The Laura Flanders Show

Vaccine Hesitancy: Building Public Trust For Public Health Mar 26, 2021

The Biden administration has promised to make Covid-19 vaccines available to all US adults by May 1st, but getting a vaccine to those who need them most is still an uphill battle. Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Pacific Islander Americans are more than twice as likely to die from Covid-19, but they’re not the ones getting the vaccine.. In this episode, Laura interviews three public health experts about the challenges of eradicating Covid-19 in the face of widespread vaccine hesitancy. Why are some Americans resisting vaccination, and what is being done to change their minds? Are public health officials listening to the needs of the community? Laura and guests explore the roots of vaccine hesitancy, methods for rebuilding public trust in public health, and hip hop as a tool for outreach to vulnerable communities.

Guests: Dr. Oxiris Barbot, Professor; Terry McGovern chair of the Department of Population and Family Health and the Program on Global Health Justice and Governance at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health; and Dr. Olajide Williams founder of Hip Hop Public Health.

Full episode notes along with related episodes, related articles and more are free and posted at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow Please consider becoming a member for as little as $3 or $5 a month like a newspaper or magazine subscription to keep this content accessible to radio and TV viewers and podcast subscribers. Thanks!

F word: A Culture of Violence? The US Can Switch Mar 25, 2021

"Culture of violence, culture of violence. If I hear that phrase wheeled out one more time to excuse a mass shooter, I’ll scream. That doesn’t mean I’ll head to the gun shop."

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support theLFShow with your media muscles by becoming a monthly sustaining member for $3, $5, $12 or more, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Cristina Jiménez Moreta, Co-Founder and former Executive Director, United We Dream Mar 19, 2021

In a recent episode called Unforget, Dream, Build, we featured two Latinx Americans whose work flies in the face of the idea that immigrants are a problem or immigration a threat. We spoke with Roberto Lovato, about his memoir “Unforgetting” and with MacArthur genius award-winner, Cristina Jiménez, co-founder of United We Dream who talked powerfully about how her generation experiences the good as well as the bad of immigration activism. Cristina spoke so powerfully that it broke our hearts not to be able to share more of it. So here we release the almost uncut version of that conversation. You’ll hear her story about growing up as an undocumented teen, and her grassroots work advocating for Dreamers in the face of ICE crackdowns and COVID 19. Music in the Middle: “America” by Sylvan Paul released on Wolf and Lamb Records.

Full episode notes along with related episodes, related articles and more are free and posted at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow Please consider becoming a member for as little as $3 or $5 a month like a newspaper or magazine subscription to keep this content accessible to radio and TV viewers and podcast subscribers. Thanks!

Pandemic Economy: Robert Reich, Esteban Kelly, Mary Kay Henry, Stephanie Kelton Mar 12, 2021

The economic collapse unfolding before our eyes is much bigger than it appears and the solution isn’t simply to “build back better.” COVID-19 didn’t create the challenges we face. It laid bare flaws that have long existed at the foundation of our system. That is particularly true for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color. What kind of reconstruction effort would truly reflect the scale of the problem? What should we rebuild and what should we abandon? To answer these questions, Laura interviews Professor Robert Reich, economist Stephanie Kelton, community organizer Esteban Kelly and Service Employees International Union president Mary Kay Henry about their visions for a recovery that will enable us to build a new economy that is equitable, reparative and sustainable. Music in the Middle: “Stepping Back In Time” by Basel and the Supernaturals from their album “Smoke & Mirrors”

Full episode notes along with related episodes, related articles and more are free and posted at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow Please consider becoming a member for as little as $3 or $5 a month like a newspaper or magazine subscription to keep this content accessible to radio and TV viewers and podcast subscribers. Thanks!

F-Word: Royalty, Racist? Really? Mar 09, 2021

"In the context of the Divine Right of Kings, the who-said-what-to-Harry and Meghan question. is most certainly missing the white supremacist forest for the trees."

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support theLFShow with your media muscles by becoming a monthly sustaining member for $3, $5, $12 or more, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

You Can't Deal With Capitalism Unless You Deal With Patriarchy, Vijay Prashad Mar 05, 2021

Achieving social justice is going to take much more than reforming our criminal justice system. Valuing all lives equally is going to require a profound reckoning with every system of “othering” that lies at the heart of our economy. “You can't deal, for example, with capitalism unless you deal with patriarchy, “ says political historian Vijay Prashad. The question of women’s unrecognized labor, care labor and so on is central to the reproduction of the system, says Prashad. Executive Director of the Tri-continental Institute for Social Research, Vijay Prashad talked with Laura for “The Economics of Abolition” episode of the Laura Flanders Show. Here, we present more of that conversation, uncut. The Tri-continental Institute for Social Research is a movement-driven institution focused on building peace and justice through provoking intellectual debate.

For more information on Vijay Prashad, along with a list of links to related episodes from our archives and related articles go to Patreon.com/theLFShow. That’s also where you’ll find a link to watch our episode and download the podcast on the "Economics of Abolition" that portions of today’s conversation was featured in. And while you’re there, please support the show by committing to a a monthly donation as a Patreon Partner, like a magazine or newspaper subscription, for as little as $3 a month. By doing so, you keep our programming, free as a podcast, and to radio and TV audiences across the country.

Not Everyone is a Jerk: Rutger Bregman on Humankind Feb 26, 2021

Life gives us plenty of reasons for cynicism but best-selling author Rutger Bregman (Utopia for Realists) summons a wealth of evidence that humankind can do better. Bregman’s the guy who took down Tucker Carlson and whose suggestion they pay taxes made the tax dodgers uncomfortable at Davos. Could a new understanding of our species—based on psychology, evolutionary biology, and political economic history—help us see ourselves in a new light and guide us toward a kinder future? Laura has her doubts — which makes for a great discussion. And we hear about The Correspondent, a Dutch news platform owned and operated by its writers and readers.

You'll find a link to watch this special, “Indigenous People's Power,” and episode notes posted at Patreon.com/theLFShow along with an invitation to join guests and Laura for a live premiere and chat event to view this week’s episode .

F-Word: In Indian Country, It’s Not the Weather, It’s the Racism That’s Leaving Thousands In the Dark Feb 23, 2021

"How do we live with the decades-long reality that tens of thousands of families in #IndianCountry have had no electricity and limited cell and broadband access - not for a day or a week - but for years already."

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support theLFShow with your media muscles by becoming a monthly sustaining member for $3, $5, $12 or more, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Indigenous People’s Power Feb 19, 2021

You'll find a link to watch this special, “Indigenous People's Power,” and episode notes posted at Patreon.com/theLFShow along with an invitation to join guests and Laura for a live premiere and chat event to view this week’s episode .

“Standing Rock was our Ferguson,” indigenous activist and author Edgar Villanueva tells Laura Flanders in this week’s timely episode. 2020 was a watershed year for indigenous peoples’ movements. Native American organizers made great strides when it comes to elections, mutual aid and protests, but the Covid pandemic also took its toll, and nowhere more grievously than on Native American lives. This week, from the reservation on Pine Ridge to rural Arizona to the metropolis of New York City, Laura catches up with a newly-elected elections official, a philanthropist leading a radical shift in philanthropy and the organizer of one of the nation’s largest Indigenous alliances who is facing felony charges for his peaceful protest against President Trump’s visit to Mt. Rushmore.

Where are their movements headed in this new year with a new administration? And what lessons can we all learn from indigenous peoples’ organizing? This episode provides an illuminating background to the confirmation struggle surrounding Deb Haaland’s nomination to head up the Department of the Interior, the first Native American to be named to that position.

GUESTS:

Gabriella Cázares-Kelly, Pima County Recorder, First Native American to win an elected county-wide seat in Arizona

Nick Tilsen, President & CEO, of the NDN Collective

Edgar Villanueva, Activist, Author, philanthropist, and Founder of the Decolonizing Wealth Project

Uncut Interview: Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Housing is a Human Right Feb 17, 2021

Princeton Professor and author Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. You can find more information on her new book, "Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Home Ownership" and a link to watch this special, “Housing is a Human Right”, at Patreon.com/theLFShow. That’s also where you’ll find a list of suggested readings and related episodes

Special: Housing is A Human Right Feb 12, 2021

You'll find a link to watch this special, “Indigenous People's Power,” and episode notes posted at Patreon.com/theLFShow along with an invitation to join guests and Laura for a live premiere and chat event to view this week’s episode .

Before 2020, America was already in a housing crisis. The Covid-19 pandemic, high unemployment, and a recession have only made things worse. A record level of evictions have created record levels of homelessness at a time when public health demands that as many people as possible stay home. What is to be done? In this episode, housing activists from Philadelphia share their experiences and insights from a long history of organizing that recently resulted in a landmark agreement with the Philadelphia Housing Authority. Laura also interviews Philadelphia-based author, professor and New Yorker magazine contributor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. Her 2019 book, Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize. Music in the Middle: “Place Delight” by Stephen Emmer featuring Mary Griffin, from the album Home Ground, released on Electric Fairytale Recordings.

F-Word: Impeaching Racism Needs to Happen Everywhere Feb 10, 2021

"The second impeachment trial of Donald Trump began just as we were learning of the death, on February 7, of the bold and brilliant labor leader, Karen Lewis."

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support theLFShow with your media muscles by becoming a monthly sustaining member for $3, $5, $12 or more, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Baldwin's Lessons for the US Feb 05, 2021

James Baldwin was one of the 20th century’s most incisive thinkers and writers. In our own era, as political rhetoric, state violence, and popular uprising bring racism into stark relief, many Americans have been turning to Baldwin’s work for insights from the Civil Rights Movement and the years that followed. In his most recent book, Princeton African American Studies Department chair Professor Eddie Glaude brings Baldwin’s wisdom to today’s challenges. In this episode, Laura spends the full half-hour in conversation with Professor Glaude about his book, Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own. Music in the Middle: I Survived 45 by Josh Milan, courtesy of Honeycomb Music.

You can watch the premiere of this episode on Public Television on the World Channel, 11:30am ET and at our YouTube Channel where you're invited to join us for a live viewing party and chat hosted by Laura.

Uncut Interview- Vaccine Hesitancy: A Rights Based Approach for the Most Vulnerable Feb 01, 2021

The following is the full uncut interview with Dr. Olajide Williams. Portions of his interview were featured in our recent episode "Building Public Trust For Public Health". The episode is airing on Public Television or you can watch it HERE or Listen and Download as a podcast.

The Covid-19 vaccine has emergency FDA approval, but how effective will it be if there is no public trust in our public health system? In this exclusive interview, Columbia University professor and neurologist Dr. Olajide Williams offers one solution to fill this gaping trust deficit — culturally adapted message science. He is the founder of Hip Hop Public Health, which employs music and culturally-tailored media to improve health literacy and transform health outcomes for vulnerable communities. He argues the only way to develop public trust is to bring the people to the table. Public health officials must fully recognize the harm done to Black and brown bodies, from forced sterilizations to the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, and the impact it’s had on collective memory.

"If we do not get this right, we are not going to defeat this ‘vaccine hesitancy’ surrounding this virus, and we will have great inequities persist because they don’t trust the process — and no one has tried to penetrate their minds in a way that they trust and in a way that they can embrace. That’s why it’s important to have a ‘rights based’ approach to vaccine distribution." — Dr. Olajide Williams

Building Public Trust For Public Health Jan 29, 2021

This week, The Laura Flanders Show premieres ‘Building Public Trust for Public Health’ on the challenges of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout across the country. While states have initiated vaccine distribution, many still are struggling to reach their targets. President Biden declared 100 million doses in 100 days but what of those who hesitate to get the vaccine? In this episode, Laura and her guests explore the roots of vaccine hesitancy, discover methods for rebuilding public trust in public health and how hip hop is a tool for outreach to vulnerable communities devastated by Covid-19. Music in the Middle: "Process (the truth)" by Samora Pinderhughes.

Full episode notes including a list of related episodes and links to suggested articles and resources. You can watch the premiere of this episode on Public Television on the World Channel, 11:30am ET and at our YouTube Channel.

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F-Word: Time to Take the Mittens Off! Jan 27, 2021

" Like or loathe memes, it’s time for Sanders, and more to the point, Sanders-ism, to take its mittens off."

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support theLFShow with your media muscles by becoming a monthly sustaining member for $3, $5, $12 or more, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Uncut Interview: Rep. Karen Bass to Activists: Continue to Push! Jan 27, 2021

The following is the full uncut interview with US Rep. Karen Bass.

Downballot victories in the 2020 November elections gave a fresh class of movement organizers across the country a seat at the national level. Incoming Congress members Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman among others represent the rising trend of activists of color who intersect with elected office. In this extended interview, Laura speaks with longtime organizer and U.S. Representative Karen Bass to discuss this growing trend and shares her experience from the January 06 Capitol insurrection and what this means for the work ahead.

U.S. Representative Karen Bass serves California’s 37th Congressional district and was the first African American woman in U.S. history to serve as Speaker in a state legislative body.

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Inauguration 2021: Democracy Demands a Democratic Economy Jan 22, 2021

A new administration takes office in the midst of an ongoing public health catastrophe and an economic crisis, on the heels of one of the most polarizing presidencies in U.S. history. The day of the inauguration, Laura brings together reverend and community organizer Ronnie Galvin with author, activist and documentary filmmaker Astra Taylor for a lively conversation about what it’s going to take for the Biden Administration—and Americans in general—to address the challenges at hand. This episode also features excerpts from Laura’s interview with U.S. Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA). Music in the Middle: “Vida” by Kiko Navarro featuring Joan Bibiloni from his album Afroterraneo courtesy of Wonderwheel Recordings.

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Countering the Coup: From the Grassroots Up Jan 15, 2021

Click Here for the Full Episode Notes

In the aftermath of the January 6th siege of the Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters, Laura convenes a panel of pro-democracy activists to discuss the fate of the nation. What really led to the events of January 6th and how should we move forward? How do we go from insurrection to cooperation in a multi-racial, multi-ethnic democracy? Is building a healthy political ecosystem and humane economy even possible in the America we have today? And can the Biden/Harris administration solve what ails us? Panelists Scot Nakagawa, Senior Partner at Change Lab, Ash-Lee Henderson, Co-Executive Director of the Highlander Center, and Eric Ward, Executive Director at the Western States Center, discuss all this and more. Music in the Middle: “Dancefloor Democracy” by FSQ featuring George Clinton, Trey Lewd and Billy ‘Bass’ Nelson courtesy of Soul Clap Records.

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F-Word: Learn From Georgia Jan 12, 2021

"The answer to the mobster who riles up the lynch mob is media that’s moral, which is not what we have. What we have is media that’s motivated by money. And money, as we also saw this week, has no morals."

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support with your media muscles by becoming a monthly sustaining member for $3, $5, $12 or more, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Unforget, Dream, Build Jan 08, 2021

The Trump years have seen a doubling-down on the immigrants-as-problem narrative in which migrants are accused of bringing gang violence, crime, and disease to the United States, and of “stealing” jobs. Reformers often play into another problem narrative, emphasizing the tragic circumstances that drive people to leave their home countries with little emphasis on individual experiences. In this episode, Laura speaks with Latinx Americans whose work flies in the face of those narratives. They are “unforgetting” histories suppressed, advocating for immigration policy reform, and building community infrastructure in the face of ICE crackdowns and Covid-19. Featuring in-depth conversations with award-winning journalist Roberto Lovato, MacArthur genius award-winner and co-founder of United We Dream, Christina Jiménez, and a visit to the New Immigrant Community Empowerment organization in Jackson Heights, Queens.

Guests:

Roberto Lovato, Award winning Journalist and Author “Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs and Revolution in the Americas”; Cristina Jiménez, United We Dream; Diana Moreno, Program Director, NICE; NY-NICE Staff and Community Members

From the entire team here at the LF Show, thanks to all of you who rose to the occasion in making our Holiday Membership Drive a success! Join the team at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

The Pandemic Economy Dec 31, 2020

The economic collapse unfolding before our eyes is much bigger than it appears and the solution isn’t simply to “build back better.” COVID-19 didn’t create the challenges we face. It laid bare flaws that have long existed at the foundation of our system. That is particularly true for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color. What kind of reconstruction effort would truly reflect the scale of the problem? What should we rebuild and what should we abandon? To answer these questions, Laura interviews Professor Robert Reich, economist Stephanie Kelton, community organizer Esteban Kelly and Service Employees International Union president Mary Kay Henry about their visions for a recovery that will enable us to build a new economy that is equitable, reparative and sustainable. Music in the Middle: “Stepping Back In Time” by Basel and the Supernaturals from their album “Smoke & Mirrors” courtesy of the artist.

Are you enjoying and utilizing our episode research and reading lists, FOUND HERE? Please consider becoming a monthly supporter for $3, $5, $12 as a Patreon Partner. Already a monthly supporter? Please consider upping your monthly contribution. Help us reach our Holiday Fund Drive Goal of $35,000. Every donation will be matched making your support worth double! We do not take corporate or government funding. We rely on you. Thank you!

The Economics of Abolition Dec 24, 2020

“Defund the police” became a rallying cry in the summer of 2020 as demonstrators flooded streets across the United States to demand an end to police brutality in the wake of the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd at the hands of the police. In the months since, hundreds of city councils nationwide have voted to reallocate what amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars away from law enforcement to a broader array of services that support public safety. But these shifts amount to only a fraction of the money we spend on law enforcement—not to mention incarceration and the military. Will the new abolition movement succeed in transforming how we invest public resources? And what really are the economic underpinnings of the system this movement aims to change? Laura investigates the economics of abolition in conversation with historian Vijay Prashad, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles co-founder Dr. Melina Abdullah, Los Angeles City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, and prison abolitionist Andrea James. Music in the Middle:“Big Man” by Captain Planet featuring Shungudzo, from his album No Visa, courtesy of Bastard Jazz Records.

Are you enjoying and utilizing our episode research and reading lists, FOUND HERE? Please consider becoming a monthly supporter for $3, $5, $12 as a Patreon Partner. Already a monthly supporter? Please consider upping your monthly contribution. Help us reach our Holiday Fund Drive Goal of $35,000. Every donation will be matched making your support worth double! We do not take corporate or government funding. We rely on you. Thank you!

Transportation Is A Human Right Dec 18, 2020

The U.S. transportation system has long been rife with inequality, making it more difficult for low-income people, people of color, and people with disabilities to get where they need to go. When Covid19 hit, ticket revenues shrank, workers got sick, and services were cut, even as low-income “essential workers” disproportionately depended on public transit to get to work as other Americans did, to get to grocery stores, food pantries and health services. In rural communities where public transit was already sparse and unreliable, owning a car literally became a matter of life and death. In this episode, Laura considers the history; a century ago, fears of a communicable disease helped turn the tide against public transportation for decades. Today the climate crisis requires that we not brand public transport unsafe for another generation. What alternatives exist? And what if we consider not just new ‘modes’ of transport and new infrastructure, but the principle of “mobility”. Could new technology and better information sharing solve our transportation challenges? Laura looks at existing models. Music in the Middle: "Ride Ride" by Alexis P. Suter Band, from their “Hat Trick, The Essential Recordings” compilation.

Farm a little justice in your media field, become a patreon partner during our holiday 2020 fund drive and your name will be added to a raffle to win a copy of "Farming While Black" by Leah Penniman who was featured in our recent "Food Justice" episode, go to https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

F-Word: The Times They Ain’t a Changing Dec 15, 2020

"... sing as he might about The Times They are A-Changing, Dylan’s deal, worth an estimated $300 million to him, changed nothing about anything. But it could have been different."

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron and help us reach our goal during our Holiday Fund Drive. Every dollar will be matched, doubling your contribution. goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Growing Farm Workers to Farm Owners Dec 11, 2020

Where do racial justice and food justice meet? Perhaps at the point where long time farmworkers are able to buy their own land. In the United States today, 83 percent of farmworkers are Latinx but Latinx people own only three percent of the farms. Latinx farmers bring a wealth of knowledge to the US food system in terms of fresh produce, healthy techniques and a cooperative management style born out of years working as laborers—but they face unique challenges accessing the resources and aid they need to buy their land. As a generation of white family farmers ages out of the business of farming, a rising cohort of Latinx workers stands ready to take up the slack. In this episode, Laura receives a virtual tour of one organic farm from its intrepid owners and speaks with Dr. Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern about her book “The New American Farmer.” She also hears from veteran farm labor organizer Dolores Huerta about how helping Latinx farmers thrive would be good for eaters and the planet.

Farm a little justice in your media field, become a patreon partner during our holiday 2020 fund drive and your name will be added to a raffle to win a copy of "Farming While Black" by Leah Penniman who was featured in our recent "Food Justice" episode, go to https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Tracing the Racist Roots of American Psychiatry Dec 04, 2020

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Acclaimed white anti-racist scholar Mab Segrest, author of the influential book Memoir of a Race Traitor, takes Laura through the US South to trace the racist roots of American psychiatry. Together, they explore the infamous state mental hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia, once the largest “insane” asylum in the world, and visit with Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama to consider how our society’s mental and political health relate to our nation’s history. Segrest’s newest book is Administrations of Lunacy: Racism and the Haunting of American Psychiatry at the Milledgeville Asylum.

In this episode:

Mab Segrest, Author, Memoir of a Race Traitor: Fighting Racism in the American South, and Administrations of Lunacy: Racism and the Haunting of American Psychiatry at the Milledgeville Asylum. and gender studies scholar,
Bryan Stevenson,Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative

Okwui Okpokwasili: Visibility for the Invisible, Centering Black Women's Experiences in Performance Nov 27, 2020

Can dance and song offer insight into a person’s experience, and provoke curiosity, even empathy across national identity, race and gender? In this episode, Laura interviews MacArthur Genius Award-winning choreographer Okwui Okpokwasili about her groundbreaking experimental work to communicate the lived experiences of African and African American women through movement. Okpokwasili explains how she uses pain, action, gesture, and character-play to bypass audiences' preconceived notions and bring visibility to identities rendered invisible by mainstream culture and Laura stumps her with her own question: what do you carry and how does that carry you?

Support by becoming a member and help kick off our holiday fundraiser, go to https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Food Justice: A new way of Thinking about the Most Basic Stuff of Life Nov 20, 2020

Food justice is the notion that everyone should have access to healthful food as well as the opportunity to grow, market and serve it. It’s also the idea behind a rising movement in the US, looking at how federal state and local policies have, or have not served everyone’s food needs. In this episode, Laura talks with farmers, workers, organizers, and seed keepers who seldom get much attention from the mass media. Then she visits with Leah Penniman of Soul Fire Farm near Albany, New York, and author of a groundbreaking book “Farming While Black”, what Penniman calls a “love song for the earth and her peoples.”

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F-Word: The Media’s Quadrennial Eclipse Nov 17, 2020

"All this how’s-he-doing coverage is par for the course as we transition to the next administration, but someone’s missing from this picture of our politics. It’s us."

We’re coming up on Giving Tuesday. How about you take a look around and support the media that sees you back? Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

For special programming on food justice in America, and the struggle over who grows and who gets to eat, subscribe to our podcast, or our TV show at lauraflanders.org. OR find us weekly on your closest PBS affiliate.

Whose Economy? An Equitable Model For All Nov 13, 2020

What is a city’s economy for? New York City’s economy has been very good at piling up private wealth and building tall buildings but it’s done less well, especially recently, when it comes to maintaining public services and public trust. In this episode, Laura attends an historic gathering at the School for Labor and Urban Studies at the City University of New York (CUNY) and talks with the city’s Deputy Mayor Phillip Thompson among others, about the way a city like New York might change its economic model going forward, in a way that would share wealth - and power - more democratically, as the city tackles climate change and a public health crisis. This episode also features a report on Cooperative Home Care Associates, the largest worker-owned cooperative in the US, based in the Bronx.

Show Credits: Laura Flanders, Matt Colaciello, Jeremiah Cothern, Charlotte Carpenter, Nat Needham, Jeannie Hopper, Dominic Marcella, Mercedes Gorostiaga, Ryan Hotes, Rory O’Conner, and David Neumann.

Music Credits: Shining Skies by George Georgia; I Don’t Always Float by Jon Watts; Sugarella by Nickodemus; Kitty in the Window and Gentle Heart by Poddington Bear; original sound design by Jeannie Hopper.

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Nobody Left out, Creating the New Normal: SEIU President Mary Kay Henry Nov 05, 2020

While the election results are still undecided well hear from Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, about how one of the nations largest unions is addressing the ongoing impact of Covid-19, pandemic poverty and the systemic inequities that no single election can fix. We need a new normal says Henry. How do we get there? Music in the Middle: “Born Ready” by Tef Poe and Rebel Diaz featuring The Reminders from their “Multiply, Volume 2 E.P.”, courtesy of Rebel Diaz.

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F-Word: Remembering Those We've Lost Nov 02, 2020

Election day is upon us. A reading of the names of those who died due to the coronavirus pandemic. "This list needn't expand any longer. Vote in favor of our public health."

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Pandemic Death Toll Worldometer.com

"Those We've Lost" NYTimes

Pre-Election Special with Noam Chomsky Oct 29, 2020

While this program explores the possibilities that go well beyond what can be achieved by one candidate or with one vote — elections do matter and the US 2020 elections are no exception. This week Laura Flanders checks in with one of the leading social critics of our time, MIT professor emeritus, Noam Chomsky. He dives into what's stake in this election — in a time he views as the most dangerous moments in our human history — and stresses the importance of steady activism as a means to progress. Music in the Middle features “Day Dream” by Bryony Jarman-Pinto, remixed by Fish Factory Session, released on Tru-Thoughts Records.

For the full episode notes, and more goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Buffalo NY: Grappling with Gentrification in one of America’s Most Unequal Cities Oct 23, 2020

Buffalo, New York, was once a booming industrial town fueled by cheap power from Niagara Falls, a center of commerce and trade, the first city in the US to have electric light. But over a century, Buffalo’s wealth concentrated at the top and mostly moved out, leaving a largely de-industrialized city and a slump. Now, with new investment promised by New York’s Governor Cuomo, and cooler, northern cities attracting “climate refugees” from the US south, development is once again underway, but on whose terms? This time, will the wealth be more equitably shared, and who will get to decide? In this episode, Laura visits with grassroots activists who are not just hoping or lobbying for a change – they’re considering very seriously running for office.

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F-Word: Divest / Invest Oct 20, 2020

"For many Americans, there’s never been a better time to reconsider the entire system. Years of work, by abolitionists like Angela Davis, Ruthie Gilmore, Mariame Kaba, and organizations like Critical Resistance are paying off. With movements calling for defunding and divesting, people are finally talking about spending, and raising the heat on the thousands of corporations that profit off the millions of people we lock up."

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Community Wealth Building: From Cleveland to Preston Oct 16, 2020

How does an economy emerge from recession? Historically, cities hard hit by deindustrialization have strived to attract big employers from elsewhere by offering incentives and tax breaks. But outside employers rarely invest in a place long term, and all too often skip town when the incentives run out. In some places, local governments have been experimenting with other strategies. In Preston, England, they’re experimenting with investing public money in locally-owned businesses and cooperatives, and encouraging local “anchor” institutions to buy from, or train, local vendors. They’re calling it the Preston model of community wealth building, and it’s inspired by a model in another formerly industrialized city: Cleveland, Ohio, home of the Evergreen Cooperatives. This week on The Laura Flanders Show, we take a look at a transatlantic experiment in cooperative community wealth building.

For the full episode notes, the series the Story Behind the Story, and more goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

How to Make a Democratic Economy; Democracy Collaborative Oct 09, 2020

The strength of the U.S. economy is often at the center of debate during an election season. But whether the economy is good or bad, there is no denying that Americas economy is neither democratic nor good for the planet. Is this inevitable, or is it possible to build a greener and more just economy? In this weeks episode of The Laura Flanders Show, Marjorie Kelly and Ted Howard of the Democracy Collaborative talk about their new book The Making of a Democratic Economy and explain what steps we need to take in order to create an economy that works for everyone.

This show is produced by Laura Flanders, Sabrina Artel, Charlotte Carpenter, Matt Colaciello, Jeremiah Cothern, Dominic Marcella, Mercedes Grostiaga, Jeannie Hopper, Nat Needham, and Ryan Hotes, David Neumann, and Rory O'Conner.

For the full episode notes, and our special segment on the Story Behind the Story where we discuss the making of the episode, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

F-Word: If the President Had HIV He Could Be in Prison Oct 06, 2020

"Could Donald Trump be charged with a crime for knowingly exposing others to an infectious disease? He could if that disease was hepatitis. If the Donald was a poor man, poorly defended and in poor health, there’s a good chance he’d be facing criminal charges."

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Special: Reporting on Covid in the Country Oct 01, 2020

This is an episode that speaks to rural and small town life that is rarely visible in our media, even when, as here, the community in question is just 100 miles from a global media capital. It also serves as an example of how journalists can continue to report safely in the midst of a pandemic.

The coronavirus crisis has been acutely felt in urban areas, but the virus also spread disastrously, and in some ways differently, in rural America. Equipped with a facemask and a selfie stick, Laura Flanders reports in this episode (from a responsible distance) on the impact of Covid-19 on one poor, rural county just 100 miles from New York City. Talking to poultry workers, dairy workers, artists, activists and labor organizers, she looks at what the pandemic has revealed about their county from its economic fragility, to the strength of local social networks. What fears do people have facing a future of more budget cuts and what sort of investment is most needed now?

For the full episode notes, and our special segment on the Story Behind the Story where we discuss the making of the episode, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Economic Hardship Reporting Project: Reporting on Poverty in America Sep 22, 2020

Nearly 40 million Americans live in poverty, making less than $26,200 a year for a family of four. Their stories and their struggles, however, are rarely represented in the mainstream media. If we want to end poverty in the U.S., we need to hear from those who experience it. This week on The Laura Flanders Show, we hear about the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and the work it’s doing to improve - and increase- reporting on poverty. Music in the Middle: “Be Love” by the Alexis P. Suter Band, the title track from their latest album, courtesy of HipBone Records.

For the full episode notes, and our special segment on the Story Behind the Story where we discuss the making of the episode, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

F-Word: Mourn Justice Ginsburg, Fight to Close Irwin Detention Center Sep 22, 2020

"...one fitting way to honor the historic justice would be to take action on some unfinished feminist business. Justice Ginsburg is on my mind today, and so is Nurse Dawn Wooten....the ICE whistleblower who earlier this month called out abusive medical practices against immigrant women at a detention center in Georgia."

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

A Public Health Approach to Policing: The Newark Model Sep 16, 2020

In the face of on-going police brutality against African Americans and the disproportionate impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on people of color, the United States has reached a tipping point in relation to racism, policing and public health. But what does it look like to adopt a “public health” approach to safety, policing, and economic development? In February, 2020, Laura visited Newark, New Jersey, to look at one city where decades of police reform efforts failed to stop violence and crime. Now, at the invitation of Mayor Raz Baraka, Aqeela Sherrills, a former gang-truce broker in Los Angeles, heads up the Newark Community Street Team which leverages residents’ relationships to prevent violence before it starts. Flanders talks with Sherrills and other former gang members turned peace-keepers about how they address abuse and transform trauma for themselves and others, and to the city’s Public Safety Director about what it’s taken to build the team’s partnership with police. This episode offers a timely glimpse of what it looks like when more responsibility for public safety is put in public hands and opens up the conversation about “defunding the police”.

For the full episode notes, and our special segment on the Story Behind the Story where we discuss the making of the episode, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

F-Word: Resisting Authoritarianism One Co-Op at a Time Sep 11, 2020

"A popularly-elected Republic overturned by a reactionary armed revolt: There are myriad reasons why the painful history of the Spanish civil war might pop into ones head at this particular moment."

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Cooperation and Humanist Models of Business vs Authoritarianism in Spain Sep 11, 2020

Social change and systems change go hand-in-hand. Movements for democracy and human rights are most effective when they aim to transform unjust, unequitable economic systems. In this episode, Laura travels to Spain to learn how people in two of the regions most brutally repressed under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco built the world’s largest worker-owned co-ops. From the Basque Country to Barcelona, she speaks with co-op members who explain how humanist models of business helped their parents and grandparents survive dictatorship. She also explores how these models are transforming under contemporary circumstances, including the emergence of digital platforms, the renewal of the regional independence movements, and the growth of the Spanish rightwing.

For the full episode notes, and our special segment on the Story Behind the Story where we discuss the making of the episode, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Story Behind the Story: Season Trailer and Premiere Episode Sep 03, 2020

This is the Story Behind the Story, for our season kick off and our new weekly behind-the-scenes conversation, featuring members of the Laura Flanders Show team, sometimes audience members too, letting you in on the magic that goes into the making of the show. This season kick off is available to all. To receive our weekly Story Behind the Story for each episode, please become a Laura Flanders Show Patreon partner for as little as $3 a month and get engaged in the conversation, goto: https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

JOIN US...This Sunday, September 6th, 2020:

It’s finally here. The Laura Flanders Show arrives on public television this Sunday!

