Laura Flanders and Friends: Next Economy, Labor, Intersectional, Climate, LGBTQ, Abortion

At The Laura Flanders Show, we're dedicated to providing a platform for diverse voices in the field of social justice. This report, produced through The Laura Flanders Show fellowship program, reflects our commitment. The opinions presented are solely those of the guest contributor and do not necessarily reflect or represent The Laura Flanders

• Antisemitism is the hostility to or prejudice against Jewish people, and it did not end with the Holocaust or other forms of institutionalized discrimination. Instead, antisemitic incidents in America have hit the highest level ever recorded by the Anti-Defamation League, and this age-old form of hatred is wreaking havoc on college campuses.
• The University of Wisconsin - Madison is usually a welcoming home to its 4,000 Jewish students. But on the first day of classes in September 2022, antisemitic chalkings marred the sidewalks of campus, targeting Jewish organizations and its members as “racist,” “genocidal,” and “having blood on their hands”. The university released an ineffective statement, sided with free speech, and left many Jewsh students feeling as though their own institution didn't support them.
• Abigail Handel, a student at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, was a first year student when this antisemitic event occurred. Now she has set out to answer the pressing question: Are American universities doing enough to combat antisemitism on campus? In this audio exclusive, Abigail takes us on a journey through understanding what antisemitism is, the damaging environment it has created for Jewish students, and what can be done to eradicate all forms of hate. Handel talks to Savannah Lipinksi, a rabbinite student at the The Jewish Theological Seminary, and Samuel Cross, the President of Rhodes College Hillel, to uncover the complex issue of modern antisemitism and the urgent need for proactive measures on campuses.
• “People are having a harder time recognizing antisemitism the further we get from the Holocaust and the more obvious manifestations of antisemitism that happened throughout the 19th and 20th centuries...This is why it is becoming increasingly important to call out the subtle attacks happening on university campuses.” - Abigail Handel
• Guests
• ● Savannah Lipinski, Former Student, UW Madison; Student, Jewish Theological Seminary
• ● Samuel Cross, Student, Rhodes College; President, Rhodes College Hillel

Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner.

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Movement lawyer and organizer Andrea J. Ritchie’s forthcoming book is unlike anything she’s written before. In “Practicing New Worlds: Abolition and Emergent Strategies”, published by AK Press and out at the end of October 2023 as part of their Emergent Strategies Series, Ritchie has written a toolkit for organizers. Both visionary and practical, Ritchie believes we can live the “future” world we want, and offers actionable steps we can take to get there. A self-described “Black lesbian immigrant survivor,” Ritchie has been engaged since the 1980s in anti-violence, labor, and LGBTQ organizing, and in movements against state violence and for racial, reproductive, economic, environmental, and gender justice. In this wide-ranging conversation, Andrea J. Ritchie and Laura Flanders discuss what’s changed and what hasn’t after the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, and the emergent strategies for abolition that we should all pay attention to. The Right has strategies too — and so far, they’re working. How do we create the necessary conditions that foster collectivity and liberation leading to increased public safety and well-being? All that, plus a commentary from Laura on the power we recognize, and the other sort too.

“Change happens by acting as though the future that you are dreaming of is present now. And then practicing that with people who share your vision and values and then bringing more and more people into the conversation.” - Andrea J. Ritchie

“[Emergent strategies are] a way of approaching a world that interrupts violence in all its forms and creates new possibilities that we can't imagine yet.” - Andrea J. Ritchie

Guest: Andrea J. Ritchie: Author, Practicing New Worlds: Abolition and Emergent Strategies; Co-Founder, Interrupting Criminalization

Full Episode Notes are located HERE. They include related episodes, articles, and more.

Music In the Middle: “I Keeps It Moving” by David Anthony and Dani Vassar courtesy of Planet Hum Records and Pitch Control. And additional music included- "In and Out" and "Steppin" by Podington Bear

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The Laura Flanders Show Crew: Laura Flanders, Sabrina Artel, David Neuman, Nat Needham, Rory O'Conner, Janet Hernandez, Sarah Miller and Jeannie Hopper

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ACCESSIBILITY - This episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner.

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ACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

The following full uncut conversation is from our recent episode featuring Rep. Ro Khanna & Lisa Graves calling out ALEC / The American Legislative Exchange Council . It is made available here as a podcast thanks to the generous contributions from listeners like you. Thank you. Become a member support at LauraFlanders.org/donate

Full Episode Description: Many people have never heard of the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC – but for 50 years, the group has been the driving force behind some of the most extreme policies in this country. Behind closed doors, ALEC brings corporate lobbyists and state politicians together to draft and vote on model bills that aim to free corporations from regulations, regardless of the impacts on people and the planet. Labor law, environmental law, health and safety, voting — no cause is off-limits. Our guests say ALEC and its wealthy pool of funders are a real threat, but there are ways to take action and progress has already been made. In 2023, a diverse coalition of groups, including Greenpeace, Color of Change, the Center for Media and Democracy and more, is calling out the anti-democratic impact of ALEC by using the hashtag #50YearsOfHarm. Congressman Ro Khanna of California's 17th Congressional District, a leading progressive in the House, and Lisa Graves, Executive Director of True North Research and President of the Center for Media and Democracy, two of the preeminent national watchdog groups investigating dark money, join Laura Flanders to unpack it all. And in her closing commentary Laura fills us in on the other side of the story in state houses: the Democrats' have their own project in place these days. But is it any match for ALEC?

