On Blast

Greg, from the United Workers in Baltimore, speaks about the values and philosophy of this union, which is run by poor people for poor people. He also talks about their campaigns and about gentrification in Baltimore.

Produced by Eric Yates & Amber Marie Felton.

What's the connection between art & organizing? And how can artists use their talents to create social change? Amber Marie Felton & Simone Waller spoke to musicians, poets, organizers and artists to hear what they had to say.

On this month's show: Interviews with Baltimore Algebra Project & Wide Angle Youth Media, a song breakdown of 'Low,' activist Larry Gibson explains mountain top removal mining, and a look at teacher quality in Philadelphia schools. Plus news, music & more!

While we were in Baltimore, we met other young people making media and using it as a tool for change. Produced by Eric Yates & Matt Johnson.

Why don't all students in Philly have teachers who are experienced and qualified? What makes a teacher qualified? This piece talks to parents and a teacher at a 'hard-to-staff' school to find answers. Produced by Candace Carter.

Larry Gibson lives on Kayford Mountain in West Virginia. Most of the mountains around him have been destroyed by Mountain Top Removal, a destructive and dangerous type of coal mining. Larry is fighting to save the mountains and the people who live in them. We visited his mountain in June, and recorded him talking about his struggle. Produced by Ruth Kodish Eskind, Eric Yates & Lawrence Jones Mahoney.

Magnet and neighborhood schools are different. Magnet schools get more freedom, funding, and resources. And neighborhood schools are usually considered 'hard-to-staff'and dangerous. This piece explores the stereotypes that neighborhood students and magnet students have about each other, and how students are kept apart. Produced by Amber Marie Felton & Ruth Kodish Eskind.

This June, PSU visited Baltimore Algebra Project as part of our Immersion Trip. We learned about the work that Baltimore Algebra Project is doing and saw a lot of similarities to the struggles we face in Philly. This piece was produced by Eric Yates & Matt Johnson.

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During the '07-'08 school year, violent incidents happened both at West Philly High and Masterman. In this piece, we look at how the media covered these events very differently and how stereotypes about neighborhood school students and magnet school students get perpetuated.

Produced by Amber Marie Felton & Ruth Kodish Eskind.

This story was produced in winter '08, when private companies (EMO's) were running 38 Philly public schools and were trying to get control of more. Now, after months of organizing and outreach by PSU, EMO's lost their control of 6 schools and are on probation for 20 more schools...which means that they will lose their contracts if they don't show major improvements. In this piece, students explore the problems with privatization. Produced by Lawrence Jones Mahoney, Dan Jones, Eric Yates & Matt Johnson