Music Is A Force For Personal Empowerment & Political Resistance

Last night on KPFA 94.1 FM’s Full Circle, I had the pleasure of interviewing two Bay Area artivists: Waheed, from Waheed & The Resistance and Charlene Wedderburn, president of independent label Power Surge Recordings.  We talked about everything from music, to metaphysics, to the global Emcees 4 P.E.A.C.E. movement .  Take a listen…

Check out Waheed & The Resistance on MySpace to hear full length versions of the songs on tonight’s broadcast.

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In The Age Of Colorblindness, a conversation with Michelle Alexander

 

Michelle Alexander is a former Director of the Racial Justice Project at the ACLU of Northern California, who now holds a joint appointment at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity and the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University. Her latest book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In The Age Of Colorblindness, reveals how a new racial caste system has been developed and implemented in America without much discussion or controversy. Here’s how…

You can pick up a copy at your locally owned bookstore, and once you have, I encourage you to share it with your friends, family, and neighbors. It’s time to start having those uncomfortable, but necessary conversations.

Alternative Responses To Violence

What would you do if confronted with violence on the streets of your community or in your personal life? The Storytelling & Organizing Project, or STOP, wants you to know that you have options. This Oakland-based organization is recording and sharing the stories of people who have dealt with interpersonal violence on their own terms, without relying on the police, prisons, traditional social services, and other systems of the State. Rachel Herzing and Isaac Ontiveros of STOP sat down with me to share their story.

If you want to hear more stories like the ones in this piece, check out The Storytelling & Organizing Project’s website. You’ll find great resources for using STOP stories in your own work to intervene in interpersonal violence, as well as information on how to get involved in the project.

What do Californian’s value most?

This story comes from the Fruitvale neighborhood of East Oakland. Regina Scott, a retired nurse, struggles to pay her bills, put healthy food on the table, and care for her disabled brother Ned, as the Governor and legislature threaten to cut the programs that allow Ned to live with his family and be a part of his community. The cuts to In Home Supportive Services and Adult Day Health Centers will devastate families caring for elder and disabled loved ones all over California and put a strain on already weak local economies when 375,000 jobs are eliminated along with the programs. Courtney Supple brings you the story:

You can contact the members of the Joint Conference Committee, who are now reviewing the budget.  And I’m sure the Governor would love to hear from you, as well.