“ALEC recognizes that on many of these issues, there's a 70, 80, 90% consensus against them and they're trying to distort the democratic process by the use of big money.” - Ro Khanna

“ I still believe that for many people, not all people, knowledge is power, facts matter, and knowing who the real special interests are behind this [legislation] can help expose and block them.” - Lisa Graves

Guests:

Lisa Graves: President of the Board, Center for Media & Democracy; Executive Director, True North Research

Ro Khanna: Congressman California's 17th District

Full Episode Notes are located HERE. They include related episodes, articles, and more.

Music Included- "In and Out" and "Steppin" by Podington Bear.

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Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner.

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ACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate

From the sinking lands of California's Central Valley to the depleting aquifers nationwide, we're at a critical point: Americans are running out of water. In this episode of Meet the BIPOC Press, a monthly collaboration between The Laura Flanders Show and URL Media, we take a closer look at the US water crisis that is affecting many Americans, and putting communities of color especially at risk. How are over-extraction and climate change impacting our water supply? BIPOC media outlets are bringing these stories to the forefront, debunking myths about climate change and uplifting solutions to this urgent issue. Joining us for this conversation are Warigia Bowman, Professor at the University of Tulsa College of Law, and Andrew Hazzard, Climate Reporter at Sahan Journal, which is dedicated to reporting on communities of color in Minnesota. Co-host S. Mitra Kalita is co-founder of URL Media, a national network of Black and Brown community news outlets. Kalita is also the publisher of Epicenter-NYC, a newsletter based in Queens, New York. How do we turn the tide on this crisis, before our water sources run dry?

“We should change the food and the crops we grow, we should change what we eat. We should change how we view the role of agriculture in our society . . . Indigenous people are not well represented in academia or in industry for that matter, and they have already worked through some of these solutions.” - Warigia Bowman

“As a climate reporter, I think it's my responsibility not only to raise the fact that there are major issues facing our society due to global warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels, but also to highlight that there are people that are working on solutions . . .” - Andrew Hazzard

“I think you cannot separate water from healthcare. You can't separate water from housing. You can't separate water from race and Indigenous communities . . . By centering people of color, instantly we're in solutions mode in terms of how we're presenting these issues.” - S. Mitra Kalita

Guests:

Warigia Bowman: Professor, College of Law, University of Tulsa

Andrew Hazzard: Climate Reporter, Sahan Journal

S. Mitra Kalita: Co-Founder, URL Media; CEO & Publisher, Epicenter-NYC

Full Episode Notes are located HERE. They include related episodes, articles, and more.

Music In the Middle: ‘Yéla Mama’ by Eat My Butterfly featuring Lass & Sibu Manaï, from the Climate Soundtrack album, produced by DJ’s for Climate Action. And additional music included- "In and Out" and "Steppin" by Podington Bear

🎧 LOOKING FOR UNCUT INTERVIEWS? check our podcast feed the following week. Thanks to our sustaining members and their monthly support.

The Laura Flanders Show Crew: Laura Flanders, Sabrina Artel, David Neuman, Nat Needham, Rory O'Conner, Janet Hernandez, Sarah Miller and Jeannie Hopper

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ACCESSIBILITY - This episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner.

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Join Maysoon Zayid as she discusses humor, disability rights, and the resilience of Palestinian identity during a conversation filled with heart and laughter amid conflict.

This show is made possible by you! Our year end goal is to raise $50,000, and we are half way there. To become a member go to https://LauraFlanders.org/donate Thank you for your continued support!

Description: Israel’s US-backed war on Gaza has been a mass disabling event. Today’s guest says we must create a “viable, accessible future” for the disabled Palestinians we have failed. Maysoon Zayid is a comedian, Princeton Fellow, and unapologetic voice for both disability rights and Palestinian identity. A fierce advocate with cerebral palsy, Zaid proves that the most powerful messages often come from unexpected places and are filled with laughter. She’s lost tens of thousands of dollars of contracts for her views, she says, but that hasn’t stopped her “making funny during a genocide” on social media all year. And she’s shown her followers her home village in Palestine — the best place on earth, she says, despite the onslaught of oppression and violence that her people have endured. Maysoon co-founded the New York Arab American Comedy Festival and the Muslim Funny Fest. Her viral Ted Talk, “I Got 99 Problems...Palsy is Just One,” has been translated into 42 languages, and was one of the most popular talks of 2014. She’s the author of “Shiny Misfits”, the new graphic novel that tells the story of Bay Ann, a disabled girl and her cat friend that rock star Dave Matthews narrates for the audiobook. In this conversation filled with heart and humor, hear how comedy shines a light on injustice and serves as a voice of resistance. All that, plus a commentary from Laura on human shields.

“As a disabled kid, I liked Palestine a lot more than Jersey . . . I was the only visibly disabled kid in my school growing up. But in Palestine there were other disabled kids and disability wasn't shunned. It wasn't mocked, it wasn't bullied. I grew up in a society that very much believed that disability was a natural part of life . . .” - Maysoon Zayid

“I've always used comedy to humanize and educate on disability. And this is the moment because the future of Palestine is disabled and between life and death, there's disability. I don't think it's better to be dead than to be disabled. I want us to create a viable, accessible future for this cohort of human beings that we have failed in the present.” - Maysoon Zayid

Guest: Maysoon Zayid: Comedian & Disability Advocate; Author, Shiny Misfits

Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country