Making Contact

Cash is increasingly being replaced with cashless systems including cryptocurrencies. This week, we hear about the political economy of blockchain. And we hear from Greeks who've been using cryptocurrencies since the capital controls of 2015.

President Donald Trump's tax plan may exacerbate wealth inequity in the US. Chuck Collins, Director of the Program on Inequality at the Institute for Policy Studies addresses the complex history of the wealth gap. Also, producers from the Upstream podcast ask: is it time for Universal Basic Income?

On this episode of Making Contact, journalist Juan González discusses his new book, Reclaiming Gotham. He chronicles the evolution of the growth machine in America's cities – from redlining and racial covenants in the early 20th century, to land grabs and privatization in the 21st – and the rise of progressive alliances to reclaim them.

Special thanks to Pegasus Books for organizing the event and allowing us to broadcast excerpts of Juan González's discussion of Reclaiming Gotham. The event took place in Berkeley, CA in October 2017.

On this edition of Making Contact, we'll explore how the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival, particularly queer POC youth, has challenged mainstream culture and created spaces that welcome and encourage marginalized communities to speak up about their life experiences – all through poetry.

Thousands of local social justice organizers, activists and other leaders passed away this year. People doing crucial work in their communities, whose deaths didn't make the headlines. On this edition of Making Contact, as we do every December, we'll hear about some of the fallen heroes of 2017.

Family members are negatively affected in ways that worsen existing struggles and inequities. Today we'll go to New York and New Hampshire to hear about programs for inmates and families that encourage relationships -- despite being separated by prison.

This episode explores the past and present of the far right and anti-fascism. We begin with the murder investigation of anti-fascist rapper, Pavlos Fyssas. In the second half, author Mark Bray describes Antifa responses to Hitler and Mussolini.

We head to Soseongri, a small village nestled in the mountains of Seongju County. There, grandmas and grandpas in the 70s, 80s, and 90s are organizing daily protests and blockades to stop THAAD. THAAD is part of a missile defense system that gives the U.S. the ability to carry out a nuclear first strike.

Two neighborhoods -- Boyle Heights in Los Angeles and Crown Heights, Brooklyn New York -- are experiencing the gamut of changes associated with gentrification. And some are pushing back against those who would cash in on the eviction and displacement of longtime residents.

In the last three years, Fantastic Negrito, an Oakland-based black roots revivalist has gone from busking at bus stops to winning a Grammy and touring internationally.

This week, we learn about Fantastic Negrito's journey, his creative process, and how he's utilizing his artistic platform to advocate for social justice.