Making Contact
“Making Contact” digs into the story beneath the story—contextualizing the narratives that shape our culture. Produced by Frequencies of Change Media (FoC Media), the award-winning radio show and podcast examines the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground, building a more just world through narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the environment, labor, economics, health, governance, and arts and culture.
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Nobody Told Them: Veterans and the Broken Handoff
08/19/2026
Nobody Told Them: Veterans and the Broken Handoff
Veterans leave the military having earned health care, education benefits, and job training. What almost nobody tells them is that none of it is automatic. You have to show up with your DD-214 and enroll yourself, and if you don't, no one follows up. On this episode, six veterans across four decades and four branches of service describe the same gap. A Marine who got out in 1989 and didn't learn what the VA was until 2019. An Army mechanic who called 211 out of desperation and found housing. A combat veteran who lost her home during COVID and was told she earned too much to qualify for help. Recorded at the U.S.VETS facility in Inglewood, California, with interviews from the Center on Conscience and War and 50501 Veterans. We requested an interview with the Department of Defense and did not receive a response. Featuring: Mike Prysner, Executive Director, Center on Conscience and War Zue Jernstedt, U.S. Army veteran Katie Chorbak, President, 50501 Veterans Sam Corbett, U.S. Marines veteran, U.S.VETS client Shalimar Cabrera, National Director of Executive Leadership, U.S.VETS Charles Gonzales, U.S. Army veteran, U.S.VETS client Thomas "Brother" Woods, U.S. Navy veteran, U.S.VETS volunteer veteran coordinator Jimmy Perez, U.S. Army veteran Archival audio: "Service to Those Who Served" (1945), U.S. Veterans Administration. Public domain. Credits: * Host: Casey J. Adler * Senior Producer: Dan Pavlish * Engineers: Ace Estwick and Mark Maxwell * Editor: Andrew Stelzer Music: * Pixabay Content License Learn More: * https://www.211.org * https://www.va.gov/health-care/apply * https://usvets.org * https://centeronconscience.org * https://www.veteranscrisisline.net Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Passing the Torch to Pacifica
08/12/2026
Passing the Torch to Pacifica
For over 30 years, Making Contact has been bringing you grassroots voices and context, to better understand the world and the people who are struggling to make it better. As Pacifica radio takes over production of the show, media critic and Making Contact co-founder Norman Solomon joins us this week, to understand the crucial role of independent media, and how we’ve navigated change—from the Bill Clinton era, to the second term of Donald Trump. Featuring: Norman Solomon, Executive Director of the Institute for Public Accuracy and Making Contact co-founder Archival audio: Bill Clinton, President of the United States; Deborah Toller, political economy analyst; Naomi Perez, former American Apparel employee; Roberto Surro, professor at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at USC; Elie Mystal, Justice Correspondent at The Nation Credits: * Host: Mark Maxwell * Reporters: Andrew Stelzer, Phillip Babich, Julie Light, Reese Erlich, Patrick Burke, Lucy Kang, Rami Almeghari * Executive Director: Ace Estwick * Staff Producer: Dan Pavlish * Engineer: Mark Maxwell * Editor: Jessica Partnow
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Kev Choice: Love, Growth, and the Power of Music (Encore)
08/05/2026
Kev Choice: Love, Growth, and the Power of Music (Encore)
We sit down with Kev Choice, a classically trained pianist, rapper, composer, and educator, who has reshaped the Bay Area music scene. Raised in Oakland with San Francisco roots, Kev blends hip-hop, jazz, soul, and classical music into a unique sound. His latest EP, _All My Love_, explores themes of love, vulnerability, and human connection, with soulful melodies and reflective lyrics capturing the complexities of relationships. This episode first aired in November 2024. Featuring: Kev Choice Credits: Episode host: Anita Johnson Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Music: Kev Choice "All This Love" Kev Choice "Congratulations" Kev Choice "Searching for a Feeling Kev Choice "Fresh Fade" Kev Choice "International Blvd" Kev Choice "God" Kev Choice "Feel What I Feel" Learn More: Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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The Ethical Dilemma of Geoengineering & Global Warming (Encore)
07/29/2026
The Ethical Dilemma of Geoengineering & Global Warming (Encore)
