In dozens of countries around the world, millions of people live beside border walls. These heavily militarized and closely watched areas can be dangerous places to be. On this edition, from Palestinian farmers struggling to make a living next to the Israeli wall, to shootings at the fence that divides the US and Mexico.

This episode, originally produced in 2013, is presented as part of the Making Contact Anniversary Capsule: celebrating 30 years of social justice journalism. The miniseries takes us from protests on the streets of Seattle to an Indiana family fighting for their daughter's gender affirming care. It explores a racial reckoning in the world of romance writers, and tells the story of border walls from Gaza to Arizona. These shows embody how Making Contact has been digging into the story beneath the story since 1994.

Featuring:

Alex Soto, MC Shining Soul, Hannah Hafter, No More Deaths, Isabel Garcia, Derechos Humanos co-chair, Majed Wahdan, Gazan farmer; Mohammed Qudaih, drone strike victim; Dr Nabil Abu Sahammalla, Gazan Agricultural Ministry Director General for Planning; Zahra Abu Daqqa, Gazan farmer; Saber Za'aneen, non-violent activist

Making Contact Credits:

• Host: George Lavender
• Executive Director: Jina Chung
• Engineer: Jeff Emtman
• Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonorain

Learn More:

No More Deaths

Coalición de Derechos Humanos

International Solidarity Movement

Palestinian Solidarity Project

Electronic Intifada

Oodham Solidarity

Gila River Against Loop 202

Stop CanaMex

No South Mountain Freeway

Shining Soul

Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.

On November 30th, 1999, tens of thousands of people shook the streets of Seattle, Washington, in protest of the World Trade Organization. The WTO symbolized the corporate takeover of human needs and the environment. On this edition, we revisit the voices from that week.

This episode, originally released in 2009, is part of the Making Contact Anniversary Capsule: celebrating 30 years of social justice journalism. The miniseries takes us from protests on the streets of Seattle to an Indiana family fighting for their daughter's gender affirming care. It explores a racial reckoning in the world of romance writers, and tells the story of border walls from Gaza to Arizona. These shows embody how Making Contact has been digging into the story beneath the story since 1994.

Featuring:

Gopal Dayaneni, organizer with Movement Generation; Mohau Pheko, representative of the Africa Trade Network at the 1999 Seattle WTO meeting; Anuradha Mittal, Executive Director, Oakland Institute; Chuck Collins, co-founder of United for a Fair Economy and Wealth for the Common Good.

Making Contact Team:

• Producer: Andrew Stelzer
• Episode Host: Tena Rubio
• Executive Director: Jina Chung
• Engineer: Jeff Emtman
• Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonorain

Music:

• Infernal Noise Brigade
• The Platform

Learn More:

Focus on the Global South Bangkok, Thailand | Inequality and the Common Good Boston, MA | Institute for Policy Studies Washington, DC | International Forum on Globalization San Francisco, CA | Jubilee USA Network Washington, DC | Movement Generation Oakland, CA | Oakland Institute Oakland, CA | Ruckus Society Oakland, CA | United for a Fair Economy Boston, MA | Wealth for the Common Good Boston, MA

Five Days That Shook the World: The Battle for Seattle and Beyond

By Alexander Cockburn, Jeffrey St. Clair and Allan Sekula

The Battle in Seattle - The Story Behind and Beyond the WTO Demonstrations

By Janet Thomas

This is What Democracy Looks Like (film)

Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.

In 2019 a well known romance writer began tweeting about other writers in her community and concerns about racism. It led to a huge reckoning within an organization called the Romance Writers of America. And although the online debate seemed to be isolated to a specific community of romance writers and their fans, it was really a microcosm of what's been happening all over the US. In this episode we learn all about romance novels and how newer writers are changing the norms of the genre, and giving it a political power it's never had before. And, we talk about what it means for organizations to change as they grapple with questions of race.

This episode, originally released in June 2022, is part of the Making Contact Anniversary Capsule: celebrating 30 years of social justice journalism. The miniseries takes us from protests on the streets of Seattle to an Indiana family fighting for their daughter's gender affirming care. It explores a racial reckoning in the world of romance writers, and tells the story of border walls from Gaza to Arizona. These shows embody how Making Contact has been digging into the story beneath the story since 1994.

Featuring:

- Jayashree Kamble; professor of English Literature at La Guardia Community College

- Reagan Jackson; co-executive director, Young Women Empowered, also a romance reader and fan

- Contance Grady; Senior Culture Reporter for Vox

- Elise Staples, member of a romance reading book club through meetup.com

Credits:

**Making Contact Team**

- Episode Host: Salima Hamirani

- Producers: Salima Hamirani, Anita Johnson, Lucy Kang, Amy Gastelum

- Executive Director: Jina Chung

- Engineer: [Jeff Emtman](https://jeffemtman.com/)

- Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonorain

**Music**:

- Johnny Ripper - Overout

- Johnny Ripper - Sfhk (mental breakdown)

- Johnny Ripper - Untitled (waking up)

- Johnny Ripper - In a Dream

- Dance of the Seahorse - Gideon Freudman

- Pictures of the Floating World - Waves

- Bio Unit - Subterannean

- Ketsa - you asked

Learn More:

• Constance Grady's Article for Vox
• The Romance Writers of America
• International Association for the Study of Popular Romance
• Making Meaning in Popular Romance Fiction: An Epistemología
• Recommended Reading list

Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.