How do you revitalize a city without gentrifying it? In this episode of the Laura Flanders Show, Laura goes to Buffalo, New York, where years of post-industrial stagnation have recently yielded to new economic growth. She interviews grassroots activists working to make sure that this local renaissance leaves their city more inclusive and equitable—not less. She explores how progressive, intersectional organizations are helping to create affordable housing and provide job training while fighting ...
Oct 23, 2019•29 min•Ep. 269
The U.S. economy, weak or strong, is the question at the heart of the election. But it doesn't get to the reality which is that, whatever else it may be, the U.S. economy is not democratic or good for the planet. But it could be. Marjorie Kelly and Ted Howard of the Democracy Collaborative say how in their new book The Making of a Democratic Economy . Music in the middle: “The Offering” by Mark de Clive-Lowe from his album Heritage courtesy of Mashi Beats. Goal, reach 100 Patrons by end of year....
Oct 16, 2019•30 min•Ep. 268
"In a system that's unequal, corruption is not just the way we swim, it’s the water we swim in..." The F-Word, Laura Flanders' bi-monthly commentary. Help us thrive and not just survive, by becoming a member you'll unlock additional audio extras and more. https://Patreon.com/theLFShow Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Direct...
Oct 07, 2019•4 min
New York, NY...its a city with close to 100 billion dollar budget every year and 1 deputy mayor with some pretty creative plans for how to spend it. What can one city do? And what's it gonna take to create a non-racist democracy? An in-depth interview with J. Phillip Thompson, NYC Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives, on his priority initiatives, with particular emphasis on his role in expanding the city’s investment in minority and women-owned businesses, housing and economic developme...
Oct 02, 2019•29 min•Ep. 266
Guests featured from the Economic Harship Reporting Project include David Wallis, Managing Director; Yoruba Richen, Board Member and filmmaker; and Joseph Rodriguez, Contributing Editor and photojournalist. Music feature: "Be Love" by the Alexis P. Suter Band, courtesy of HipBone Records. For more on the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and my guests goto Patreon.com/theLFShow where you’ll also find additional research materials and links to our related episodes. Support this podcast and inde...
Sep 26, 2019•31 min•Ep. 265
"Almost fifty thousand workers went on strike at General Motors Sept 16th, 2019, after management and United Auto Workers Union negotiators failed to agree on a new contract. GM has bounced back from recession thanks to a taxpayer bailout, government tax breaks and contracts and a brutal restructuring of the workforce. Now even though the company’s made $35 billion in the last few years - they want concessions, and yet more plant closures and layoffs." Help us thrive and not just survive, by bec...
Sep 24, 2019•4 min
Gender-based violence – why are states so bad at making it stop? This week, in her first appearance since fleeing Brazil, women’s rights advocate Debora Diniz joins fellow activists and philanthropists to discuss what works and what doesn’t in stopping violence against women and girls. Music featured: “Cause I’m a Woman” by Muted Soul Featuring Jess King courtesy of Muted Records. GUESTS: Debora Diniz , Deputy Director of Rights and Justice; Terry McGovern , Chair of Population and Family Health...
Sep 19, 2019•30 min•Ep. 264
No matter how we tackle climate change, cities are key. They emit massive amounts of carbon and they’re ground zero for the climate crisis. But could they also prove to be the sites of our best climate solutions? That’s this week on The Laura Flanders Show. “It takes a lot of energy to keep buildings cool. In New York City, buildings contribute about 70% of the city’s carbon emissions. So in addition to transportation, those are the major factors in cities, and we’ve got massive cities growing a...
Sep 11, 2019•30 min•Ep. 263
"I don’t know about you but I take a teeny weeny bit of offense when a guy in a glass house lobs a great big stone and expects me not to notice the sound of shattering." Help us thrive and not just survive, by becoming a member you'll unlock additional audio extras and more. Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeanni...
Sep 09, 2019•3 min
Our city's economy – what is it for? New York's has been very good at piling up profits and building tall buildings. But all that private profit has come at a cost to public services and public trust. Could it be different? On this week's show, we talk about the new conversations that are happening between labor unions and community members. Between residents, workers, and employers about how everyone's economy can move forward. J. Phillip Thomson Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives, C...