As we head into an ever warming world, some experts and politicians are embracing a possible solution to climate change called geoengineering. Theoretically geoengineering could slow down climate change, stop it, and maybe even remove carbon from the air. It sounds like the perfect answer for a global political system that just can’t stop burning fossil fuels even if it kills us all. But it might not be the easy fix we’re hoping for. We talk to scientists and activists about what geoengineering is and why it could actually be a dangerous way to tackle climate change. We also dive into the moral and ethical questions of testing geoengineering technology on Indigenous lands. This episode first aired in 2023. Featuring: Basav Sen, Climate Justice Project Director at the Institute for Policy Studies Dr. Steven Zornetzer, Vice-Chair, Governing Board of Arctic Ice Project Panganga Pungowiyi, organizer for the nonprofit Indigenous Environmental Network in Alaska Making Contact Team Episode hosts: Salima Hamirani and Jessica Partnow Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Music Credits Chris Zabriskie – Air Hockey Salon Bio Unit – Industrial Zone Chris Zabriskie – Take Off and Shoot a Zero Doctor Turtle – Leap Second Monplaisir – Ridiculous Monplaisir – Juan Garcia Madero Learn More: Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Powerlands (Encore)
07/22/2026
Powerlands (Encore)
On this week's Making Contact, we feature an extended interview with Ivey Camille Manybeads Tso, a queer Diné filmmaker and director of the award-winning documentary Powerlands. Powerlands traces how multinational energy corporations extract resources and profits while displacing and harming Indigenous communities around the world. The film follows Indigenous activists in Navajo Nation, Colombia, Mexico and the Philippines who are fighting back against corporations like Peabody Energy, Glencore and BHP. This show first aired in June 2023. Featuring: Ivey Camille Manybeads Tso, an award-winning queer Diné filmmaker and director of Powerlands Music: Documentary by Music\_Unlimited Credits Host: Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain This episode includes excerpts from the documentary film Powerlands. Learn More: Powerlands Documentary website:
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The Coast Miwok Peoples, Colonization, and the Preservation of Indigenous History (Encore)
07/15/2026
The Coast Miwok Peoples, Colonization, and the Preservation of Indigenous History (Encore)
Dive into the history of Point Reyes National Seashore, one of the most iconic parks in northern California, with us. Known for rugged sweeping beaches and the famous tule elk, we’ll recount the waves of colonization that violently upended the lives of the Coast Miwok peoples who lived there – and one Indigenous woman’s struggle to preserve her family history. The story of Point Reyes is a story about how the forces of colonialism continue to shape the fate of public lands in the United States, and the campaigns waged to fight back and protect Indigenous land. Featuring: Theresa Harlan (Kewa Pueblo/Jemez Pueblo), adopted daughter of Elizabeth Campigli Harlan (Coast Miwok), founder and executive director of The Alliance for Felix Cove Credits: Host: Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Editor: Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain “Whose Point Reyes?: A Battle for the Future of Public Lands” Parts 1 and 2 Credits: Reporter and producer: Sam Anderson Editor: Lucy Kang First aired on KPFA Learn More: Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Mexicans Confronting Racism: Aztec Myths to Modern Stereotypes (Encore)
07/08/2026
Mexicans Confronting Racism: Aztec Myths to Modern Stereotypes (Encore)
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. This episode first aired in 2023. Featuring José Antonio Aguilar – Racismo MX, Founder and Director Ismael Rivera – Anthropologist, Historian, Cultural Guide Dr. Camilla Townsend, P.h.D. – Rutgers University, Professor Making Contact Host: Amy Gastelum Freelance Producer: Anthony Wallace Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Music Nahuales Negros – Chinampa, Cempasúchil, Barcos A Lo Lejos, Mixquic, Teponaztli, Danza A Pakal Learn More FB: IG: racismomx X: @Racismo_MX FB: Rutgers University FB: X: @RutgersU IG: rutgersu Anthony Wallace X: @anthonyjwallace Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Juristac and the Amah Mutsun: Indigenous Resistance and Regeneration (Encore)
07/01/2026
Juristac and the Amah Mutsun: Indigenous Resistance and Regeneration (Encore)
In this episode, we take a deep dive into Indigenous resistance against extractivism and the forces behind climate change. We’ll look at an underreported story in California about the Amah Mutsun Ohlone’s fight to save their most sacred site — a place called Juristac. Contributors Robert Raymond and Della Duncan explore the horrific injustices wrought upon California Indians since the time of the Spanish Missions up to the present and focus on how the Amah Mutsun are working to regenerate their culture, language, and land. _Special thanks to The Satterberg Foundation & Upstream Podcast._ Featuring: - **Valentin Lopez,** Chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band - **Eleanor Castro,** Amah Mutsun Elder Credits: Episode Producers: Della Duncan and Robert Raymond The Making Contact Team Host: Monica Lopez Executive Director: Jina Chung Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Engineer: Music Credits: Chris Zabriski, BRONCHO, Xlyo Ziko, Inaequalis, Meydan Learn More: Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Thirsting for Justice (Part 2): East Orosi’s Long Struggle for Water: The Role of Community Utility Districts (Encore)
