Humankind on Public Radio

Have our courts – intended by America’s founders to be an independent arbiter of justice – turned into another political battlefield? Are today’s judges mere “politicians in robes”? This public radio documentary series looks at crucial flashpoints in recent decades. Will rulings follow the predictable blocs of liberal and conservative justices, strongly associated with the party of the president w...

Have our courts – intended by America’s founders to be an independent arbiter of justice – turned into another political battlefield? Are today’s judges mere “politicians in robes”? This public radio documentary series looks at crucial flashpoints in recent decades. Because federal judges are nominated by the president and confirmed the U.S. Senate, inevitably the process is somewhat politicized....

We explore the significant benefits of home-cooked meals, including improved family dynamics, greater likelihood of healthy ingredients, lower costs, reduced carbon footprint and taking time together to appreciate the food we receive. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit  humanmedia.org  . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with...

We consider the dramatic increase in income inequality—now at levels that preceded the Great Depression—and how this wealth gap relates to a host of conditions, from personal illness to incarceration. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit  humanmedia.org  . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

We examine current trends in charitable giving by individuals and foundations with Stacy Palmer, long-time editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and one of America’s most knowledgeable journalists about the nation’s $316 billion charitable sector. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit  humanmedia.org  . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-s...

We hear the story of Mary Gillespie, a woman born with normal hearing and vision, but who developed several illnesses starting at age ten. Gradually, she became deaf-blind. Now living in Los Angeles, Mary is a regular volunteer at the Braille Institute, where we recorded this remarkable episode of Humankind. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit  humanmedia.org  . Humank...

Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Empire of Illusion”, maintains that our popular culture cannot distinguish between reality and fantasy, dangerously relying on spectacle, false idols, and snake oil salesmen. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit  humanmedia.org  . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with...

Nearly 5 million direct care workers assist America’s older adults. They perform their duties in private homes, residential care settings and nursing facilities. Often paid low wages, many rely on some form of public assistance to make ends meet. A surprising number are homeless. Yet the labor can be arduous, helping sometimes disabled people with dressing, toilet care, mobility challenges, transf...

A look at how slaveholders mercilessly trafficked in human beings, the outrageous Fugitive Slave Act and the time Sumner was viciously assaulted for his beliefs on the floor of the U.S. Senate To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit  humanmedia.org  . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

Millions of adult children or other relatives are caring for older loved ones. They do this out of love, but the cumulative burden can be heavy. We’ll hear stories of how different families manage the duties of eldercare. We also include useful suggestions from a leading professor of nursing on how caregivers can benefit from proven techniques of self-care. To see additional resources and our othe...

We examine the remarkable life of Charles Sumner, a U.S. senator from Mass. who boldly championed the abolition of slavery. Sumner coined the phrase “equality before the law” and was viciously assaulted for his beliefs. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit  humanmedia.org  . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GB...

In this poignant profile taped prior to his death due to complications from a rare form of muscular dystrophy, child poet and peacemaker Mattie Stepanek showed wisdom beyond his years. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit  humanmedia.org  . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

From firefighters to police officers to the Red Cross and many others, First Responders play an essential role in protecting public safety and helping people cope with emergencies. In this segment, we consider the work of providers of  disaster spiritual care . These folks look after both survivors of tragedies and the responders, who are sometimes reeling in the wake of calamity. To see additiona...

In Providence, Rhode Island, a former Israeli army sergeant, Teny Gross, has become a powerful force in combating youth gang violence, in part by recruiting ex-offenders to serve as street workers who offer intervention and advocacy for vulnerable kids. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit  humanmedia.org  . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations,...

A visit with Mothers Out Front, a fascinating group of mothers who come together (usually at house parties) to focus on the threat that climate change poses to their children and to future generations. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit  humanmedia.org  . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

In this documentary we enter a rich dialogue with Joel Bauman, a remarkably gifted physician, trained in care for the elderly. He describes the special needs of palliative care for hospice patients, who have shifted from seeking a cure (which may no longer be realistic) to relief of symptoms and distress, as life draws to a close. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit  h...

George Mumford teaches top athletes the “superpowers” of mindfulness, concentration, insight, right effort and trust as techniques to strengthen performance and avoid the trap of spiritual demise. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit  humanmedia.org  . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

The power of a patient’s self-reflection as a tool for coping with illness is explored by a nurse scientist who has studied meditation as a health technique, and by a cancer survivor who teaches other patients about the value of therapeutic writing in expressing their inward feelings. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org Humankind specials are heard...

We consider the plight of tens of millions of Americans in families and relationships with alcoholics. How does the destabilizing influence of active addiction affect family systems? What emotional and life challenges are faced by people raised around alcoholism? To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit  humanmedia.org  . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-...

Bill Siemering, NPR’s first program director and the author of its inspiring mission statement, recounts the network’s early goal of honoring diversity by including a variety of American voices. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit  humanmedia.org  . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

In these special Humankind documentaries, ‘Beyond War’ takes a look back at the last time the U.S. military had major involvement in the Middle East. We examine the true human costs of organized violence (for both soldiers and civilians). And what happens when citizens protest against war? How fully do we exhaust peaceful options before resorting to military action? When has nonviolence been...

It’s been said that we’ve learned how to speak but not necessarily how to communicate. Rarely are we taught the art of deep listening or how to respond to someone without accusation or blame or the ability to articulate our own needs without putting others on the defensive. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit  humanmedia.org  . Humankind specials are  heard...

In this documentary we explore how federal courts enforced fugitive slave laws. Historians, actors and legal scholars re-create the famous case of a young escaped slave who was sent back by a Boston judge, provoking America’s largest abolitionist protest. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit  humanmedia.org  . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-st...

In the second half of our documentary on the history of Alcoholics Anonymous, we examine the AA recovery principles that have promoted sobriety for millions of recovering alcoholics and have created a template to help people worldwide who struggle with many forms of addiction. To view additional resources for this episode please visit our website at  humanmedia.org . Human Media produces public br...

Herbal remedies: Do they work? Are they safe? In   The Medicine Garden , a special series drawn from our archives, you’ll take a fascinating tour of this relatively low-cost form of health care. It’s an approach to healing that has become enormously popular among Americans dissatisfied with conventional medicine.