Tune in this Sunday, September 6th at 11:30 am ET on the WORLD channel, or watch online on YouTube. And then join Laura afterwards, at 12pm ET for a post-broadcast talk-back hosted by esteemed action hero Elizabeth Streb. Click here at 12pm Sunday.

Disability Arts, Disability Justice Sep 03, 2020

Laura Flanders interviews two performance artists whose work illustrates how difference and neurodiversity make art and society richer and much more interesting. Alice Sheppard is a wheelchair dancer and esteemed choreographer, the artistic director of the company Kinetic Light. Jess Thom is a performer and comedian with Tourettes Syndrome, the founder of the project TourettesHero. In their conversations with Laura, they question the role of art in society as well as our attitudes towards disability and what is typically considered “normal”. Music in the Middle: "Bakabana" by Brooklyn Funk Essentials from their new album Stay Good, courtesy of Dorado Records.

If you would like to request accessibility-related assistance, report any accessibility problems, or request any information in accessible alternative formats, email us at info@lauraflanders.org

For the full episode notes and to become a member supporter goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

It’s finally here. The Laura Flanders Show arrives on public television this Sunday!
Tune in this Sunday, September 6th at 11:30 am ET on the WORLD channel, or watch online on YouTube. And then join Laura afterwards, at 12pm ET for a post-broadcast talk-back hosted esteemed action hero Elizabeth Streb. Click here at 12pm Sunday.

Liberating Pleasure and Sex: Desire in a World Transformed Aug 25, 2020

Regulation, degradation, shaming, blaming - enough! Is it time for sexual liberation yet? We talk a lot about sex but not often enough about pleasure, On today's show we try to make up for that and hear from some bloggers, activists and educators who are practicing very positive consent. Music Featured: Allies And Enemies by Zara McFarlane on Brownswood Music; Free by Ultra Naté. Support theLFShow!

Featured Guests and their Podcasts:

Jaclyn Friedman Unscrewed

Tina Horn Why Are People Into That

Ericka Hart Hoodrat to Headwrap: A Decolonized Podcast

Become a member to access all audio and video exclusives along with additional content for members only. Go to: https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

The End of the American Frontier Myth, Greg Grandin Aug 18, 2020

In this episode, Laura interviews author and Yale historian Greg Grandin about his new book The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America. They explore how America's foundational myth of progress has given way to protectionism. Will opposition to the wall finally force us to reckon with the white supremacist conquest the frontier myth has always but thinly veiled? And what can we do to replace destructive myths with productive truths? Music in the Middle: “Gold Action” by Life On Planets, courtesy of Lamb and Wolf Records.

Become a member and unlock audio exclusives and all audio and video exclusives along with additional content for non-members alike. Go to: https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Listening to Our Braver Angels Aug 12, 2020

Red, blue, rich, poor, country, city, left or right. Chances are you probably fall into one of those categories. And you may be quite happy where you are. The people of Braver Angels (formerly known as Better Angels) believe there's still value in talking, and they've come up with a way of doing it that actually seems to bring people together.

Guests:

David Blankenhorn, Co-founder and president, Braver Angels

Michelle Brody, Workshop moderator, Braver Angels

Become a member and unlock audio exclusives and all audio and video exclusives along with additional content for non-members alike. Go to: https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Present Shock - Tech: Existential Threat or Life Support? Aug 05, 2020

Days of wonder, days of rage. We're living through an information revolution as profound as any since Gutenberg and the printing press, but are we the people, the so-called "users", using the technology or is the technology using us and for what ends? How can we harness this particular transformation for good? That’s the question, and we have some answers from Data & Society fellow Chancey Fleet, Team Human's Douglas Rushkoff, and technologist, educator, and organizer Nabil Hassein. Music in the Middle: “Do Not React” by TQX featuring Invenio Singers from the album Global Intimacy.

Become a member and unlock audio exclusives and all audio and video exclusives along with additional content for non-members alike. Go to: https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

F-Word: Take on the Tech Mob now or Perish Jul 31, 2020

"Six months into a global pandemic, the US economy just took its most grievous hit on record while Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook only added wealth. "

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow That's also where you'll find our series "Forward Thinking on Covid-19".

Dr. Priyamvada Gopal: Self-Determination Arising from Resistance Jul 28, 2020

In this episode of The Laura Flanders Show, author and scholar Dr. Priyamvada Gopal discusses her latest book, Insurgent Empire, which examines the history of abolition and rebellion under colonial rule to demonstrate how colonized peoples served as active participants in their own liberation, reshaping ideas around freedom and self-determination during the expansion of capitalism and empire. “Liberty can mean many things, not just, for example, the freedom to earn a meager wage,” Dr. Gopal says. Music in the Middle: “La Carga” by The Bongo Hop from their album Satingarona Part 2, courtesy of The Bongo Hop.

Become a member and unlock audio exclusives and all audio and video exclusives along with additional content for non-members alike. Go to: https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Graphic Artists Drawing Comix At The Margins: Nate Powell and Mohammad Saba'aneh Jul 22, 2020

This show originally aired 15 months ago, before the death of civil rights rights movement leader representative John Lewis on July 17, 2020. Laura caught up with Nate recently to ask him about his understanding of the legacy of Lewis with whom he worked on the award winning graphic novel the March trilogy. Watch this web exclusive at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

This week's episode:

Far more than an escape, comics can pack a political punch, as does the work of this week’s guests. First up, Mohammad Sabaaneh describes how he transposes his lived experience to the page, exposing the cruelties of Israeli occupation and celebrating popular resistance as the path forward. Then, Nate Powell uses his craft to break down a specifically American phenomenon – the creep of fascist aesthetics into our police and consumer choices. Music in the Middle: “The Burning City” by Q Burns Abstract Message from his album “Audio Totem Pole” courtesy of the artist.

Support theLFShow by becoming a member at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

F-Word: We Treasure What We Measure Jul 17, 2020

"Transparency is important, especially in matters of public health. We treasure what we measure..."

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow That's also where you'll find our series "Forward Thinking on Covid-19".

Farm Worker to Farm Owner Jul 16, 2020

Where do racial justice and food justice meet? Perhaps at the point where Latinx farm workers are able to buy their own land. In the United States, 83 percent of field workers are Latinx but Latinx people own only 3 percent of the farms. This week on The Laura Flanders Show, Latinx farmers discuss what they bring to the US food system in terms of fresh produce, healthy techniques and a cooperative management style born out of years working as laborers in less than sustainable conditions. Laura also speaks with Dr. Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern about her book The New American Farmer and looks at the challenges a new generation of farmers face, how incubator programs help, and why this transition could be good for everybody. Music in the Middle: "Raise the Vibration" by KlevaKeys featuring Diamond Dancer courtesy of the artist and House Key Records.

Guests:

Francisco Farias, Owner, Farias Farms

Juan Farias, Owner, Farias Farms

Dr. Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern, Author, The New American Farmer: Immigration, Race, and the Struggle for Sustainability

Rigoberto Bucio, Owner, Bucio Organic Farm

To watch this episode and find more information, goto: https://Patreon.com/theLFShow and please support!

How the Diversity Industry Is Failing - Pamela Newkirk Jul 08, 2020

The following episode was recorded February 2020.

In an era when companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars on diversity and inclusion programs, the proportion of African Americans in tech, media, and business leadership roles is stagnating. In her new book, Diversity, Inc. The Failed Promise of a Billion-Dollar Business, award-winning journalist and New York University professor Pamela Newkirk describes the gap between the rhetoric and the reality where racial equity and inclusion are concerned. She calls us to go beyond lip service and radically reevaluate how we make organizations more diverse. “Self-Love” by Joe Armon-Jones Featuring Obongjayar from his album, A Turn to Clear View, courtesy of Brownswood.

Guest: Pamela Newkirk, Professor of journalism at New York University and author of Diversity, Inc.

To watch this episode and find more information, goto: https://Patreon.com/theLFShow and please support!

F-Word: The Great American Lie? Jul 07, 2020

We can not cling to the cruel lie that economic success is the product of individual merit and sweat.

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow That's also where you'll find our series "Forward Thinking on Covid-19".

Armed and Unmasked: Whiteness at the Core of a Public Health Crisis Jul 01, 2020

White Supremacy and the Covid crisis aren’t separate. They’re linked. Defunding public health services and deregulating gun ownership have been catastrophic for public health and yet, the majority of white voters support exactly those policies. The spectacle of hundreds of mostly white, unmasked Trump supporters crammed into indoor rally venues during a pandemic exemplifies this phenomenon. In this interview, conducted just days before the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd, physician and public health researcher Jonathan Metzl describes how American racism sabotages our public health system and costs millions of lives in a suicidal way. Metzl talks about the deadly role of Donald Trump and the conclusions he’s drawn about how any of this can be turned around. Music in the Middle: Scott Hardkiss remix of “Revolution” by The Hardkiss Brothers.

To watch this episode and find more information, goto: https://Patreon.com/theLFShow and please support!

Covid in the Country Jun 24, 2020

Although the toll of the coronavirus has been most acute in urban areas, the virus has been spreading in rural America. The reasons behind the uptick are numerous, from lack of medical providers, hospitals and personal protective equipment, to limited broadband and large proportions of uninsured, and poorly protected farm and factory workers.

“They’re treated as essential workers but not essential human beings,”

Is being rural a pre-existing vulnerability in this crisis? Equipped with a mask and a selfie stick, Laura Flanders reports (from a responsible distance) on the impact of Covid-19 on one poor, rural county just 100 miles from New York City. She talks to poultry workers, dairy workers, artists, activists and labor organizers about what the pandemic has revealed about their county, from its economic fragility to the strength of local social networks. What fears do people have about a future of more budget cuts? And what sort of investment is most needed now? Music in the Middle: Keep It Up by Eljuri courtesy of the artist.

This episode was co-produced by Sabrina Artel, host ofTrailer Talk aired on community radio station, WJFF in Jeffersonville, Sullivan County.

To watch this episode and find more information, goto: https://Patreon.com/theLFShow and please support!

New Justice, Prison Abolition: A World Beyond Prisons Jun 19, 2020

Prisons, police and punishment through incarceration. Are they with us forever in the land of the free? Sustained campaigns for change are beginning to pay off. At the community level, it turns out that a whole lot of people and places already make peace without cops. Today, we imagine a world without prisons. It may be closer than we think.

Note: This episode originally aired the summer of 2019.

Guests:

-Esteban Kelly, Executive Director, US Federation of Worker Cooperatives. He is also a founder and core trainer with AORTA, a worker co-op whose consulting supports organizations fighting for social justice and a solidarity economy

-Kenyon Farrow, Senior Editor, TheBody.com, and works with Queers for Economic Justice, Critical Resistance, and FIERCE!

-Kerbie Joseph, Community Organizer, ANSWER (Act Now To Stop War and End Racism) & The Audre Lorde Project

Music in the Middle: “If Everyone Were Blind” by Victor Simonelli and Glenn Sweety G Toby, from the “Shelter From the Streets Compilation” courtesy of West Side and Stellar Records.

In case you missed last week's related episode: Special-Putting Public Safety in Public Hands: The Newark Model

In February, Laura went to Newark to report on how the Street Team leverages community relationships to prevent violence, address abuse and transform trauma into power. The episode offers a timely glimpse of what it looks like when more responsibility for public safety is put in public hands.

Support the show and our new series Forward Thinking on Covid-19, and do support! This shows in made possible by you. Please support by becoming a Patreon partner today.

F-Word: What lies ahead; Tulsa 1921 or Somewhere We Haven’t Built Yet? Jun 19, 2020

"Every Juneteenth has me thinking about life and the unknown, and the experience of those who lived two and half years enslaved, denied the news that the Civil War was over and the North had won. We don’t always know what moment we are living in. Or what lies on the other side of now. ... In this 400th year of colonial American slave capitalism we don’t know, for example, what it is to live equal and free."

Watch/Listen to this week's LFShow "Putting Public Safety in Public Hands: The Newark Model"

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron at Patreon.com That's also where you'll find our series "Forward Thinking on Covid-19".

Special-Putting Public Safety in Public Hands: The Newark Model Jun 08, 2020

Move money and power from police to communities and invest in local control. In the face of ongoing police brutality against African Americans and the disproportionate impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on people of color, the nation has reached a tipping point in relation to racism, policing and public health. The Newark Community Street team in Newark, New Jersey serves as a viable model for realizing many of the demands of advocacy groups such as the Movement for Black Lives, Reclaim the Block, and Black Lives Matter. In February, Laura went to Newark to report on how the Street Team leverages community relationships to prevent violence, address abuse and transform trauma into power. This episode offers a timely glimpse of what it looks like when more responsibility for public safety is put in public hands. Music in the Middle: “Come On, Come On” by Scott Hardkiss featuring Lisa Shaw from his album Technicolor Dreaming courtesy of God Within Records.

Support the show and our new series Forward Thinking on Covid-19, and do support! This shows in made possible by you, become a Patreon partner today.

F-Word: Paradigms Take Years to Shift Jun 08, 2020

"Defund Police. Invest in Black Lives. What just weeks ago was a slogan is fast becoming law."

Watch/Listen to this week's LFShow "Putting Public Safety in Public Hands: The Newark Model"

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow That's also where you'll find our series "Forward Thinking on Covid-19".

Musician Raul Midón on Creative Adaptation During Covid-19 Jun 03, 2020

Grammy-nominated musician Raul Midón has never fit neatly into any category. A skillful singer-songwriter and guitarist, he melds African and Latin influences, combining jazz with soul and bossa nova with salsa. As an independent musician, he also writes, performs, records and produces all of his own work. His most recent album, The Mirror, was released just days before the US went into lockdown for the Covid-19 crisis, but Midón has used his time at home as an opportunity to perform live for his fans from his studio. This week, he explains his unique production and engineering process to Laura and shares how he collaborates with musicians all over the world. At a time when many of us are scrambling to adjust to the challenges of life during a pandemic, Raul Midón is serving up positive energy, a model of creative adaptation and, best of all, great music! Music in the Middle: Various selections from Raul's new album and the title track from his 2014 album "Do Not Hesitate".

Support the show and our new series Forward Thinking on Covid-19, and do support! This shows in made possible by you, become a Patreon partner today.

Environment Injustice As Usual During Pandemic May 27, 2020

The skies over Los Angeles may be bluer thanks to the Covid 19 slow-down, but the impact of environmental racism on low income people of color persists. According to a recent Harvard study, where people have been exposed to even slightly higher levels of air pollution the Covid-19 death rate is significantly higher. Nevertheless, the EPA has rolled back its enforcement of pollution regulations. In this episode, Laura speaks with grassroots environmental organizers Cindy Donis and Laura Cortez from East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice. They're on the front line of the struggle to organize their communities in the face of polluting industries and now Covid-19. Music in the Middle: “Conviction” by David Florio, from his album Italy Is a Strange Place, courtesy of Irma Records.

Support the show and our new series Forward Thinking on Covid-19, by joining as a Patreon partner during our May Day to Memorial Day Fund Drive, extended until June 1st! We're just 6 new patrons away from our goal of 25 new Patreon partners. https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

F-Word: A Memorial Day For Lies? May 22, 2020

"So which will it be? Will this disaster spark a shift for the better? Or will the deadly myths white Americans tell ourselves survive Covid19? Memorial Day messaging bodes ill. "

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow That's also where you'll find our series "Forward Thinking on Covid-19".

We Need #TomateloEnSerioMX May 20, 2020

TómateloEnSerioMX is the hashtag under which journalists in Mexico have come together not only to protect themselves, but to stop the spread of misinformation in a country that is gearing up the fight against Covid-19. More than 80 Mexican media outlets, organizations and universities have organized under #TómateloEnSerioMx to unify their public health message, and they are focusing especially on women and other vulnerable people. Against all the odds, Jordy Meléndez Yúdico, María José Evia and Irasema Pineda Ramirez are experimenting with a new collaborative media model with lessons for US journalism. From the homeland of media magnate Carlos Slim, a story of how bigger may not be better and how collaboration can save lives. Music in the Middle: “Sentir” by Ilse Hendrix, performing live for Chilango’s live sessions spotlighting local artists.

Guest Affiliations:

Jordy Meléndez Yúdico, Founder & Director of Distintas Latitudes, María José Evia, Editor Malvestida, Irasema Pineda Ramirez, Editor, Chilango

Support the show and our new series Forward Thinking on Covid-19, by joining as a Patreon partner during our May Day to Memorial Day Fund Drive! We've set a goal of 25 new forward thinking Patreon partners.

Minicast, Excerpts From Public Ownership of Privatized Healthcare May 15, 2020

Dana Brown, Director of the Next System Project frames the motives of privatized medicine in a system, which values profit over people. While nations are racing to develop a vaccine for Covid-19, how can the public gain ownership of big pharma?

“We’re really in a situation now where we’ve got socialized risk and privatized benefit” says Brown.

Become a Patreon partner to hear the entire interview. Go to https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Soundscape composed by Jeannie Hopper, our talented audio and podcast producer.

Poet Staceyann Chin, poet, griot May 13, 2020

In this episode, Laura interviews Award-winning poet, performer, novelist, and activist Stacyann Chin about her long awaited anthology, Crossfire, and her relationship to a cannon dominated by white men. Despite her success, Chin says that until recently she didn't see herself as a real poet, a poet worthy of an anthology, because her work centers her experiences as a lesbian and a Jamaican national of mixed Chinese and African descent.

Support the show and our new series Forward Thinking on Covid-19, by joining as a Patreon partner during our May Day to Memorial Day Fund Drive! We've set a goal of 25 new forward thinking Patreon partners.

F-Word: The Future Is Up For Grabs May 11, 2020

"When it comes to cashing in on Covid 19 the race has just begun. Whether you’re talking education, or contact tracing or medicine or mind control, an anti-democratic dystopian future is being charted fast, while we the people are locked down, locked up and locked out."

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron. That's also where you'll find our series "Forward Thinking on Covid-19".

Minicast: Excerpts From Public Racism vs Public Health May 07, 2020

It's our May Day to Memorial Day Fund Drive. Are you one of 25 subscribers ready to join us during these revolutionary times? Unlock the entire audio podcast version, by becoming a patreon partner. ....Support monthly for $3, $5, $12 or more at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow Your generous support enables us to keep producing audio extras like our Forward Thinking Covid-19 Series and more. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

The tensions being revealed by the COVID-19 epidemic are planted deep in the US experience. On the Laura Flanders Show, race and gender scholar Mab Segrest discusses how white supremacy has trumped science throughout American history, with particular focus on the evidence she uncovered in her new book, “Administrations of Lunacy: Racism and the Haunting of American Psychiatry. Segrest’s work was the subject of a Laura Flanders Show special feature this March (bit.ly/2UVgvjs). She shared her thoughts on COVID-19 with Laura recently, from her home near Durham, NC. “We’re living under an administration of lunacy again,” says Segrest in this extra. Watch more Covid-19 related videos on our website lauraflanders.org

Covid-19 Demands a National Reckoning May 06, 2020

The U.S. already has over one million confirmed cases of Covid-19 and tens of thousands of deaths. Victims of the disease are disproportionately black and working class. What explains our failure to build a more caring state? Princeton professor Eddie Glaude Jr. argues that we must grapple with the divides at the core of our society in order to reimagine the U.S. with a fully inclusive sense of “us.” “What we have to do is tell the truth about who we are. We’re not the best country in the world. We’re not the most powerful people on the planet. We’re fallen, finite creatures who in this moment in most cases are dying alone…” Glaude says. This week’s thoughtful conversation ranges from the impact of decades of Neoliberalism on the American consciousness to the need for a return to compassionate, human-centered governance, to Glaude’s forthcoming book, Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own. Music in the Middle: “A Love Supreme / Exodus” by Rebel Tumbao’s courtesy of Sacred Rhythm Music and Cosmic Arts.

Support the show and our new series Forward Thinking on Covid-19, by joining as a Patreon partner during our May Day to Memorial Day Fund Drive! We've set a goal of 25 new forward thinking Patreon partners. https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Linda Sarsour: We Can’t Afford To be Bystanders During Covid-19 Apr 29, 2020

A pandemic is no place to be a bystander, says Muslim American activist Linda Sarsour. In this episode, Laura interviews Sarsour about her recently published memoir We are Not Here to Be Bystanders, which tells her story of growing up in Brooklyn and Palestine and becoming the Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York and one of the co-chairs of the 2017 Women’s March on Washington. Sarsour describes how Covid-19 is affecting her work, what contact tracing triggers for people who were forced to register as Muslims after 9-11, and what Muslim Americans have learned about being targets, even as so many serve as front-line healthcare providers. Music in the Middle: “Marching the Hate Machines” by Thievery Corporation featuring Frank Orrall, from their new album Symphonik Version, courtesy of ESL Records.

Watch our Forward Thinking on Covid-19 series where guests offer their view point from a forward looking perspective in their area of expertise. Become a Patreon member to unlock the full unedited conversations. This week Laura's guest is Patricia Mercado Sánchez, Founder/Director Conexion Migrante.

F-Word: Covid By The Numbers Apr 24, 2020

The F-Word is released bi-monthly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron.

The latest:

"Want to pay the WHO to fight pandemics and poverty around the world for a year? One man called Jeff could do it today and still be worth $114.5 billion as he was at the end of last year. "

Watch our NEW SERIES Forward Thinking on Covid-19 where guests offer their view point from a forward looking perspective in their area of expertise. Become a Patreon member to unlock the full unedited conversations. This week, Hamid Khan Coordinator of the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition of the Los Angeles Community Action Network speaking on contact tracing and policing bodies in the name of public health and Dara Baldwin Director of National Policy for the Center for Disability Rights on the big money power that’s still being felt even in the Covid- quieted halls of Congress.

The Hidden Sheroes of Film Editing from Hollywood to Bollywood and Beyond Apr 23, 2020

What are you watching? There’s a good chance it was edited by a woman. This time on the Laura Flanders Show, we talk with avant garde filmmaker and cinema studies professor Su Friedrich about the hidden sheroes of film editing, the names you don’t know but ought to know from Hollywood to Bollywood and beyond. Aside from Blanche Sewell, the editor of The Wizard of Oz, and Thelma Schoonmaker, Martin Scorsese’s editor for over fifty years, there’s Renu Saluja, who edited many classics of 1990s Indian cinema, and Mexico’s Gloria Schoemann, one of the most prolific editors in history with over 227 film credits to her name. Music in the Middle: “My Passion” by Mikki Afflick featuring Miranda Nicole courtesy of Soul Sun Soul Music.

Watch our Forward Thinking on Covid-19 series where guests offer their view point from a forward looking perspective in their area of expertise. Become a Patreon member to unlock the full unedited conversations. This week, Hamid Khan Coordinator of the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition of the Los Angeles Community Action Network speaking on contact tracing and policing bodies in the name of public health and Dara Baldwin Director of National Policy for the Center for Disability Rights on the big money power that’s still being felt even in the Covid- quieted halls of Congress.

Minicast: This Earth Day More Than Ever, Environmental Justice: Jane Fonda, Janet Valenzuela with Laura Flanders Apr 21, 2020

The following features excerpts, to unlock the entire 1 1/2 hour conversation....Support the show by becoming a monthly contributor for $3, $5, $12 or more....easily at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow Your generous support enables us to keep producing audio extras like our forward-thinking content week after week. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

On February 23 at the Hammer Museum in LA, Laura moderated a discussion about the future of environmental justice featuring actor and activist Jane Fonda and community organizer Janet Valenzuela.

“We can’t solve the climate crisis if we don’t address the issue with environmental justice,” says Fonda.

People of color, immigrants and indiginous people are more likely to be affected by pollutants and other environmental hazards. Factories, plants and fracking drills are placed disproportionately in and around already marginalized communities, and the health effects are disastrous. Large national efforts to combat climate change need to engage with local, grassroots movements or we risk leaving our most vulnerable communities behind.

Take Back the App! Apr 15, 2020

This week, Laura talks with coders, activists and tech entrepreneurs who are at the forefront of the platform cooperative movement. If we take the cooperative route, they argue that tomorrow’s online world could distribute rather than concentrate power—but will we? Recorded before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, this conversation about the companies that mediate our lives is more relevant now than ever. Music in the Middle: “Facebook Killed The Arts” by T-Q-X featuring Josh Mease from T-Q-X’s album “Global Intimacy” courtesy of the artist.

You can find more information on my guests and episode notes at Patreon.com/theLFShow. You do not have to become a member, but we hope you will. For as little as $3 or $5. monthly you partner with us to report on how we might move from here to a better future for all.

F-Word: Thank you Bernie. Screw You, New York Times Apr 10, 2020

The F-Word is released bi-monthly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron.

The latest:

"It is the essence of American liberalism to trash radical dreams and then dance on them. And that’s just what the New York Times did, the day after Bernie Sanders bowed out of the Democratic race for the nomination."

Forward Thinking on Covid-19: The Homeless Can't Stay Home Apr 09, 2020

Support the show by becoming a monthly contributor for $3, $5, $12 or more....easily HERE

Special Series: FORWARD THINKING ON COVID-19

How do homeless people avoid exposure to Covid-19? And where do they quarantine if they test positive for the virus? New York City’s Department of Homeless Services had little in place to deal with a pandemic and over 60,000 people remain in shelters struggling to quarantine. Mental Health Peer Specialist, EMT, and advocate for the homeless, Allilsa Fernandez, tells Laura how the shelter organizing movement is applying strategies like mutual aid to fill the gaps in the system. She says the nation is now recognizing what communities of color have long known and practiced: reliance on one another in the absence of support from the state.

About the series:

In the midst of a public health and economic crisis, we know much of the news you’re hearing is bad. The course of this pandemic is hard to predict. But there will be a time after this immediate crisis. What then? To answer this question, we’re producing a new series called “Forward Thinking on Covid-19.” Each week, guests on The LF Show offer their best forward looking perspectives on what needs to happen in their area of expertise. This series brings you the stories of forward-thinking people and lifts up actionable, real life models of collective care and mutual aid.

Mutual Aid Justice: Beyond Survival Apr 08, 2020

What does it look like in the Justice sphere? If you don’t want to call the cops, what else can you do? Many people turn to transformative justice for help. In the nation that incarcerates more people than any other on earth, there are many reasons why a person might not want to call 911. Undocumented, sick, over-policed, dependent on or in love with an abuser? In this episode, Laura talks with the editors of the just-released book, Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement. Transformative justice applies the principles of mutual aid to justice. It seeks to resolve violence for the long term at the peer-to-peer, grassroots level by looking for resolution, not punishment, and relying on community, not the system. Music in the Middle: New Yorkers at home applauding essential workers from their windows. It’s a daily ritual at 7pm to show appreciation while staying at a distance. And that appreciation is growing louder by the day!

EPISODE NOTES AND MORE:

You can find more information on my guests Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, anti-violence trainer Ejeris Dixon, and the book they’ve edited Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement at our website. And if you’re part of our Patreon community, we’ll include a link to that SKILL SET FOR SURVIVAL Ejeris mentioned - as well as more in our episode notes at Patreon.com/theLFShow. You do not have to contribute money, but we hope you will. For as little as $3 or $5. monthly you partner with us to report on how we might move from here to a better future for all.

Designing a Future Where Everyone Counts Apr 01, 2020

Jutta Treviranus pushes back against cultures, policies, and technologies designed only for those deemed "normal." As founder and director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre at OCAD University in Toronto, Treviranus works to challenge and improve the way we build software, make large scale decisions, and govern. If only the majority matters, she says, innovation is stifled and there will always be people left marginalized. Music in the Middle: “If I Could See” by Raul Midon from his upcoming album The Mirror to be released on Mack Avenue Records this year.

To become a member and for episode notes go to: https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Forward Thinking on Covid-19: Inclusive Design Mar 31, 2020

Covid 19 Requires Us To Know Each Other.

From public health to remote learning, inclusive design leader Jutta Treviranus says Covid-19 is forcing us to rethink how we design response systems. Where we have the greatest vulnerability, we have the greatest chance for innovation. And that’s what it’s going to take for us to survive. Amazing learning moments are coming out of this, but that will require a lot of un-learning. Treviranus is our guest this week on the LF Show.

Support theLFShow by becoming a member https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

F-Word: Covid-19: Our Health Crisis is born of Bigotry Mar 27, 2020

"A bridge is only as strong as its weakest part. Former slave turned educator Anna Julia Cooper uttered those very contemporary-sounding words back in 1893. The US didn’t heed them then. We haven’t heeded them yet. The big question, brought home to us one more time by the Covid 19 crisis, is why not? What does American society so love about having weak parts that we refuse, year after year, and epidemic after epidemic to shore them up?"

The F-Word is released bi-monthly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron.

From the Creative Frontline of Lebanon's Revolution Mar 26, 2020

Since October 2019, people in Lebanon have been protesting corruption, climate denial, big finance, and government ineptitude. Where does that work stand now? Laura talks with Lebanese activist/artist Dayna Ash who runs one of the few safe spaces for LGBTQI+ people and women in the region about her experience of organizing in a melt-down. Music in the Middle: “Drown Out the Other”, featuring Danya Ash and her collaborator Nour Sokhon courtesy of the artists.

As many of you know, the Laura Flanders is also a TV show. We produce it on a shoestring budget, and distribute free, on TV and cable and satellite as well as radio and a podcast. We don’t take money from government of corporation. We’re made possible by our audience - that’s you. If you already contribute, thank you. If you’re yet to do it, please go to our website and donate. And if you really want to participate in this project and partner with us in these uncertain times, join our Patreon community. At Patreon.com/theLFShow. There we make all sorts of special background information available, about our guest, this weeks’ topic, related reading, listening and viewing, and even a playlist of the music you heard here - we call it Music in the Middle. This week our Patreon partners saw more videos from Haven for Artists, and a special post featuring award winning poet Aja Monet reading “Apologies to All The People in Lebanon” the poem dedicated to the Palestinians who lived in Lebanon from 1948 to ’83, by the renowned poet and essayist June Jordan. Aja like Dayna, created a space centered on arts and activism in the Little Haiti section of Miami. We’ve also thrown up a link to the episode in which Aja joined me to talk about that. Again, you’ll find that free, at Patreon.com/TheLFShow. You don’t have to contribute money but we hope you will. Donations start at just $3 or $5 month. During this time of social distancing my whole crew and I are working from home. But we’re holding you close, and we’ll keep the forward looking content coming. We need it more than ever. Please join us at Patreon.com/thelfshow and become a partner. Thank you.

Subscribed via Apple Podcasts? Please write a review and we’ll share it on the show.

Thanks to all our members and for your reviews!

Lynching and Lunacy: Mab Segrest on the Racist Roots of American Psychiatry Mar 19, 2020

Acclaimed “Race Traitor” author, Mab Segrest, takes Laura through deep south to trace the racist roots of American psychiatry. They explore the infamous state mental hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia and visit with Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama to consider how our society’s mental and political health relate to history. Segrest’s newest book is “Administrations of Lunacy: Racism and the Haunting of American Psychiatry at the Milledgeville Asylum” due out April 2020. Music Featured in the Middle: “The Drums Call You” by Carlos Mena and Osunlade courtesy of Ocha Records.

For more information on Mab Segrest, Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative, plus links to how to watch this episode along with additional research materials, go to Patreon.com/theLFShow. That’s also where you can easily become a member for as little as $3 to $12 a month. We couldn’t do the show without you and continue to bring you uplifting voices and issues that matter. Become a member and unlock more audio exclusives including the uncut conversation between Mab and Bryan.

Subscribed via Apple Podcasts? Please write a review and we’ll share it on the show.

Thanks to all our members and for your reviews!

F-Word: The Racial and Economic Implications of the Coronavirus Pandemic Mar 13, 2020

Support by becoming a patron.

The F-Word is released bi-monthly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests.

Okwui Okpokwasili: Body Power, Racism and Gender Politics Through Performance Mar 11, 2020

For more information on Okwui Okpokwasili's work, a link to watch this episode along with additional research materials, go to Patreon.com/theLFShow. That’s also where you can easily become a member for as little as $3 to $12 a month. We couldn’t do the show without you and continue to bring you uplifting voices and issues that matter.

Subscribed via Apple Podcasts? Please write a review and we’ll share it on the show.

Raising Vibrations against Gender-Based Violence Mar 04, 2020

In this episode, Laura interviews the founder of One Billion Rising and VDay, Eve Ensler, world renowned playwright, author and activist, along with activist, singer, songwriter Taína Asili about One Billion Rising 2020, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls by organizing public demonstrations rooted in music and dance. They discuss the role that joyous public movement and song can and must play in soothing trauma, raising awareness, and building solidarity among women across the world. Music in the Middle: "We Are Rising" by Taína Asili, the #1BillionRising's 2020 Anthem.

