This week we’re discussing private ownership of immigration detention facilities. The same companies that run private, for-profit prisons are holding detainees for ICE. Our guests consider how a profit motive influences the treatment of people being held, share what they know about the conditions inside, and discuss the ways their communities are coming together to fight for detainees’ rights.

Recorded in part at an ICE vigil in downtown Los Angeles, August 2026.

This episode includes discussion of detention conditions, self-harm and suicide.

Covering the movements, issues and people fighting for some of the most important social justice issues of our time. Hosted by Amy Gastelum, Salima Hamirani, Anita Jonhson, and Lucy Kang. Sign up for program alerts and sneak peeks from Making Contact at: http://ow.ly/1FkV30aq1z2

The post Making Contact – Cruelty for Profit appeared first on KPFA.

Veterans leave the military having earned health care, education benefits, and job training. What almost nobody tells them is that none of it is automatic. You have to show up with your DD-214 and enroll yourself, and if you don’t, no one follows up.

On this episode, six veterans across four decades and four branches of service describe the same gap. A Marine who got out in 1989 and didn’t learn what the VA was until 2019. An Army mechanic who called 211 out of desperation and found housing. A combat veteran who lost her home during COVID and was told she earned too much to qualify for help. Recorded at the U.S.VETS facility in Inglewood, California, with interviews from the Center on Conscience and War and 50501 Veterans.

We requested an interview with the Department of Defense and did not receive a response.

This episode includes discussion of suicide, sexual assault, and addiction.

Featuring:

Archival audio:

Music:

Covering the movements, issues and people fighting for some of the most important social justice issues of our time. Hosted by Amy Gastelum, Salima Hamirani, Anita Jonhson, and Lucy Kang. Sign up for program alerts and sneak peeks from Making Contact at: http://ow.ly/1FkV30aq1z2

The post Making Contact – Nobody Told Them: Veterans and the Broken Handoff appeared first on KPFA.

Covering the movements, issues and people fighting for some of the most important social justice issues of our time. Hosted by Amy Gastelum, Salima Hamirani, Anita Jonhson, and Lucy Kang. Sign up for program alerts and sneak peeks from Making Contact at: http://ow.ly/1FkV30aq1z2

The post Making Contact – August 14, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

We sit down with Kev Choice, a classically trained pianist, rapper, composer, and educator, who has reshaped the Bay Area music scene. Raised in Oakland with San Francisco roots, Kev blends hip-hop, jazz, soul, and classical music into a unique sound. His latest EP, All My Love, explores themes of love, vulnerability, and human connection, with soulful melodies and reflective lyrics capturing the complexities of relationships. This episode first aired in November 2024.

Covering the movements, issues and people fighting for some of the most important social justice issues of our time. Hosted by Amy Gastelum, Salima Hamirani, Anita Jonhson, and Lucy Kang. Sign up for program alerts and sneak peeks from Making Contact at: http://ow.ly/1FkV30aq1z2

The post Kev Choice: Love, Growth, and the Power of Music (Encore) appeared first on KPFA.

We talk to scientists and activists about what geoengineering is and why it could actually be a dangerous way to tackle climate change. We also dive into the moral and ethical questions of testing geoengineering technology on Indigenous lands. This episode first aired in 2023.

Covering the movements, issues and people fighting for some of the most important social justice issues of our time. Hosted by Amy Gastelum, Salima Hamirani, Anita Jonhson, and Lucy Kang. Sign up for program alerts and sneak peeks from Making Contact at: http://ow.ly/1FkV30aq1z2

The post Making Contact:The Promise and Peril of Geoengineering (Encore) appeared first on KPFA.

The story of Point Reyes is a story about how the forces of colonialism continue to shape the fate of public lands in the United States, and the campaigns waged to fight back and protect Indigenous land.

Covering the movements, issues and people fighting for some of the most important social justice issues of our time. Hosted by Amy Gastelum, Salima Hamirani, Anita Jonhson, and Lucy Kang. Sign up for program alerts and sneak peeks from Making Contact at: http://ow.ly/1FkV30aq1z2

The post The Coast Miwok Peoples, Colonization, and the Preservation of Indigenous History (Encore) appeared first on KPFA.

Lies the Spanish conquistadors told about the Aztecs have led to racist tropes that still affect brown Mexicans today. Now, brown Mexicans are leading efforts to raise awareness about the harm of racism and to relearn Aztec history, correctly. This episode first aired in 2023.

Covering the movements, issues and people fighting for some of the most important social justice issues of our time. Hosted by Amy Gastelum, Salima Hamirani, Anita Jonhson, and Lucy Kang. Sign up for program alerts and sneak peeks from Making Contact at: http://ow.ly/1FkV30aq1z2

The post Mexicans Confronting Racism: Aztec Myths to Modern Stereotypes (Encore) appeared first on KPFA.

In this episode, we take a deep dive into Indigenous resistance against extractivism and the forces behind climate change. We’ll look at an underreported story in California about the Amah Mutsun Ohlone’s fight to save their most sacred site — a place called Juristac. Contributors Robert Raymond and Della Duncan explore the horrific injustices wrought upon California Indians since the time of the Spanish Missions up to the present and focus on how the Amah Mutsun are working to regenerate their culture, language, and land.

Special thanks to The Satterberg Foundation & Upstream Podcast.

Featuring:

Episode Producers: Della Duncan and Robert Raymond

The Making Contact Team

Music Credits:

Chris Zabriski, BRONCHO, Xlyo Ziko, Inaequalis, Meydan

For More Information:

Sign up for program alerts and sneak peeks from Making Contact at: http://ow.ly/1FkV30aq1z2

The post Making Contact – Juristac and the Amah Mutsun: Indigenous Resistance and Regeneration (Encore) – July 3, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

Part two of Making Contact‘s series on safe drinking water in California examines why efforts to provide clean water and reliable sewage systems in underserved Central Valley communities continue to face delays, exploring the role local utility districts play in the fight for basic public services.

Covering the movements, issues and people fighting for some of the most important social justice issues of our time. Hosted by Amy Gastelum, Salima Hamirani, Anita Jonhson, and Lucy Kang. Sign up for program alerts and sneak peeks from Making Contact at: http://ow.ly/1FkV30aq1z2

The post Making Contact – The Fight for Safe Water Continues appeared first on KPFA.

Part one of Making Contact‘s series on safe drinking water in California visits the Central Valley community of East Orosi, where residents have lived with contaminated drinking water for decades. Through the voices of community members and advocates, the episode explores the fight for clean water, environmental justice, and the human toll of failing infrastructure.

Covering the movements, issues and people fighting for some of the most important social justice issues of our time. Hosted by Amy Gastelum, Salima Hamirani, Anita Jonhson, and Lucy Kang. Sign up for program alerts and sneak peeks from Making Contact at: http://ow.ly/1FkV30aq1z2

The post Making Contact – The Fight for Safe Water appeared first on KPFA.