick Jayashree Kamble Jessica Partnow  Making Contact Team: Host: Salima Hamirani Producers: Salima Hamirani, Anita Johnson, Lucy Kang and Amy Gastelum Interim Senior Producer: Jessica Partnow Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Jeff Emtman Music: Frequency Decree - Cenote Broke for Free- Washout Frequency Decree - Lithosphere Blue Dot Sessions - Boston Landing    Learn More: Constance Grady's Article for Vox The Romance Writers of America International Association for the Study of Popular Romance Making Meaning in Popular Romance Fiction: An Epistemología The Equity Project Smart Bitches, Trashy Books Recommended Reading list

In 2019 a well known romance writer began tweeting about other writers in her community and concerns about racism. It led to a huge reckoning within an organization called the Romance Writers of America, which is still unfolding. And although the online debate seemed to be isolated to a specific community of romance writers and their fans, it was really a microcosm of what's been happening all over the US. In this episode we learn all about romance novels and how newer writers are changing the norms of the genre, and giving it a political power it's never had before. And, we talk about what it means for organizations to change as they grapple with questions of race.   Like this program? Please show us the love. Click here: http://bit.ly/3LYyl0R and support our non-profit journalism. Thanks! Featuring Jayashree Kamble; professor of English Literature at La Guardia Community College Reagan Jackson; co-executive director, Young Women Empowered, also a romance reader and fan Contance Grady; Senior Culture Reporter for Vox Elise Staples, member of a romance reading book club through meetup.com  Making Contact Team Episode Host: Salima Hamirani Producers: Salima Hamirani, Anita Johnson, Lucy Kang, Amy Gastelum Executive Director: Jina Chung Interim Senior Producer: Jessica Partnow Engineer: Jeff Emtman Music: Johnny Ripper - Overout Johnny Ripper - Sfhk (mental breakdown) Johnny Ripper - Untitled (waking up) Johnny Ripper - In a Dream Dance of the Seahorse - Gideon Freudman Pictures of the Floating World - Waves Bio Unit - Subterannean Ketsa - you asked Learn More: Constance Grady's Article for Vox The Romance Writers of America International Association for the Study of Popular Romance Making Meaning in Popular Romance Fiction: An Epistemología Recommended Reading list Making Contact is a 29-minute weekly program committed to investigative journalism and in-depth critical analysis that goes beyond the breaking news. On the web at www.radioproject.org.