Become a member and unlock audio extras. The latest, Laura in conversation with Eve Ensler about her new book "The Apology". And Staceyann Chin's performs poetry from her first anthology.

F-Word- February/March: The Pandering Months Feb 28, 2020

:The latest Laura Flanders commentary, The F-Word ::

"Here we are again, ending Black History Month, starting Women’s History month. ...Do we need more months? We certainly need more intersectionality."

Become a member and unlock audio extras. The latest, Laura in conversation with Eve Ensler about her new book "The Apology". And Staceyann Chin's performs poetry from her first anthology.

Trump's Wall and The End of the American Frontier Feb 26, 2020

In this episode, Laura interviews author and Yale historian Greg Grandin about his new book The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America. They explore how America's foundational myth of progress has given way to protectionism. Will opposition to the wall finally force us to reckon with the white supremacist conquest the frontier myth has always but thinly veiled? And what can we do to replace destructive myths with productive truths? Music in the Middle: “Gold Action” by Life On Planets, courtesy of Lamb and Wolf Records.

Become a member and unlock lots of bonus audio!

How the Diversity Industry is Failing and What We Can Do to Fix It Feb 19, 2020

In an era when companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars on diversity and inclusion programs, the proportion of African Americans in tech, media, and business leadership roles is stagnating. In her new book, Diversity, Inc. The Failed Promise of a Billion-Dollar Business, award-winning journalist and New York University professor Pamela Newkirk describes the gap between the rhetoric and the reality where racial equity and inclusion are concerned. She calls us to go beyond lip service and radically reevaluate how we make organizations more diverse. Music in the Middle of the podcast: “Self-Love” by Joe Armon-Jones Featuring Obongjayar from his album, A Turn to Clear View, courtesy of Brownswood.

Become a member and unlock audio extras. The latest, Laura in conversation with Eve Ensler about her new book "The Apology". And Staceyann Chin's performs poetry from her first anthology.

F-Word: Democracy vs Dictatorship: Don't Let Bloomberg Muddy That Choice Feb 14, 2020

"The 2020 presidential race didn’t get decided this week but the choice before us did. More democracy or less of it?" - Laura Flanders' latest commentary.

Become a member and unlock audio extras. The latest, Laura in conversation with Eve Ensler about her new book "The Apology". And Staceyann Chin's performs poetry from her first anthology.

https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

The Future Is Public: Special Report from Amsterdam Feb 12, 2020

From Austria to Chile, Lagos to London, people are demanding policies that democratize economies and keep public resources in public hands. In just the last decade, more than 2,400 cities in 58 countries have brought privatized resources back under public control. In this episode, Laura reports from Amsterdam at The Future is Public, a conference that brings together hundreds of organizers, scholars, and government officials who are working to democratize their municipal and national economies. If the future is indeed public, the people Laura speaks with in Amsterdam are among those working to make it happen in the present. Music In the Middle: “Precious Energy, A Homage to Leon Thomas and Pharaoh Sanders by Barney McAll, courtesy of the artist.

Support by becoming a member: https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

The U.S. Economy Is Not Democratic or Good for the Planet Feb 05, 2020

The U.S. economy, weak or strong, is the question at the heart of the election. But it doesn't get to the reality which is that, whatever else it may be, the U.S. economy is not democratic or good for the planet. But it could be. Marjorie Kelly and Ted Howard of the Democracy Collaborative say how in their new book The Making of a Democratic Economy. Music in the Middle: “The Offering” by Mark de Clive-Lowe from his album Heritage courtesy of Mashi Beats.

theLFShow episode #268 Research & Reading List

Support theLFShow by becoming a Patreon Member for $3 or more monthly.

F-Word: Iowa Media Back to the Future Jan 31, 2020

Down-home democracy rests on down-the street media when it comes to covering the Iowa Caucuses 2020.

February 3rd 7pm-Midnight (EST) you will be able to follow the livestream of KHOI'S caucus coverage hosted by Laura Flanders at our Facebook page and through Laura's live posts on Twitter the night of. For more details goto LauraFlanders.org

Support our coverage by becoming a member at Patreon.com/theLFShow

Live From the Iowa Caucuses
Pacifica National Coverage
February 3, 2020
7:00 – Midnight EST (or until results come in)
Hosted by:
Laura Flanders, The Laura Flanders Show,
Norman Stockwell, The Progressive Magazine
Lily Böhlke, 2020Talks, Pacifica Network

To listen on line, go to pacificanetwork.org or KHOIFM.org or check our list of Pacifica Network affiliates for a radio station near you, here.

Lots of ways for you to be part of Iowa Caucus Night and add your voice to the national coverage of the Iowa Caucuses:

Facebook Live: Coverage from the studios of KHOI-FM, Ames, Iowa

Twitter: Live video streaming via Twitter @theLFShow from the radio studios

YouTube: Video segments from the Caucuses and coverage from the radio studio via YouTube - @PacificaFoundationTV

Follow and tag us in your social media posts: #PacificaCaucus2020 #2020election

@theLFShow @Gritlaura @RadioPacifica @khoi_fm @theprogressive @2020Talks @PNS_News

Touretteshero Does Beckett Jan 29, 2020

In this episode, Laura interviews British comedian and activist Jess Thom, TourettesHero, about her performance of Samuel Beckett’s play “Not I”. Thom’s work reveals how neurodiversity makes theater, society—everything!— richer.

Support by becoming a member at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

More about "I Am" by Samuel Beckett, performed and adapted by Jess Thom

Jess Thom has Tourettes, a condition that means she makes movements and noises she can't control, called tics. Following the award-winning “Backstage In Biscuit Land,” she takes on Samuel Beckett's short play in a theatrical experience that explores neurodiversity and asks, who is allowed to perform what and who gets the final say? All performances are accompanied by an ASL interpreter/performer and are Relaxed. This means that if you tic, shout, or move about, you're more than welcome. And the great thing is, everyone can benefit from a Relaxed performance.

Poet Staceyann Chin on her Journey to See Herself as a Poet Worthy of an Anthology Jan 22, 2020

Award-winning poet, performer, novelist, and activist Staceyann Chin has just published her first anthology of poems. She has been featured on Broadway, HBO, and Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam and her latest one woman show, MotherStruck, was adapted for film and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019. In this episode, Laura interviews Chin about the anthology, Crossfire, and her relationship to a cannon dominated by white men. Despite her success, Chin says that until recently she didn't see herself as a real poet, a poet worthy of an anthology, because her work centers her experiences as a lesbian and a Jamaican national of mixed Chinese and African descent. Laura and Chin unpack the stories behind belief and Chin gives a riveting performance of poems from Crossfire.

Become a member today at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

F-Word: Iowa is not the Twitterverse Jan 17, 2020

"Given a choice between covering tit-for-tat tweets and reporting on voting rights or publicly-owned generic drugs, the brought-to-you-by-Big-Pharma News Networks will always go where it’s easiest. "

The F-Word, Laura Flanders' bi-weekly commentary.

For as little as $3 a month support, be a part of our crowd, by becoming a member. Sign up today! https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Puerto Rico: Freedom From Fantasy Jan 15, 2020

What most Americans know about Puerto Rico is based on a colonial fantasy, says journalist and Columbia University professor, Ed Morales. This fantasy, and the reality it obscures, is the subject of his new book, Fantasy Island. In this episode, Laura interviews Morales and scholar/activist Rosa Clemente about the personal and political implications of the island's ongoing debt crisis, recovering from Hurricane Maria, and #RickyRenuncia, the intersectional protest movement that led to the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló in the summer of 2019. Exploitation, corruption, and neglect may be business as usual in the United States' relationship with Puerto Rico but Morales and Clemente suggest that new movements provide some hope for change. Featured Music in the Middle of the Podcast: “Una Ola” by Eljuri from her album Resiste courtesy of Manovil Records.

Become a member today at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

“Progressive Strategy Summit & Fire Drill Fridays” Jan 06, 2020

This year at the Progressive Strategy Summit members of Congress and progressive change makers came together to build a movement that won’t only win back the White House in 2020 but also create long term systemic change. Laura interviewed activists and congresswomen to understand how they see this critical moment when business-as-usual politics simply won’t cut it. Will a movement led by women of color—inside and outside Congress—transform the government so that it truly serves the diverse people it purports to represent? Laura also interviewed actor and activist Jane Fonda at a Fire Drill Friday climate crisis rally before they both got arrested as part of an act of civil disobedience. Featured Music in the Middle: “Save It Or Lose It” by Funk Rimini, part of the EARTH NIGHT 2019 compilation curated by DJs for Climate Action courtesy of EarthNight.org, a global initiative harnessing the power of music and nightlife to celebrate and support climate action.

Become a member by year end, https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

“Edge of Democracy”; Brazil, A Cautionary Tale Dec 30, 2019

In her latest film, The Edge of Democracy, director Petra Costa tells the story of how Brazil went from a rising star among free nations to a democracy on the verge of collapse. With unprecedented access, Costa documents the rise and fall of Brazil’s Workers Party and its charismatic leader Lula da Silva, the impeachment of Brazil’s first female president, Dilma Rousseff, and the rise of President Jair Bolsonaro who has ushered in, as Costa puts it, a new era of rule by the bible, the bullet, and the banks. In this very personal conversation, Laura and Petra discuss life and politics in the U.S. and Brazil—nations built on land theft, genocide, and extraction. They wonder if democracy can survive in states that fail to reckon with their pasts. “Baiana (A Girl Born in Bahia)” by Gaby Hernandez from her album Spirit Reflection courtesy of Mr. Bongo Records.

Support theLFShow by year end https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Revolutionary Love: An Interview With Rev. Jacqueline Lewis Dec 23, 2019

As 2019 comes to a close, Laura speaks with Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Lewis of Middle Collegiate Church in New York City's East Village. Rev. Jacqui's public theology focuses on social and environmental justice, community engagement, and the practice of what she calls "Revolutionary Love." In their conversation, Laura asks if love really can sustain our movements for justice in an era characterized by protest, social unrest, and political strife. When we are at our wits’ end, can love renew us so that we may return to our work to repair the world? Reverend Jacqui says yes. Music featured in the middle, “Know I’ve Been Changed” performed live by the Queer Black Men Ensemble featuring a solo by Lee Hill performed live at Middle Collegiate Church.

Become a member by year end https://patreon.com/theLFShow

Youth Climate Activism and the New Non-Violent Resistance Dec 19, 2019

In the wake of the 25th UN Climate Change Summit known as the Conference of Partners or COP, scientists and activists are warning that governments are failing to act as quickly as the climate crisis requires. Taking matters into their own hands, youth organizers with Extinction Rebellion have led marches, school walkouts, and hunger strikes around the world. Though digital organizing plays a major role in their movement, non-violent civil disobedience is their primary tactic. How does a new generation of climate organizers understand and employ the tactics of non-violence? And can their movement garner the public support necessary to overcome the inertia of political establishment beholden to fossil fuels? Laura speaks with student climate strikers, Ayisha Siddiqa and Giovanni Tamacas, and veteran activist Libero Della Piana for their perspectives.

Support theLFShow with a year end donation by becoming a sustaining member at https://Patreon.org/theLFShow

Self-Determination Arising from Resistance: Dr. Priyamvada Gopal, Insurgent Empire Dec 11, 2019

In this episode of The Laura Flanders Show, author and scholar Dr. Priyamvada Gopal discusses her latest book, Insurgent Empire, which examines a history of abolition and rebellion under colonial rule to demonstrate how these resistance movements served as active participants in their own liberation, while reshaping ideas around freedom and self-determination during the expansion of capitalism and empire. Liberty can mean many things, not just, for example, the freedom to earn a meager wage. She argues that lessons learned then should serve as models for contemporary action while supporting the need to understand ordinary people as viable agents in their own struggles.

Help us reach our goal of 100 patrons by year end, by becoming a member today at https://LauraFlanders.org/donate.

What Works and What Doesn't in Stopping Gender Based Violence? Dec 04, 2019

This week, in her first appearance since fleeing Brazil, women’s rights advocate Debora Diniz joins fellow activists and philanthropists to discuss what works and what doesn’t in stopping violence against women and girls. Music featured:“Cause I’m a Woman” by Muted Soul Featuring Jess King courtesy of Muted Records.

Guests: Debora Diniz,Deputy Director of Rights and Justice; Terry McGovern,Chair of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Medical Center; Kavita N. Ramdas, Director of Women’s Rights Program, Open Society Foundations.

Help us reach our goal of 100 patrons by year end, by becoming a member today at https://LauraFlanders.org/donate.

Minicast: Excerpts from Laurie Anderson's lecture "The Size of the Con" Dec 03, 2019

The following minicast features excerpts from Laurie Anderson’s lecture “The Size of the Con”, addressing how to prepare for the 2020 election cycle and the tumultuous year ahead in the United States. Anderson's lecture was commissioned by the Brooklyn Public Library as part of a series “Message from the Library” providing a forum for great minds as they reflect on the most pressing issues of our time. Laurie Anderson’s entire 30minute lecture is available to patrons of the Laura Flanders Show. Help us reach our goal of 100 patrons by year end, by becoming a member today at https://LauraFlanders.org/donate.

Your donations are tax exempt and help us continue to fund the show organically thanks to listeners like you.

Naomi Klein on the Case for a Green New Deal Nov 27, 2019

The climate crisis is accelerating faster than expected. This November, 11,000 scientists from 153 countries declared that “We’re reaching potentially irreversible climate tipping points—climate chain reactions that could cause significant disruptions to ecosystems, society, and economies...” In this episode of the Laura Flanders Show, author and activist Naomi Klein discusses her new book, On Fire, in which she argues that addressing the climate crisis requires more than simply reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Through a series of essays, Klein makes the case for a Green New Deal that tackles the causes and impacts of climate change while confronting racial and economic inequality. We cannot, she says, address one without the other. Music in the Middle: "Wake Up" by Dawn Drake & ZapOte, produced by Chico Mann and Geoff Mann, courtesy of PMX Records.

Goal, reach 100 Patrons by end of year. You down? For as little as $3 a month support, be a part of our crowd. Sign up today!

Special: Cooperation vs Authoritarianism in Spain Nov 20, 2019

Social change and systems change go hand-in-hand. Movements for democracy and human rights are most effective when they aim to transform unjust, unequitable economic systems. In this episode, Laura travels to Spain to learn how people in two of the regions most brutally repressed under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco built the worlds’ largest worker-owned co-ops. From the Basque Country to Barcelona, she speaks with co-op members who explain how humanist models of business helped their parents and grandparents survive dictatorship. She also explores how these models are transforming under contemporary circumstances, including the emergence of digital platforms, the renewal of the regional independence movements, and the growth of the Spanish rightwing. Music in the Middle: "I.D.N.” by Catalan pianist Albert Marquès courtesy of the artist and thanks to Arturo O’Farrell.

Goal, reach 100 Patrons by end of year. You down? For as little as $3 a month support, be a part of our crowd. Sign up today!

F-Word: SayHerName, Impeachment and the Hawk Nov 15, 2019

"I was thinking about impeachment when a bird fell out of the sky. ......Dazed, on the sidewalk, she stood perfectly still, protected by gentle cops and generous yards of yellow caution tape...

It happened to be the same week, five years ago, that Tanisha Anderson died on the street in front of her home, when she was having one of her bad days."

The F-Word, Laura Flanders' bi-weekly commentary. For the full transcript goto LauraFlanders.org

Goal, reach 100 Patrons by end of year. You down? For as little as $3 a month support, be a part of our crowd. Sign up today!

The Edge of Democracy: The Rise of Authoritarianism in Brazil Nov 13, 2019

In her new film, The Edge of Democracy, director Petra Costa tells the story of how Brazil went from a rising star among free nations to a democracy on the verge of collapse. With unprecedented access, Costa documents the rise and fall of Brazil’s Workers Party and its charismatic leader Lula da Silva, the impeachment of Brazil’s first female president, Dilma Rousseff, and the rise of President Jair Bolsonaro who has ushered in, as Costa puts it, a new era of rule by the bible, the bullet, and the banks. In this very personal conversation, Laura and Petra discuss life and politics in the U.S. and Brazil—nations built on land theft, genocide, and extraction. They wonder if democracy can survive in states that fail to reckon with their pasts. “Baiana (A Girl Born in Bahia)” by Gaby Hernandez from her album Spirit Reflection courtesy of Mr. Bongo Records.

Goal, reach 100 Patrons by end of year. You down? Become a member for as little as $3 a month support, be a part of our crowd.

Women of Color Lead the Way Nov 06, 2019

This year at the Progressive Strategy Summit members of Congress and progressive change makers came together to build a movement that won’t only win back the White House in 2020 but also create long term systemic change. Laura interviewed activists and congresswomen to understand how they see this critical moment when business-as-usual politics simply won’t cut it. Will a movement led by women of color—inside and outside Congress—transform the government so that it truly serves the diverse people it purports to represent? Laura also interviewed actor and activist Jane Fonda at a Fire Drill Friday climate crisis rally before they both got arrested as part of an act of civil disobedience.

Guests:

Aimee Allison, She The People; Shelia Jackson Lee, Congresswoman TX-18th; Alicia Garza, Black Lives Matter; Mia Ives-Rublee, Women's March Diability Caucus; Jane Fonda, Fire Drill Friday's; Ted Danson, Actor Author; Pramila Jayapal, Congresswoman WA-7th

Goal, reach 100 Patrons by end of year. You down? Become a member for as little as $3 a month support, be a part of our crowd.

Newark: Fixing The People’s Water Oct 31, 2019

The people of Newark, New Jersey—the majority of whom are black and brown—are grappling with a lead contamination crisis that has drawn comparisons with Flint, Michigan. There, the state took control of the city’s water after municipal officials and a private management company failed to provide clean water. In Newark, local residents want to keep their water in public hands. Why? This week, Laura interviews activists working to fix their city’s water through more robust democratization rather than privatization. Music in the Middle: “For the Courageous” by Climbing PoeTree from their album Intrinsic, courtesy of Climbing PoeTree.

Goal, reach 100 Patrons by end of year. You down? Become a member for as little as $3 a month support, be a part of our crowd.

Guests:

•Sabre Bee and Anthony Diaz, Co-Founders of the Newark Water Coalition

•Yvette Jordan, a Teacher at Central High School in Newark, New Jersey

Special Report: Making Buffalo Our City Oct 23, 2019

How do you revitalize a city without gentrifying it? In this episode of the Laura Flanders Show, Laura goes to Buffalo, New York, where years of post-industrial stagnation have recently yielded to new economic growth. She interviews grassroots activists working to make sure that this local renaissance leaves their city more inclusive and equitable—not less. She explores how progressive, intersectional organizations are helping to create affordable housing and provide job training while fighting for social and environmental justice. Music featured in the middle: “Keep It Moving” by Lady Alma from her album Twilight, courtesy of MashiBeats.

Guests:

Kathryn Franco, City Council Candidate for the University District of Buffalo New York

Rachel Dominguez, Buffalo Parent Teacher Organization

Whitney Crispell, Community Activist

Larry Scott, Buffalo School Board

Vanessa Glushefski, Deputy Comptroller

John Washington, PUSH Buffalo

Asim Johnson, PUSH Buffalo

Harper Bishop, PUSH Buffalo

Rahwa Ghirmatizion, CEO PUSH Buffalo

Luz Velez, PUSH Buffalo

Geovaira Hernandez, Climate justice organizer, Push Buffalo

India Walton, Executive Director, Fruit Belt Community Land Trust

Goal, reach 100 Patrons by end of year. You down? For as little as $3 a month support, be a part of our crowd.

How to Make a Democratic Economy Oct 16, 2019

The U.S. economy, weak or strong, is the question at the heart of the election. But it doesn't get to the reality which is that, whatever else it may be, the U.S. economy is not democratic or good for the planet. But it could be. Marjorie Kelly and Ted Howard of the Democracy Collaborative say how in their new book The Making of a Democratic Economy. Music in the middle: “The Offering” by Mark de Clive-Lowe from his album Heritage courtesy of Mashi Beats.

Goal, reach 100 Patrons by end of year. You down? For as little as $3 a month support, be a part of our crowd.

Fighting for the Future of Hong Kong Oct 09, 2019

This week the People’s Republic of China celebrates its 70th anniversary as months of pro-democracy demonstrations continue in Hong Kong. The historic demonstrations began in June as a response to the proposal of an extradition agreement with Mainland China. Concerned that the bill would further erode the civil liberties they enjoy under the one country two systems principle, many Hong Kongers took to the streets. All these months later, the city’s chief executive Carrie Lam has withdrawn the bill but the demonstrations have continued - the issues have become a lot bigger getting to the heart of the meaning of democracy and Chinese Imperialism. Music in the Middle: “Chaos” by DJ Sun from his album Qingxi courtesy of Soular Productions.

We're on a mission to reach 100 Patrons by end of year. Become a patron today for as little as $3 a month at Patreon.com/theLFShow

Guests:

Michelle Chen, Journalist/Labor Historian CUNY and Co-Producer of the Belabored podcast.

Joy Ming King, Student Organizer/Member, Lausan Collective

F-Word: The Global Corruption Rebellion Americans Don't Know They're Part Of Oct 07, 2019

"In a system that's unequal, corruption is not just the way we swim, it’s the water we swim in..."

The F-Word, Laura Flanders' bi-monthly commentary.

Help us thrive and not just survive, by becoming a member you'll unlock additional audio extras and more. https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

How Can Municipal Government Promote Economic Democracy? Oct 02, 2019

New York, NY...its a city with close to 100 billion dollar budget every year and 1 deputy mayor with some pretty creative plans for how to spend it. What can one city do? And what's it gonna take to create a non-racist democracy? An in-depth interview with J. Phillip Thompson, NYC Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives, on his priority initiatives, with particular emphasis on his role in expanding the city’s investment in minority and women-owned businesses, housing and economic development, and economic democracy initiatives. Music Featured, “Be The Change” by Mr. V featuring Michelle Rivera & Jaeden part of the EARTH NIGHT '19 compilation curated by DJs for Climate Action courtesy of EarthNight.org, a global initiative harnessing the power of music and nightlife to celebrate and support climate action.

Support this podcast and independent journalism by committing to making a monthly contribution for as little as $3... goto: Patreon.com/theLFShow

Reporting on Economic Hardship Sep 26, 2019

Guests featured from the Economic Harship Reporting Project include David Wallis, Managing Director; Yoruba Richen, Board Member and filmmaker; and Joseph Rodriguez, Contributing Editor and photojournalist.

Music feature: "Be Love" by the Alexis P. Suter Band, courtesy of HipBone Records.

For more on the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and my guests goto Patreon.com/theLFShow where you’ll also find additional research materials and links to our related episodes.

Support this podcast and independent journalism by committing to making a monthly contribution for as little as $3... goto: Patreon.com/theLFShow

F-Word: Climate Strike/Auto Strike: Same Struggle, Same Fight Sep 24, 2019

"Almost fifty thousand workers went on strike at General Motors Sept 16th, 2019, after management and United Auto Workers Union negotiators failed to agree on a new contract. GM has bounced back from recession thanks to a taxpayer bailout, government tax breaks and contracts and a brutal restructuring of the workforce. Now even though the company’s made $35 billion in the last few years - they want concessions, and yet more plant closures and layoffs."

Help us thrive and not just survive, by becoming a member you'll unlock additional audio extras and more. https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

image: courtesy of Flipboard

How We Can End Gender-Based Violence Sep 19, 2019

Gender-based violence – why are states so bad at making it stop? This week, in her first appearance since fleeing Brazil, women’s rights advocate Debora Diniz joins fellow activists and philanthropists to discuss what works and what doesn’t in stopping violence against women and girls. Music featured:“Cause I’m a Woman” by Muted Soul Featuring Jess King courtesy of Muted Records.

GUESTS: Debora Diniz, Deputy Director of Rights and Justice; Terry McGovern, Chair of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Medical Center; Kavita N. Ramdas, Director of Women’s Rights Program, Open Society Foundations.

Support theLFShow for as little as $2 a month!

Extreme Cities: Ground Zero for Climate Change Sep 11, 2019

No matter how we tackle climate change, cities are key. They emit massive amounts of carbon and they’re ground zero for the climate crisis. But could they also prove to be the sites of our best climate solutions? That’s this week on The Laura Flanders Show.

“It takes a lot of energy to keep buildings cool. In New York City, buildings contribute about 70% of the city’s carbon emissions. So in addition to transportation, those are the major factors in cities, and we’ve got massive cities growing around the planet.” – Ashley Dawson

“I think you have to start with a dream and thinking outside the box. And creating policy that actually directly affects change. And that comes from the ground up. It doesn’t come from the top down.” – Mychal Johnson

“It’s our public environment, it’s our public spaces, it’s our city. If we think that we have the right to the city, we have to actually verify that we have some agency over what happens. And right now we don’t.” – Aurash Khawarzad

Featured Guests:
Ashley Dawson, Professor of English, CUNY Graduate Center
“My fields of specialization are cultural studies, environmental humanities, and postcolonial studies. Areas of interest of mine include the experience and literature of migration, including movement from colonial and postcolonial nations to the former imperial center (Britain in particular) and from rural areas to mega-cities of the global South such as Lagos and Mumbai. I have also worked recently on contemporary discourses of U.S. imperialism and on the movement for climate justice.”
Get his book, Extreme Cities: The Peril and Promise of Urban Life in the Age of Climate Change

Mychal Johnson, Co-Founder, South Bronx Unite
“Mychal Johnson has a long-standing track record in community-based advocacy for environmental and economic justice. Mychal is the co-founder of South Bronx Unite, a coalition of residents, organizations and allies confronting policies that perpetuate harm and building support for viable community-driven solutions in the South Bronx, where one in five children suffer from asthma because of the oversaturation of industrial facilities and diesel truck intensive businesses and decades of neglect.”

Aurash Khawarzad, Artist, Educator and Urban Planner
“Aurash Khawarzad is an Artist, Educator, and Urban Planner. His work uses a combination of research, creative practice, and multi-disciplinary collaboration, as a means of visioning communities. Most recently he created of The Upper Manhatta(n) Project, a model for creating resilience to climate change. He is originally from Virginia and has been practicing in New York City since 2009.”
Get his book, The Upper Manhatta(n) Project

Become a Patron at Patreon. That's also where you'll find research materials related to this episode along with links and more on our guests.

F-Word: From Voice of America to NPR, New CEO John Lansing's Glass House Sep 09, 2019

"I don’t know about you but I take a teeny weeny bit of offense when a guy in a glass house lobs a great big stone and expects me not to notice the sound of shattering."

Help us thrive and not just survive, by becoming a member you'll unlock additional audio extras and more.

Special: Our Economy, For and By The People Sep 04, 2019

Our city's economy – what is it for? New York's has been very good at piling up profits and building tall buildings. But all that private profit has come at a cost to public services and public trust. Could it be different? On this week's show, we talk about the new conversations that are happening between labor unions and community members. Between residents, workers, and employers about how everyone's economy can move forward.
J. Phillip Thomson Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives, City of New York
Roger Green Executive Director, DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy
Gladys Drew Worker-owner, Cooperative Home Care Associates
Adria Powell President and CEO, Cooperative Home Care Associates
Lynn Benander President, Co-op Power
Rebecca Lurie Coordinator, Community and Worker Ownership Project
Shilpa Nandwani Co-founder, Khao'na Kitchen
Cole Carothers Co-founder, Khao'na Kitchen
Sheila R. Foster Professor of Law and Public Policy, Georgetown Law
the Resistance Revival Chorus

Our economic model is crowd funding, become a member today https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Alice Sheppard and STREB: Beauty, Risk, Mobility, and Inclusion Aug 27, 2019

This week, dance as world-changing movement with two artists who expand our ideas about beauty, risk, mobility, and inclusion. Wheelchair dancer and esteemed choreographer Alice Sheppard, and MacArthur Genius Award-winning action architect Elizabeth Streb. What difference does art make? Should art-making be a human right? What will it take to disable the limits society puts around “normal”? These questions and more this week on the Laura Flanders Show.

Become a Patron at Patreon. That's also where you'll find research materials related to this episode along with links and more on our guests.

Storming the Federal Reserve Aug 20, 2019

This week we talk about the way central banks steer world development and for whom. Former Goldman Sachs manager Nomi Prins, author of Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World and public ownership researcher Thomas Hanna of The Democracy Collaborative believe that banking, and development, could be very different. We're Storming the Federal Reserve this week on the LF Show.

Music Featured: "You & Me" written and performed by Danny McGaw. Companion song to Nomi Prins' new book released on May 1, 2018 'Collusion-How Central Bankers Rigged the World'

Become a Patron at Patreon. That's also where you'll find research materials related to this episode along with links and more on our guests.

F-Word: Woodstock Urges Roaming Aug 16, 2019

"One-two-three-four/ What are we waiting for? Fifty years on, after a night spent largely on that big wet, now commercialized field in Bethel, New York, I'm pondering what’s happened since. What’s taken so long?"

Take a listen to this week's podcast re-share of a popular interview with music producer Danny Goldberg about the Hippie Revolution – and a performance of Climbing Poetree.

Help us thrive and not just survive, at Patreon.com/theLFShow

Music, Spirit & Protest: The Hippie Idea, Woodstock & Climbing PoeTree Aug 15, 2019

Can music make a movement? This week, legendary music producer Danny Goldberg will reflect on 50 years since Woodstock and go in “Search of the Lost Chord”, his book about the hippie summer of 1967. Then, from today's movement music scene, Alixa Garcia and Naima Penniman of Climbing PoeTree talk about their album, “Intrinsic”, and perform for us in-studio. Music Featured: “Mantra” by Ram Dass and Kriese off the album ‘Cosmix’ courtesy of Waveform Records.

Become a Patron at Patreon. That's also where you'll find research materials related to this episode along with links and more on our guests.

New Justice: A World Beyond Prisons Aug 07, 2019

Prisons, police and punishment through incarceration. Are they with us forever in the land of the free? Sustained campaigns for change are beginning to pay off. At the community level, it turns out that a whole lot of people and places already make peace without cops. Today, we imagine a world without prisons. It may be closer than we think. Music Featured: “If Everyone Were Blind” by Victor Simonelli and Glenn Sweety G Toby, from the “Shelter From the Streets Compilation” courtesy of West Side and Stellar Records.

Guests: Esteban Kelly, Executive Director, US Federation of Worker Cooperatives and a founder and core trainer with AORTA; Kenyon Farrow, Senior Editor, TheBody.com, and works with Queers for Economic Justice, Critical Resistance, and FIERCE!; and Kerbie Joseph, Community Organizer, ANSWER (Act Now To Stop War and End Racism) & The Audre Lorde Project.

Become a Patron at Patreon. That's also where you'll find research materials related to this episode along with links and more on our guests.

Audio Exclusive: Artists as Agents of Change, Celebrating Ben Barber Aug 01, 2019

Enjoy a panel discussion moderated by Laura Flanders and a key note address by Oskar Eustis, director of the famed Public Theater in New York, featuring artists as agents of change celebrating the work of Ben Barber, founder of the "Interdependence Movement". The artists, activists and scholars featured were chosen to represent the new and inspiring ways in which the arts, culture, and creativity in particular are giving voice to a new generation of activism, in engaging Barber’s Interdependence Movement philosophy. Panelists included: Cristal Chanel Truscott, Ruchira Gupta, Mohsin Mohi Ud Din, Arturo O'Farrill.

The event took place this past April at New York University’s Skirball Hall and was promoted jointly by the Performing Arts Library, NYU, Asia Society, and Voices of a People's History.

You'll find more information and a link where you can watch the event in its' entirety at Patreon.

The Mad Military Money Machine Jul 31, 2019

There’s something sick about US Military spending. It’s certainly not keeping anyone safe. This week, why we the public spend billions on bad technology and what happens to service people who speak up about it. Then, Jodie Evans of CODEPINK, on a peace economy – what might it look like? Music feature: "Cultural Verses" by Peace Bureau.

Guests: Phyllis Bennis, Fellow, Institute for Policy Studies; Pam Campos-Palma, Former Intelligence Analyst, US Air Force; Andrew Cockburn, Washington Editor, Harper’s Magazine; Jodie Evans, Co-founder, CODEPINK.

Become a Patron at Patreon. That's also where you'll find research materials related to this episode along with links and more on our guests.

Housing as a Human Right Jul 24, 2019

The great American housing crunch and what organizing can do about it. This week we discuss some of the challenges and victories in the campaign for green, affordable public housing.