Sep 04, 2019•28 min•Ep. 262
This week, dance as world-changing movement with two artists who expand our ideas about beauty, risk, mobility, and inclusion. Wheelchair dancer and esteemed choreographer Alice Sheppard, and MacArthur Genius Award-winning action architect Elizabeth Streb. What difference does art make? Should art-making be a human right? What will it take to disable the limits society puts around “normal”? These questions and more this week on the Laura Flanders Show. Become a Patron at Patreon . That's also wh...
Aug 27, 2019•30 min•Ep. 261
This week we talk about the way central banks steer world development and for whom. Former Goldman Sachs manager Nomi Prins, author of Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World and public ownership researcher Thomas Hanna of The Democracy Collaborative believe that banking, and development, could be very different. We're Storming the Federal Reserve this week on the LF Show. Music Featured: "You & Me" written and performed by Danny McGaw. Companion song to Nomi Prins' new book released...
Aug 20, 2019•29 min•Ep. 260
"One-two-three-four/ What are we waiting for? Fifty years on, after a night spent largely on that big wet, now commercialized field in Bethel, New York, I'm pondering what’s happened since. What’s taken so long?" Take a listen to this week's podcast re-share of a popular interview with music producer Danny Goldberg about the Hippie Revolution – and a performance of Climbing Poetree. Help us thrive and not just survive, at Patreon.com/theLFShow Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Exec...
Aug 16, 2019•4 min
Can music make a movement? This week, legendary music producer Danny Goldberg will reflect on 50 years since Woodstock and go in “Search of the Lost Chord”, his book about the hippie summer of 1967. Then, from today's movement music scene, Alixa Garcia and Naima Penniman of Climbing PoeTree talk about their album, “Intrinsic”, and perform for us in-studio. Music Featured: “Mantra” by Ram Dass and Kriese off the album ‘Cosmix’ courtesy of Waveform Records. Become a Patron at Patreon . That's also...
Aug 15, 2019•29 min•Ep. 259
Prisons, police and punishment through incarceration. Are they with us forever in the land of the free? Sustained campaigns for change are beginning to pay off. At the community level, it turns out that a whole lot of people and places already make peace without cops. Today, we imagine a world without prisons. It may be closer than we think. Music Featured: “If Everyone Were Blind” by Victor Simonelli and Glenn Sweety G Toby, from the “Shelter From the Streets Compilation” courtesy of West Side ...
Aug 07, 2019•31 min•Ep. 258
Enjoy a panel discussion moderated by Laura Flanders and a key note address by Oskar Eustis, director of the famed Public Theater in New York, featuring artists as agents of change celebrating the work of Ben Barber, founder of the "Interdependence Movement". The artists, activists and scholars featured were chosen to represent the new and inspiring ways in which the arts, culture, and creativity in particular are giving voice to a new generation of activism, in engaging Barber’s Interdependence...
Aug 01, 2019•35 min
There’s something sick about US Military spending. It’s certainly not keeping anyone safe. This week, why we the public spend billions on bad technology and what happens to service people who speak up about it. Then, Jodie Evans of CODEPINK, on a peace economy – what might it look like? Music feature: "Cultural Verses" by Peace Bureau. Guests: Phyllis Bennis, Fellow, Institute for Policy Studies; Pam Campos-Palma, Former Intelligence Analyst, US Air Force; Andrew Cockburn, Washington Editor, Har...
Jul 31, 2019•30 min•Ep. 257
The great American housing crunch and what organizing can do about it. This week we discuss some of the challenges and victories in the campaign for green, affordable public housing. Guests: -Cea Weaver, Campaign Coordinator, Upstate Downstate Housing Alliance -Daniel Aldana Cohen, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania -Anita Long, Volunteer, CASA - Community Action for Safe Apartments Become a Patron at Patreon . That's also where you'll find research materials related to...
Jul 24, 2019•30 min•Ep. 256
Can technology advance society if it doesn't include all of society? This week, we talk with three disability justice activists who have ideas about how tech can ensure design, technology, and art are accessible and equitable. Not just ideas, they're doing it, and they are sparking a movement. Music Featured: “Feel It” by Bosq featured on the ‘Love and Resistance’ album courtesy of Ubiquity Records. Guests: Laurel Lawson, Chief Technology Officer, CyCore Systems; Chancey Fleet, Data And Society ...
Jul 17, 2019•30 min•Ep. 255
This week's commentary comes by way of Jerome Roos, an LSE Fellow in international political economy at the London School of Economics and founding editor of ROAR Magazine. He paints a grim picture of a global finance system that's taken a gamble having sought to solve the problem of too much debt with even more debt. And this precarious pile-up of gambling chips might also point to another, less talked about reason, why President Trump has spent so much time and energy attacking the chairman of...