06/24/2026
Thirsting for Justice (Part 2): East Orosi’s Long Struggle for Water: The Role of Community Utility Districts (Encore)
Last week, we visited a community in California's Central Valley called East Orosi, which has been fighting for clean water for over 20 years. This week we turn our attention to their sewage system, which is also falling apart. Why has it been so difficult for East Orosi to get clean drinking water and fix its sewage problems? To answer that question, we take a look at the community utility districts that run sewage and water in unincorporated towns all across California. We'll discuss their problems as well as ways to save them. This show first aired in August 2024. Featuring: Credits: **Episode Credits:** - Episode Host: Salima Hamirani - Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang - Executive Director: Jina Chung - Editor: Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong - Engineer: [Jeff Emtman](http://www.jeffemtman.com/) - Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Voiceovers - Ana Portnoy Brimmer - Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong Music Credits - Komiko – Blue - PC III – Ocean Tapping - Alpha Hydrae – Friends and Apples - Hicham Chahidi – Gouttes - Ben von Wildenhaus – Week Twenty-five - Ketsa – No Light Without Darkness - The Custodian of Records – Thunderstorm Learn More: Making Contact: Community Water Center: Self-Help Enterprises: Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Thirsting for Justice (Part 1): East Orosi’s Struggle for Clean Drinking Water (Encore)
06/17/2026
Thirsting for Justice (Part 1): East Orosi’s Struggle for Clean Drinking Water (Encore)
In 2012, the state of California declared water a human right. Yet nearly 400 water systems don't meet the state's drinking water standards. In the Central Valley, the community of East Orosi hasn’t had safe tap water in over 20 years. The water is full of harmful nitrates and other runoff from industrial agriculture. We visit East Orosi and talk to Berta Diaz Ochoa and others about what it’s like living without access to clean drinking water and how the community has taken action to find a solution. This episode originally aired in July 2024. Credits: **Making Contact Credits** Episode host and producer: Salima Hamirani Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: [Jeff Emtman](http://www.jeffemtman.com/) Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Voiceovers - Amy Gastelum - Bobbi James - Ana Portnoy Brimmer - Alex Corey Music Credits: - Komiku – Blue - Monet’s Water Lilies - Dark Rainy Day - Water Drops, Sad Slow Piano Background - Mother Womb piano - Guracha Sonidera Cumbia Loops De Bateria Series II Learn More: Making Contact homepage: Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Reclaiming Indianapolis’s Black History from Urban Roots (encore)
06/10/2026
Reclaiming Indianapolis’s Black History from Urban Roots (encore)
Today we head back to Indianapolis with the podcast Urban Roots. In the 1950s and 1960s, Ms. Jean Spears was a young mother and burgeoning preservationist. She saved antiques from houses about to be demolished; she bought a home in a white slum and renovated it; later on, she did the same with a historic home in the black neighborhood near Indiana Avenue. In the eighties, she and some neighbors started digging into this black neighborhood’s history, uncovering the names of Black doctors, civic leaders, and other professionals who had lived there, many of whom had worked for Madam C.J. Walker. She helped rename the neighborhood to Ransom Place, in honor of Freeman Ransom, Madam Walker's prodigious lawyer. And in 1991, they succeeded in getting the Ransom Place Historic District included in the National Register of Historic Places. Thanks in no small part to the connection to Madam C.J. Walker, Jean Spears was able to save this pocket of Black history, in an area that — as we explained last episode — the city of Indianapolis had almost erased from memory. But black Indy history is about more than Madam Walker, and other stories and places in the city need protection, too. In this episode, we’ll introduce you to three Black women who are carrying on what Ms. Jean Spears started — safeguarding these little-known stories of the past and guiding Indianapolis toward a brighter future. Featuring: Claudia Polley, Urban Legacy Lands Initiative | Kaila Austin, artist and historian | Judith Thomas, Deputy Mayor of Neighborhood Engagement for the City of Indianapolis | Paula Brooks, the Environmental Justice Program Manager at the Hoosier Environment Council Credits: Urban Roots Podcast: Urban Roots unearths little-known stories from urban history, especially histories of women and people of color that are in danger of being forgotten. Our mission is to elevate underrepresented voices and help preserve the places significant to them. Hosts and Executive Producers: Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and Vanessa Maria Quirk Editor and Executive Producer: Connor Lynch Mixer: Andrew Callaway. Music/Composer: Adaam James Levin-Areddy. Making Contact Credits Episode Host: Salima Hamirani Executive Director: Jina Chung Editor: Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain **Music Credits** Roman- Galaxy (inspired up melody) Will Bangs - I'm so glad you exist Learn More: | Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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A Making Contact Pride Show! (encore)