Guests:
-Cea Weaver, Campaign Coordinator, Upstate Downstate Housing Alliance
-Daniel Aldana Cohen, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
-Anita Long, Volunteer, CASA - Community Action for Safe Apartments

Become a Patron at Patreon. That's also where you'll find research materials related to this episode along with links and more on our guests. Write a podcast review at Apple Podcasts, share it via Twitter and include our tag @theLFShow, and you'll be entered in our raffle to win a pair of tickets to the July 28 boat party where proceeds will go to support this show.

Design for Justice: Disabled Hackers are Leading the Way Jul 17, 2019

Can technology advance society if it doesn't include all of society? This week, we talk with three disability justice activists who have ideas about how tech can ensure design, technology, and art are accessible and equitable. Not just ideas, they're doing it, and they are sparking a movement. Music Featured: “Feel It” by Bosq featured on the ‘Love and Resistance’ album courtesy of Ubiquity Records.

Guests:
Laurel Lawson, Chief Technology Officer, CyCore Systems;
Chancey Fleet, Data And Society Fellow
Vilissa Thompson, Founder and CEO, Ramp Your Voice

Become a Patron at Patreon. That's also where you'll find research materials related to this episode along with links and more on our guests. Write a podcast review at Apple Podcasts, share it via Twitter and include our tag @theLFShow, and you'll be entered in our raffle to win a pair of tickets to the July 28 boat party where proceeds will go to support this show.

F-Word: Jerome Roos' Smart Take On The Next Financial Crisis Jul 15, 2019

This week's commentary comes by way of Jerome Roos, an LSE Fellow in international political economy at the London School of Economics and founding editor of ROAR Magazine. He paints a grim picture of a global finance system that's taken a gamble having sought to solve the problem of too much debt with even more debt. And this precarious pile-up of gambling chips might also point to another, less talked about reason, why President Trump has spent so much time and energy attacking the chairman of the Fed. He knows a crash is coming, and he wants someone to blame. This pile’s going to fall on someone—the question is, on whom?

Help us thrive and not just survive, by becoming a member you'll unlock the full transcript of Jerome Roos' interview along with additional audio extras and more.

Listening to Our Better Angels Jul 10, 2019

Red, blue, rich, poor, country, city, left or right. Chances are you probably fall into one of those categories. And you may be quite happy where you are. The people of Better Angels believe there's still value in talking, and they've come up with a way of doing it that actually seems to bring people together. Music featured: “The Positive And The Negative” by Minoru Muraoka, from ’Bamboo’, courtesy of Mr. Bongo Records.

Become a Patron at Patreon. That's also where you'll find research materials related to this episode along with links and more on our guests. Write a podcast review at Apple Podcasts, share it via Twitter and include our tag @theLFShow, and you'll be entered in our raffle to win a pair of tickets to the July 28 boat party where proceeds will go to support this show.

Feminists Writing History: Cherríe Moraga and Adrienne Maree Brown Jul 03, 2019

We go in-depth with two feminist authors and a feminist bookstore. First to Barnard College for a talk with Chicana activist and author Cherríe Moraga about her 1st book release in eight years. Then, a unique kind of activism from adrienne maree brown, whose latest bestselling book is an examination of activist pleasure. Lastly, a landmark feminist bookstore turns 20 years old. Music featured: “Universal Woman” by Dana Byrd featuring Tantra Zawadi and Rescue Poetix, courtesy of Mikki Afflick’s Soul Sun Soul Music. And music by Poddington Bear.

Become a Patron at Patreon. That's also where you'll find research materials related to this episode along with links and more on our guests. Write a podcast review at Apple Podcasts, share it via Twitter and include our tag @theLFShow, and you'll be entered in our raffle to win a pair of tickets to the July 28 boat party where proceeds will go to support this show.

F-Word: Love and Rights: Contingent or Unconditional? Jul 01, 2019

"Are rights things to be granted by the powerful to the deserving few, contingent on their obedience, someone’s convenience, and adherence to the prevailing rules and conventions? Or..."

Laura Flanders' commentary, The F-Word.

Help us thrive and not just survive, by becoming a member https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Democracy: Past, Present... and Future? Jun 26, 2019

Don't remember the past? Does that mean you're condemned to repeat it? What does our country's past tell us about our present— and how can it help us imagine a better future? This week, two leading thinkers on the tricky challenges of democracy. What are the best tools— and even the best words we can use to create a better future? Music Featured: "Freedom" by David Morales and Janice Robinson, courtesy of Diridim Records.

Guests:
•Scot Nakagawa, Senior Partner at ChangeLab
•Astra Taylor, filmmaker, and co-founder of the Debt Collective, and author of “Democracy May Not Exist, but We’ll Miss It When It’s Gone”.

Write a podcast review at Apple Podcasts, share it via Twitter and include our tag @theLFShow, or become a member, and you'll be entered in our raffle to receive a ticket to the July 28 dance party on a boat in NYC, where proceeds will go to support this show. If you are a member, you will automatically be entered.

Audio Exclusive- Mary Robinson: Women Leading In Climate Justice Jun 24, 2019

Laura interviewed Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and U.N. Special Envoy on Climate Change, at the Bellagio Women’s Leadership Forum. Robinson speaks on producing visionary women leaders and dismantling patriarchy, particularly as tools for achieving climate justice.

One of the biggest tasks we face in building a just transition to a habitable planet is, according to Mary, a huge shift in "the political will." Mary shares with us her convictions about who has the capacity to facilitate that shift. She brings their voices to the forefront in her new book ‘Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future.’
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Stonewall 100: Riotous Past, Rapturous Futures Jun 20, 2019

Fifty years ago at The Stonewall Inn, gay pride took the form of a riot, not a parade. Today, the question remains as relevant as ever: Just how do we define "love is love," and what are we willing to do to defend one another? This week, we speak with a group of LGBTQIA+ leaders who each have a different relationship to being out and proud. We've come a long way they say, but in the next 50 years, we have a long way to go.

Here’s “Light of Love” by Lady Alma off her new full length album “Twilight”, a 9 track anthology, produced by Mark de Clive Lowe, released on Mashi-Beats.

GUESTS: Scot Nakagawa, Senior Partner, ChangeLab; Bri M., Creator and Producer of the podcast Power Not Pity; Kaz Mitchell, Co-Executive Director, Circle of Voices Inc.; and Edafe Okporo, Director, RDJ Refugee Shelter.

Become a Patron at Patreon. That's also where you'll find research materials related to this episode along with links and more on our guests.

F-Word: In Barcelona, Being a Fearless City Mayor Means Letting the People Decide Jun 13, 2019

'No matter the result of the elections, Barcelona's Ada Colau and Barcelona en Comú continue to put principles into practice.'

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Aging Isn't a Problem, Ageism Is Jun 13, 2019

Someone turns 65 every 8 seconds in this country, and as our elderly population grows, so does the need to build an economy around our future selves. In this episode, three leaders in the age justice movement share their ideas about how we can age with dignity, power, and change our society to reflect just that. Then we visit the largest home care cooperative in the U.S. to take a look at age justice, and worker justice, in practice. Music featured “A Minute” by Janine Lyons from her album “Epiphany” released on Honeycomb Music.

Guests: Alice Fisher- The Radical Age Movement; Rachel McCullough- NY Caring Majority; Penny Cook- Pioneer Network; Ashton Applewhite Author, The Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism; Adria Powell- Cooperative Home Care Associates; Gladys Drew, Cooperative home Care Associates

Community Land Trusts: A Model for Reparations? Jun 05, 2019

400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived in Jamestown, many people agree reparations are due, but what would they look like? How about affordable property put into Black hands, in perpetuity? Could community land trusts be one way of making repairs? A lawyer, a policy advocate and an organizer with homeless New Yorkers explain what’s possible, and what’s being done.

For research materials pertaining to the show including links to related articles goto Patreon.com/theLFShow

F-Word: Reporter in Spain May 30, 2019

"Eighty years ago, this April, Spain fell under a thirty year dictatorship after right beat left in a brutal civil war. History feels acutely alive to me today and not just because for the first time in my life, I’m in Spain."

The F-Word, Laura Flanders' commentary.

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Podcast Share: Building Local Power - Shining a Light on Anti-Competitive Behavior May 29, 2019

This week, we’re happy to share with you a podcast we love and enjoy called ‘Building Local Power” produced by the Institute For Local Self-Reliance and hosted by ILSR staff members Chris Mitchell, Stacy Mitchell and John Farrell. The podcast offers new ideas for breaking the hold of corporate monopolies and expanding the power of communities to chart their own future. The following episode is titled “Shining a Light on Anti-Competitive Behavior”. They discuss the AT&T and Timer Warner merger; how New Mexico’s Energy Transition Act is not in the public interest, and other anti-competitive corporate actions and state policies that might have slipped under the radar.

Help us thrive and not just survive, by becoming a member. Support theLFShow by becoming a member today!

Minicast Exclusive: Municipalism 101: Fearless Cities 2018 May 23, 2019

Across the world, renters in cities are being pushed out of neighborhoods because landlords and homeowners can make more money temporarily renting out their spaces to tourists.

In 2014 thousands of people took to the streets of BCN to protest Air Bnb. Four years later with Barcelona en Comú represented in City Council the city has successfully passed legislation to limit Air BnB and lay some ground rules for tourist development.

What can be learned from the Barcelona example? What strategies do we use to re-articulate that the city is a shared space for living and not for speculative and extractive economics?

Barcelona en Comú is a part of a network of municipalist movements that calls themselves Fearless Cities. Today, on the LF Show, we will hear from people building these fearless institutions and movements with guests Debbie Bookchin, Rodrigo Cornejo, Kali Akuno, and Gala Pin.

For suggested reading, research and links to our guests and issues featured in this episode, go to: Patreon.com/theLFShow

Special Report: Whose Economy Is It? Ours May 22, 2019

Our city's economy – what is it for? New York's has been very good at piling up profits and building tall buildings. But all that private profit has come at a cost to public services and public trust. Could it be different? On this week's show, we talk about the new conversations that are happening between labor unions and community members. Between residents, workers, and employers about how everyone's economy can move forward.

Guests:
•J. Phillip Thomson, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives, City of New York
•Roger Green, Executive Director, DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy
•Gladys Drew, Worker-owner, Cooperative Home Care Associates
•Adria Powell, President and CEO, Cooperative Home Care Associates
•Lynn Benander, President, Co-op Power
•Rebecca Lurie, Coordinator, Community and Worker Ownership Project
•Shilpa Nandwani, Co-founder, Khao'na Kitchen
•Cole Carothers, Co-founder, Khao'na Kitchen
•Sheila R. Foster, Professor of Law and Public Policy, Georgetown Law
• Live performance by the Resistance Revival Chorus at the close of the show

F-Word: Can It Happen Here? May 20, 2019

"white nationalists have been targeting bookstores and libraries across the country for a while"....."It’s not the hate that’s new. It’s the apparent sense of entitlement. ....they’re out in plain sight, and not just in the media’s backwaters but in the nation’s capital...."

The F-Word, Laura Flanders' commentary.
Support the LFShow! You'll receive a copy of Laura Flanders' Izzy Award acceptance speech on independent journalism and additional audio extras and more by becoming a member for as little as $2 a month.

Dance as World-Changing Movement: Alice Sheppard and STREB May 15, 2019

This week, two artists who expand our ideas about beauty, risk, mobility, and inclusion. Wheelchair dancer and esteemed choreographer Alice Sheppard, and MacArthur Genius Award-winning action architect Elizabeth Streb. What difference does art make? Should art-making be a human right? What will it take to disable the limits society puts around “normal”? Music Featured: “How Do You Feel?” by Vanessa Daou from her “Welcome to My Blues: Anthology (1994-2017)” released on Daou Music in conjunction with Kidd Recordings.

For suggested reading, research and links to our guests and issues featured in this episode, go to: Patreon.com/theLFShow That's where you can become a member. Our goal is to sign up 25 new members during our May Day to Memorial Day Membership Drive,

Standing Up To The Sacklers May 08, 2019

Art organizations and sponsorship dollars have gone hand in hand for decades. But with backlash and protests over donors ethics, should cultural institutions begin looking into new funding streams? We look at the role of private dollars vs. public good in cultural art institutions. PLUS, A AUDIO EXCLUSIVE: The conversation continues with guest Jonathan H. Marks We discuss his new book “Perils of Partnership.” Music Featured: Reverend Billy & The Stop Shopping Choir, a radical activist performance community, with “Beatitudes”, from their premiere album “The Shopocalypse.”

Guests: L.A. Kauffman, activist and member of Sackler P.A.I.N and Author, HOW TO READ A PROTEST
Professor Jonathan H. Marks Director of the Bioethics Program at Penn State University, and affiliate faculty in law and international affairs. And author of a new book “Perils of Partnership”
Jess Worth, Activist, co-founder of “BP or not BP”and the Art Not Oil coalitions and currently is the co-director of Culture Unstained.

For suggested reading, research and links to our guests and issues featured in this episode, go to: Patreon.com/theLFShow

F-Word: The Opportunity Cost of Trump TV May 06, 2019

"The Attorney General’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee and his standoff with the House may be important. Something, sometime, may come of it. But let’s consider the opportunity cost of all that one-note coverage."
The F-Word, Laura Flanders' commentary. Support the LFShow! You'll receive a copy of Laura Flanders' Izzy Award acceptance speech on independent journalism and additional audio extras and more by becoming a member for as little as $2 a month.

Chatanooga to Karachi: Resilient Under Violence May 01, 2019

Recently, a fire at Highlander Center gained national attention for the historic movement institution. Donations, messages of love, and some knee-jerk panic poured in for the co-directors, well known to the Laura Flanders Show. Co-directors Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson and Rev. Allyn Maxfield-Steele join us from Chattanooga to discuss the fire at their home, as well as arsons across the country and world, at Black churches, at Notre Dame, and in Sri Lanka. Has capitalism limited our empathy?

More in this episode: Pakistani activist, lawyer, and feminist on why digital rights are fundamentally civil and human rights that women deserve. Advances to allow for women’s access to technology have been made in Pakistan, says Dad. But true freedom of access is still a long ways away As an organizer of Pakistan’s aurat march (Women’s March), Dad has experienced both the danger and the satisfaction that can come from challenging cultural restrictions. She is the founder and Executive Director of Pakistan’s Digital Rights Foundation.

Music Featured: "Power Justice and Love" by Morley from her album 1000 Miles released on Six Degrees Records.

For suggested reading, research and links to our guests and issues featured in this episode, go to: Patreon.com/theLFShow

Minicast Exclusive: Teachers on Trial Apr 29, 2019

Search for school cheating stories today and you’ll find a slew of articles and news reports on parents charged in the recent college admissions scandal. But skip back to 2015 and the eyes of the education world were on Georgia, where the state’s longest-running criminal case involved teachers and administrators, predominantly Black, accused and convicted in a RICO case of changing student test results to improve test scores. A new book, None of the Above: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Public Schools Cheating Scandal, Corporate Greed, and the Criminalization of Educators, aims to correct the record on the story and draw attention to the broader issue of how our system has failed both educators and students and how a grab by corporate interests from public housing to charter schools is at play putting profits over people. Joining us in this episode are co-authors Shani Robinson, a teacher who was charged and incarcerated in the case, and Anna Simonton, reporter and writer.

For more information and to listen to the interview in its' entirety, go to Patreon.com/theLFShow

Drawing Comix At The Margins Apr 24, 2019

For our Patreon Community, you’ll find more in depth information on this week's show, including research materials and additional links to explore.

Read Nate Powell’s About Face connecting paramilitary influence on civilian consumer style as we shrug off the encroaching normalization of fascism.
And more on Mohammad Saba’aneh’s book, White & Black: Political Cartoons from Palestine, which draw attention to brutalities of the Israeli occupation and celebrate the Palestinians’ popular resistance.

Music in the Middle: “The Burning City” by Q Burns Abstract Message from his album “Audio Totem Pole”, released on 8D-Industries.

F-Word: Lyra McKee, Shot Dead In Derry, Reported on the Uncomfortable Apr 22, 2019

"These days, establishment journalists spend inordinate amounts of time, bemoaning their own welfare and the state of their beleaguered industry. but it’s rarely been journalism fed and watered by the establishment that’s asked anything uncomfortable and McKee called for us to have uncomfortable conversations."

The F-Word, Laura Flanders' commentary.
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Integration Won't Solve Racism in Schools Apr 17, 2019

Segregation in Education is as bad as ever, and no end appears to be sight. So what approaches might make a difference. What if Segregation, per se, wasn’t the problem? This week, educators speak out, and we visit an Afrocentric school in Brooklyn, where mindfulness and race are not a detail. Music Feature: “Plain Folks” by Alexis P. Suter and T.U.B.A., released on HipBone Records.

Guests:
-Rafiq R. Kalam Id-Din II, Esq. ,Founder & Managing Partner Ember Charter Schools for Mindful Education, Innovation and Transformation
-Lurie Daniel-Favors, Esq. General Counsel, The Center for Law and Social Justice
-Matt Gonzales, Director of School Diversity, New York Appleseed

For our Patreon Community, you’ll find more in depth information on this weeks show, including research materials and additional links to explore.

Are Women Better at Waging Peace? Apr 10, 2019

It’s time to start looking at conflict in a new and different way -- and women are at the forefront. A look into a new PBS film series with an all-female directors that is focusing attention on what we can learn from women who risked their lives for peace -- and changed history in the process. Guests: Julia Bacha, a Peabody and Guggenheim award-winning filmmaker, and director of “Naila and the Uprising”. Gini Reticker, an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker who directed “The Trials of Spring” and is also an executive producer of the Women, War, and Peace series. Music Spotlight: Blake Leyh’s film score for Gini Reticker’s “The Trials of Spring".

For our Patreon Community, you’ll find more in depth information on this week's show, including research materials and additional links to explore.

Minicast Exclusive: Citizenship Inc: History of the Passport Apr 08, 2019

Trump’s hardline policies have all sorts of people asking how our immigration rules got to be so open to abuse - and what alternatives are out there? Is there any country that treats migrants right? And if so, what could we learn from them? Joining Laura to unpack these issues are Atossa Araxia Abrahamian, Senior Editor at The Nation magazine and author of “The Cosmopolites”, a book that focuses on the buying and selling of citizenship and John Torpey, Professor of Sociology and History and Director of the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies at the Graduate Center, of the City Univeristy of New York. He’s also the author of “The Invention of the Passport: Surveillance, Citizenship, and the State” that details the history of the modern passport and why it became so important for controlling movement in the modern world.

Can Marijuana Create a Path to Justice? Apr 04, 2019

The fight for legalization of marijuana has never been easy and it's still not, as evidenced by the recent collapse of a month's long effort in New Jersey and the battle still raging in New York. A key issue in both is how to ensure that legalizing of cannabis doesn't just make for another privatized corporate monopoly. But instead repairs the harm that's been done by the war on drugs. Music in the middle: “Us and Them” by Easy Star All Stars and remixed by Dreadzone from their tribute album to Pink Floyd titled ‘Dubside of the Moon’ released on Easy Star Records.
For more resources and greater information goto: https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

Guests:
Kassandra Frederique, NY State Director, Drug Policy Alliance
Mary Pryor, Founder & CEO, Cannaclusive
Raybblin Vargas, Communications Coordinator, Green Worker Cooperatives
*All guests are a part of a Coalition - Start Smart New York

F-Word: Collusion is in Plain Sight Mar 29, 2019

"A collusion crisis. Barr says Mueller says he found no proof of a Russia/Trump Campaign conspiracy to undermine US democracy. Oh no! How are cable companies going to keep their ratings up with an audience that’s collusion-hooked?"

The F-Word, Laura Flanders' commentary.

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Gender Ideology: A Pretext for Murder in Brazil Mar 27, 2019

Just days before the anniversary of activist Marielle Franco's assassination in Brazil, prosecutors there charged two former police officers with her murder. Those arrests may provide a partial answer to the question of who killed her but many other questions, including who ordered her killing and why, remain unanswered. This week, we talk with Yifat Susskind of MADRE and K.K Verdade of ELAS about the current fight for human rights in Brazil, and the right-wing hate campaign against feminist so-called "gender ideology" worldwide. Music Spotlight: “Marielle Franco (Desabafo)” by MC Carol featuring Heavy Baile

For our Patreon Community, you’ll find more in depth information on this weeks show, including research materials and additional links to explore.

F-Word: The Anti-Vaxx Epidemic Mar 22, 2019

The State of Washington has declared a public health emergency due to spreading outbreaks of Measles. The World Health Organization credits "Vaccine Hesitancy" as a cause of the resurgence. And Trump tops it off by tweeting his doubts about vaccines and what he's called doctor inflicted diseases—it looks like more than just the measles are contagious!

The F-Word, Laura Flanders' commentary.
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New Media, Old Problems: Buzzfeed, Vox, and Vice Unionize Mar 20, 2019

The media layoffs are here. It's new media’s sky-is-falling moment. Instead of the promised golden age, we're seeing rolling cutbacks and massive layoffs at digital darlings like Vice and Buzzfeed. Is that it, for workers rights? Are unions any match for advertising pressure from Google and Facebook? Music Featured: “The Awakening” by 4 Hero featuring Ursula Rucker. Support theLFShow!

Guests:
Kim Kelly, Council Member, Writers Guild of America, East
Albert Samaha, Investigative Reporter, Buzz Feed News
Nastaran Mohit, Organizing Director, The NewsGuild of New York

Exclusive Minicast: Clifford Rosenthal “Democratizing Finance: Origins of the Community Development Financial Institutions Movement” Mar 18, 2019

CDFIs grew from church basements and kitchen tables to number more than 1,000 institutions with billions of dollars of capital. Joining us to explain just how CDFI’s make a difference - from inner cities to Native American reservations, is Clifford Rosenthal, an internationally recognized developer of programs to provide financial access for low-income and underserved people, and author of the new book "Democratizing Finance: Origins of the Community Development Financial Institutions Movement" that traces the roots of community development finance over two centuries, situating CDFIs within the long history of institutions that seek to provide access to capital for communities previously denied access to it. They are a great development model.

Sex, Pleasure, and Liberation: Desire in A World Transformed Mar 13, 2019

Regulation, degradation, shaming, blaming - enough! Is it time for sexual liberation yet? We talk a lot about sex but not often enough about pleasure, On today's show we try to make up for that and hear from some bloggers, activists and educators who are practicing very positive consent. Music Featured: Allies And Enemies by Zara McFarlane on Brownswood Music; Free by Ultra Naté. Support theLFShow!

Featured Guests and their Podcasts: Jaclyn Friedman Unscrewed; Tina Horn Why Are People Into That ; Ericka Hart Hoodrat to Headwrap: A Decolonized Podcast

F-Word: Making American Journalism Great and Different Mar 08, 2019

The same miserable mob that mauled main street banks has plundered and pillaged newspapers across the country. Pursuing only profits, private hedge funds bought and stripped even long-lived legacy papers leaving them for dead. One in five local papers has shut up shop in the last 10 years, according to a recent report from the Knight Foundation.

Check out Laura Flanders report for the Next System, "Next System Media: An Urgent Necessity" and more coverage at our website in our archives.
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Tech: Existential Threat or Life Support? Mar 06, 2019

Days of wonder, days of rage. We're living through an information revolution as profound as any since Gutenberg and the printing press, but are we the people, the so-called "users", using the technology or is the technology using us and for what ends? How can we harness this particular transformation for good? That’s the question, and we have some answers. Guests: media theorist and author Douglas Rushkoff. His latest book is ‘Team Human,’ based on his podcast of the same name, as well as best sellers including “Present Shock” about the onslaught of anti-human tech; also in studio, Data and Society Fellow Chancey Fleet, named 2017 Library Journal Mover and Shaker back when she jump started the conversation around tactile literacy, spatial learning and more; and Technologist, Educator and Organizer Nabil Hassein, a co-organizer for Code Ecologies and the School for Poetic Computation.

Commoning Our Cities: Mary Miss, Silvia Federici, Peter Linebaugh Feb 27, 2019

Reinventing our cities and re-enchanting the world. Who gets a say in designing where they live? What if more of us did? This week, we visit Mary Miss, a Guggenheim fellow and celebrated artist, whose organization, The City as Living Laboratory, strives to empower people to create not the cliché of the sustainable city, she says, but places of living and breathing, creative sustenance. Then we speak to scholars Silvia Federici and Peter Linebaugh about the promises of "commoning" for our environment – and our social health. Music Featured: "Harvest for the World" rework by Groove Junkies & ReelSoul featuring Nichelle Monroe, released on MoreHouse Records.

F-Word: Time for Socialist History Month? Feb 22, 2019

"We need to take a long, hard look at the ideology that underpins what we call capitalism," Laura Flanders' commentary, The F-Word.

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NYC Organizers Say #NOHQ2 and Win Feb 20, 2019

Amazon’s HQ2 in New York City's Long Island City neighborhood of Queens is off. In a conversation recorded before the news broke, we looked at the resistance the plan provoked and why, and considered how development might be possible without displacement? The conversation featured Sasha Wijeyeratne, Executive Director of CAAAV organizing Asian communities, Juleon Robinson, Program Associate of the New Economy Project, and Maritza Silva-Farrell, Executive Director of ALIGN, Then we take a tour of that neighborhood with a Long Island preacher’s son,” Bishop Mitchell G. Taylor, Senior Pastor of Center of Hope Church International and the co-founder & CEO of Urban UpBound, L.I.C., Queens. Music Spotlight: Pete Seeger singing “Which Side Are You On?” written by Florence Reece in 1931. Support TheLFShow!

F-Word: An End to Amazon’s Two-Bit Romance. No Low-Rent Rendez-Vous Feb 15, 2019

Like a macho man in the pre-feminist era, Amazon wanted things their way or no way. That’s how monopolies roll. Don’t ask questions, don’t consider options, and whatever you do, don’t conduct a background check.

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The Pregnancy to Prison Pipeline: Media Matters Feb 13, 2019

As the President sounds off about holy babies born and unborn, we talk about the ongoing criminalization of women who happen to get pregnant. What has been the media’s role and have they done enough to make amends? We’ll talk to Lynn Paltrow, one of the lawyers representing incarcerated women, media critic Janine Jackson, and Suzanne Sellers who fell afoul of one of those laws in the 1990s. Then, a drill down with Lynn Paltrow about the threats to Roe and more. Music Featured: "Mr. President" by Kana Mota. Support theLFShow! The NYTimes Article and Apology

F-Word: In Prison, the Power’s On But There’s No Accountability Feb 08, 2019

"It shouldn’t take a week without heat during a polar vortex and hour after hour of hands hammering on windows for hours to sound an alarm about conditions in federal lock up."

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By Every Means Necessary: Southern Progressives Are Shaking Up Politics Feb 06, 2019

When you live in the rural South, your story rarely makes the news, but Southern activists are shaking things up, with their votes, and their broadband transmitter too. This week, Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson and Rev. Allyn Maxfield-Steele, the co-directors of the revered civil rights school, the Highlander Center, talk about blue waves, black women and broadband. And we revisit Detroit, where residents denied affordable internet meshed servers to serve their neighbors, one rooftop at a time. “As the World Ends” by TQX featuring Gian Slater and Pete Miser from the album Global Intimacy released on Extra Celestial Arts. Support theLFShow!

Green New Deal, Yellow Vests Jan 30, 2019

Is the climate movement heating up? This week on the show, activists at all levels of the climate justice movement discuss how inter-generational, cross-coalition, and global organizing is taking control of the future without waiting for anyone. Can the U.S born Green New Deal learn from yellow-vested workers’ agitation in France? And who’s new Deal is it anyway? In this episode: Elizabeth Yeampierre, co-chair of the Climate Justice Alliance; Sean Sweeney, Director of Cornell Global Labor Institute’s International Program for Labor, Climate & Environment; and Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the Sunrise Movement. Music featured: "Leaving This Planet" Charles Earland re-make by Mark De Clive-Lowe featuring Sharlene Hector; “Song for the Yellow Vests” by Birmingham, UK’s, Lee Brickley.

Minicast Exclusive: Who’s Afraid of Public Ownership? Jan 28, 2019

The following minicast features Laura in conversation with Thomas Hanna, research director at The Democracy Collaborative and author of “Our Common Wealth: The Return of Public Ownership in the United States”. They discuss public ownership. From banks and parking meters to water and electrical supplies, there's more of it in the US than you might think. Who’s afraid of it and what are they afraid of? For more, watch or take a listen to our recent episode, ‘Revolution at the Federal Reserve’ featuring former Goldman Sachs manager, Nomi Prins and Thomas Hanna in a conversation about the way that central bankers steer world development and how things could be different. Support theLFShow! Become a member.

Revolution at the Federal Reserve and Public Banking: Nomi Prins & Thomas Hanna Jan 23, 2019

As the World Economic Forum takes place in Davos, Switzerland, we talk about the way central banks steer world development and for whom. Former Goldman Sachs managing director Nomi Prins, author of "Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World," and public ownership researcher, Thomas Hanna, author of “Our Common Wealth: The Return of Public Ownership in the United States,” and Research Director at The Democracy Collaborative, believe that banking, and development, could be very different. Music featured: “You & Me” by Danny McGraw. Support theLFShow!

American Decline: A Case for Optimism Jan 16, 2019

Soul Fire Farm’s Leah Penniman talks with Chris Hedges, author of America: The Farewell Tour, about environmental threats, societal breakdown, and how we might come back together as humans. Then, a glimpse of CAGED, a play written and conceived by Hedges’ writing students in a high-security prison in New Jersey. Music featured: “Babylon Falling” by Thievery Corporation from their album Temple of I & I featuring Puma, released on Eighteenth Street Lounge Records.

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Transgender Narratives Are Expansive: Imara Jones Jan 09, 2019

Despite efforts over the last two years to curtail progress for trans people by the current administration, trans activism has gained momentum and become prominent within the movement for queer justice. Laura speaks with Imara Jones, a trans activist, former policymaker, and host of The Last Sip on Free Speech TV about her work to amplify transgender narratives, on and off the screen. Music featured: Anohni of Antony & the Johnson's "Everything Is New" from the film “Turning” created in collaboration with Charles Atlas. Support theLFShow, 10 Years of Making Power Through Media!

Economic Alternatives to Extractive Capitalism: Nathan Schneider and Virginia Eubanks Jan 02, 2019

Holiday Rewind: Since the 2008 financial crash, one thing we've learned is that there exist in the US not just one economy, but many, as well as many kinds of economic actors. From platform cooperatives to cryptocurrency, people are building economic alternatives to climate devastation and capitalist extraction. So says Nathan Schneider, crusader for the internet of ownership and author of Everything for Everyone: the Radical Tradition That Is Shaping The Next Economy. Plus, Virginia Eubanks on how government and corporations are erasing social services through unequal digital practices. Music: “You Are the One the World Becomes” by Morley, from her new album ‘1000 Miles’. Support theLFShow, 10 Years of Making Power Through Media!

From Farm To Coop To Table: Food Justice in Urban Agriculture Dec 26, 2018

Holiday Rewind. Food — from where it grows, to where it goes, all of it matters to our bodies and our communities. A conversation about how farmers are creating equitable food systems inside cities, from urban agriculture to worker-owned cooperatives. Guests: Susan Chin-Design Trust, Karen Washington-Rise & Root Farm and Ysanet Batista-Woke Foods. +Excerpts from Peter Coffin's "Music for Plants" Support theLFShow, 10 Years of Making Power Through Media!

Hallelujah Farewell: Chris Hedges and Reverend Billy Dec 19, 2018

Farewell to America, or just to this year? This week, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Chris Hedges explains why President Donald Trump is just the predictable end of a long sad history of American avarice and greed. Then, Reverend Billy celebrates the season with not buying, but boisterous singing. Hear what happened when he and his partner Savitri D. did bid farewell to America and took their riotous rituals to Europe. Support theLFShow, 10 Years of Making Power Through Media!

F-Word: In the French Yellow Vests Murdoch Finds a Movement to Like Dec 12, 2018

"By many accounts Macron's paying the price not so much for taxing carbon as for ignoring inequality and passing tax breaks for the rich, while pushing more austerity on people already at breaking point."
Laura Flanders, weekly commentary.

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Showing Up for Racial Justice and Arts Activism at the US-MX Border Dec 12, 2018

Looking back on the midterm elections, we ask the tough questions about white women voters and race, then get introduced to the hi-pinky salute across the border. We meet the co-founders of SURJ, Showing up for Racial Justice, and speak with Grammy Award Winner Arturo O’Farrill. Music spotlight “Line in the Sand” from “Fandango at the Wall: A Soundtrack for the United States, Mexico and Beyond” by Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. Support theLFShow, 10 Years of Making Power Through Media!