Jul 15, 2019•5 min
Red, blue, rich, poor, country, city, left or right. Chances are you probably fall into one of those categories. And you may be quite happy where you are. The people of Better Angels believe there's still value in talking, and they've come up with a way of doing it that actually seems to bring people together. Music featured: “The Positive And The Negative” by Minoru Muraoka, from ’Bamboo’, courtesy of Mr. Bongo Records. Become a Patron at Patreon . That's also where you'll find research materia...
Jul 10, 2019•30 min•Ep. 254
We go in-depth with two feminist authors and a feminist bookstore. First to Barnard College for a talk with Chicana activist and author Cherríe Moraga about her 1st book release in eight years. Then, a unique kind of activism from adrienne maree brown, whose latest bestselling book is an examination of activist pleasure. Lastly, a landmark feminist bookstore turns 20 years old. Music featured: “Universal Woman” by Dana Byrd featuring Tantra Zawadi and Rescue Poetix, courtesy of Mikki Afflick’s S...
Jul 03, 2019•31 min•Ep. 253
"Are rights things to be granted by the powerful to the deserving few, contingent on their obedience, someone’s convenience, and adherence to the prevailing rules and conventions? Or..." Laura Flanders' commentary, The F-Word. Help us thrive and not just survive, by becoming a member https://Patreon.com/theLFShow Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet He...
Jul 01, 2019•4 min
Don't remember the past? Does that mean you're condemned to repeat it? What does our country's past tell us about our present— and how can it help us imagine a better future? This week, two leading thinkers on the tricky challenges of democracy. What are the best tools— and even the best words we can use to create a better future? Music Featured: "Freedom" by David Morales and Janice Robinson, courtesy of Diridim Records. Guests: •Scot Nakagawa, Senior Partner at ChangeLab •Astra Taylor, filmmak...
Jun 26, 2019•31 min•Ep. 252
Laura interviewed Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and U.N. Special Envoy on Climate Change, at the Bellagio Women’s Leadership Forum. Robinson speaks on producing visionary women leaders and dismantling patriarchy, particularly as tools for achieving climate justice. One of the biggest tasks we face in building a just transition to a habitable planet is, according to Mary, a huge shift in "the political will." Mary shares with us her convictions about who has the capacity to facilitat...
Jun 24, 2019•15 min
Fifty years ago at The Stonewall Inn, gay pride took the form of a riot, not a parade. Today, the question remains as relevant as ever: Just how do we define "love is love," and what are we willing to do to defend one another? This week, we speak with a group of LGBTQIA+ leaders who each have a different relationship to being out and proud. We've come a long way they say, but in the next 50 years, we have a long way to go. Here’s “Light of Love” by Lady Alma off her new full length album “Twilig...
Jun 20, 2019•30 min•Ep. 251
'No matter the result of the elections, Barcelona's Ada Colau and Barcelona en Comú continue to put principles into practice.' Support theLFShow! Help us thrive and not just survive, by becoming a member . Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, S...
Jun 13, 2019•4 min
Someone turns 65 every 8 seconds in this country, and as our elderly population grows, so does the need to build an economy around our future selves. In this episode, three leaders in the age justice movement share their ideas about how we can age with dignity, power, and change our society to reflect just that. Then we visit the largest home care cooperative in the U.S. to take a look at age justice, and worker justice, in practice. Music featured “A Minute” by Janine Lyons from her album “Epip...
Jun 13, 2019•32 min•Ep. 250
400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived in Jamestown, many people agree reparations are due, but what would they look like? How about affordable property put into Black hands, in perpetuity? Could community land trusts be one way of making repairs? A lawyer, a policy advocate and an organizer with homeless New Yorkers explain what’s possible, and what’s being done. For research materials pertaining to the show including links to related articles goto Patreon.com/theLFShow Laura Fland...
Jun 05, 2019•31 min•Ep. 249
"Eighty years ago, this April, Spain fell under a thirty year dictatorship after right beat left in a brutal civil war. History feels acutely alive to me today and not just because for the first time in my life, I’m in Spain." The F-Word, Laura Flanders' commentary. Support theLFShow! Help us thrive and not just survive, by becoming a member. Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica ...
May 30, 2019•4 min