06/03/2026
A Making Contact Pride Show! (encore)
To celebrate Pride Month, we have a special show featuring stories from the Making Contact archives. We'll revisit the Stonewall Uprising with the 1989 audio documentary _Remembering Stonewall_, and then head to the gay rodeo with producer Vanessa Rancaño in a story from 2014. Credits: Making Contact Credits Episode host and producer: Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Music credit: "Minimal Documentary" by via Pixabay Bleep sound effect by from Remembering Stonewall: The birth of a movement (1989) Narrated by Michael Schirker Produced by David Isay Distributed by Pacifica Radio Archives "All Around Cowboy: Inside the world of queer rodeo" Credits Story producer and host: Vanessa Rancaño This show was part of a partnership with the Special thanks to Learn More: Making Contact homepage: Remembering Stonewall on Pacifica Radio Archives: Making Contact episode "All Around Cowboy: Inside the world of queer rodeo" Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Staying in the Fight with Ijeoma Oluo, from In the Meanwhile
05/27/2026
Staying in the Fight with Ijeoma Oluo, from In the Meanwhile
In this special guest episode from the podcast In the Meanwhile, co-hosts Marcus Harrison Green and Nora Kenworthy sit down with author and activist Ijeoma Oluo (So You Want to Talk About Race; Mediocre: the Dangerous Legacy of White Male America; Be a Revolution) for a searching conversation about movement work, harm, belonging, and the radical choice to stay. Together, they explore the personal cost of speaking truth, the wounds movements can inflict on their own, and what it means to build the world we long for now—not after revolution, but through the way we live, love, and struggle every day. It’s a deeply honest conversation about survival, accountability, joy, and choosing community even when it hurts. Featuring: Ijeoma Oluo Credits: Making Contact Team Episode host and producer: Jessica Partnow Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain In the Meanwhile Co-hosts: Marcus Harrison Green, Nora Kenworthy Music: No Tears for a Wolf · Ahamefule J. Oluo · Okanomodé. Logo by Nikki Barron. Producer: Jessica Partnow Learn More: | | | | | | Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Mabuhay: Welcome to Little Manila in Queens (Encore)
05/20/2026
Mabuhay: Welcome to Little Manila in Queens (Encore)
For AAPI Heritage Month, we bring you an encore of our 2023 episode "Seeing Signs." With help from the Queens Memory Podcast, we'll learn about “Little Manila,” a Filipino neighborhood dating back to the 1970s that still struggles to find its political footing. We also hear from Filipino care workers about their experiences battling COVID 19. This episode first aired on Making Contact in May 2023. Featuring: - Potri Ranka Manis: Nurse, Activist and Artist - Joey Golja: Community Member - Mary Jane de Leon: Community Member - John Bahia: Community Member - Steven Raga: Assemblymember for District 30, Queens, NY - Jaclyn Reyes: Artist, Designer, and Cultural Organizer - Gemma Balagtas: Community Member, Nurse - Zenaida (Ida) Castillo: Community Member and Owner of PhilAm Food Mart Credits: Making Contact Episode host and producer: Amy Gastelum Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Queens Memory Podcast Team Producers: Rosalind Tordesillas, Melody Cao, Anna Williams, and Natalie Milbrodt Mixing and editing by Cory Choy Music composed by Elias Ravin Voiceover work by Arianne Arreglado Learn More: Making Contact homepage: Listen to Season 3 of the Queens Memory Podcast: Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Self Care as Selfless Act: Mental Health at the Root of Activism (encore)
05/13/2026
Self Care as Selfless Act: Mental Health at the Root of Activism (encore)
Activists in the Latinx immigrant community of Los Angeles share what they do to take care of their mental health. The issues these activists work on often impact their personal lives, and people who work in the service of others are particularly at risk of burnout and compassion fatigue. Self-care becomes a “selfless act” when it allows activists to stay healthy and do their work in a sustainable way. This show first aired in August 2020. Featuring: **Paulina Velasco’s** reporting on Self Care as Selfless Act: Mental Health at the Root of Activism was undertaken as a USC Center for Health Journalism 2020 California Fellow. Credits: Writer, Producer, Host: Paulina Velasco Editor: Monica Lopez Voice Over Actor: Mariana Carstens Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Jeff Emtman Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Transcription Volunteer: Mickey Ellinger Special thanks to USC Senior Fellow, Catherine Stifter. Music “ Elmore Heights”, Blue Dot Sessions – 2018 – Skittle “ Kid Kodi”, Blue Dot Sessions – 2018 – Skittle “ The Yards”, Blue Dot Sessions – 2018 – Skittle “ Copley Beat”, Blue Dot Sessions – 2018 – Skittle “ Greylock”, Blue Dot Sessions – 2018 – Skittle “ Boston Landing”, Blue Dot Sessions – 2018 – Skittle “ Pedalrider”, Blue Dot Sessions – 2018 – Skittle Learn More: Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Radical Therapy (Encore)