Food Justice Is About Everything We Do Dec 05, 2018

Where do we begin to think about food? Is it about how we grow it, how we eat it, or who has access to it? Isn't it all of it? However you put it, food is as political as it gets. Today, we'll hear from farmers, organizers, workers, and seed-keepers who all attended the NESAWG conference on food justice in late October. Among them, Leah Penniman whose beautiful new book, Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land, is out now. Thanks to Cheyenna Weber, consulting producer for the NESAWG segment. Support theLFShow, 10 Years of Making Power Through Media!

F-Word: HUD Official to Move into Public Housing? Dec 04, 2018

HUD NY official Lynne Patton is planning on moving into NYCHA projects, but why not move big money OUT of housing instead?

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F-Word: Amazon Gives to End Homelessness? That’s Rich Nov 27, 2018

The F-Word, Laura Flanders' weekly commentary.

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Building Power Through Media: Radio Kingston and DeRay Mckesson Nov 27, 2018

For many, mass movements have made them aware of media's failure to inform and represent them. Activists are now working to make their own media, and to rebuild traditional empowering media infrastructures. This week, we re-visit Radio Kingston, a station connecting communities and lifting up voices. Than joining Laura in studio, activist DeRay Mckesson, Pod Save the People host and author of ‘On the Other Side of Freedom’. Support theLFShow, make a year end donation!

Divest to Decolonize: Michelle Cook and Hartman Deetz Nov 21, 2018

As family and friends celebrate and give thanks, for indigenous peoples around the world perhaps apologies, even recompense, would be more in order. We’ll hear from Native American activists Michelle Cook and Hartman Deetz about the ongoing struggle for autonomy and environmental protection. Then our report on the thousand people in attendance at the American Museum of Natural History on Indigenous Peoples Day organized by Decolonize This Place. Music Spotlight: “Retribution” by Tanya Tagaq on Six Shooter Records. November 27th join Laura & guests - New Economy Screenings: Survival Socialism. Support theLFShow

F-Word: From Voting to Wealth Building for Native Americans Nov 20, 2018

Building a new economy for and by Native Americans requires election level attention beyond election week.

That new book out from the Democracy Collective, "An Indigenous Approach to Community Wealth Building: A Lakota Translation".

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Catastrophes, Cooperatives, and Capital Nov 14, 2018

Six years ago Superstorm Sandy hit, Lorena Giron and Brendan Martin of The Working World, an organization focused on starting and sustaining cooperatives in low-income communities, reports on the WORC's that emerged out of the devastation. And noted Marxist geographer and anthropologist, David Harvey. Music Spotlight: “New Laughter Mode (The Way In)” by Laraaji and Audio Active. November 27th join Laura & guests - New Economy Screenings: Survival Socialism Support theLFShow

F-Word: WTF White Women? Nov 09, 2018

"The particular patriarchs whom white women have put in office this November are on the record, anti-female. They’re even anti-white-female, if you happen to be pregnant or foreign-born, or poor or in imperfect health."

Our goal is to thrive, not just survive. By becoming a member, you sustain our independent, and grassroots-driven content! www.LauraFlanders.org

Resistance: The Ballot and The Bullhorn Nov 07, 2018

From no, I won't to yes, we will. It’s official a record breaking number of women have won seats in Congress. Over a hundred women, more women than ever, were voted in including New Mexico’s Deb Halland and Sharice Davids, the Congress’ first 2 Native American women, and Davids is the first out lesbian Native American too. As anticipated, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a socialist Democrat, is now Congresswoman of New York. With the midterms behind us we’re looking at the roots of struggle for good governance in these United States, and hear among others from historian Jeff Biggers, dream defender Phillip Agnew and Niaz Dorry, Executive Director of the National Family Farm Coalition. Plus, women suffrage fighters, Susan B. Anthony and the voice of people's historian, Howard Zinn. Music Spotlight: “What the World Needs Now” a rework by Jonathan Butler, featured on “Close To You”, his tribute album to Burt Bacharach released on Mack Avenue. Support theLFShow

F-Word: Hate Speech at Homeland Security Nov 02, 2018

Someone scrawled KILL N@%gers on the African Burial Ground National Monument in New York this week, not thirty five feet from the headquarters of the Department of Homeland Security, ICE and the FBI.

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Can a Progressive Candidate Win in Rural America?: Anthony Flaccavento Oct 31, 2018

Anthony Flaccavento is running for the US House seat in Virginia's 9th district, a large, sparsely populated region in the southwestern corner of the state. We'll meet the people working on his grassroots campaign, a coalition of farmers, miners, students, seniors and activists that may serve as a practical blueprint for many Democrats competing in so-called "Red States". Music featured, Appalachian artist Nora Jane Struthers singing “Champion” to the tree sitters in the woods of Elliston, Virginia. Support theLFShow

F-Word: Is Donald Trump Responsible For Violence? Absolutely Oct 26, 2018

Is Donald Trump responsible for unhinged violence against innocent people? Absolutely. You only have to look at Yemen to see that.

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Kingston Calling: Making Media Into Action Oct 24, 2018

For many, mass movements have made them aware of media's failure to inform and represent them. Activists are now working to make their own media, and to rebuild the empowering media infrastructures that have existed previously. This week, we visit a local, innovative radio station in Kingston, NY and talk to Pod Save the People's DeRay Mckesson, activist and author, about how he's turned social media into social justice.

The Next Economy: Worker-Led, for Public Interest Oct 17, 2018

10 years since the financial crash we've learned that there exists in the US not just one economy, but many, as well as many kinds of economic actors. From platform cooperatives to cryptocurrency, people are continuously building economic alternatives. So says Nathan Schneider, crusader for collective ownership and author of "Everything for Everyone: the Radical Tradition That Is Shaping The Next Economy." Plus, professor and author Virginia Eubanks on how government and corporations are erasing social services through unequal digital practices. Music: “You Are the One the World Becomes” by Morley, from her new album ‘1000 Miles’. Support theLFShow

F-Word: Fighting Chance in Virginia’s Fighting 9th Oct 12, 2018

"For a while last week, I thought I was in the wrong place. While the nation’s eyes were on the Kavanaugh hearings, I was in southwest Virginia, with a congressional campaign in rural America that big donors and DC Democrats don’t seem to care that much about."

_Our goal is to thrive, not just survive. By becoming a member, you sustain our independent, and grassroots-driven content! _

Food Justice in Urban Agriculture Oct 10, 2018

Food --- from where it grows, to where it goes, all of it matters to our bodies and our communities. We begin October with a conversation about how farmers are creating equitable food systems inside cities, from urban agriculture to worker-owned cooperatives. Guests: Susan Chin-Design Trust, Karen Washington-Rise & Root Farm and Ysanet Batista-Woke Foods. +Excerpts from Peter Coffin's "Music for Plants" Support theLFShow

Transformative Cities: Crisis and Opportunity in Amsterdam Oct 03, 2018

"Cities accumulate capital, people, aspirations, and power. But, whose power? Whose aspirations? How can we find in the city a place of possibility?" These are the questions from Laura Flanders' opening statements at the Transnational Institute's convening on Transformative Cities in Amsterdam during July 2018. Music spotlight: disco remake of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" by Jason Eli Featuring Nathan Haines-Flute/Horns & Cherie Mathieson-vocals. Support theLFShow

F-Word: It’s Time to call #TimesUp on Standing Alone Sep 28, 2018

"September 28, when a woman, Ana Maria Archila, stuck her foot in the door of an elevator and gave Republican Jeff Flake, a potential swing voter, a talking-to, and kept that foot in that door so that another woman, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, could do the same, as the cameras rolled, live. The video went viral."

_Our goal is to thrive, not just survive. By becoming a member, you sustain our independent, and grassroots-driven content! _

Imara Jones: Transgender Narratives Are Expansive Sep 26, 2018

Despite efforts over the last two years to curtail progress for trans people by the current administration, trans activism has gained momentum and become prominent within the movement for queer justice. Laura speaks with Imara Jones, a trans activist, former policymaker, and host of The Last Sip on Free Speech TV about her work to amplify transgender narratives, on and off the screen. Music featured: Anohni of Antony & the Johnson's "Everything Is New" from the film “Turning” created in collaboration with Charles Atlas.

F-Word: 10 Years on, The End of Capitalism is Easier to Imagine Sep 21, 2018

'Not long after the financial crash of 2008, I heard someone say, “It’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.” Is it?'

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Unsung: Puerto Rican People's Power #1YearAfterMaria Sep 19, 2018

The Trump administration claims its response to Hurricane Maria was a "tremendous," "unsung" success. Yet, what has been truly tremendous since the hurricane is the will of Puerto Ricans building, organizing, and recovering . Reporting from CommonBound, Laura speaks to Edgar Gomez, a city official of Toa Baja, PR & education activists from the island, Ana Yris Guzman Toress-Nuestra Escuela & Nicolle Teresa Ramos-Universidad Sin Fronteras. Music: "We Rising Up" Climbing PoeTree.Support theLFShow

F-Word: Inclusive Design and Me Sep 14, 2018

"This particular plaque for my father made me think about something else too. If it wasn't for inclusive design, I literally would not exist."

Check out our SPECIAL REPORT: Ableism Out, Independent Living Now!

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Education Activists Back To School With A Test for Devos Sep 12, 2018

2018 has been a year of upheaval for students, in and out of the classroom. This week educators and education activists talk about educational justice, teaching in Trump times, and taking stock of the current state of education. We're joined by Natasha Capers, of the NYC Coalition for Educational Justice; Adam Sanchez, of Rethinking Schools & Zinn Education Project; and José Luis Vilson, of EduColor. Music Featured: "Could It Be” by Black Milk, Mass Appeal & “Don’t Believe the Hype” by Brownout, Fat Beats Records. Support the LFShow

SPECIAL REPORT: Ableism Out, Independent Living Now! Sep 05, 2018

On July 26th, marked the 28th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Thousands of disability activists, including many of those who made this civil rights landmark a reality, convened at the National Council on Independent Living’s (NCIL) 2018 Annual Conference. Celebrating #ADA28 alongside disability activists allows us to revisit the story of how disability came to be a civil right, even as it was pathologized and co-opted into ableist narratives. How can we make this not a conversation about ability, but accessibility, one that is intersectional and empowering? This special report is a collaboration with the NCIL, with the help of our generous sponsors and donors. Support theLFShow.

Democratizing Wealth, Expanding Power - The Preston Model Aug 28, 2018

Laura reports on a transatlantic experiment in cooperative community wealth building. In Preston, Lancashire, England, a formerly industrial city, the birthplace of the industrial revolution in many ways, they’ve seen ten years of austerity and partly out of need, and partly out of aspiration they’re practicing, experimenting, with a new model, the Preston model, and it’s inspired by a model in another formerly industrialized city: Cleveland, Ohio, the Evergreen Cooperative model. Check out part 2 HERE "Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Parties Radical Rise". Support theLFShow

Outsider Power Shifts Insider Politics, Maurice Mitchell, Working Families Party Aug 22, 2018

Social movements and party politics - inherently at odds or natural allies? This week, in his first in-depth TV appearance, Maurice Mitchell, the new National Director of the Working Families Party, joins us in studio. Laura and Maurice discuss his activist background, the WFP's national and international vision, and how the organization is tackling this midterm election year. Music: “I Want to Believe” by UNA from their album "Noise of the Wing". Support theLFShow

Should Activists Run for Congress? Aug 15, 2018

Seattle Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-7th) and Baltimore activist Dominique Stevenson discuss activism, political involvement and why leaders should consider running for office. Then Stevenson takes us on to a community farming project in Baltimore's Sandtown (Freddie Gray's neighborhood). Music featured: “Bruthas” by Paris Cesvette featuring Brutha Basil from her album “Celestial (My Journey Among Stars)” released on Groove Odyssey. Support theLFShow

Monopoly Capitalism: At The Breaking Point? Aug 08, 2018

Monopoly capitalism may be on its last legs! Economist Michael Hudson joins us to say his predictions on the Trump budget have come true and seem to suggest, more than ever, that capitalism is not only a disservice to the people, but it's also unsuccessful. Then, Stacy Mitchell and Joe Maxwell joined us at the 2018 Progressive Caucus Strategy Summit in Baltimore. Monopoly capitalism, they say, translates to monopolized power. Music featured: "Funkin' For the World" by Nona Hendryx on SoulClap Records. Support theLFShow

Ferguson to Detroit: Community Building from the Barbershop to the Polls Aug 01, 2018

Entrepreneurship in St. Louis, MO; electoral organizing in Uniontown, AL; and community wealth building on urban farms in Detroit, MI. We hit the road to report on community wealth building. We visit activist and musician Tef Poe's barbershop, Frontline Stylez, a project spurred by the Ferguson uprising. Then, journalist Salaam Green on #BlackVotersMatter in Alabama, a movement led by grassroots coalition organizing, led by black women. Plus, Jerry Hebron and Bryce Detroit join us from Oakland Avenue Urban Farms in Detroit to discuss their plans to revitalize a central commercial district through property reclamation and community land trusts. #BlackLivesMatter #NewEconomics Music: “Y Va Caer” by Rebel Diaz feat Ana Tijoux.

F-Word: Ominous Silence on the Anniversary of the ADA Jul 27, 2018

The American with Disabilities Act turned 28 this July.Traditionally, Capitol Hill marks the day. The first two years of the Trump administration are the first, that the anniversary’s passed without official anything.

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Decolonizing Wealth Through Indigenous Leadership Jul 25, 2018

This week Laura speaks to Edgar Villanueva, about being one of the very few indigenous people working in grant-making, and ask what he thinks Native American traditions have to teach philanthropy. His latest book is "Decolonizing Wealth". Then, a special report from the ‘United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues’ this past spring that included voices from the Rosa Luxemberg Stiftung and MADRE’s delegation of Indigenous Women Leaders from around the world. Music Spotlight: "Awakening" by Climbing PoeTree. Support theLFShow

F-Word: Cooperatives, From Brooklyn to Brattleboro Jul 20, 2018

Socialism is as close as your closest coop.

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Special Report: Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party's Radical Rise Jul 18, 2018

What difference does a Party make? We talk about what's happening in the UK where one of the two main parties is picking up many of the radical demands coming out of movement groups seeking to transform the economy and society. In 2017, mainstream media predicted that the Labour Party would be crushed in the general election. Instead, it won its best result in 20 years, getting more than 40% of the vote under the leadership of life long socialist and anti-war campaigner Jeremy Corbyn. Although he didn't become prime minister, Corbyn did come close to unseating Theresa May, which one reporter described as a "nice vindication for Jeremy Corbyn." Support theLFShow

Telling Stories of the Syrian Civil War: Marwan Hisham and Molly Crabapple Jul 11, 2018

Our wars abroad and our wars at home. This week on the show, acclaimed graphic artist Molly Crabapple and Syrian journalist Marwan Hisham join Laura to talk about their collaborative book “Brothers of the Gun.” Then, a report by Jonathan Klett on a community in Wisconsin that mobilized to greet Republicans attending a Trump fundraiser: Voces de La Frontera. Music Spotlight: “No State Solution” by Free Radicals featuring Marcos, remixed by Lacandon. Support theLFShow

F-Word: Jeff Sessions Sets Back The Clock Jul 07, 2018

Pay no attention to what the media say about how undermined Jeff Sessions is. POTUS may bait him publicly via tweet. In private, at the DOJ, Sessions is a man on a mission to roll back civil rights and that’s just what he’s doing.

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All Families Belong Together: Immigration & Incarceration Jul 05, 2018

Families torn apart at the border and through our prison system. Can we use this moment of public awareness to create change? Emani Davis, a long-standing advocate for children of incarcerated parents and Color Of Change's Rashad Robinson are this week's guests, plus an explainer on the Bail Bond System with Molly Crabapple and John Legend from Color of Change. Music: "Memory Lane" by Tomasia Got Flows & Stef-I. Support theLFShow

Minicast: Election 2018 Special, Young Voters and the Progressive Path Forward. Jul 02, 2018

The following minicast features highlights from an Election special on Young Voters Hosted by Laura Flanders. The event took place a couple weeks prior to the NY Democratic Congressional primary election where Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated 19 year-incumbent Joseph Crowley. Produced by Globalvision, and a co-production of theLFShow, Free Speech TV, and Manhattan Neighborhood Network. Guests: Alexandria Ocasio Cortez- District NY-14 Congressional Candidate, Nathan Rubin- Millennial Politics, Catherine Vaughan- Flippable, Renaldo Pearson– Democracy Spring. Support theLFShow.

Bodies, Borders, Resistance, Rebirth: Arundhati Roy Jun 27, 2018

India in the throes of a fascism that echoes what we have in America. The country is undergoing a political upheaval with PM Modi at its front, and fueled by increased violence towards Muslims, queers, Dalits, women, and more. Our guest, Arundhati Roy, covers this vast breadth of ground in her second novel in 20 years, ‘The Ministry of Utmost Happiness', is now out in paperback. Music selection: “Into the Sun” by Grupal featuring Thenmozhi Soundararajan, from Grupal’s album Migration Music. Support theLFShow

F-Word: National Suicide Point? Jun 22, 2018

"Smash society and you create craven people. Craven, from the early English word meaning crushed, defeated, overwhelmed."

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Democratizing Wealth, Expanding Power - The Preston Model Jun 20, 2018

On this week's program, coproduced with the Democracy Collaborative, Laura reports on a transatlantic experiment in cooperative community wealth building. In Preston, Lancashire, England, a formerly industrial city, the birthplace of the industrial revolution in many ways, they’ve seen ten years of austerity and partly out of need, and partly out of aspiration they’re practicing, experimenting, with a new model, the Preston model, and it’s inspired by a model in another formerly industrialized city: Cleveland, Ohio, the Evergreen Cooperative model.

F-Word: Bottom Up Wins In Virginia’s Primaries Jun 15, 2018

A certain handshake in Singapore dominated the news June 12, so you may have missed Virginia’s Democratic primaries.

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A Public Bank For Public Good! Jun 13, 2018

What would students in debt, worker coops, and entrepreneurs stand to gain from a public bank in the financial capital of the world? This week, Deyanira del Río- New Economy Project, Linda Levy, Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union & Cindy Martinez-Enlace on why it's more needed than ever - and what they're doing to make it happen. Then, the Public Bank NYC's recent launch action with NYC organizations, including NYPRIG; NYCC; and The Working World. Music: "Masters of Greed" by Rebel Tumbao, Spiritual Life Music. Support theLFShow

F-Word: Liberal and Establishment Media Thwarting Populist Politics Jun 12, 2018

The commentary is an excerpt taken from our online-only interview with Chomsky, where the famed linguist analyzed the state of geo-nuclear politics, the crisis of climate change, and the need for international solidarity against proliferation. Check out all our web exclusives including the latest featuring Christine Hong: 'Nuclear Brinkmanship is Business As Usual for US-North Korea Relations'.

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Outsider Power Shifts Insider Politics: Working Families' Maurice Mitchell Jun 06, 2018

Social movements and party politics - inherently at odds or natural allies? This week, in his first in-depth TV appearance, Maurice Mitchell, the new National Director of the Working Families Party, joins us in studio. Laura and Maurice discuss his activist background, the WFP's national and international vision, and how the organization is tackling this midterm election year. Music: “I Want to Believe” by UNA from their album "Noise of the Wing". Support theLFShow

F-Word: Throwing Shade not Light on Youth Voting Jun 01, 2018

For the first time, 18-35 year-old "millennials" and their even younger counterparts, “generation z” will be America’s single largest voting block – with power to swing the result, if they actually turn out to cast a ballot. The perennial question is, will they?

Write to Laura. She'd love to hear from you info@LauraFlanders.org

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Should activists run for Congress? May 30, 2018

Seattle Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-7th) and Baltimore activist Dominique Stevenson discuss activism, political involvement and why leaders should consider running for office. Then Stevenson takes us on to a community farming project in Baltimore's Sandtown (Freddie Gray's neighborhood). Music featured: “Bruthas” by Paris Cesvette featuring Brutha Basil from her album “Celestial (My Journey Among Stars)” released on Groove Odyssey. Support theLFShow

F-word: After Brexit, Blexit: Putting Your Money Where Your Life Is May 24, 2018

Public banks serving public interests. Find out more about BLEXIT at NextCity.org and learn about the Banking for Justice campaign at NewEconomynyc.org and watch the Laura Flanders Show. Please write a review in iTunes.

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Making Data Shift Power: Bex Hong Hurwitz and Rashida Richardson May 23, 2018

It seems like the only tech headlines we have are about disasters. But what about the original promise of tech to innovate and empower? Bex Hong Hurwitz-Data & Society fellow and Rashida Richardson-AI Now Institute, join Laura to discuss the subversive and democratic potential of technology, and how we harness it. Then, Kayleigh Walsh from the UK-based tech cooperative Outlandish - a model that centers on empowerment and sustainability. Music by Mia Doi Todd "Digital" City Zen Records. Support theLFShow

Minicast: Indigenous Women Speak Out At UNPFII May 22, 2018

In this minicast, we speak to indigenous women leaders at the 17th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) at the UN, New York. The Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung—New York Office, together with the international women’s rights organization MADRE, welcomed a delegation of Indigenous women leaders from across the world to participate in the UNPFII. The session was titled "Local and Global Strategies for Countering Migration and Displacement." Support theLFShow

Communities Over Commodities: How to Get There? May 16, 2018

Housing affordability and power by design? This week on the show, Monique George of Picture the Homeless and Gianpaolo Baiocchi from NYU's Urban Democracy Lab & lead author of the Communities Over Commodities Report argue that a truly just housing policy requires a shift in power. Then [00:22:16], from our TED Women series, two architects who are combatting the effects of gentrification and serving low-income communities through innovative design. Music: “My Truth” by Groove Junkies and ReelSoul featuring Nichelle Monroe, released on MoreHouse Records. Support theLFShow

Hujar, Wojnarowicz: Art, AIDS & Challenge of Retrospection May 09, 2018

1980’s art both personal and political arose out of the AIDS epidemic. Two major NYC art exhibits – Peter Hujar: Speed of Life (Morgan, thru May 20) and David Wojnarowicz: History Keeps Me Awake. What do the lives of these masterful artists have to do with the art and activism of today? Laura Flanders and her guests bring the exhibits together in a frank and probing discussion: David Kiehl, Joel Smith, artist Pamela Sneed-Visual Aids. Music: "Come On, Come On" Scott Hardkiss feat Lisa Shaw. Support theLFShow

F-Word: What if Ida B. Wells Depended on Facebook? May 04, 2018

"Would Well’s Free Speech have made it into my news feed on Facebook? I doubt it, because Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in a meeting with media executives May 1, that his company had started ranking news organizations by trust. News sources that score higher will be promoted, those with lower scores will be suppressed." Please write a review in iTunes.

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Taking Down the Confederacy - One Monument At A Time May 01, 2018

Many are protesting Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant's proclaiming April as Confederate Heritage Month, the last state banner to feature confederate iconography. The movement to change it has become a klaxon for the greater movement to take down Confederate symbols. Laura speaks with actress and activist Aunjanue Ellis about her organization Take It Down America, and why this movement is personal. +Genesis Be, returns to Mississippi to speak to a old friend who thinks the flag should stay. Support theLFShow

F-Word: Water, Profit and Public Trust in Michigan Apr 27, 2018

Two hundred dollars a year, to make private profits off public water is little for Nestle Water Company in the state of Michigan. When it’s what residents in Flint Michigan are paying every month to drink private water because the public supply’s been poisoned, it’s a lot. Become a member today. Thank you!

Bringing the Public to Public Art Apr 25, 2018

When it comes to the heart of the matter of art in New York City, what does a more equitable landscape for art and culture look like? Laura speaks with 3 guests who make it their job to figure out how we’ll democratize access to art and art making plus an example of what that looks like with Educated Little Monsters and Silent Barn. Betty Yu, Chinatown Art Brigade, Amin Husain, MTL Collective, and Charlotte Cohen, Brooklyn Arts Council. Music feat'd “Mask Off Remix” by ELM. Support theLFShow!

F-Word: U.S. Led Strike on Syria More of a Show of Weakness Apr 20, 2018

“Politicians and pundits tend to get excited about war, but the US-led strike on Syria of April 14th, was more of a show of weakness than of strength, veteran Middle East correspondent, Patrick Cockburn tells Laura Flanders.“ Patrick has reported on the middle east since the 1970's. Please take the time to write a review in iTunes. Our goal is to thrive, not just survive. Become a member today. Thank you!

Workers, Wildcats & New Models for Labor Organizing Apr 18, 2018

Laura talks to SEIU International President, Mary Kay Henry (of the Service Employees) and labor journalist Sarah Jaffe about worker wins, challenges, and some new models for organizing. Then, a conversation with Palak Shah and Michelle Miller on a new online platform that's helping labor activists cooperate and win. Music: "Everyday People" by Groove Collective, released on Kufala Records. Support the show by becoming a member via our Patreon campaign.

USA on Human Rights Has a Double Standard on Palestine and Syria Apr 13, 2018

As Israeli forces kill unarmed demonstrators for a third week in Gaza and while the US simultaneously prepares to strike Syria over human rights abuses, I spoke to Lana Abu Hijileh, Country Director-Global Communities, a Palestinian humanitarian and development professional attending the SKOLL World Forum conference in Oxford, UK, April 13, 2018.

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After Maria: Puerto Rican Self Determination Apr 11, 2018

While the money media shifts to emerging social crises, many continue to struggle for basic supplies, medical care, and services including electricity. Our guests Edna Benitez and Damaris Whittaker Middle Collegiate and Ft Washington Collegiate Churches respectively and Amy Tidd, National Nurses United all are playing a part in community relief efforts. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz on reaffirming show of support from Americans. Music: Borikén Keys by Baby Power. Why not become a LFShow member?

F-Word: We Need Local Media For Our Health Apr 06, 2018

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Monopoly Capitalism: At The Breaking Point? Apr 04, 2018

Monopoly capitalism may be on its last legs! This week, economist Michael Hudson joins us to say his predictions on the Trump budget have come true and seem to suggest, more than ever, that capitalism is not only a disservice to the people, but it's also unsuccessful. Then, Stacy Mitchell and Joe Maxwell join us at the Progressive Caucus Strategy Summit in Baltimore. Monopoly capitalism, they say, translates to monopolized power. Music featured: "Funkin' For the World" by Nona Hendryx on SoulClap Records. Support theLFShow via our new Patreon campaign.

F-Word: Sesta Doesn't Make Us Safer Mar 30, 2018

March 21st, 2018 the Senate approved the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act, or SESTA. Sex trafficking is terrible. No one’s for it. Everyone’s against it. What’s awful is what SESTA does, which is encourage big-tech companies to robo-police the internet, with extreme filters that won’t know a survivor story from a sex ad.

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Why does independent media matter? Find out why. Our goal is to thrive, not just survive. By becoming a member, you sustain our independent, and grassroots-driven content!

U.S. Democrats and the European Left - Do They Connect? Mar 28, 2018

Xenophobia, austerity, and an activated constituency -- there's a lot in common across int'l progressive fronts. From the Progressive Caucus Center Strategy Summit 2018: Raúl Grijalva, co-chair,Democrats' Progressive Caucus, Diane Abbott, Labour Party, Nancy Pelosi Minority Party Leader, Mark Pocan, co-chair of Dems' Progressive Caucus and Eduardo Maura, spokesperson of Spanish political party, Podemos. Why not become a LFShow member https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

F-Word: An Exception to the Rule In Rio Mar 23, 2018

#SayHerName: Marielle Franco, assassinated last Wednesday, advocated for the rights of Afro-Brazilian woman. “She was executed because she was a black favela dweller who fought against the murder of black favela dwellers. The genocide of the black population continues in this country.”

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Why does independent media matter? Find out why. Our goal is to thrive, not just survive. By becoming a member, you sustain our independent, and grassroots-driven content!

Healthcare Isn't Big Business Or Big Philanthropy! Ben Palmquist & Dr. Steffie Woolhandler Mar 21, 2018

Over 30million Americans are uninsured, and even more are sickened by the sky-high costs. While Congress seems sunk in a partisan fight over the Affordable Care Act, & Bernie Sanders Medicare for All bill nowhere near becoming law- though popular, might Big Business offer a way out? Guests: Ben Palmquist, National Economic and Social Rights Initiative & Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, Physicians for a National Health Program. Then activists from Brazil, Haiti, and right here in the U.S. on what healthy communities need to thrive. Music by Dawn Drake "Cross Crocodile". Support theLFShow via our new Patreon campaign.

Minicast: Voices From the 2018 NYC Int'l Women's Strike Mar 20, 2018

We hear from some of the speakers and strikers present at the New York 2018 Women’s Strike. Unifying themes included an end to gender violence, a demand for adequate universal social services, the fight for labor rights, and the need for an anti-racist, anti-imperialist feminism. Guided by the tenets of a renewed radicalism, solidarity, and internationalism, the evening was an electric display of indignation where the spirit of hope permeated through the crowd. Support forward thinking media by making a one time donation or become a sustaining member for as little as $2 a month.

Women Lead On Screen: Helen Clark & Gaylene Preston Mar 14, 2018

Women's leadership on the screen, in the streets and on the world stage. This week, New Zealand's former prime minister, Helen Clark and filmmaker Gaylene Preston regarding their documentary, "My Year With Helen," about Clark's foiled bid to become the UN's 1st female Secretary General. Then we stop by the Athena Film Festival to find out why representation remains to important to leadership behind and in front of the camera. Music featured: Sharon Jones "Searching For A New Day". Support the show by becoming a member via our Patreon campaign.

F-Word: West Virginia Workers And the Taste of Solidarity Mar 09, 2018

Laura Flanders' weekly commentary the 'F-word'. Write to Laura, Laura@LauraFlanders.com And please take the time to write a review in iTunes or wherever you get this podcast. Thank you!

Why does independent media matter? Find out why. Our goal is to thrive, not just survive. By becoming a member, you sustain our independent, and grassroots-driven content!

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Women's History Makes The Future - Blanche Wiesen Cook Mar 08, 2018

"Some of us have too much of this world’s goods... and we are thereby separated too widely from each other," wrote Eleanor Roosevelt, the subject of Blanche Wiesen Cook's three-volume biography. For Women's History Month, Laura speaks to Cook about Eleanor - the First Lady of the World - and why her work still resonates. Plus, a documentary by filmmaker Ross Watne on Arthurdale, the experimental, government-funded community Roosevelt championed in Depression-era West Virginia. Music featured: “Superman” by violinist Richmond Punch featuring Christian LACE and Tomea Coleman from Richmond’s album “Finally”. Why not become a LFShow member? Do so and unlock more content. Help us reach our goal of $2G together by July!

Racial Literacy and Rural Solidarity! - Lou Murrey & Jessica Campbell Feb 28, 2018

Racial Literacy and Rural Solidarity, this week, Laura talks with two pairs of young activists. Jessica Campbell of the Rural Organizing Project and Lou Murrey of Stay Together Appalachia share tips on combating the right in rural communities. Then, Winona Guo and Priya Vulchi share their high school project - a crowdsourced racial literacy curriculum. Music featured: "Afro-Dixie Remix" by multi-media artist John Sims. Why not become a LFShow member https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

F-Word: Smear's the Thing (March for our Lives) Feb 23, 2018

Go to March For Our Lives for more information on the March 24th march. Laura Flanders' weekly commentary the 'F-word'. Write to Laura, she'd love to hear from you Laura@LauraFlanders.com Please take the time to write a review in iTunes, Stitcher or wherever you get this podcast, it helps spread the word. Thank you!

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Divesting Is The First Step: Daniel Zarrilli & Clara Vondrich Feb 21, 2018

Power politics and the politics of power - this time on the show, we talk with New York City’s Chief Resilience Officer, Daniel Zarrilli, about the decision to divest from fossil fuels and Clara Vondrich of Divest/Invest, one of the activist groups that helped make it happen. And journalist, Christian Parenti, author of "If We Fail" and "Tropic of Chaos" explains why he thinks we don’t demand enough of government, but extreme weather asks that we demand more. Music featured: “Climate Change Blues” by the Stop Shopping Choir. Support theLFShow at our website

Trump Year 2: What's Next? Feb 15, 2018

What lies ahead for change makers in 2018, the right and the rest. Laura talks politics, culture, and economics with Tarso Luis Ramos, executive director of Political Research Associates, and Sarah Ludwig, co-founder of the New Economy Project. Plus, Laura tries to imagine a real human family? Music Featured: “Um, Did He Lie?” a parody commentary on SOTU by Parody Project with lyrics by Don Caron and “Walking with Fire” by Sylvia Black ft Jaleel Shaw. Support theLFShow at our website

F-Word: Dr. King and the Ram Feb 08, 2018

Laura Flanders' weekly commentary the 'F-word'. Write to Laura, she'd love to hear from you Laura@LauraFlanders.com Please take the time to write a review in iTunes, it helps spread the word. Thank you!

