Laura Flanders and Friends Laura Flanders, Curious Communications

It is a cliché to say that the richest corporate media operate inside a bubble of their own making, but it's largely true. Today’s guests are breathing new life into the world of journalism by covering people, places and perspectives beyond the conventional enclaves of power. How do we break media bubbles? Join us for that conversation.
“Movement journalism is journalism that is in service of liberation . . . We are very intentional about historically oppressed communities. Folks from those communities should be doing reporting on those communities and building relationships with community members and organizers on the ground.” - Neesha Powell-Ingabire

“. . . Look at the history of the Black press. We didn't have the luxury to report and somehow separate that from advocacy. When you have people reporting while slavery is still legal, all kinds of Black people are being targeted in various kinds of violence. We have a long tradition of advocacy journalism.” - Chenjerai Kumanyika

“Nothing has made me feel less optimistic about climate change and our ability to stop it, to mitigate it, to deal with it than the genocide and Gaza. If we cannot come together to say that is wrong and that should stop, then I have so little faith in our ability to stop ecocide.” - Mary Annaïse Heglar

Guests:
•. Mary Annaïse Heglar: Author, Troubled Waters; Podcaster, Spill
•. Chenjerai Kumanyika: Audio Journalist, Empire City, Uncivil & Seeing White; Assistant Professor Journalism, NYU
•. Neesha Powell-Ingabire: Author, COME BY HERE: A Memoir in Essays from Georgia’s Geechee Coast; Director Popular Education, Press On

We’re in the midst of our spring membership drive. We're asking you to join us in raising $25,000. Please contribute by making a one-time donation or make it monthly, goto https://lauraflanders.org/donate As Angela says, "when vast numbers of people come together . . . this is how change happens." Please come together with us now! Thanks for listening and thanks for your continued support.

While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. This May, we're asking you to join us in raising $25,000. You can contribute by making a one-time donation at https://lauraflanders.org/donate or by increasing your monthly Patreon subscription at https://Patreon.com/LauraFlandersandFriends. As Angela says, "when vast numbers of people come together . . . this is how change happens." Please come together with us now!

These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters.

Description: With so many urgent crises tugging at our hearts, from war, to climate, to discontent and violence, people want to know: How do we set priorities and do the right thing, especially as that relates to building a better world, and to an election that seems both problematic and the most important of our time? If anyone can ground us thoughtfully in this moment, with all of its challenges and all its potential, it’s renowned professor, activist, scholar and writer Angela Davis. In her writing, lecturing and many decades of activism, Davis has shown a unique ability to pull competing struggles into a single story — a story of systems and power. In this special first episode of "Laura Flanders & Friends" (formerly, The Laura Flanders Show), Laura is joined by Angela Davis, a leading voice in the movement for abolition and feminism who has lots to share about her evolution and how decades of activism are coming together in this moment. From Palestine to elections, to our carceral state and collective liberation, this kickoff conversation is packed with Davis’ insight and the teachings from her latest book “Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, Vol. 1”. What has Davis learned in her 80 years as a freedom fighter? All that, plus a commentary from Laura on the words of the late poet and essayist June Jordan, who writes, “I was born a Black woman/and now/I am become a Palestinian.”

Guest: Angela Y. Davis: Professor, Activist, Scholar & Writer; Author, Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, Vol. 1.

Domestic violence is a leading reason why women lose their housing. Organizations across California are coming together to address this issue, break down silos and bring survivors into decision-making. But their work is in danger because of a 45% budget cut. What can be done?


Guests:
• Krista Colón: Senior Director of Public Policy & Communications Strategies, California Partnership to End Domestic Violence 
• Teniecka Drake: Survivor Advocates Team, Rainbow Services
• Yenni Rivera Martinez: Family System CES Coordinator, LAHSA (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority); Survivor Advocate, California Partnership to End Domestic Violence

Correction: In the study referenced in the intro it is 17 percent of cis-women - and 8 percent of all individuals experiencing homelessness - not 35 percent - who reported also experiencing domestic violence or intimate partner violence. https://homelessness.ucsf.edu/sites/default/files/2024-01/IPV%20Report%202024.pdf

We’re in the midst of our May Day to Memorial Day membership drive. We're asking you to join us in raising $25,000. Please contribute by making a one-time donation or make it monthly, goto https://lauraflanders.org/donate As Angela says, "when vast numbers of people come together . . . this is how change happens." Please come together with us now! Thanks for listening and thanks for your continued support.

While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. The following is from our episode Trust-Busting 2024: A Bipartisan Battle Against Monopoly Power where we look at the actions underway to tackle the problem of monopolies and the detrimental impact the concentration of power in this way can have on consumers, workers and the democratic project. Laura’s guests are two experts who’ve been involved for decades in anti-trust action Stacy Mitchell, the Co-Executive Director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance & Matt Stoller, Research Director for the American Economic Liberties Project. These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters. Please consider becoming a monthly supporter for a few dollars a month… go to https://Patreon.com/LauraFlandersandFriends

Guests:
• Stacy Mitchell: Co-Executive Director, Institute for Local Self-Reliance
• Matt Stoller: Research Director, American Economic Liberties Project; Publisher, BIG & Author, Goliath: The Hundred Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy

Full Episode Notes are accessible to all at https://Patreon.com/LauraFlandersandFriends

Just in time for election season, Laura invites her sister Stephanie back to the program. Stephanie is the head of Economics and Government at Bloomberg News and head of Bloomberg Economics. Sixty-four countries (plus the European Union) — nearly half of the world’s population — are facing an election this year. Some are calling 2024 “The Ultimate Election Year”, but what should we look out for?

Guest: Stephanie Flanders: Head of Economics and Government at Bloomberg

When it comes to crime and migration, all sorts of politicians have justified mass detention and incarceration in the name of confronting a dangerous crisis. But what's real and what's fear mongering, and how can reformers counter the rhetoric to advance alternatives? Activists can do their best to call out abuses, but what is really needed is an entirely new approach.
Guests:
• Amir Khafagy (Co-host): Journalist, Report for America Member, Documented
• Silky Shah: Director, Detention Watch Network; Author, Unbuild Walls
• Aron Thorn: Senior Attorney, Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP), Beyond Borders Program

We’re in the midst of our May Day to Memorial Day membership drive. We're asking you to join us in raising $25,000 - the cost to produce one episode.  Please contribute by making a one-time donation or make it monthly, goto https://lauraflanders.org/donate  As Angela says, "when vast numbers of people come together . . . this is how change happens."  Please come together with us now! Thanks for listening and thanks for your continued support.