05/06/2026
Radical Therapy (Encore)
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we bring you a story at the intersection of therapy, healing and social justice. We'll hear about one therapist’s work to bring the lens of radical therapy and community care into her practice. This piece was produced by the podcast Re:Work from the UCLA Labor Center. Featuring: Claudia Morales, therapist at Social Justice Healing Credits: Making Contact Episode host and producer: Lucy Kang Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Music credit: "Documentary" by via Pixabay Re:Work Episode "Radical Therapy" Credits: Hosted and produced by Veena Hampapur and Saba Waheed Sound design and editing by Veena Hampapur Mixing by Aaron Dalton Learn More: Making Contact homepage: Re:Work from the UCLA Labor Center: Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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A History of Traditional Root Healing (Encore)
04/29/2026
A History of Traditional Root Healing (Encore)
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. Featuring: Michele Elizabeth Lee, Traditional Healing Practitioner, Educator, Visual Artist and the Author of Working The Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African American Healing Brandi Mack, Holistic Health Educator, Therapeutic Massage Therapist, Trauma-Informed Youth developer, Powerful Presenter, and Permaculture Designer Estrella Davina, Holistic Practitioner Making Contact Team: Executive Director: Jina Chung Staff Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum and Lucy Kang Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Engineer: 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: Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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How the Legacy of Colonialism Keeps Puerto Rico’s Healthcare System in Shambles (Encore)
04/22/2026
How the Legacy of Colonialism Keeps Puerto Rico’s Healthcare System in Shambles (Encore)
Almost half of Puerto Rico’s doctors have fled the island over the past decade, leading to a lack of specialists and treatment and incredibly long wait times. And this isn’t just an inconvenience. People are dying from lack of care. Why is Puerto Rico’s health care system collapsing, and why are doctors fleeing the island? We take a look at its deeply dysfunctional private medical system and why attempts to fix it, and create a universal health care plan on the island, are being hindered by Puerto Rico’s status as a US colony. Its massive unpayable debt, held by investors in the US, means that it cannot make its own economic decisions, even when it affects the livelihood of poor Puerto Ricans living there. But there might be a fix, getting rid of Puerto Rico’s debt and rethinking its colonial relationship to the US. This episode first aired in October 2024. Credits: Making Contact: Episode Host: Salima Hamirani Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Editor: Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong Engineer: Digital Marketing Manager: Lissa Deonarain Music Credits: Daniel Birch – Indigo Strokes Axletree – Goldfinch- Flight to the North Mindseye – Spores Soft and Furious – So What Learn More: Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Well Nourished: How Mutual Aid is Transforming Food Security for Single Moms in Ohio (Encore)
04/15/2026
Well Nourished: How Mutual Aid is Transforming Food Security for Single Moms in Ohio (Encore)
Federal food programs, like WIC, face big changes coming out of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. Meanwhile, a single moms collective in Ohio holds it down for the single pregnant and parenting people in their community. Motherful's resource pantry serves their 325-strong membership out of a garage three times a week. We talk to members and founders to learn what's it's like to participate, how it all started and where food justice is headed for them now and in their wildest dreams. Featuring: Kay Riley- college student and Mom to baby Wisdom, Motherful Member Rugi Ngaide - Ohio supreme court translator, Mom, Motherful member Lisa Woodrow - Co-Founder and Co-Director of Motherful, Mom Heidi Howes - Co-Founder and Co-Director of Motherful, Mom Rebecca Piazza: Senior Advisor for Delivery, Food and Nutrition Service, Mom Making Contact Team Host: Amy Gastelum Staff Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Engineer: Music HoliznaCC0, Sky Scraper Learn More: Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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The Calling (Encore)
04/08/2026
The Calling (Encore)