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How Cities Respond To Climate Change Feb 07, 2018

Architect Carl Anthony and activist Ashley Dawson in dialogue about the confluence of economic and racial inequality, and new forms of extreme weather. In the urbanscape, they argue, more inequality equals less resilience against climate disaster. [00:19:00] Then, Avery Bang from the non-profit Bridges to Prosperity, on how a community's access to bridges is a public right. Thanks to TED Women. Music featured: "Recycle" by Dub Poet Everton Sylvester. Watch our TV Show and More. Support this podcast http://LauraFlanders.com/donate

F-Word: America’s New Fossil Fuel Moment Feb 02, 2018

Laura Flanders' weekly commentary the 'F-word'. Write to Laura, she'd love to hear from you Laura@LauraFlanders.com Please take the time to write a review in iTunes, it helps spread the word. Thank you!

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Invisible No More: Andrea Ritchie on the Policing of Black Women and Women of Color Jan 31, 2018

What difference does it make when some people are left out of the picture? When police don’t keep data on queer women, for instance - or when the culture looks all white. Activist attorney Andrea Ritchie returns with her book, Invisible No More and Deborah Willis and Hank Willis Thomas - 2 generations of picture makers talk about mothers, sons and radical art. Thanks to TED Women for their collaboration on this report. Plus V20 call to action “My Revolution Lives In This Body” by Eve Ensler ft. Rosario Dawson from a film short directed by Deborah Anderson. Why not become a LFShow member https://Patreon.com/theLFShow

F-Word: Who Needs DeNeuve When We Have Judge Aquilina? Jan 30, 2018

Laura Flanders' weekly commentary the 'F-word'. Write to Laura, she'd love to hear from you Laura@LauraFlanders.com Please take the time to write a review in iTunes, it helps spread the word. Thank you!

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Immigrants Dream of Sanctuary: Ravi Ragbir and Sara Gozalo Jan 25, 2018

Can sanctuary exist in a state that still insists on broken windows policing? This week on the Laura Flanders Show, Ravi Ragbir and Sara Gozalo of The New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City describe pushing back state pressure and creating real sanctuary, communally, through partnering not policing.

F-Word: Trump's Wetbacks Are Us Jan 23, 2018

We re-visit Laura's F-Word from 11 months ago on how the Trump administration has launched a Soviet era, McCarthyist witch hunt to catch "illegal" immigrants, that's not really about immigrants at all.

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Star Power for People Power Jan 17, 2018

Before #TimesUp, a history of successful collaboration between grassroots activists and celebrities was already realized. Laura talks to Eve Ensler, who will be returning to Broadway with a new play titled "In The Body of the World," about why our bodies must be connected to our politics. Then, an interview with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, of the hit show 'Grace and Frankie,' alongside Saru Jarayaman, president of Restaurant Opportunities Center United. Laura spoke to them in Detroit after they went to canvas door to door for a ballot initiative that seeks not only to win a single fair minimum wage, but to help build a broad progressive agenda in Michigan statewide. +Music featured by Maya Azucena.

Revisit - Special Report: Self Governance - The Southern Movements Way Jan 10, 2018

theLFShow partnered with Project South covered the 2017 annual gathering of the Southern Movement Assemblies -- a living experiment in popular democracy and local self governance. Plantation politics, monopoly capitalism, incarceration instead of peace: a lot of the worst of the American experience has it roots in the US South, but so does much of the best, from slave revolts, to abolition, to organized labor and civil rights. If the country goes as the South goes, what grassroots progressives do here matters. Featuring music by Deep Seedz Collective.

Minicast: Revolutionary Poetics Jan 08, 2018

Enjoy a minicast featuring several revolutionary poets who have performed on theLFShow including Cynthia Dewi Oka featured in revolutionary mothering an anthology giving voice to mothers of color and marginalized mothers, Janani Balasubramanian of Dark Matter, a trans gender south asian performance duo, Aja Monet author of “My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter” and from the movement music scene, Climbing Poetry.

100 Years of Russian Revolution: A New Politics of Liberation Jan 03, 2018

This week a special report covering Trans National Institute's (TNI) gathering earlier this year in South Africa where participants exchanged thoughts and ideas in order to discover a New Politics. Laura Flanders has been part of an initiative promoted by the TNI incorporating activists and organizers from all over the world in a conversation about what many are calling "new politics." We're talking about alternatives, negotiating the space between Soviet-style socialism and Wall Street capitalism. This episode is a co production of theLFShow and TNI.

SPECIAL REPORT: GREECE - Taking Power vs Making Power Dec 27, 2017

From taking power to making power, a special report from Athens, Greece where many are asking if progressives in government can change much at all if people don’t first change society. In 2015, anti-austerity Greeks were disappointed by the progressive left Syriza government, which they'd voted into office after the financial crisis, but the other things they did to meet society’s needs just might be sowing the seeds for transformation. Music featured: "Hook or Crook" by Antibales and "Histoire De Molly" by Ballake Sissoko & Vincent Segal. Please write a review where ever you subscribe to this podcast.

Year End Review +Standing Up to Big Brother Dec 20, 2017

Enjoy our 'Year End Review'. Than, Equality Lab's Thenmorzi Soundararajan. Basic digital security measures can limit the impact of up to 85-90% of mass surveillance. Worried about your email getting hacked? Or annoyed by ads that know where you shop? Or an activist who wants to learn to encrypt their communications? Teach yourself how to secure your iphone or Android, network, identity, and communications against potential leaks, hacks, and more. Part of our digital security tutorial series. Support theLFShow!

F-Word: Life or Death to the FCC Dec 18, 2017

Net Neutrality, it's not over yet, goto FreePress.net

Laura Flanders' weekly commentary the 'F-word'. Write to Laura, she'd love to hear from you Laura@LauraFlanders.com Please take the time to write a review in iTunes, it helps spread the word. Thank you!

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Immigrants Dream of Sanctuary: Ravi Ragbir and Sara Gozalo Dec 13, 2017

Can sanctuary exist in a state that still insists on broken windows policing? This week on the Laura Flanders Show, Ravi Ragbir and Sara Gozalo of The New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City describe pushing back state pressure and creating real sanctuary, communally, through partnering not policing. And to close out the show, Laura's weekly commentary on how ‘From Washington to Jerusalem - It’s not Reckless. It’s a wreck.’ Music comes by way of the collection 'Sweety G Toby presents: Shelter From the Streets’ benefitting the Book Bank Foundation.

F-Word: From Washington to Jerusalem - It’s not Reckless. It’s a wreck Dec 11, 2017

Laura Flanders' weekly commentary the 'F-word'. Write to Laura, she'd love to hear from you Laura@LauraFlanders.com Please take the time to write a review in iTunes, it helps spread the word. Thank you!

Tis the season to support theLFShow, make a one time donation or become a sustaining member for as little as $2 a month. http://LauraFlanders.com/donate

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Special Report: Self Governance - The Southern Movements Way Dec 06, 2017

This week's Laura Flanders Show comes from Whitakers, North Carolina and the annual gathering of the Southern Movement Assemblies -- a living experiment in popular democracy and local self governance. Plantation politics, monopoly capitalism, incarceration instead of peace: a lot of the worst of the American experience has it roots in the US South, but so does much of the best, from slave revolts, to abolition, to organized labor and civil rights. If the country goes as the South goes, what grassroots progressives do here matters. For this special episode we partnered with Project South, an anchor organization of the Southern Movement Assemblies, and Laura was joined by co-host LaDie Mansfield. Music featured comes by way of Deep Seedz Collective

F-Word: Wanted, This Christmas, A Media-Monopoly Bust Up Dec 04, 2017

Laura Flanders' weekly commentary the 'F-word'. Write to Laura, she'd love to hear from you Laura@LauraFlanders.com Please take the time to write a review in iTunes, it helps spread the word. Thank you!

Tis the season to support theLFShow, make a one time donation or become a sustaining member for as little as $2 a month. http://LauraFlanders.com/donate

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Riane Eisler: Partnerships in the Post Industrial Economy Nov 29, 2017

This week on the Laura Flanders Show, Riane Eisler, author of the groundbreaking book The Chalice and the Blade, and The Real Wealth of Nations, discusses partnership and post-industrial economics. And Laura's weekly commentary, 'Wanted, This Christmas, A Media-Monopoly Bust Up'. Music featured includes "Matter of Time" by Sharon Jones & the Daptones, on Daptone Records and "Riding for 1,000 Years" by Surreal from Deep Seedz Collective.

Chokehold: Policing Black Men + Dispatches From Cleveland Nov 22, 2017

This week on The Laura Flanders Show former prosecutor Paul Butler talks about his book Chokehold: Policing Black Men. And the film Dispatches from Cleveland documents the community organizing that changed the prosecutor's office in Cleveland in the wake of the killing of Tamir Rice. All that and Laura's weekly commentary don’t believe the Democrat hype about Election Night 2017.

F-Word: Election Night - Dems Divided Down Progressive Fault Lines? Nov 21, 2017

Laura Flanders' weekly commentary the 'F-word'.

Write to Laura, she'd love to hear from you Laura@LauraFlanders.com Note to our podcast subscribers, you will receive weekly the F-Word in addition to the weekly show with your free subscription or you can subscribe to the F-word via itunes directly. Please take the time to write a review in iTunes, it helps spread the word. Thank you!

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Resistance and Revolutionary Poetry: Aja Monet Nov 15, 2017

This week on the show, resistance and revolutionary poetry: Aja Monet talks about free-speech, accountability, the poet June Jordan and the fight for Palestinian liberation. All that, and her new book My Mother was a Freedom Fighter.

100 Years of Russian Revolution: A New Politics of Liberation Nov 09, 2017

This week a special report covering Trans National Institute's (TNI) gathering earlier this year in South Africa where participants exchanged thoughts and ideas in order to discover a New Politics. Laura Flanders has been part of an initiative promoted by the TNI incorporating activists and organizers from all over the world in a conversation about what many are calling "new politics." We're talking about alternatives, negotiating the space between Soviet-style socialism and Wall Street capitalism. This episode is a co production of theLFShow and TNI.

F-Word: Weinstein Suggests It's Time For a Shared Power Index For Companies Nov 07, 2017

Laura Flanders' weekly commentary the 'F-word'.

Write to Laura, she'd love to hear from you Laura@LauraFlanders.com Note to our podcast subscribers, you will receive weekly the F-Word in addition to the weekly show with your free subscription or you can subscribe to the F-word via itunes directly. Please take the time to write a review in iTunes, it helps spread the word. Thank you!

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Tracing the Arc of Justice Nov 01, 2017

This month marks one year since the election of Donald Trump. The Laura Flanders Show released a special report at that time in which we asked our guests to reflect on social change. How it happens, how it doesn't, what they planned to do the day after the election to keep resistance movements alive and what they do to support their own spirits. One year later those questions matter more than ever, and our guests this week have their own take. Our studio guest is Reverend Jacqui Lewis of Middle Collegiate Church, she was a contributor to the 2017 collection Faith and Resistance in the Age of Trump. Then Adrienne Maree Brown, whom we caught up with in Detroit. She's the author of Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds. Music featured: “Love On High’ by Juan Hoerni ft. Terry Dexter, the title track of Hoerni’s sophomore album and Look Ahead’ by Honey Dijon, Tim K, and Sam Sparro from Honey’s debut album “The Best of Both Worlds”

F-Word: Catalan Crisis or Capitalist Crisis? Oct 30, 2017

Laura Flanders' weekly commentary the 'F-word'.

Write to Laura, she'd love to hear from you Laura@LauraFlanders.com Note to our podcast subscribers, you will receive weekly the F-Word in addition to the weekly show with your free subscription or you can subscribe to the F-word via itunes directly. Please take the time to write a review in iTunes, it helps spread the word. Thank you!

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Seeking Reason During Chaos: David Harvey and Pau Faus Oct 25, 2017

This week, distinguished professor David Harvey joins us in the studio to talk about the spirals of capitalism and his new book Marx, Capital, and the Madness of Economic Reason. Then we meet with filmmaker Pau Faus who captured in his film Ada for Mayor the unlikely, successful, campaign of Barcelona's Ada Colau, from activism to governance. And Catalan Crisis or Capitalist Crisis? What’s happening in Spain is not only about ancient history. Music featured: El Run Run, by Ivan Lagarto ft'ing Ada Colau, Voces en Guerra by Opoloh featuring Diego Pedragosa and Cant de Batre by Maria Arnal & Marcel Bagés

Paths to Just Recovery in Puerto Rico Oct 18, 2017

This week on the show, Patri Ramirez Gonzalez from the Puerto Rico/Detroit Solidarity Exchange Network talks about grassroots plans to save family farmers and the ecosystem in Puerto Rico, and Trishala Deb, Asia regional director for Thousand Currents, a grant-making organization with partners across the world, shares hard won lessons from grassroots activists in Asia. Then from food justice and grassroots brilliance we'll hear from David Galarza Santa, a labor and community activist, about a Puerto Rican plan to recover, revitalize and resist calls for electricity privatization by building back different. Music Featured: Living on the Frontline, VJS & Keith Thompson, Corporate Cannibal, Grace Jones.

F-Word: Absolute Media Power Corrupts Absolutely Oct 16, 2017

Laura Flanders' weekly commentary the 'F-word'.

Write to Laura, she'd love to hear from you Laura@LauraFlanders.com Note to our podcast subscribers, you will receive weekly the F-Word in addition to the weekly show with your free subscription. Please take the time to write a review in iTunes, it helps spread the word. Thank you!

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Building a People’s Media Ecosystem Oct 11, 2017

A urgent conversation about media diversity and our lack of it. With guests Joe Amditis, assoc. director, Center for Cooperative Media & Dru Oja Jay, media activist and hacker. And then, from Detroit, a special report on the work grassroots media activists are doing, telling new stories, and creating their own media networks. Music featured: Weapons of Mass Distraction by Thievery Corporation, 18th Street Lounge Records & Alternative Facts by Mikki Afflick, Soul Sun Soul Music.

F-Word: First They Came For the Immigrants Oct 06, 2017

Laura Flanders weekly commentary the 'fword'. This week, Surveillance. If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention and if you are, well the feds know about it.

Write to Laura, she'd love to hear from you Laura@LauraFlanders.com

Note to our podcast subscribers, weekly the F-Word will be coming to you in addition to the weekly show. And we will be launching a weekly mini-sode soon. Please take the time to write a review at iTunes, it helps spread the word and allows greater reach. Thank you!

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Whose Streets? Going Beyond the Headlines of the Ferguson Story Oct 04, 2017

Going beyond the headlines of the Ferguson story. We'll talk with one of the directors of the documentary Whose Streets?. As the news cameras left Ferguson, Missouri, after the police killing of Michael Brown, Sabaah Folayan and her team stayed on to document what happens to people subjected to police violence as a matter of routine. And an F Word from me on surveillance. If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention and if you are, well the feds know about it. Music featured: selctions from Samora Pinderhughes’ album ‘The Transformations Suite’.

SPECIAL REPORT: GREECE - Taking Power vs Making Power Sep 27, 2017

From taking power to making power. This week on The Laura Flanders Show, a special report from Athens, Greece where many are asking if progressives in government can change much at all if people don’t first change society. In 2015, anti-austerity Greeks were disappointed by the progressive left Syriza government, which they'd voted into office after the financial crisis, but the other things they did to meet society’s needs just might be sowing the seeds for transformation. Music featured: "Hook or Crook" by Antibales and "Histoire De Molly" by Ballake Sissoko & Vincent Segal. Please write a review where ever you subscribe to this podcast.

Planning for Climate Disaster Sep 20, 2017

Harvey on Harvey. Marxist geographer David Harvey weighs in on natural and not so natural disasters and how we might organize our cities better to avoid them. And Thanu Yakupitiyage from _350.org explains _why climate justice requires that we make movements which will reverse our policies on refugees. Music featured: "New York Minute" by Nickodemus feat. The Real Live Show, Sadat X, ILLspokinN and Rabbi Darkside and “If I told You What I Know” by Climbing PoeTree from their album Intrinsic.

Riots, Impeachments & Night Thoughts Sep 13, 2017

This week dreams and defiance. Award winning playwright and essayist Wallace Shawn, discusses his new book Night Thoughts, meditations and speculative dreams for a better world. And Ed Whitfield, from The Fund for Democratic Communities in Greensboro, NC, on cooperatives, consumer politics and impeachments. And the fword, where are the monuments to the motley crew? Music featured: “Heart Seed” by DJ Sun featuring Leah Alvarez and Martin Perna and “Funk That” by Nickodemus featuring The Illustrious Blacks.

The German Left Leans Forward Sep 06, 2017

Anti-Trump is not enough! This week, Laura Flanders show comes to you from Berlin. In the lead up to the German elections, the German left is saying that opposing Trump is simply not enough. But the left has work to do too, as we'll see. Then, two guests join us in Cape Town, South Africa to discuss new governance from the left. Music featured: "Histoire De Molly" by Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal, "Gentrified Children" by Congo Sanchez, and Scott Hardkiss mix of "Revolution" by the Hardkiss Brothers.

In the Time of Economic Babble: Michael Hudson on the Capitalist Way Aug 29, 2017

Revisit: We’re living in a time of economic babble, where politicians and economists throw out words like “reform,” “privatize,” and “austerity” to prop up corrupt capitalist opportunists. So says our guest this week, economist Michael Hudson, author of J is for Junk Economics. Plus, a report from Diverse Filmmaker’s Alliance on the Yemeni bodega workers who went on strike in New York to protest the Muslim Ban. Music featured: Antibales "Dirty Money" Daptone Records & Balkan Beatbox "Money" Crammed Discs.

Restore, Renew and Reparations Aug 22, 2017

This week we revisit a show from the archives, Adaku Utah, founder of healing collective Harriet's Apothecary, and J Bob Alotta, executive director of the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, which supports grassroots LGBTQ efforts across the globe. Utah and Alotta discuss what healing and healing justice would look like for communities under attack and in particular, for trans women of color and gender non conforming people. It's not enough to fund direct action or leadership training, say our guests; activist organizations have a responsibility to help their concerned communities heal from trauma, and to empower them towards fellowship and autonomy. Adaku Utah is a master herbalist, educator, and artist who is "armed with the legacies of a long line of healers, witches, priestesses and fearless women who refused to shut up." J Bob Alotta is a filmmaker, global activist, and one of the organizers of the Women's March on Washington.

Cooperative Economics for a POC-Led Future: Aaron Tanaka Aug 17, 2017

Laura speaks with Aaron Tanaka, founder and director of the Center for Economic Democracy (CED) about his longtime advocacy and visionary work for the next system of solidarity economics. To change the circumstances of injustice, we have to build our communities’ governance power to take control of their economic resources -- so says Tanaka. Tanaka and the CED are one of the many organizations behind Boston’s Ujima program, which is funneling the discourse of democratic economics into the practice we need and helping communities of color direct their resources into the ideas they believe in, through a cooperative model of community budgeting. Music featured comes by way of Tenderflex ft. Dynasty Electric, Ayler Young, Jay Rodriguez and by George Martinez & The Global Block Collective released on Occupy This Album.

Music, Spirit & Protest: The Hippie Idea & Climbing Poetree Aug 08, 2017

Can music make a movement? This week, legendary music producer Danny Goldberg takes us back to a time when "All You Need is Love" was not meant to be ironic, and we talk about his new book, In Search of the Lost Chord about the hippie summer of 1967. Then, from today's movement music scene, Alixa Garcia and Naima Penniman celebrate the release of their new album, Intrinsic and perform for us in studio. Music featured: Climbing Poetree, and Kriece & Ram Dass.

Reality-Based Economics Aug 02, 2017

Throw out what you think you know about economics. This week, self-described “renegade economist” Kate Raworth of Oxford University, explains how to think like a reality based economist, and two eco-feminists, one from South Africa, the other Mauritius, share a chat under a tree, about Marx, feminism and life on the planet. All that and a few words from me on Venezuela and the President's obsession with Blood. Music featured: "Democrazy" by Chaka Khan & “I.P.C.C.” by Baba Brinkman from his album The Rap Guide to Climate Chaos. Please rate and write a review wherever you get this podcast. Thanks!

Pluralism vs Authoritarianism Jul 25, 2017

No is not enough', says Naomi Klein, so if no isn't sufficient, what might be? This week, Laura talks with author/activist Gar Alperovitz, co-chair of the Next System Project (a framework for imagining 'the next system' of governance, democracy, and security). From the gloom of today he sees the principles of a Pluralist Commonwealth emerging. Then a video from Local Futures, counts down the many changes that can come from investing locally. All that and a commentary from Laura on the Diggers and feeding while rebelling. Featured music comes by way of Bluey from Incognito, off his album "Life Between the Notes" on Shanachie Records.

Please write a review where ever you get your podcast. It helps us spread the word. Thanks!

Making Health Care About People, Not Partisan Politics Jul 19, 2017

The GOP's anti-Obamacare push is defeated for now. But what if the debate over healthcare was as much about human and community health as it is about partisan politics? This week on the LF Show, health crusaders Loretta Ross and Lynn Paltrow explain why reproductive justice requires racial and class equity and Laura celebrates Oregon's new Reproductive Health Equity Act which moves everyone forward, together, regardless of income, citizenship status, and gender identity. Music featured: "New World In My View" King Britt presents Sister Gertrude Morgan, Rope a Dope Records and "Near the Black Forest" Vanessa Daou featuring the words of Erica Jong, from "Welcome to My Blues, Anthology", Daou Music & Kid Recordings.

What's A Sanctuary With Jails? Jul 11, 2017

Although cities across the country have announced themselves as sanctuaries, the queer and trans communities who defined this movement have been routinely failed by those same cities' adherence to regressive policing tactics. This week, Jennicet Gutiérrez, of La Familia Trans Queer Liberation Movement, and Hamid Khan, of the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, join Laura to take measure of the contradictions found in state sanctioned surveillance of so-called sanctuary communities. All that and Laura's weekly commentary on Hell in Hamburg and how the G20 could have been worse’. Music included "Soil" ft Ursula Rucker & "Place Delight" ft Mary Griffin comes from Stephen Emmers' Home Ground project. iTunes subscribers please write a review and rate this podcast

Whose Dissent is Putting Them In Danger? Jul 04, 2017

Organizing in a Trump and Amazon World -- new concentrations of power are bringing forth new models of resistance. This week on the show, Cathy Albisa and Sabino Milian discuss the targeting of activists in immigration sweeps. Those ICE raids aren't that random they say. And as Amazon gets ever bigger, what happens to the workers behind your mouse-click? We’ll hear how low-wage warehouse workers are Raising the Floor from Sophie Zaman. Music comes by way of Eljuri from her album La Lucha. iTunes subscribers please write a review and rate this podcast

Yes to the People's Movement: Naomi Klein Jun 27, 2017

The lines between politics and branding have been blurred, not just in recent years, but in a gradual effort by corporations to commodify media and politics. So says our guest this week, Naomi Klein, joining Laura to discuss her most recent book No Is Not Enough. How will the movements of resistance and creation challenge a “reality tv politics?,” and where is it already happening? Klein sets out the map. Plus, a short report on water protector Red Fawn Fallis, who faces an imprisonment for life sentence as a result of her participation in the Standing Rock protests of 2016. And an F-word from Laura on the manifestos, Labour and Leap -- how their forward-looking ideas can guide us to alternative models of energy, economy, and equity. Music featured comes by way of Selan and Raye Zaragoza entitled "Water Is Life".

Can Trump's Base Survive? Working America Surveys Ohio Jun 20, 2017

Money media keep telling us that Trump voters are sticking by him, but are they? And what do so-called swing voters really want? Working America, the community organizing affiliate of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., took to the streets of Ohio to find out. Matt Morrison, the deputy director of Working America, shares the findings of the Front Porch Focus Group, and we hear from some of the canvassers who knocked on all those doors. Plus, an F-word from Laura on why it’s business as usual for the Koch brothers in the states. Right wing funders know power shifts from the bottom up, not Trump-down. Sadly, the same can’t be said of our media.

Music featured in this weeks episode includes Magical Connection” by Sarah Vaughn from the ‘Feeling Good- Supreme Sounds of Bob Shad’ collection and “He Wants to Live Like You” by Diggs Duke from the Brownswood 10 Year Collection.

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May Day Special Report Revisited: 100+ Movements Go Beyond the Moment Jun 14, 2017

A May Day Special Report from the Laura Flanders Show features the mass mobilization of the people on International Worker's Day 2017! May Day urges us to dream bigger, to set aside conservative notions of what is feasible and focus instead on what is just. This episode follows organizers as they present their visions of a better world - and what they're doing to build it. They raise the question: how can we work together to build the future available to everyone, meaning trans people, immigrants, workers, indigenous people, veterans, people of color, and women? From the broad based #BeyondtheMoment coalition uniting movements under the banner of Black liberation and anti-militarism, to the Day without Immigrants, which paints a chilling portrait of what our communities could become, this day is about what we'll build to exist 200 hundred years from now. Featuring Thaís Marquis (Movemiento Cosecha), UPROSE Brooklyn (Grassroots Global Justice Alliance), the New Sanctuary Coalition NYC, Agunda Okeyo (Hater Free NYC), Claude Copeland (Iraq Veterans Against the War), and more.

As always, we're forward-thinking media, looking to uplift solutions and solvers to a higher stage.

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Can The European left save itself? Jun 07, 2017

This week, from the promises of Syriza in Greece to the demands of Brexit in the U.K: how two landmark events in Europe help to forecast the direction of its left. Helena Sheehan is the author of new book, "The Syriza Wave," chronicling what she calls the failure of Greece's radical left to deliver on its campaign. She's joined by Natalie, co founder of Matters of the Earth and organizer with Black Lives Matter UK. Ahead of the British general election, both guests gauge the temperature of a continental Left that could move away from austerity, incarceration, and xenophobia.

Music featured in this weeks episode includes "Danger" by afro-beat Nigerian soul sisters Lijadu Sisters from their 1979 album "Horizon Unlimited" and "Babylon Falling" by Thievery Corporations from their latest album.

Watch the Laura Flanders Show on KCET LinkTV (Dish 9410 and DirecTV 375); Free Speech TV (Dish 9415 and DirecTV 348); CUNY Tv and Manhattan Neighborhood Network-HD MNN Ch34; Roku Channel store. Episodes are also released on our Youtube channel

Listen to the Laura Flanders Show on Pacifica Radio Network Stations across the country including: WBAI, WLRI, WKPN, WOOL, KVOY, KCEI, WFTE, KAYQ, KGHI, WPPM, KFZR, KKRN, KRFP, KSVR, KSOW, KAOS, KMUD, KGNU, Global Community Radio, Equality Broadcast and more.

Debt That Lasts Forever: Can't Cash In On Credit Jun 01, 2017

If, in the twenty-first century, credit is the new capital , what are the implications for our finances, but also our relationships? This week, Laura talks with Ivan Ascher, author of a new book on The Portfolio Society, and debt activist Pam Brown, about the implications of a society based on risk rather than labor. And we hear from Mandy Cabot, CEO of Dansko shoes who chose her workers over a corporate buyout. She's joined by Richard Eidlin, co-founder of the American Sustainable Business Council.

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Check out this weeks Fword via Soundcloud "Zombie Economics & Zombie Malls"

New Economy Models: The Victory of the Commons May 24, 2017

A new world based on community and collaboration is closer than you think. We can steward resources together, in fact, millions of people are doing just that. And not just in the history books. This week, from Kingston, NY, author and activist David Bollier, Co Founder of the Commons Strategy Group, explains what it means to Think Like A Commoner. Then, two activists engaged in Commons projects right now, talk about two very distinct but complementary Commons strategies -- one digital in Barcelona, the other rural, in Mozambique. Graca Samu is the director of the Global March of Women and Mayo Fuster is on the faculty of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University and a researcher at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. The commons are no tragedy, say our guests, they're an opportunity to model ourselves on creativity and shared resources, instead of enclosure.

Black and Queer Around the World: What Does Solidarity Look Like? May 16, 2017

Systematic problems don't limit themselves to just the countries we know and hear about; racism, occupation, profiteering, these are global problems and the solutions, too, must look to the world. In our first interview of this week, Cazembe Jackson, a transman and anti-racist socialist organizer from Atlanta, speaks to how the American South is typically erased from activist conversations -- despite having some of the most practice in radical organizing under conservative administrations. Plus, a conversation between two women working on abolition, Johnae Strong (of BYP100) and Masera Maru (Rhodes Must Fall), and why the movement against anti-Blackness spans the world. Music featured "Black Man In a White World" by Michael Kiwanuka; "Equal Rights" by Company Freak ft Dawn Tallman

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Former Women's Prison Becomes a Community Space May 10, 2017

How can we collaborate across skills, communities, and history to build new spaces? On this week's show, we talk to Pamela Shifman and Iris Bowen, two of the minds behind the Women's Building project, which is transforming a former New York women's prison into a space for activism, community, and reclamation. Plus, an interview with Yoav Litvin, author of 2Create, a book which documents the possibilities of creative collaboration for social and systemic change.

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May Day Report: 100+ Movements Go Beyond the Moment May 05, 2017

A May Day Special Report from the Laura Flanders Show features the mass mobilization of the people on International Worker's Day! Before May Day 2017, we talk to organizers about what they imagine will come from this year's day of springtime resistance. People are rising up to call for transformative justice, and they are working towards it in new and creative ways. May Day urges us to dream bigger, to set aside conservative notions of what is feasible and focus instead on what is just. As always, we're forward-thinking media, looking to uplift solutions and solvers to a higher stage.

This episode follows organizers as they present their visions of a better world - and what they're doing to build it. They raise the question: how can we work together to build the future available to everyone, meaning trans people, immigrants, workers, indigenous people, veterans, people of color, and women? From the broad based #BeyondtheMoment coalition uniting movements under the banner of Black liberation and anti-militarism, to the Day without Immigrants, which paints a chilling portrait of what our communities could become, this day is about what we'll build to exist 200 hundred years from now. Featuring Thaís Marquis (Movemiento Coseche), UPROSE Brooklyn (Grassroots Global Justice Alliance), the New Sanctuary Coalition NYC, Agunda Okeyo (Hater Free NYC), Claude Copeland (Iraq Veterans Against the War), and more. #MayDay to #MemorialDay. For links go to our website. Or better yet, become a member!

After the Protests, Community Building and Sustainability Apr 28, 2017

On this week's episode, a question of how we can use direct action to create and sustain long-range, inclusive and effective movements with guests L.A. Kauffman and Jesse Myerson and later in the show Looking for leadership towards a just transition? Community building tactics for survival resilience and peace? Don’t look up, Look Down for expertise, say two organizers and they’re upbeat! Esteban Kelly of the US Federation of Worker Owned Coops and Elizabeth Yampierre from UPROSE.

Check out the Laura Flanders TV Show for the full interview with L.A. Kauffman and Jesse Myerson and a featured video on the 2017 Climate March. Stay tuned throughout the month of May for more from Esteban Kelly and Elizabeth Yampierre during our membership drive kicking off May Day 2017.

Ireland's New Rising: An Exclusive Report from The Laura Flanders Show Apr 21, 2017

With the news around Brexit, we revisit an episode filmed last year in Ireland and reflect upon the Easter Rising of 1916. The question of Irish sovereignty still looms large. New challenges face the Irish in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, and slashes to public spending in the North have ignited fresh waves of resistance. In this special report, Laura Flanders returns to Ireland, 30 years after first reporting on the so-called "Troubles". With photographer Paula Allen she takes a fresh look at Irish nationalism through the stories of socialists, anti-imperialists, anti-austerity activists and several generations of republicans. With Fintan O'Toole of The Irish Times, Sinn Fein TD Eoin O'Broin, Clare Daly TD, and more. Made possible by the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting #pulitzercenter.

Restore, Renew and Reparations: Adaku Utah and J Bob Alotta on Healing Justice Apr 14, 2017

The chorus for radical action demands a versatile effort: it needs people power, initiative, and funding, but if we're caught between offense and defense, how do we take time to insure the well-being of our most vulnerable communities?

The Laura Flanders show this week features Adaku Utah, founder of healing collective Harriet's Apothecary, and J Bob Alotta, executive director of the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, which supports grassroots LGBTQ efforts across the globe. Utah and Alotta discuss what healing and healing justice would look like for communities under attack and in particular, for trans women of color and gender non conforming people. It's not enough to fund direct action or leadership training, say our guests; activist organizations have a responsibility to help their concerned communities heal from trauma, and to empower them towards fellowship and autonomy. Adaku Utah is a master herbalist, educator, and artist who is "armed with the legacies of a long line of healers, witches, priestesses and fearless women who refused to shut up." J Bob Alotta is a filmmaker, global activist, and one of the organizers of the Women's March on Washington.

