Making Contact

He went from illiterate street kid, to world renowned poet. But it was in prison that Jimmy Santiago Baca connected with his Native American and Chicano heritage, and began learning the lessons of his people’s past. On this edition , Progressive Magazine editor Matthew Rothschild sits down with Jimmy Santiago Baca.

On this edition, we bring you the voices of Veterans from Occupy Wall Street and a special report on veterans returning home from war and the struggles they endure from inadequate healthcare to the inability in finding employment.

Reproductive health services for women are under attack, leaving poor women and women of color lacking access. But a broad coalition of women is striking back, changing the conversation on abortion and race. WARNING: This program contains graphic language.

The people of the U.S. have seemingly awakened, and are out in the streets, demanding changes to a system in which money controls politics.  On this edition, corporations, elections and the 99%. In a post-citizens united world, is it too late to reclaim our democracy?

Riots all over the world are calling on us to get involved in societal change. But what kind of action is needed, and how do we create real change? We feature a round-table discussion that explores political action, strategies, and leadership.

In 2011, why are there fewer than 20 female heads of state around the world? A former President, a Supreme Court justice and other women leaders reflect on the battles they’ve won on the way to the top of their fields, and just how far there still is to go.

Two generations of veterans cope with PTSD—looking to heal themselves and the world.   Featuring S. Brian Willson, author of Blood on the Tracks .

A new generation is telling their stories of overthrowing corrupt regimes. And in the digital age, their lessons can spread more quickly than ever before. We’ll hear from Egyptian, Serbian, and Azerbaijani activists, about their work to topple undemocratic rulers.

Honey bees help pollinate 1 in every 3 bites we eat. But they’re fighting to survive, in a world filled with pesticides and parasites. We’ll learn about colony collapse disorder and hear from beekeepers, researchers, and gardeners who are trying to protect the honey bee.

Was mainstream media in cahoots with government forces in the lead up to the Iraq War?  In his film, “The War You Don’t See,” Australian journalist John Pilger reveals how American and British journalists contributed to the drumbeat of war and how they could have prevented the invasion of Iraq.

American Arabs and Muslims are under the microscope, and many feel demonized and say they are living in fear of arrest. On this edition, we'll hear stories about the past 10 years of anti-Arab profiling and prosecution. We also look at parallels with the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

Hosni Mubarak’s dictatorship is gone, but a military council now rules Egypt, and has kept much of Mubarak’s repressive apparatus. Meanwhile extremist Islamist groups want to adopt undemocratic, right-wing policies. Producer Reese Erlich goes to Cairo to ask: “Who Won the Egyptian Revolution?”

Journalist Christian Parenti speaks about his new book, Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence. He connects the effects of climate change to the increasing number of civil wars, ethnic violence, criminality and failed states in Kenya, Brazil and India, among others.

The American consensus on Israel and Palestine is breaking down. And Jewish Americans are playing a major role. But it’s not easy. On this edition, a Jewish American community divided. More and more members of the tribe are breaking a long-standing taboo, and voicing criticism of the Israel government.

African-Americans are helping to lead the environmental movement. We take you to a resettlement community in North Carolina, sustainable farms in Wisconsin and a local bike ride in California, where local black leaders are changing the color of environmentalism.

Art and music have long contributed to society and our way of life. But in these dire financial times, it’s not always a priority in our schools. On this edition, we bring you the voices of artists speaking on the importance of arts, music and politics.

Was the occupation of the state capital in Madison, Wisconsin a resurgence of organized labor in the United States, or the last gasp for unionized workers, as they face continual erosion of their rights? This week, we hear Part 2 of a retrospective documentary on the 2011 Wisconsin uprising, produced by Workers Independent News.

Was the occupation of the state capital in Madison, Wisconsin a resurgence of organized labor in the United States, or the last gasp for unionized workers, as they face continual erosion of their rights? This week, we hear Part 1 of a retrospective documentary on the 2011 Wisconsin uprising, produced by Workers Independent News.

As part of our “Women Rising” series, we profile a dynamic partnership between the Women’s Earth Alliance and the Global Women’s Water Initiative: working on women’s rights to water, land, farming and basic human dignity.

Global warming is no longer a fear for the future. It’s threatening human civilization, now. Part 2 of a special 2 part series produced by Brian Edwards Tiekert…on climate change that is happening, the political response that isn't, and the people trying to break the gridlock.

Global warming is no longer a fear for the future. It’s threatening human civilization, now. Part 1 of a special 2 part series produced by Brian Edwards Tiekert…on climate change that is happening, the political response that isn't, and the people trying to break the gridlock.

In the past decade, more and more political marching bands have been invigorating social movements. In some cases, they're the protest themselves. On this edition, we look at how musicians are stirring up public spaces; from the streets, to supermarkets to your Facebook feed.

Despite President Obama’s promise to change America’s broken immigration system, the dehumanization and detention of immigrants continues to rise. On this edition, Mexican-American journalist Maria Hinojosa speaks about the United States’ loss of humanity’ in dealing with immigrants and immigration.

Renowned author Chris Hedges paints a bleak picture of our world today, in rapid economic, environmental, and religious decline-but we still have a chance to turn things around. On this edition, Hedges speaks about his new book, The World as it is: Dispatches on the Myth of Human Progress.

Jamaica has a long history of police violence and corruption. In May 2010 a government crackdown left 73 people dead and a city in chaos. The majority of those victims are presumed innocent and their loved ones continue to seek justice.