For Black Maternal Health Week, we celebrate the important work that Black midwives do in their communities. In this week's show, we'll hear a conversation about how one woman followed her calling to midwifery in a story brought to us by the podcast _Re:Work_ from the UCLA Labor Center. Featuring: Kimberly Durdin, licensed midwife and co-founder of Kindred Space LA and the Birthing People Foundation Credits: Making Contact Episode host and producer: Lucy Kang Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Music credit: "Documentary" by via Pixabay Re:Work Episode "The Calling" Credits: Hosted and produced by Veena Hampapur and Saba Waheed Learn More: Making Contact homepage: Re:Work from the UCLA Labor Center: Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Indigenous Intervention: Using Culture in Indigenous Substance Abuse Treatment (Encore)
04/01/2026
Indigenous Intervention: Using Culture in Indigenous Substance Abuse Treatment (Encore)
In the late 1990s, psychologist Dr. Joseph Gone, a professor and member of the Aaniiih Gros Ventre tribe, returned home during his doctoral training to the Fort Belknap Reservation in north central Montana. There, he set aside Eurocentric concepts of psychology he was learning in school and instead asked tribal members how mental illness is addressed using traditional Indigenous practices. What he learned changed the trajectory of his career. Listen to find out how he helped bring precolonial cultural and spiritual practices into substance use disorder treatment in contemporary Indigenous settings. This show first aired in July 2024. Featuring: , psychologist and interdisciplinary social scientist at Harvard University and member of the Aaniiih-Gros Ventre Tribal Nation of Montana Credits: Making Contact: Episode Host: Amy Gastelum Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Editor: Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Music credits: Songs: The Horses are Coming, The Gift, Song of Honor Album: The Return of the Buffalo Horses Artists: Darrell Norman and Ramon Kramer Learn More: , Detroit, MI Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs (Encore)
03/25/2026
American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs (Encore)
On today's program we honor the life and legacy of civil rights activist Grace Lee Boggs (27 June 1915-5 October 2015). Through the lens of the documentary film _American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs_ we present a close and personal view of Boggs' activism. The film plunges us into Boggs’ lifetime of vital thinking and action, traversing the major U.S. social movements of the last century; from labor to civil rights, to Black Power, feminism, the Asian American and environmental justice movements and beyond. Boggs’ constantly evolving strategy—her willingness to re-evaluate and change tactics in relation to the world shifting around her—drives the story forward. Angela Davis, Bill Moyers, Bill Ayers, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, Danny Glover, Boggs’ late husband James and a host of Detroit comrades across three generations help shape this uniquely American story. As she wrestles with a Detroit in ongoing transition, contradictions of violence and non-violence, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, the 1967 rebellions, and nonlinear notions of time and history, Boggs emerges with an approach that is radical in its simplicity and clarity: revolution is not an act of aggression or merely a protest. Revolution, Boggs says, is about something deeper within the human experience — the ability to transform oneself to transform the world. Special thanks to Grace Lee (no relation), producer and director of _American Revolutionary_, and to raptivist Invincible_. _ Featuring: Grace Lee Boggs Grace Lee, Contributing Producer and Filmmaker Credits: Host: Anita Johnson Contributing Producer: Grace Lee Executive Director: Jina Chung Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Music: Bontex, Creeping Blue Dot Sessions, Grand Caravan Invincible + Waajeed, Detroit Summer Audio Banger, the Garden State Learn More:
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Flemmie Kittrell and the Preschool Experiment from Lost Women of Science (Encore)
03/18/2026
Flemmie Kittrell and the Preschool Experiment from Lost Women of Science (Encore)
Dr. Flemmie Kittrell was a Black home economist whose research in the field of early childhood education shaped the way we think about child development today. She became the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in nutrition and contributed immensely to programs like Head Start – even though her name is often left out of the history. We'll hear more about her life and work in a story from the podcast _Lost Women of Science_,_ _hosted by Carol Sutton Lewis and Danya AbdelHameid. Featuring: Dolores Caffey-Fleming, Program director of Project STRIDE, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science Allison Horrocks, Public historian Lauren Bauer, fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution Credits: Making Contact Episode host and producer: Lucy Kang Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Music Credit: "Science Documentary" by (Lexin_Music) via Lost Women of Science: "Flemmie Kittrell and the Preschool Experiment" Credits Hosted by Danya AbdelHameid and Carol Sutton Lewis Written and produced by Danya AbdelHameid with senior producer Elah Feder Music composed by Lizzie Younan Episode sound designed and mastered by Alex Sugiura Executive producers: Amy Scharf and Katie Hafner Chief multimedia editor at our publishing partner, Scientific American: Jeff Delviscio Listen to the full episode from Lost Women of Science: Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Buried History: The Woman Who Created the Home Pregnancy Test