Subscirbe to the weekly podcast, access the transcripts and to watch the TV show including the videos referenced in today's show go to: http://LauraFlanders.com

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Policy with a Conscience: Angela Glover Blackwell Apr 06, 2017

This week, Angela Glover Blackwell, executive director of PolicyLink and former Obama advisor, has a long history of using policy for progressive, radical, change. Blackwell says this is a moment to protect and resist, certainly, but also a time to return to the roots that are our local neighborhoods, our cities, our suburbs and build something better with them. People must make demands of the system if the system is to change, says Blackwell.

Music featured in this weeks show included “Power to the People”_ by Basement Jaxx and “Revolution” by Afrolicious._

Cheat, Lie and Steal: Michael Hudson on the Capitalist Way Mar 31, 2017

We’re living in a time of economic babble, where politicians and economists throw out words like “reform,” “privatize,” and “austerity” to prop up corrupt capitalist opportunists. So says our guest this week, economist Michael Hudson, author of J is for Junk Economics. Plus, a report from Diverse Filmmaker’s Alliance on the Yemeni bodega workers who went on strike in New York to protest the Muslim Ban.

And be sure to subscribe to Laura’s F-Word on why Donald Trump’s new budget isn’t about cuts -- it’s about conversions. The budget wants to convert public dollars into private funding for military research and spending, for the only government apparatus that never gets audited.

For more on junk, strikes, and capitalism go to our website. We get our support from viewers like you! www.LauraFlanders.com

Intersectionality & Movements. And Exploring the Alt Right Mar 24, 2017

Laura is joined by celebrated academic, organizer, and advocate Professor Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, who is perhaps best known for coining the term intersectionality. And later in the show Laura is joined by Tarso Ramos of Political Research Associates, a human rights think tank that studies threats to democracy coming from various right wing sources, to discuss what all of us need to know about the women’s agenda of the Alt Right, and what sets the alt-right apart from other conservative factions. The answer might surprise you.

Music featured in this weeks show includes "Human Family" by Maya Angelou from her final album "Caged Bird Songs released on Smooth Music inc; "Make It Better" by Raul Midon from his album entitled "Don't Hesitate" released on Mac Avenue Records; and "Jungle Fever" by Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band from their album "55" released on Brooklyn's Big Crown Records.

Women's Solidarity Strikes Back Mar 15, 2017

When feminism has come so far, how do modern day strikes, marches, and protest reflect the evolving and complex aspects of the movement, as well as its radical herstory? Featuring Jodeen Olguín-Tayler (Demos), Sarah Leonard (The Nation) + Cinzia Arruzza (Women's Strike, New School) + Nelini Stamp (Working Families' Party)

Trumpism, Warfare and Fixing Fissures in the Left Mar 09, 2017

Donald Trump's tweets and divisiveness on Capitol Hill tend to draw the money media in and hold them there, but if progressives and the Left focus only on the beltway and the binary party debate, we'll never escape.

In this episode, Laura interviews organizers about going beyond Trumpism and Trump, with Color of Change director, Rashad Robinson; immigrant rights advocate Kica Thomas, and anti-war activist Medea Benjamin. Why not paper over our differences, if it will result in unity? What's happened to the anti-war movement? Where's the more expansive vision of the Left? And what's it got to do with immigration, trade and sanctuary? Rashad Robinson is the executive director of Color of Change, the nation's largest online racial justice organization (also featured in Ava DuVernay's film "13th." ) Kica Matos is the Director of the Immigrant Rights & Racial Justice program at Center for Community Change | Medea Benjamin is the co-founder of Code Pink, an NGO for peace movement working to challenge militarism, end U.S. funded wars and occupations. Her book, "Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection" is out now. The Laura Flanders Show brings you in-depth interviews with forward-thinking people, working to create radical change and shift power. Donate at www.lauraflanders.com/donate.

Making the Police Count Mar 02, 2017

With the Trump administration embracing private prisons, and a crackdown on all crimes, how police departments operate will come under scrutiny. We treasure what we measure so why do police metrics count captures and kills but not conflicts resolved? Could a change in metrics change police practice? And is "progressive policing" an oxymoron with no place in a radical agenda?

Laura sits down with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman, and Professor Emerita Judi Komaki to discuss lowered crime rates, a decline in Stop and Frisk policing, and changing practices around drug arrests. A model can exist where there are trusting relationships between the public and police, but it needs data, training, and a change in attitudes -- on both sides, say our guests.

After serving as an NYPD police officer and New York State Senator, Eric Adams became the first Africa-American man to be the Brooklyn Borough President in 2013. | Donna Lieberman has been the executive director of the NYCLU since December 2001, during which time the organization has been a vocal critic of Stop and Frisk. | Judi Komaki is a professor emerita of organizational behavior, whose work focuses on how good data can improve organizations' policies.

Progressive Congress and Progressive Confidence Feb 22, 2017

The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is 25 years old, and yet, the shadow of a Trump administration looms over its vision to advance a progressive agenda. In this seemingly discouraging time, what does the CPC offer, and how does it stay progressive? In the ramp-up to the DNC Chair nomination, for which Keith Ellison (D-MN), chair of the CPC, has hotly campaigned, Laura travels to the 2017 Progressive Congress to speak to progressive leaders.

Joining Laura this week are CPC First Vice Chair Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI); CPC Vice Chair Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA); CPC Vice Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY). Pocan and Lee bring to us an optimistic forecast for how progressive organizing will take on authoritarian and isolationist legislation. Jayapal and Clarke echo this sense of confidence in their caucus and constituents ability to organize. And all four celebrated Congresspeople reaffirm their belief in Keith Ellison’s ability to direct the Democratic party further left.

Rep. Mark Pocan was the first to introduce a bill to impeach Trump on the House floor; Rep. Barbara Lee has introduced a bill to protest Steve Bannon’s appointment to the National Security Council; Pramila Jayapal is the first Indian-American woman to serve in the House of Representatives, known for her leadership in FightFor$15 Seattle; Rep. Yvette Clarke has sponsored a bill to prohibit the use of federal funds to support the Muslim Ban executive order.

Standing Up to Big Brother: Thenmozhi Soundararajan Feb 16, 2017

Trump has been critiqued, among other things, as the troll-in-chief. His presidential win can be credited to the rise of alt-right internet 'trolls,' complex bots, and the online harassment of his opponents. Our guest this week, Thenmozhi Soundararajan, a Dalit organizer, filmmaker, and activist, says the spread of online attacks comes with vast offline risks for communities in danger. When Steve Bannon, an avowed white nationalist, serves on the National Security Council, with access to the largest police and surveillance apparatus in world history, there's a problem we haven't even gauged yet, says Soundararajan. Laura speaks with Thenmozhi about the history of surveillance as a tool for state control and violence. And why, to build an effective resistance against the threat represented by Breitbart and the NSA, resources need to go to counter measures. Although the language of cybersecurity can seem overwhelming, simple tools and training can reduce an average person's risk by 80%, says our guest. For undocumented immigrants, women, and people of color, these practices can make the difference between life and prison. She and her colleagues know first-hand, from their own experience of a hack attack sourced to the extremist Modi government in India. Thenmozhi Soundararajan is the executive director of human rights and security startup Equality Labs, director of the film Dalit Women Fight!, and the first Dalit woman on Facebook. She is a transmedia storyteller, technologist, and journalist who has won countless awards for her versatile work. Find Equality Labs digital security one-sheets at https://www.equalitylabs.org/ #countersurveillance #digitalsecurity

A Vision For The Progressive Left Feb 01, 2017

Guest host Bhaskar Sunkara (editor of Jacobin Magazine) engages political voices Kate Aronoff and Jonah Birch in a conversation about the future of the Left: were the election results a testament to the decline of the Left, or is this a moment for a new left movement? When 13 million people in America cast a vote for a self described Democratic Socialist, is there hope to be found in a political movement propelled by the swamp in the White House? Our guests this week discuss how we got to Trump, and where we -- as progressives -- are going. Kate Aronoff is a writing fellow at In These Times, and writes for Truthout, Dissent, and the Guardian, as well as hosting the Dissent podcast. Jonah Birch is a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at New York University and a member of the International Socialist Organization, and also writes for Jacobin.

For itunes subscribers please please add a rating and write a review, and to watch this episode go to our website.

Cooperative Economics for a POC-Led Future: Aaron Tanaka Jan 26, 2017

Under the Trump regime, we’ll certainly have to be on the defense to protect the communities most likely to be attacked -- but we’ll also have to build powerful, alternative models where POC, Muslim, undocumented, disabled, and queer folks have leadership. In this week’s episode, Laura speaks with Aaron Tanaka, founder and director of the Center for Economic Democracy about his longtime advocacy and visionary work for the next system of solidarity economics. Tanaka wants to know if Trump will make us think think or act differently about extractive capitalism. To change the circumstances of injustice, whether it’s mass incarceration or mass displacement, we have to build our communities’ governance power to take control of their economic resources -- so says Tanaka. Tanaka and the Center for Economic Democracy are one of the many organizations behind Boston’s Ujima program, which is funneling the discourse of democratic economics into the practice we need. The Ujima project is helping communities of color direct their resources into the ideas they believe in, through a cooperative model of community budgeting. All this, and an F-Word from Laura on why we’ve got to look beyond personality politics to understand the actual culture that’s driving the nation’s voters.

Capitalism, Raced & Gendered: Rick Wolff & Farah Tanis Jan 12, 2017

Capitalism looks different to those who were once commodities, and that has implications for how we build a future not based in domination.

Holiday Special Pt. 2: Facing Race – Kim Diehl + Tarso Luís Ramos Dec 29, 2016

Supposedly, the far right have won. So what now? We ask our guests this week the same question, taking from a mixed pot of loss and success. Whether it's about the fight for reproductive justice in the South, or a movement for rural agency in progressive work, our guests offer some wisdom on what's happening now, and what's next as we head into the new administration.

The Facing Race conference, coordinated by Race Forward this November in Atlanta, brought together some of the most noteworthy names in progressive organizing right now. This week on the show, we have a special compilation of interviews from the conference with these very activists.

On this Holiday Special for the Laura Flanders Show Podcast, Laura speaks with Tarso Luís Ramos, executive director of Political Research Associates, about the far right's global dawn; Kim Diehl of the National Employment Law Project, on strategy for progressive movements.

For more on these organizations, check out our website at www.lauraflanders.com.

Holiday Special: Facing Race – Rural Organizing Project + Eesha Pandit Dec 22, 2016

Supposedly, the far right have won. So what now? We ask our guests this week the same question, taking from a mixed pot of loss and success. Whether it's about the fight for reproductive justice in the South, or a movement for rural agency in progressive work, our guests offer some wisdom on what's happening now, and what's next as we head into the new administration. The Facing Race conference, coordinated by Race Forward this November in Atlanta, brought together some of the most noteworthy names in progressive organizing right now. This week on the show, we have a special compilation of interviews from the conference with these very activists. On this Holiday Special for the Laura Flanders Show Podcast, Laura speaks with Cara Shufelt and Jessica Campbell, of the Rural Organizing Project, on supporting rural mobilization; and Esha Pandit, from the Center for Advancing Innovative Policy, on reproductive justice victories in Texas.

Not Trickle Down, But Bottom Up: Anthony Flaccavento Dec 16, 2016

At the Laura Flanders Show, we want to find the common ground that unites Americans, stories of progress, equity, and resilience -- to discover that there is more evidence of congress, than of division. Our guest this weeks speaks to some ways he has built a career on these very philosophies of equity and unity. Joining us for last new show of the 2016 year, is Anthony Flaccavento, founder of SCALE (Sequestering Carbon, Accelerating Local Economies) and author of "Building A Healthy Economy from the Bottom Up." Much of the Trump campaign and its cohorts campaigned for "trickle-down" economics -- the idea that, when those at the top (the 1%), do well, that prosperity "trickles down" to the bottom 10%. This concept has been disproven repeatedly. Flaccavento's experience and success in reinvigorating rural communities, which are often left out of macro policies, suggests one major way we can bridge the divides between these disparate parts of America. A resotorative, perhaps, for the shared economic struggles that led to Trump's ascent. Flaccavento hails from rural Virginia in Appalachian country, and has spent the last 25 years in community development advocating for directing government policy and resources towards building sustainable, thriving, rural communities. By building an economy from the bottom up -- that is, from the farm -- we make its foundations sturdy, says Flaccavento.

Facing Race: Stephanie Guilloud + Suzanne Pharr Dec 08, 2016

The Facing Race conference, coordinated by Race Forward this November in Atlanta, brought together some of the most noteworthy names in progressive organizing right now. This week on the show, we have a special compilation of interviews from the conference with a couple of these very activists.

On today's show we have Stephanie Guilloud from Project South and Suzanne Pharr, who founded the Woman's Project in 1981 in Arkansas.

For more on these organizations, check out our website at www.lauraflanders.com.

Bridging Fascist Divides: Arlie + Adam Hochschild Dec 01, 2016

In the aftermath of the election, much has been said about what liberal government, media, businesses failed to do: contextualize his rise to office and connect with his voters to change their minds. In this episode, Laura interviews Adam and Arlie Hochschild, who have each spent their careers documenting the complexities of political behavior.

Arlie Hochschild, with pragmatic energy, undertook the work we’d all like to do: she left the liberal haven of Berkeley, CA to go to the Louisiana Bayou -- a stronghold of the conservative right. Hochschild interviews Trump voters about their “deep story,” what drives them and how they feel left behind by the same liberal policies they need the most. Her new book, National Book Award finalist, Strangers in their Own Land, hopes to find common ground with Tea Partiers and Alt-Righters beyond politics.

Adam Hochschild is a celebrated writer, cofounder of Mother Jones magazine, whose new book Spain in Our Hearts: Americans in the Spanish Civil War. Hochschild, author of eight books, writes with what the New York Times calls prose “constantly vivid yet emotionally restrained” about the struggle of young Americans who joined Spanish Republicans during the Spanish Civil War. In our current politically fraught time, Hochschild speaks to the hallmarks of fascism and how to mark its ascent.

After the Election Nov 28, 2016

On this week's episode, a special call to action against post-election complacency. Although many of us affected by this election will be embittered and jaded by the "nightmarish" election season, our guests this week, activists ranging from many backgrounds, communities, and ages have a thoughts on how we can continue to mobilize #AfterTheElection. Featuring words from a radical duo: Mab Segrest (Southerners on New Ground) and Agunda Okeyo (#GOPHandsOffMe). Read more at www.lauraflanders.com.

Don't Feed the Racist Patriarchy! Nov 09, 2016

2016 is an exciting -- and precarious -- time to be an entrepreneur, particularly when you’re queer women. Serafina Palandech and her wife Jennifer Johnson, the founders of organic food startup, Hip Chick Farms, had to deal with a lot when they wanted to start their business. Now they’ve been able to secure an investment from Whole Foods (and Johnson’s cooked at the White House). But it hasn’t been easy, more like a misogynist gauntlet, in fact. Also in this episode: a visit with Mansfield Frazier, manager and founder of Chateau Hough, an award-winning vineyard in inner-city Cleveland. Chateau Hough employs local residents, formerly incarcerated workers, and youth as part of its project to invigorate the local community.

Movement-Building Politics: Pramila Jayapal and Chase Iron Eyes Nov 04, 2016

At the Laura Flanders Show, we say we talk with “tomorrow’s heroes today.” One of those could well be forward-thinker Pramila Jayapal, Washington State Senator, now running for Congress. If elected, Jayapal be the first south Asian woman in the House of Representatives. Jayapal describes herself as a “proud immigrant from India.” She founded Hate Free Zone (now OneAmerica) in response to hate and discrimination after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack and played a big role in the push for a $15 minimum wage. Hear how Islamophobic racism, has shaped her campaign and why she believes politicians must address institutional racism head-on. Pramila Jayapal is running for Washington, U.S. House of Representatives, District 7.

Also running for Congress is Chase Iron Eyes, a populist candidate for indigenous voters and a leading organizer for the #NoDAPL fight. We talk with Iron Eyes about lifting up in the face of oppression. Chase Iron Eyes is a Native activist and attorney, and a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

All this, and Laura’s F Word on opening highways not gates.

People Power and the U.S. Elections: Ralph Nader Nov 02, 2016

Are we stuck in a two-party gridlock, or is there still room for democracy? Ralph Nader, former presidential candidate and famed political maverick, joins us to discuss what really constitutes “people power” when it comes to this election. Known for his lifetime advocacy for electoral reform and corporate accountability, Nader talks about what the 2016 election’s taught us about the need for a government overhaul. For Nader, the choice between what he calls a “warmonger” and an “empty suit,” is no choice at all. But that doesn’t mean voters can’t make a difference, especially on Congress.

Nader is the author a new book, ”Breaking Through Power: It’s Easier Than We Think.” Also in this episode, a look at those most integral to this election: the voters, with a retrospective from the Democratic National Convention, and an F Word from Laura on winner-take-all media coverage.

We Gon' Be Alright - Really! Jeff Chang / #StandingRock Oct 20, 2016

It may seem at times like theres a thousand movements to be a part of, a thousand and one tragedies in the news. How do we keep ourselves accountable to the communities we truly care about? Is "diversity" enough? And how do we stop ourselves from panicking? Our guest this week, celebrated journalist and author Jeff Chang takes on some of these questions. According to Chang, hope isnt yet lost and really, were going to be alright -- if we work together. Connecting the dots between modern American resegregation, the 2016 elections, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and the hip-hop generation, Chang paints a picture of distress. Yet, theres power in this, says Chang. Collaboration, the likes of which we see in successful movements everywhere (Movement for Black Lives, #NoDAPL), can ebb the flow of oppression. Jeff Chang is the co-founder of CultureStr/ke and Colorlines. He currently serves as the executive director for Stanford University's Institute for Diversity in the Arts. latest release, We Gon Be Alright, from Picador, is in stores now. Also in this episode, we see a movement in practice at Standing Rock in Ohthi akwi territory. Indigenous activists and nations across the country are joining together in a historic effort to protect the water and defend the land against corporate energy. These indigenous leaders can teach us a lesson about doing radical work, even when facing improbable odds. Find out more at www.lauraflanders.com. For Jeff Chang's other works, http://jeffchang.net/

Credits––

Executive Producer: Laura Flanders Senior Producers: Anna Barsan, Jonathan Klett Editing: Tina Miller Social Media and Outreach Associates: Danica D'souza, Monica Mohaptra Guest: Jeff Chang, Lyla June, Cody Hall Music: Diego Chavez, "MoyenAge" Morgana Warner Evans, "Which Side Are You On" Lyla June, "Rise Up"

Fiscal Feminism: Pavlina R. Tcherneva Oct 14, 2016

This week, we are joined by economist and professor Pavlina R. Tcherneva, who says the current practice of gender-blind and race-blind fiscal policy lacks visions and helps no one. Congress, according to Tcherneva is focusing on the wrong things. A self ascribed feminist economist, Tcherneva says feminist fiscal policy is real, not simply ideological, and should be a central part of the American economy. We'll encourage growth, she says, by creating employment -- not the opposite. And employment begins with targeting women and racial minorities as the benefactors of policy. Pavlina R. Tcherneva is assistant professor of economics at Bard College and author of “Full Employment and Price Stability: The Macroeconomic Vision of William S. Vickrey.” Tcherneva is famously known as the author of the chart produced by Bernie Sanders on the Senate floor. The chart reiterates one of our modern truths: how post-Reagan economic growth in America multiplied growth for the 1%, but reduced wealth for 99% of Americans.

A Special Report From #StandingRock: Part 1 Oct 03, 2016

Part 1 of our field reports from the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, or Seven Council Fires Community, at #StandingRock in Cannonball, North Dakota. Representatives from hundreds of nations have travelled to #StandingRock to defend their right to clean water, and more, to preserve their sovereignty against a state that has illegally decided to take this land. They are protectors, not protesters. Their historic effort is bringing attention to a long struggle against environmental racism, indiscriminate raids, and genocidal erasure. We follow the story and the story of how these communities, Standing Rock Camp and Red Warrior Camp, have come to be egalitarian and holistic actions. Featured in this documentary are two of the indigenous leaders working with the community: ] Michelle Cook - Legal Counsel for Očhéthi Šakówiŋ camp (Diné - The One Who Walks Around You Clan), and Terrell Iron Shell of Thunder Valley Organizing and the International Indigenous Youth Council (Oglala Lakotah, Eastern Band Cherokee). “We’ve been here. We know how to take care of the land. Just listen to us.” For more information, go to www.nativeorganizing.org, or ienearth.org. Support this coverage at www.lauraflanders.com/join.

Is A Socialist Future Possible? Sep 26, 2016

Few words have had as little presence in the 2016 election as “socialism,” which was raised briefly in one of the earliest primary debates. Yet socialism could have a future in America, our guests this week argue, if we just think about it differently. Joining us this week are Bhaskar Sunkara and Sarah Leonard, co-editors of of a new essay collection titled “The Future We Want: Radical Ideas for the New Century.” Sunkara and Leonard say that people aren’t scared of socialism taking their money, they’re scared of Wall Street taking their money. In fact, in a socialist future, money might actually go where it’s supposed to: back to the people. Taking on intersections of class and race, class and gender, our guests explain the logistics of moving towards a socialist future. Sarah Leonard is a senior editor at the Nation, contributor to famous left-wing publication Dissent, and lecturer at NYU Gallatin. Bhaskar Sunkara is the editor and publisher of Jacobin magazine, a left-wing quarterly magazine recognized for offering socialist perspectives on contemporary issues. Also in this episode: a montage from our DNC coverage as we head into election heat. Who is the 99.99% and what do they want?

Free The Land Aug 17, 2016

The struggle for Black economic independence: Not a lot of people, particularly people of color, have had a chance to design a new community, to be different and equal, co-owned by its residents. In 1969, Shirley Sherrod co-founded a collective farm in Lee County, Georgia. At 6,000 acres, it was the largest tract of black-owned land in the United States. What happened to the New Communities land trust they planned? Let's just say they were way, way ahead of their time but their time just might be coming back.

Shirley Sherrod is a long time civil rights organizer, and trainer. You may remember the scandal when right wing propagandist Andrew Breitbart doctored a tape of her and got her fired from her appointed post as Georgia State Director of Rural Development for the U.S. Department of Agriculture . Today, Sherrod sits on the executive committee of the Southern Rural Black Women's Initiative for Economic and Social Justice, a collective of women leaders in the South. All that and a commentary from Laura on America’s scapegoating of our poorest residents.

Continuing Revolution Aug 11, 2016

What the mainstream media didn't show you.

White People in Solidarity Against Racism Aug 03, 2016

A social justice group that invites white people to fight racism is spreading like wildfire in the US. From 12 to 150 chapters in two years. Clearly a whole lot of white people are interested in fighting systemic injustice. But how? This week's guests have dedicated their lives to grappling with that question, for the sake of making real change. They are both organizers, educators, and feminist anti-racist activists.

Dara Silverman is the former Executive Director of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice and is currently the National Coordinator for SURJ: Showing Up for Racial Justice, a network with over 100 chapters and affiliates across the United States moving white people into action for racial justice. Chris Crass is the former co-coordinator of Catalyst Project, an antiracist training organization in the San Francisco Bay Area. And the author of two books, Towards Collective Liberation: Anti-Racist Organizing, Feminist Praxis, and Movement Building Strategy and Towards the “Other America”: Anti-Racist Resources for White People Action for Black Lives Matter.

Uninvited to the Party: The 2016 Republican National Convention Jul 25, 2016

In this special episode, the Laura Flanders is at the scene of the Republican National Convention -- but while the party is on inside Quicken Loans Arena, much of Cleveland is still grieving. The 2014 death of Tamir Rice still rests in the minds of many city residents, but it is not the only one. And death is a topic; at the RNC, the rhetoric is targeting those who fear the death of middle class chances and white-working class jobs. There's a reality to that too, in a city where the normal family incomes are half the national average. In a city that's hurting, in a country that's hurting, who is speaking to all this hurt? The LF Show are on the ground speaking to Joel Anderson and Cassandra Johnson, the family of Tanisha Anderson, killed by Cleveland Police in 2014. They continue to await justice. Other guests include Jim Mason, Goodyear Unit President and member of United Steelworkers of America; Harriet Applegate, Executive Secretary at North Shore AFL-CIO; Imam Paul Hassan, Cleveland Interfaith Activist; Deb Kline, Director of Cleveland Jobs for Justice; and performances by Prophets of Rage. For behind the scenes, highlights, and more - follow us on Facebook! With special thanks to our supporters, Link TV, and Free Speech TV.

Bernie’s Revolution: Socialism and the People's Struggle Against Capitalism Jun 21, 2016

Bernie's success as a mainstream, socialist presidential candidate has taken most commentators by surprise; even after he'd been mathematically counted out of the Democratic nomination race, support for Bernie Sanders kept coming in. One person who wasn't surprised though, is this week’s guest, Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant. Kshama is a teacher, activist, organizer, and a member of Socialist Alternative. She was a visible presence in the Occupy Movement, and an activist in her union, the American Federation of Teachers Local 178. In 2013, Sawant ran for Seattle City Council on a platform of fighting for a $15/hr minimum wage, rent control and taxing the super-rich to fund mass transit and education. She defeated a 16-year incumbent Democrat to become the first socialist elected in a major US city in decades, and the first socialist on the Seattle city council since 1877. On the show, Sawant discusses the radical potential of Bernie's politics, the possibilities for Socialism in America; and argues that the Democratic Party's anti-Trump strategy, with Hillary at the helm, is critically flawed in the long run. Also on the show, Greek alternative energy expert Ioannis Margaris discusses going from theory to practice in the Left government in Greece. All that and a few words from Laura on Liberal Democrats and Rosa Luxemburg.

A New Economy for Whom? Jun 15, 2016

Palak Shah discusses The Good Work Code, an attempt to bring comprehensive worker’s rights to Silicon Valley. And Yochai Benkler asks why the people who create all the content on Facebook - you and me - don’t own it. All that and a commentary from Laura on Apple's questionable borrowing practices. Palak Shah is Social Innovations Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. In addition to helping create The Good Work Code, she has worked in state government, for Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, and in the grassroots, from Los Angeles’ Bus Riders’ Union to Generation Five and Oakland Rising, both in the San Francisco Bay Area. Yochai Benkler is author of The Wealth of Networks: How social production transforms markets and freedom. He is Berkman Professor of Entrepreneurial Legal Studies at Harvard Law School, and faculty co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University.

No More Debt for Puerto Rico Jun 13, 2016

3.5 million Americans in Puerto Rico are in dire crisis. The island territory is mired in debt and facing imminent default. Media coverage has blamed the last twenty years - when tax breaks were rolled back and loans extended. But this week’s guests say the root of Puerto Rico's problems go deeper than that - to US colonial rule. If colonialism's at least in part the culprit here, it's pretty ironic that the solutions on offer from Congress seem so colonial as well.

This week, journalist Ed Morales and activist Charles Khan talk about the roots of the problem, and how a colonial approach to a colonial problem just might not do it. Later in the show, we visit with the Urban Bush Women at their Summer Leadership Institute, a training program for artists and organizers held every year in New Orleans. Founded in 1984 by choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Urban Bush Women seeks to bring the untold and under-told histories and stories of disenfranchised people to light through dance. All that and a few words from Laura on Yale University’s outrageous aversion to paying taxes.

Charles Khan is the Organizing Director at the Strong Economy For All Coalition, a Coalition of Labor Unions and Community groups fighting for economic equality, equal funding of public schools, and corporate accountability in New York State. He is also a leader of the HedgeClippers - an activist group taking on the Hedge Funds.

Ed Morales is a journalist who has investigated New York City electoral politics, police brutality, street gangs, grassroots activists, and the Latino arts and music scene. He is also the author of "Living in Spanglish and The Latin Beat: From Rumba to Rock." He also co-directed a documentary called "Whose Barrio?" and is currently an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race.

Ireland's New Rising Jun 06, 2016

One hundred years after the Easter Rising of 1916, the question of Irish sovereignty still looms large. New challenges face the Irish in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, and slashes to public spending in the North have ignited fresh waves of resistance. In this special report, Laura Flanders returns to Ireland, 30 years after first reporting on the so-called "Troubles". With photographer Paula Allen she takes a fresh look at Irish nationalism through the stories of socialists, anti-imperialists, anti-austerity activists and several generations of republicans. With Fintan O'Toole of The Irish Times, Sinn Fein TD Eoin O'Broin, Clare Daly TD, and more. Made possible by the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting #pulitzercenter.

Rising up Against Empire: Jeremy Scahill and the Easter uprising May 24, 2016

Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill talks about the secrets he’s learned about our government’s assassination programs, and how our military policies are leading to more oppression at home as well. Then, Laura visits Ireland for the anniversary of a one hundred year old rising against empire, and her commentary looks at the undeserved power of hedge fund managers. Jeremy Scahill is an award-winning investigative journalist and a founding editor of The Intercept. He is the author Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army, Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield, and a producer of the film Dirty Wars, which was nominated for an academy award for best documentary. His newest book, co-written with the staff of The Intercept, is The Assassination Complex: Inside the Government's Secret Drone Warfare Program.

Union Banking and Progressive Ice Cream May 20, 2016

A bank founded by a garment workers union, and a global ice cream company founded by a couple of hippies from Brooklyn. Keith Mestrich, President & CEO of Amalgamated Bank, talks about running a big bank with a social justice mission. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream talk about Bernie Sanders and progressive business principles - do they exist? Later in the show, Laura comments on the rise of automation - is it the end of human connection?

Eat the Rich? Raphaële Chappe & Nick Hanauer May 12, 2016

Can the wealthy save the rest of us from themselves? Venture capitalist Nick Hanauer tells us what’s wrong with rich people, and former Goldman Sachs Vice President Raphaele Chappe tells us about her work to even the playing field between the 1% and the 99% with the Robin Hood Hedge Fund.

Revolutionary Mothering May 04, 2016

On this special Mother’s day episode, guest host Alexis Pauline Gumbs explores revolutionary mothering with a panel of guests including China Martens, Mai’a Williams, Victoria Law, and Cynthia Dewi Oka. Self-described Queer Black troublemaker and Black feminist love evangelist Alexis Pauline Gumbs is the author of Spill: Fugitive Scenes, coming later this year from Duke University press. China Martens is the author of, among many other works, The Future Generation: The Zine-book for Subculture Parents, Kids, Friends and Others, and co-editor of Don’t Leave Your Friends Behind: Concrete Ways to Support Families in Social Justice Movements and Communities. Mai’a Williams is a former journalist for teleSUR English and author of two books of poetry. Victoria Law is the author of Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women. Cynthia Dewi Oka works at Grassroots Global Justice Alliance and her book of poems, Nomad of Salt and Hard Water, was a 2015 Pushcart Prize Nominee.

The Incomplete and Wonderful History of May Day: Peter Linebaugh & Avi Lewis Apr 27, 2016

Author and professor Peter Linebaugh discusses his new book, The Incomplete, True, Authentic, and Wonderful History of May Day. Later in the show filmmaker Avi Lewis discusses worker-owned factories in Argentina, and Laura focuses on the intersectional feminism of 19th Century Anarchist Lucy Parsons. Peter Linebaugh is professor emeritus at the University of Toledo, and the author of many books, including the Magna Carta Manifesto; Stop Thief, The Commons, Enclosures and Resistance, and his newest, The Incomplete, True, Authentic, and Wonderful History of May Day. Avi Lewis is a filmmaker known for The Take, co-directed by Naomi Klein, and This Changes Everything, a documentary on climate change and resistance, released in 2015.

Historian Eric Foner on the Face of Racism Today Apr 19, 2016

This Week: Making sense of the election season with a historian. From Confederate monuments to election politics to utopian communities, Eric Foner discusses today’s politics through the legacy of the past, and Laura takes a new look at a hundred-year-old proclamation. Foner is DeWitt Clinton Professor of History at Columbia University, is one of this country's most prominent historians, and the foremost expert and the civil war and reconstruction. He is the author of more than 20 books, including many classics, such as Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men: The Ideology of the Republican Party Before the Civil War; Nothing But Freedom: Emancipation and Its Legacy; and Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877. His most recent book is Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad.

The Southern Reverend Taking on the Right: Rev. William Barber of Moral Mondays. Apr 12, 2016

The Moral Mondays Movement in North Carolina is building a powerful, grassroots, struggle against the right wing. Laura talks with Reverend Dr. William J Barber II, the architect of that movement about Moral Mondays, Reconstruction, #BlackLivesMatter and morality and LGBT rights. Later in the show, we visit protesting workers from a Trump Casino in Las Vegas and Laura discusses bullies on TV, politics, and power.

