Your Call

On this edition of Your Call, it’s been five years since 17 students and teachers were shot and killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. 17 people were injured and an untold number were left traumatized.

Because of the power of the gun lobby on mostly Republican politicians, little has changed since then.

Last night, the United States experienced its 67th mass shooting this year. 67 mass shootings in just 44 days. Last night, three students were shot and killed and five students critically wounded at Michigan State University. The 43-year-old gunman shot and killed himself, according to authorities. They still have no idea why he opened fire at two campus locations.

On this edition of Your Call, we discuss Florida's so-called Stop W.O.K.E. Act, which restricts how race is discussed in schools, colleges, and workplaces.

The law prohibits teachings that could make students feel they bear personal responsibility for historic wrongs because of their race, color, sex or national origin, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. The law also blocks businesses from using diversity practices or training that could make employees feel guilty for similar reasons.

Governor Ron DeSantis is also moving to ban a new AP African American Studies course for high schoolers, arguing the course "lacks educational value" and violates state law.

During the 2022 legislative session, state lawmakers across the country proposed 137 bills restricting classroom conversations and staff training about race, racism, gender identity, and sexual orientation in K-12 schools, marking a 250 percent increase since 2021, according to a report from PEN America.

How are these bans affecting educators and students and how are they responding?

On this edition of Your Call's One Planet Series, marine scientist Dr. Michael Moore discusses his book, We Are All Whalers: The Plight of Whales and Our Responsibility.

On this edition of Your Call's Media Roundtable, we discuss the proliferation of attacks on trans and reproductive rights.

Since the start of 2023, Republican lawmakers have introduced 200 anti-transgender bills, according to Equality Federation. We'll also look at how the GOP and the religious right is employing the tactics they used again abortion rights to target trans people.

Guest:

Amy Littlefield, abortion access correspondent for The Nation and and freelance investigative reporter who focuses on the intersection of religion and health care

On this edition of Your Call’s Media Roundtable, we discuss Putin and the Presidents, a new Frontline documentary that examines the relationship between Vladimir Putin and the five American presidents.

Guest:

Michael Kirk, co-producer and director of Putin and the Presidents

On this edition of Your Call, we continue our celebration of Black History month by speaking with Black authors whose books have been banned.

All Boys Aren't Blue, a series of personal essays by queer, Black, and nonbinary activist George Johnson about their childhood and young adulthood in New Jersey and Virginia, is the second most banned book in the country. It explores themes of gender identity, toxic masculinity, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy.

Dear Martin, a young adult novel by author Nic Stone that tells the story of a young Black teenager named Justyce, who is forced to grapple with racism after a violent encounter with police, is the 38th most banned book in the country.

According to PEN America, 41 percent of banned books have protagonists or prominent secondary characters of color, and 22 percent directly address race or racism.

Guests:

George Johnson, non-binary journalist, activist, and author of two memoirs, All Boys Aren't Blue, and We Are Not Broken

Nic Stone, author of several books, including Dear Martin, and most recently, co-author of How to Be a (YOUNG) Antiracist

On this edition of Your Call, we'll discuss President Biden's third State of the Union address.

The President called for a $35 monthly cap on insulin for all Americans, new taxes on billionaires, and quadrupling the tax on stock buybacks. He spent very little time on the environment and devoted just four sentences to abortion rights.

Biden also condemned the deadly police beating of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee, and honored his parents, RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, as well as Brandon Tsay, the 26-year-old who disarmed the Monterey Park, California gunman last month.

When he called out Republicans for threatening Social Security and Medicare by holding the government hostage over the debt ceiling, he was booed and heckled.

How does President Biden and the Democratic Party plan to pass their agenda?

Guests:

Kathleen Romig, director of Social Security and Disability Policy at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities

Alex Sammon, politics writer at Slate

On this edition of Your Call, we celebrate Black History Month by speaking with Black vegan activists about Veguary, a month long event that encourages people to try vegan living. and highlights the contributions of Black vegan history, culture, and progress.

Civil rights leaders made some of the earliest connections between systemic racial violence and animal cruelty. Today, Black people are the fastest growing population of new vegans. How are Black vegans working to ensure that communities of color and poor communities have access to healthy food?

Guests:

Gwenna Hunter, founder of Vegans of LA

Brenda Sanders, executive director of Afro Vegan Society, and co-founder of Vegan SoulFest, Thrive Baltimore, and The Greener Kitchen

On this edition of Your Call’s One Planet Series, award-winning labor journalist and photographer David Bacon discusses his 30-year career covering the struggles of farmworkers and migrant communities through oral histories, articles, and photographs.

More than 500,000 California farmworkers play a critical role in providing Americans with the food that nourishes and sustains their health. Yet, for those workers, their own health is too often in jeopardy. From exposure to the elements and harmful chemicals to unsafe working and living conditions, farm workers face a myriad of health risks and injuries. Last month’s deadly shooting at two Half Moon Bay, California mushroom farms put a national spotlight on the living and working conditions of the state's farmworkers.

What will it take to improve the health and safety of farmworkers?

Guest:

David Bacon, journalist and photographer covering farmworkers, labor, and immigration, and author of More Than a Wall / Mas que un muro

On this edition of Your Call’s Media Roundtable, we discuss the mass protests and strikes in France over the government's plan to raise the retirement age gradually from 62 to 64 by 2030. Recent public opinion polls show that over two-thirds of French people oppose President Macron's proposal.

The strikes have shut down schools, public transportation, and oil refineries. This has been one of the largest mobilizations since 1995, when public outrage forced President Jacques Chirac to abandon a similar plan to target the pension system.

Guest:

Cole Stangler, journalist covering politics and labor issues in France