03/11/2026
Buried History: The Woman Who Created the Home Pregnancy Test
In 1965 Margaret Crane was a young designer creating packaging for a pharmaceutical company when a scientist gave her a tour of the lab. Looking at the long rows of pregnancy tests she thought, well anyone could do that test at home! So she set about designing a prototype for America’s first home pregnancy test. While the design of the prototype was simple, convincing the company, the medical community and conservative social leaders that at-home pregnancy testing was safe and necessary was an uphill climb for Crane, who is only now receiving credit for her contributions to the industry. This show first aired in February 2024. Featuring: Margaret Crane - Graphic designer and inventor of the first home pregnancy test Wendy Kline - Dema G. Seelye Chair in the History of Medicine, History Faculty Purdue University Jesse Olszynko-Gryn - Head of the [Laboratory for Oral History and Experimental Media](https://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/research/projects/laboratory-oral-history-and-experimental-media) at Max Planck Institute for the History of Science Arthur Kover - Emeritus Professor of Marketing, Fordham University Alexandra Lord - Chair, Division of Medicine and Science at the National Museum of American History Making Contact Staff: Host: Amy Gastelum Guest Producer: Anne Noyes Saini Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Editor: Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonorain Music: Podington Bear, Rhythm and Strings Learn More: National Museum of American History A Woman's Right to Know, Pregnancy Testing in 20th Century Britain - Predictor, by Jennifer Blackmer Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Dr. Rebecca Crumpler, America's First Black Female Public Health Pioneer (Encore)
03/04/2026
Dr. Rebecca Crumpler, America's First Black Female Public Health Pioneer (Encore)
Dr. Rebecca Crumpler was the first Black woman to become a physician in the United States. Working in the aftermath of the Civil War, she made immense contributions to public health, despite the racism and sexism she faced. We'll trace the course of her remarkable life and work with in a story brought to us by the podcast Lost Women of Science, hosted by Katie Hafner and producer Dominique Janee. Featuring: Dr. Melody McCloud, Physician and author of _Black Women’s Wellness_ Dr. Joan Reede, Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership at Harvard Medical School Jim Downs, Historian and author of _Sick from Freedom_ Victoria Gall, with Hyde Park Historical Society and Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library Making Contact Credits Episode host and producer: Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Music Credit: "The Road From Home" by from Lost Women of Science: "Dr. Rebecca Crumpler, America's First Black Female Public Health Pioneer" Credits Producer and host: Dominique Janee Host: Katie Hafner Managing senior producer: Barbara Howard Audio engineer and sound designer: Samia Bouzid Published in partnership with Scientific American Listen to the full episode from Lost Women of Science: https://www.lostwomenofscience.org/podcast-episodes/dr-rebecca-crumpler-americas-first-black-female-public-health-pioneer Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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I Am Not Your Negro (Encore)
02/25/2026
I Am Not Your Negro (Encore)
Master filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished, Remember This House. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin’s original words and flood of rich archival material. I Am Not Your Negro is a journey into black history that connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter. It is a film that questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond. And, ultimately, by confronting the deeper connections between the lives and assassination of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., Baldwin and Peck have produced a work that challenges the very definition of what America stands for. Featuring: Film Participants: James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte, Dick Cavett, Marlon Brando, Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and many more Credits: Host: Anita Johnson Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonorain Learn More: Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Remembering Fred Hampton (Encore)
02/18/2026
Remembering Fred Hampton (Encore)