Building a Movement Beyond the Elections: Jesús “Chuy” Garcia, Dan Cantor & Steve Phillips Apr 05, 2016

Jesus “Chuy” Garcia is the progressive Chicago politician who forced conservative Democrat Rahm Emanuel into the first run-off in that city’s history. Dan Cantor is the cofounder and national director of the Working Families Party. Before co-launching the WFP, he was a union organizer in New Orleans and Detroit; a community organizer in Arkansas, Texas, and Missouri; and Labor Coordinator for Rev. Jesse Jackson’s 1998 presidential campaign. The two talk with Laura about how they see a path for progressives to change the Democratic Party, and national politics. Later in the show, Steve Phillips discusses the importance of cultural competence in electoral politics. Phillips is a civil rights lawyer, co-founder of PowerPAC.org and the author of th new book Brown Is the New White: How the Demographic Revolution Has Created a New American Majority

What’s Missing from the Debates: Rep. Keith Ellison & Phyllis Bennis Mar 29, 2016

Single Payer Health Care, Free College for all and an end to subsidies for fossil fuel - if Bernie Sanders’ agenda sounds more progressive than his opponents', why have so few Progressive Congress people endorsed him? Laura asks Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, why so few members of his caucus have supported Bernie Sanders. Also in the show, middle east expert Phyllis Bennis tells Laura why we need more discussion of war and peace in the race for the White House. Phyllis Bennis is a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington DC. Her latest book is Understanding ISIS & the New Global War on Terror: A Primer. Also, a few words from Laura on cooperation among rival nations.

Sarah Schulman, Lupe Fiasco and Paying for Church Mar 22, 2016

Author, activist Sarah Schulman, cofounder of the Act-Up Oral History Project, is out with a new novel, The Cosmopolitans, in which a group of mid-century East Villagers pull together to survive gentrification and modern life. Meanwhile, musician Lupe Fiasco is starting a tech entrepreneur program in one of New York City’s poorest neighborhoods - we have an exclusive report. And with so much to spend public money on, asks Flanders in her weekly commentary, why are tax payers subsidising church?

Food, Housing and Time for a Sick-Out: Craig Willse, Imani Henry & Soul Fire Farms Mar 15, 2016

Author Craig WIllse and organizer Imani Henry discuss housing, homelessness and the role of nonprofits in change-making (or not). Plus, an exclusive report from an upstate New York farm that's feeding people while fighting the school-to-prison pipeline. All that and Laura, inspired by Chicago’s teachers, wonders when we’ll be ready for a grand national sick out.

Right to the City: From Policing to Planning, Putting People in Charge. Mar 08, 2016

Can residents determine how their cities change? They can certainly have an impact, say Aaron Bartley and John Washington of People United for Sustainable Housing (P.U.S.H.) in Buffalo, New York. PUSH Buffalo brings people together to create sustainable neighborhoods with quality affordable housing, green jobs and next generation infrastructure. Could their model apply where you live? Also in this show, Laura discusses the “great corporate buy-up” of our cities. Is that public plaza public, private or who knows?

Public Banking, Public Water: Who's in Control? Gwendolyn Hallsmith and Rep. Brenda L. Lawrence (D-MI) Mar 01, 2016

From poisoning Flint to bankrupting Main Street, can residents regain a say in what happens in their communities? In this episode, Laura discusses race, gender, and banking with Gwendolyn Hallsmith, the author of Vermont Dollars, Vermont Sense, and she asks Michigan Congresswoman Brenda L. Lawrence who - and what - failed the people of Flint, MI. Plus an F Word from Laura on shedding light on dark money. What might media cover if they weren’t so obsessed with Donald Trump?

Pirates, Hackers, and the Sharing Economy: Alexa Clay, Micky Metts, and Janelle Orsi Feb 23, 2016

Laura Flanders and guest host Pamela Brown learn from pirates, hustlers and hackers about how to build economic alternatives right here, right now. Alexa Clay is a co-author of The Misfit Economy: Lessons in Creativity From Pirates, Hackers, Gangsters, And Other Informal Entrepreneurs. Micky Metts is a hacker, activist and organizer, as well as a member of Agaric, a worker-owned cooperative of web developers. Janelle Orsi, co-founder and executive director of the Sustainable Economies Law Center, is a lawyer, advocate, writer, and cartoonist focused on cooperatives, the sharing economy, and community-supported enterprises. All that and a few words from Laura on free speech and democracy for workers.

Poetry and Trans Politics: Darkmatter Feb 16, 2016

Trans South Asian art duo Darkmatter is comprised of Alok Vaid-Menon and Janani Balasubramanian. They are deeply engaged in the connection of art and social justice, and have been performing to sold-out crowds in New York and internationally.

Swoon: From the Streets to the Galleries Feb 09, 2016

Caledonia Curry, also known as Swoon, is one of the most recognized street artists in the world. She has brought her art from the streets to galleries and museums. Among her recent projects include creating musical houses in New Orleans, a ceramic tile factory in Pennsylvania, a floating city on rafts in the Mississippi River, and rebuilding a community in Haiti post-earthquake.

Tony Kushner: Hollywood and Socialism Feb 03, 2016

Can a socialist choose Hillary over Bernie? Playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner discusses Socialism, Zionism, Hollywood, and the 2016 elections. Tony Kushner has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, an Emmy Award, two Tony Awards, two Academy Award nominations, and President Obama presented him with the National Medal of Arts in 2013. Last fall he was entered into the National Theater Hall of Fame - and no wonder; among his plays are Angels In America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes; and The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures. His many screenplays include Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln and Munich. He has also written or edited several books, including Wrestling with Zion: Progressive Jewish-American Responses to the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict. Later in the program, Laura visits with a Roma Gallery in Hungary that embraces Hip Hop and bell hooks. All that and a few words from Laura on recent political upheavals in Hungary.

Viggo Mortensen: Empires and Justice in the Middle East Jan 26, 2016

This week Laura and Viggo Mortensen discuss heroes, outlaws, empires and justice in the Middle East. Academy Award-nominated actor Viggo Mortensen has appeared in scores of movies, including The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, one of the highest grossing film series of all time. What you may not know is he's also a poet, photographer, musician and painter. He speaks four languages, and he is the founder and publisher of an independent publishing house, Perceval Press. The twelfth anniversary edition of Perceval's collection of essays in response to the Iraq occupation: Twilight of Empire -- was released this winter with essays by Mike Davis, Amy Goodman, Jodie Evans and Dennis Kucinich among others - and a forward by Howard Zinn. This episode also features a few words from Laura on Hillary Clinton - her warmth and her wars.

Zillah Eisenstein and Damayan: Race, Gender and Socialism Jan 19, 2016

Laura, discusses race, gender, feminism, and socialism with author Zillah Eisenstein. And an exclusive report from the Damayan Cleaning Cooperative, the first Filipina migrant worker-owned cooperative in the US. And a few words from Laura on the path forward for a new economy.

Molly Crabapple: Drawing Blood Jan 12, 2016

From sex workers in the US to prisoners in Guantanamo, artist and journalist Molly Crabapple has been there. Her bold and powerful work has also taken her to Abu Dhabi's migrant labor camps, and with rebels in Syria. Her new memoir, Drawing Blood, was just released in December. She is a contributing editor for VICE and has written for publications including The New York Times, Paris Review, and Vanity Fair. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. This episode also features a commentary from Laura on the dark magic of the art market.

Antony Loewenstein and M. Jacqui Alexander: Disaster Capitalism and Spiritual Feminism Jan 05, 2016

Six years ago this month, Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake. Billions of dollars in aid were pledged but little made it to the people in need. Why did that happen? Today on The Laura Flanders Show, Antony Loewenstein talks about Disaster Capitalism and the great Caribbean feminist Jacqui Alexander gives us a rare interview. All that and a few words from Laura on laissez faire capitalism - that isn't.

Naomi Murakawa & #BlackLivesMatter: Liberals, Guns and the Roots of the U.S. Prison Explosion Dec 15, 2015

Today on The Laura Flanders Show: Naomi Murakawa indicts liberals for growing the system of mass incarceration, and we take a look back at our coverage of the Black Lives Matter movement. All that and a few words from me on mandatory minimums in 1790 and since.

Race, Gender, and Work: Lola Smallwood-Cuevas with Domestic Workers United: Dec 08, 2015

The Laura Flanders Show in in Los Angeles talking about women and work. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas shares about her work with the Black Workers Center, and we visit with domestic workers who marched to Washington to meet with the pope. All that and a few words from me on the surprisingly low-cost emergency that can throw almost half of all Americans into a crisis.

Connecting the Grassroots and the Global: Eric Mann and Pedro Páez Dec 02, 2015

Eric Mann from The Los Angeles Bus Riders Union talks about why working people from LA are attending the climate talks in Paris. And Ecuador's former Finance Minister Pedro Páez on when they renegotiated loans, cut debt payments and reinvested in the local economy. Plus a commentary from Laura on lessons learned from a 19th century African statue.

Jalal Sabur & Raymond Figueroa, Jr: Food, Land, and Freedom Nov 24, 2015

Land and food has been used as a weapon to keep people of color in second class status, in this episode Laura looks at the ways it can be used as a tool for liberation. Laura speaks with Jalal Sabur & Raymond Figueroa, who are using fresh food to rebalance the scale and dig up the school to prison pipeline. Jalal Sabur is the co-founder of the Freedom Food Alliance, a collective of farmers, political prisoners, and organizers in upstate New York, and Raymond Figueroa, Jr. works with the Friends of Brook Farm, an alternatives-to-incarceration program that works with young people affected by the prison system. Also in this episode, fisherman Bren Smith is modeling a future for fishing after fish - with Kelp Farming. All that and a few words from Laura on giving thanks and food power.

The Surveillance-Industrial Complex and Columbia Prison Divestment Nov 17, 2015

The “surveillance-industrial complex” has profound, but poorly understood impacts on our political, structural, economic, and cultural lives, says Hamid Khan, director of the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, board member of the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Political Research Associates, and Youth Justice Coalition. Also in this episode, we meet the students that forced Columbia University to divest from private prisons. And Laura on US government spying on Black Lives Matter movement activists.

Donna Schaper & Matthew Stinchcomb: Can etsy change the world? Nov 10, 2015

Can one of the founders of the craft website Etsy.com - valued in the billions of dollars - lead a change in the way we do business? Etsy.com is the world’s largest certified socially responsible business, and they have now launched Etsy.org, a business education program for businesspeople who want to make a better world. Laura speaks with Matthew Stinchcomb, the Vice President of Values and Impact for Etsy.com, and the founder of Etsy.org; and Donna Schaper, Senior Minister for Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village and author of several books, including the upcoming The Time Famine, as well as a collaborator on Etsy.org. Also in this episode: The WORX Printing Cooperative gives a short history of unjust trade, and Laura discusses New Economy Week.

Laurie Anderson & Mohammed el Gharani: Habeas Corpus Nov 03, 2015

Like all men held at Guantanamo Bay, Mohammed el Gharani, who was imprisoned at the age of 14, is barred from entering the USA. But American artist Laurie Anderson found a way to bring him to the states, via telepresence. Laura talks with Anderson about presence, absence and the questions raised in Anderson’s latest attention-getting performance, Habeas Corpus. We also hear from el Gharani, who was held at Guantanamo from 2002 until his release in 2009, about prison-camp solidarity, the prisoner who is his hero, and his thoughts on slavery and the Middle Passage - then and now. All that and an F Word from Laura on a long, 40 second delay.

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Avi Lewis: This Changes Everything Oct 27, 2015

The climate crisis is our best chance to build a better world - and the people most affected by the destruction are in the forefront of coming up with alternatives. We'd better listen to them. That's the message of a new film from this week's guest, Avi Lewis, director of the new film This Changes Everything, inspired by the bestselling book by his wife Naomi Klein. Avi Lewis co-created and hosted the award-winning Al Jazeera documentary series Fault Lines, and The Big Picture on CBC Television. His first documentary, The Take, followed Argentina’s legendary movement of worker-run businesses. Also: Laura discusses women leading the charge for change around the world.

End Mass Incarceration: Bryan Stevenson Oct 20, 2015

Mercy - more and more people are talking about it in the context of the masses of Americans incarcerated. but is mercy enough? Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, has done a lot to push this debate to the front. Also in the show - how you can be a part of EJI's history marking project. Plus a few words from Laura on the high cost of giving a cold shoulder to the poor in Hillary Clinton's neighborhood.

Tim Wise: Under the Affluence Oct 13, 2015

How does race and racism affect in your life? Anti-racist activist and writer Tim Wise is the author of six books, most notably his highly acclaimed memoir: White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son. His latest book, Under the Affluence: Shaming the Poor, Praising the Rich and Sacrificing the Future of America is out this month. Also, New Orleans youth discuss how racism affects their lives. All that and a few words from Laura on security forces that stink.

Greg Grandin: Empire and Resistance in Latin America, and Beyond Oct 06, 2015

Professor and author Greg Grandin talks about the enduring influence of Henry Kissinger's bloody and brutal foreign policy. Greg Grandin has been examining Empire in all its forms across seven books, including his latest, _Kissinger’s Shadow, _out this month. A professor of history at NYU and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Grandin writes on US foreign policy, Latin America, genocide, and human rights. He also served as a consultant to the United Nations truth commission on Guatemala. And Laura discusses war criminals in Guatemala and in the US.

Peter Frase and Boots Riley on The Future of Social Change Sep 29, 2015

Will the future be better or worse for workers? Peter Frase says with more tech tools, there's more leisure in our future, as there should be. He also is convinced that capitalism will end. Peter Frase is an editor of the magazine Jacobin, and has a book coming out next year from Verso Press, Four Futures. Also on this episode: Part two of our interview with Boots Riley, a poet, lyricist, MC, screenwriter, activist, organizer, radical, and founder and frontman of Oakland-based hip hop group The Coup. Boots Riley was also one of the most influential voices and leaders of the Occupy Wall Street movement, and is the only known musical artist whose surveillance by intelligence agents has been exposed due to Wikileaks documents. All this, and Laura discusses war, refugees and Dick Cheney's second home.

Ellen & Rachel Meeropol and Boots Riley on Art and Resistance Sep 22, 2015

Fighting government repression through art and action: Laura interviews Ellen and Rachel Meeropol, a mother and daughter each seeking change -- one through the litigation and one through fiction. Ellen Meeropol is the author of two novels that deal with law, justice and government surveillance. Her most recent book, On Hurricane Island, explores a fictional secret domestic detention camp for citizens. Ellen's daughter, Rachel Meeropol, is the senior staff attorney at Center for Constitutional Rights, where she works on prisoners’ rights, Muslim profiling, and the criminalization of dissent. These issues have affected both of their lives. Ellen’s father and mother in-law, Rachel’s grandparents, were Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, who were executed by the US government as spies. Also on this episode: Part one of our interview with Boots Riley, a poet, lyricist, MC, screenwriter, activist, organizer, radical, and founder and frontman of Oakland based hip hop group The Coup. Boots Riley was also one of the most influential voices and leaders of the Occupy Wall Street movement, and is the only known musical artist whose surveillance by intelligence agents has been exposed due to Wikileaks documents. All this, and Laura takes a look back at Occupy Wall Street...and the politicians getting slandered now.

Breaking Our Gun Addiction: Marlon Peterson Sep 15, 2015

How do we break America's addiction to guns and gun violence? We talk with a young man who served ten years in prison on a gun-related crime and hear from cultural critic Jeff Chang about the cultural changes that have and haven't transformed America. Marlon Peterson spent his entire 20s in prison, charged with second degree murder, and convicted of attempted robbery and assault. Five years after his release, he's now a Soros Foundation Justice Fellow, working to end gun violence and increase community safety in New York City through the creation of zones where no one will need to carry a gun—not even police officers. Jeff Chang is an author, historian and cultural critic. He is the author of Can't Stop Won't Stop, A History of the Hip-Hop Generation, and Who We Be: The Colorization of America. Also in this episode, Laura discusses a prison-free state.

Black Land Matters: Mark Scott and Tia Powell Harris Sep 08, 2015

A look at the historical and present-day connections between democracy, land, housing and economic development. The history of the US is packed with people of color and poor people who’ve been stripped of their rights - to vote, to wages, to housing or even just the right to stay in the country - through incarceration, segregation, slavery and deportation. For just as long, black communities have created safety, and won a say in democracy, through buying and keeping land cooperatively. It’s not just history, either. Mark Scott is an organizer of #blacklandmatters, a group working today, and Tia Powell Harris is the director of the Weeksville Heritage Center, Brooklyn’s largest African-American cultural institution, which is dedicated to preserving the history of the 19th century African American community of Weeksville - one of America’s first free black communities. This episode also features an exclusive report, Cooperation vs. Gentrification: Bed Stuy Strives to Stay Local, which explores ways people in the Bed Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn are using co-ops to find ways to benefit local communities and prevent the displacement caused by gentrification.

Labor, Bernie Sanders, and Direct Action: Larry Hanley w/Morrigan Phillips Sep 01, 2015

Will labor endorse Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, or someone else? Larry Hanley began driving a bus in 1978, at age 21, in Brooklyn, NY, and attended his first union meeting soon after. He’s now international president of the Amalgamated Transit Union which represents some 200,000 bus drivers, rail operators, mechanic and station attendants across the US and Canada. Since his election in 2010, he has been outspoken on everything from greening the economy to outsourcing of public sector jobs and racism. He was also the first union president to speak up about the 2016 US presidential election, and he was supportive of Bernie Sanders. Also in the show, Morrigan Phillips tells us about how to bring science fiction and fantasy into social change and direct action.

New Orleans: The Economics of Recovery: Oliver Thomas and Sunni Patterson Aug 26, 2015

Ten years since the flooding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, we look at the recovery, what worked and what didn't, with an extended interview with a former insider turned outsider. Oliver Thomas was city council president at the time of Hurricane Katrina, and was on his way to becoming the city's next mayor. Within a few years, he serving time in a federal prison, having pled guilty to taking a bribe related to permits on a parking lot. Now, he's a radio show commentator and activist, and discusses what went right and what went wrong in the recovery. We then hear another view on the recovery from New Orleans poet Sunni Patterson.

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Police Violence & Reparations: Opal Tometi, Joey Mogul & Darrell Cannon Aug 04, 2015

What might a global Black Lives Matter movement look like? A discussion with Black Lives Matter co-founder Opal Tometi, a Black feminist writer, communications strategist, cultural organizer, and co-founder of the BlackLivesMatter Network. She is also executive director of the US' leading Black organization for immigrant rights, the Black Alliance for Just Immigration. Also, we look at Chicago's successful campaign for reparations for the Jon Burge police torture. All that and a few words from Laura on patriarchal pretexts for racist killing, and how she isn't Dylann Roof's woman.

Cornel West and Richard Wolff talk about Capitalism and White Supremacy Jul 29, 2015

A conversation about capitalism with two brilliant minds, Cornel West and Richard D. Wolff, together in a rare joint appearance. Richard D. Wolff is Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, and author most recently of Capitalism’s Crisis Deepens: Essays on the Global Economic Meltdown 2010- 2014/ Dr. Cornel West has written or edited dozens of books, including classics like Race Matters, and Democracy Matters. His most recent is Black Prophetic Fire, written in conversation with Christa Buschendorf. Also in the show, activist Manju Rajendran tells us about a small business that is successfully operating under an anti-capitalist economic paradigm. And Laura raises questions about the record-setting settlement with BP over drilling disaster in the Gulf Coast.

Andrew Cockburn: Modern War Jul 21, 2015

This week's episode focuses on modern warfare and US imperialism. Is drone warfare here to stay? It’s one of the few things Republicans and Democrats agree on. Andrew Cockburn has been a rare critical voice on the subject. He is the Washington editor of Harper’s magazine and the author of several nonfiction books on war and international politics. His new book is Kill Chain: The Rise of High-Tech Assassins. And later in the show, an excerpt from a new film about a young man held in the US prison at Guantanamo - Fahd Ghazy.

Keller Easterling: Shaping Our Future Right Now Jul 07, 2015

How do we shape our future, right now? Author and architect Keller Easterling discusses the role architects should take to shape a better world, and the invisible systems used by corporate power to exert control over populations. Also in this episode, we speak to scientist Helen Caldicott about facing the nuclear threat. All that, and a few words from Laura on police and women in crisis: the real vs the "seemingly violent".

Beyond Disability Rights; Disability Justice: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha Jun 30, 2015

Safety: every law enforcement officer and every politician tells us that they're for it. And yet for many, police are a problem in their communities, and today's policies are only making things worse. If what we're doing isn't the answer. What is? We explore this issue, and what we all need to learn from the disability justice movement, with this week's guest. Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha is a queer disabled writer, performer, poet, healer and teacher, inspired by poets and authors June Jordan, Suheir Hammad and Audre Lorde. She is the author of several books of poetry, including Consensual Genocide and the Lambda-award winning Love Cake. She has a new book of poetry called Bodymap, and a memoir, Dirty River. out this year. She also co-founded the performance group Mangos With Chili and is an editor of The Revolution Starts At Home: Confronting Intimate Violence in Activist Communities, a book that grapples with the difficult idea of addressing violence without police. All this, and Laura discusses the roads less traveled.

Michelle Alexander: Beyond Black Spring Jun 02, 2015

Protests against police violence continue across the US, and this week's episode continues our exclusive reporting on the movement behind the protests. How are the legacies of the eras of slavery, reconstruction, and Jim Crow still with us today? Laura talks to civil rights lawyer, advocate, and legal scholar Michelle Alexander about citizenship and the prison industrial complex. Michelle Alexander is author of the best-selling book _The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, _a book which has taken on even more urgency in the current protest moment. This episode also features an exclusive new report from Baltimore, with a look at the issues behind the recent uprising, from housing to education to jobs, and Laura connects the issue of lead paint in Baltimore homes to the death of Freddie Gray.

Taking on the Sheriff with Art and Activism: Patrisse Cullors & Kai Lumumba Barrow May 20, 2015

How is the Black Lives Matter movement reshaping models of social movement leadership? We continue our ongoing conversation on Black Lives Matter with another of the movements cofounders, Patrisse Cullors. Patrisse is an artist, organizer and freedom fighter. She is also the founder and executive director of Dignity and Power Now, based in Los Angeles. Among her projects are the Coalition to End Sheriff Violence, and she recently directed a theatrical piece titled POWER: From the Mouths of the Occupied, based on community stories of police violence. Also in this episode, artist and revolutionary Kai Lumumba Barrow discusses her new "visual opera," set to premiere in New Orleans on the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and Laura explores the links between police violence in the US and internationally.

Boycott From Within: Ronnie Barkan and Haidar Eid May 12, 2015

The two state solution has been declared dead too many times to count. But have we turned a corner? In the last Israeli elections, Prime Minister Netanyahu raised alarm about Palestinian citizens voting, and declared his opposition to a two state solution. This week's episode airs 67 years after the founding of the state of Israel, known to Palestinians as the Nakba, or tragedy. To mark the occasion, we speak to both Israeli and Palestinian activists.

Ronnie Barkan is an Israeli activist, a conscientious objector and co-founder of Boycott from Within - a group of conscientious Israelis who support the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. He represented the Popular Struggle Coordination Committees at the European Parliament in Brussels, where he challenged EU institutional complicity in Israeli violations. Then we go to Gaza for an exclusive conversation with Dr. Haidar Eid, a Professor of Postcolonial and Postmodern Literature at Gaza's al-Aqsa University. Dr. Eid is a leader in the Palestinian movement for one democratic state, and a member of the steering committee of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. All this, and Laura discusses Gaza's missing millions.

#Blackgirlsmatter: Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw and a new #homecare documentary, Care May 05, 2015

In 2014, a 12 year old Georgia girl faced expulsion and criminal charges after writing on a locker room wall of her Middle School. A Detroit honors student was suspended for her entire senior year for bringing a pocket knife to a football game. In 2013, an 8 year-old girl was arrested for acting out. A 12 year old girl was threatened with expulsion unless she changed her hairstyle. Those are just some of the stories told in a shocking report released this year by the African American Policy Forum whose director joins us to talk about Black girls and the school to prison pipeline. Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw is a Professor of Law at UCLA and Columbia Law School, and is a leading authority on the overlapping contours of racial and gender bias. She is the Executive Director of the African American Policy Forum and the Center for Intersectionality - a term she coined - at Columbia Law School. Also in this episode: We go from the fate of our future generations to the fate of our parents and grandparents, with excerpts from CARE, a new documentary about the crisis of elder care, and those trying to do something about it. All this, and Laura discusses who's missing from all the talk about incarceration.

Walidah Imarisha & adrienne maree brown & Mumia Abu-Jamal: Decolonizing the Mind Apr 30, 2015

Many people know of Mumia Abu-Jamal as a journalist and political prisoner. But did you know he’s also a Star Trek fan? That’s one of the many revelations in the new book Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements, a collection of visionary fiction from Walidah Imarisha and Adrienne Maree Brown. Adrienne Maree Brown is a writer, organizational healer, facilitator, pleasure activist, and Science Fiction scholar, among many other roles. Walidah Imarisha is an educator, writer, organizer, filmmaker, spoken word artist, prison abolitionist and activist. In addition to editing Octavia’s Brood, she has written two books of poetry, Scars/Stars and the upcoming Angels with Dirty Faces: Dreaming Beyond Bars. They explain that for them, social change and science fiction are the same thing. Also in this episode: journalist and US political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal calls in via Prison Radio to read his essay for Octavia's Brood about what the film Star Wars has to say about US empire. Also, Laura discusses the Age of Acquiescence.

From Local to Global: Esteban Kelly and Stacy Mitchell Apr 14, 2015

This week is US tax week, a good time to ask what will it take before we have a mass movement in the US offering economic alternatives. We explore this question with two guests who are in the trenches of the new economy movement. Stacy Mitchell is co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and directs its Community-Scaled Economy Initiative. She is the author of Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America’s Independent Businesses. Esteban Kelly is the Co-Executive Director of the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives and a member of AORTA: The Anti-Oppression Resource and Training Alliance, a worker-owned cooperative devoted to strengthening movements for social justice and a solidarity economy. Also in this episode: it's five years since BP caused the largest environmental disaster in US history, and we show scenes from the devastation on the US Gulf Coast, and from private gatherings of oil company executives. Also in this episode, Laura talks about corporate crime, taxes, and the cost of doing business, big business's way.

Learning Politics and Cooperation from Theater: Kathleen Chalfant Apr 07, 2015

Where do art and social justice meet? From early roles in films like Bob Roberts and Five Corners to her award winning roles in plays including Wit and Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, to her current starring role in the award-winning Showtime series The Affair, Kathleen Chalfant is one of the most acclaimed actresses in the US. She has also been an outspoken advocate on issues like Middle East peace and incarceration. This episode also looks at Stanley Cohen, a radical lawyer who has represented Hamas and other official US enemies. Cohen is going to jail in a case seen as payback from the US government for his unpopular cases.

The Education Uprising You Want to Know About: Jesse Hagopian Mar 31, 2015

Jesse Hagopian is part of a movement challenging the regime of high stakes testing in U.S. schools. Global Warming, war, poverty, violence against women, disease... None of these problems can be solved by A B C or D thinking, he writes in a new book, so why do we continue to sink hundreds of millions of dollars into just that sort of test? Jesse Hagopian teaches history and is the Black Student Union adviser at Garfield High School in Seattle which made history when teachers, parents and students there chose to boycott the standard test in 2013. He's also editor of the new book More Than a Score: The New Uprising Against High-Stakes Testing. This episode also looks at ground zero in the school reform movement with a short film about the privatization of schools in New Orleans.

Building Movements Without Shedding Differences: Alicia Garza Mar 24, 2015

Alicia Garza is the co-creator of Black Lives Matter, and also Special Projects Director for the National Domestic Workers Alliance. She helped start "Black Lives Matter" as a call to action for Black people after the killing of 17 year old Trayvon Martin. Women are at the heart of this movement. Specifically young Black women - many of them calling themselves queer. We talk about what this movement wants and where it's going. From there, we look at other systemic issues facing Black communities in the US, through Even The Walls, a short documentary about the members of a public-housing neighborhood in Seattle grappling with the forces of gentrification.

What WIll It Take To End the War on Drugs? Johann Hari on #GRITtv | The Laura Flanders Show Mar 10, 2015

With marijuana legalization passing around the US, are we finally entering the last days of the War on Drugs? Johann Hari had an early start as an op-ed columnist for The Independent at 23. Since then, he has written for the New York Times, the LA Times, the Guardian, Le Monde, Slate, the New Republic and The Nation among others. His new book, Chasing The Scream, is a bracing look inside the War on Drugs. This episode also looks at what resisting the war on drugs looks like at the grassroots, with a profile of Reverend Kenneth Glasgow and his organization T.O.P.S. - The Ordinary People Society. T.O.P.S. is an extraordinary criminal justice reform organization run by former prisoners in Dothan, Alabama.

Capitalism, Imperialism, Feminism: Monique Wilson & Agnes Pareyio | #GRITtv Mar 03, 2015

In celebration of International Women's Day, GRITtv featuring leaders of the global women's movement, Agnes Pareyio and Monique Wilson plus a look at women of color's fight for rights with Standing on My Sister's Shoulders and Hillary Clinton's White Feminism with Laura's F-Word.

Prepping for the Elder Boom: Ai-jen Poo on Building Domestic Care Feb 26, 2015

Ai-jen Poo, Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) and Co-director of the Caring Across Generations campaign, has been organizing immigrant women workers since 1996. In 2000 she co-founded Domestic Workers United, the New York organization that spearheaded the successful passage of the state’s historic Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in 2010. As Co-director of Caring Across Generations, Ai-jen leads a movement that is reshaping labor and inspiring thousands of careworkers, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, and lawmakers. She received a 2014 MacArthur genius grant and was named to TIME’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World and Newsweek’s 150 Fearless Women list.

Uber: Wal-Mart on Wheels? - Bhairavi Desai on #GRITtv Feb 17, 2015

The US media has been breathlessly reporting the spin about Uber, the $40 billion dollar car service that until recently was called "ride-sharing" by the AP. Bhairavi Desai, co-founder and Director of the Taxi Workers Alliance, presents the other side - including Uber and similar services' effects on the California cab industry, and workers' rights and the changing face of "work" in the US. Plus, Esther Cooper Jackson, creator of Freedomways, on fighting for equal rights for almost a century.

Own the Change: Building Economic Democracy One Worker Co-op at a Time Feb 12, 2015

A short documentary in partnership with Toolbox for Education and Social Action. Watch as we go through concrete steps for building economic alternatives by creating worker-owned cooperatives. Featuring conversations with worker-owners from Union Cab; Ginger Moon; Arizmendi Bakery, Anti-Oppression Resource and Training Alliance (AORTA); New Era Windows; and more.For supplementary materials from Toolbox for Education and Social Education, visit store.toolboxfored.org/own-the-change/

Money: The Great Corrupter - David Harvey | The Laura Flanders Show Feb 03, 2015

Is the economy recovering, or is the system itself the problem? Economist and philosopher David Harvey on money; which he calls "the great corrupter". Professor David Harvey is one of the world’s leading Marxist thinkers and most prolific writers on class warfare, capitalism, crisis and how we find our way out. Harvey has also coined key social movement concepts, such as the idea of "the right to the city". His latest book is Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism. Also on the show: a look at a meeting of movements as activists from Black Lives Matter travel to Palestine.

Moving Your Money: Michael Shuman and CERO Group Jan 27, 2015

Why is it so hard to invest your money locally? Grassroots activists trying to build economic alternatives in the US encourage investing in the businesses in your neighborhood, instead of in far-off corporations. However, it turns out that it’s not so easy to move your money; there are even laws against it in the US. Laura Flanders talks with local finance expert Michael Shuman, and profiles a grassroots success story, CERO Group, that’s funding its start-up without deep pockets or Wall St cash. Find out more at grittv.org.

Do Elections Matter - Chuck Pennacchio/Syriza Jan 17, 2015

What is the fallout from Obamacare on the movement for universal healthcare, and is there any hope for change in the US electoral system? A discussion on organizing within the system with Chuck Pennacchio, Executive Director of Health Care 4 All Pennsylvania and founder of Citizen Solutions for Pennsylvania. He was also a 2006 US Senate candidate. He’s a longtime advocate of publicly-financed, privately-provided universal healthcare, and an organizing veteran of 34 years. Then, from the US to Greece, we speak with Yiannis Bournous, a leader of theGreek leftist political party Syriza, which is poised to win the January 25 elections. We ask him how they did it ad what their plan is. And, in commentary, Laura talks about Boko Haram, and asks why much of the media is silent...

The Laura Flanders Show on GRITtv is a weekly interview show with new movement leaders, unheard activists and commentary from Laura Flanders. Subscribe for more content and visit us at grittv.org.

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