Our radio adaptation of the film, The Murder of Fred Hampton, produced by filmmakers Mike Gray and Howard Alk, provides a glimpse into the life of Hampton and the Illinois Black Panther Party. On December 4th, 1969, exactly 50 years ago, Black Panthers Fred Hampton, age 21, and Mark Clark, age 22, were shot to death by Chicago police. In an infamous moment in Chicago’s history and politics, over a dozen policemen burst into Hampton’s apartment while its occupants were sleeping, killing Hampton and fellow Panther Mark Clark, and brutalizing the other occupants. As Deputy Chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, Hampton built a solid reputation as a community organizer and brilliant speaker. The FBI, threatened by the activities of the BPP and its dynamic youth leaders, set on a course to neutralize the organization and anyone they deemed a threat to the agenda of white supremacy. “You can jail the revolutionary, but you can’t jail the revolution…You might murder a freedom fighter like Bobby Hutton, but you can’t murder freedom fighting.” – Fred Hampton. Featuring: Fred Hampton Bobby Rush Rennie Davis Edward Hanrahan Credits: Special thanks to Facets DVD and Filmmakers Mike Gray and Howard Alk Host: Anita Johnson Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonorain Music: “Grand Caravan”, Blue Dot Sessions elling Easements Viola Trio Long”, Barbara Bernstein “Long Cory”, Cory Learn More: Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Giving Bayard Rustin His Flowers (Encore)
02/11/2026
Giving Bayard Rustin His Flowers (Encore)
On today's show, we take a look at the life and legacy of a central organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, Bayard Rustin. Rustin was an openly gay civil rights leader and a trusted advisor to labor leader A. Phillip Randolph and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This show first aired in June 2021. Special Thank You to Nancy Kates and Bennett Singer the producers/directors of Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin and Sam Pollard, the executive director. And to the Pacifica Radio Archives for use of the Bayard Rustin archival materials. Featuring: Bayard Rustin – the architect of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom Ashon Crawley – University of Virginia Associate Professor of Religious Studies and African-American and African Studies Nancy Kates – filmmaker and producer of Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin Bill Sutherland – Fellowship of Reconciliation Reverend A.J. Muste – pacifist and mentor of Rustin George Houser – Fellowship of Reconciliation Louis John – nephew of Bayard Rustin Devi Prasad – pacifist Making Contact Team Episode host: Anita Johnson Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Music Credits Cory Gray – “Medieval Tension” Ketsa – “This Way Joyous” Blue Dot Sessions – “Rally” Blue Dot Sessions – “Rayling” Dee Yan-Key – “Hold On” Dee Yan-Key – “Go Down Moses” Blue Dot Sessions – “3rd Chair” Andy G. Cohen – “Our Young Guts” Learn More by John D’Emilio by Jacqueline Houtman, Michael G. Long, Walter Naegle by Bayard Rustin, edited by Michael G. Long Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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A Dream Remembered? Martin Luther King Jr and the Grassroots Civil Rights Movement (Encore)
02/04/2026
A Dream Remembered? Martin Luther King Jr and the Grassroots Civil Rights Movement (Encore)
On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28th 1963, at the March on Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered one of the most famous speeches of all time. But it nearly didn’t happen. On this special edition of Making Contact, Gary Younge, author of , talks about Martin Luther King Junior’s “Dream” and the story behind it. Special thanks to the New School for the recording. Featuring: Gary Younge, author and journalist Making Contact Team: Episode Host: George Lavender Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonorain Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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Origin Story: Making Contact | 30th Anniversary Capsule
01/28/2026
Origin Story: Making Contact | 30th Anniversary Capsule
From its birthplace in an Oakland cafe in 1994 to the Battle in Seattle, international reporting projects, and a deep commitment to social justice journalism, Making Contact has been an important part of the media landscape for more than thirty years. Guest host Jessica Partnow guides us through some of the key moments in Making Contact's history in conversation with founders Peggy Law and Norman Solomon. This episode is part of the Making Contact Anniversary Capsule: celebrating 30 years of social justice journalism. The miniseries takes us from protests on the streets of Seattle to an Indiana family fighting for their daughter’s gender affirming care. It explores a racial reckoning in the world of romance writers, and tells the story of border walls from Gaza to Arizona. These shows embody how Making Contact has been digging into the story beneath the story since 1994. Featuring: Peggy Law Norman Solomon Jeff Emtman Credits: Making Contact Team Guest Host: Jessica Partnow Executive Director: Jina Chung Editor: Adwoa Gyimah Brempong Interviews: Salima Hamirani Engineer: Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonorain Music: “Bullethead,” Charlie Hunter Trio Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
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