Re-Construction.US
18 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago -Interviews with leaders, activists and people from all walks of life who are transforming America into a more equitable nation... and ourselves in the process. Hosted by Kimberly J. Miller. Find more interviews, articles and essays on our website: Re-Construction.US.
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Episodes
Overcoming Hate Crime with Marshall Wong
February 01, 2021 20:00 - 38 minutes - 26.3 MBOne hallmark of the Trump administration was a rise in visibility and his support of white nationalism. Even before his insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, the year 2020 saw a record number of such attacks in the U.S. Then last week, the Department of Homeland Security warned that "the United States faced a growing threat from 'violent domestic extremists' emboldened by the attack" on January 6th. The former president pushed a false narrative of rioting people of color in American cities to...
History's Climate Change Lessons with Brian Fagan
January 14, 2021 23:00 - 39 minutes - 27.4 MBThis week’s inauguration of President Joe Biden put climate change back on the U.S. agenda -- and none too soon! History has shown that climate change has a direct impact on societies and even the rise and fall of civilizations. In fact, most of the crises America has faced in the last year – a pandemic, economic implosion and massive civil unrest – can all be traced back in part to damage that global warming is already causing. A couple of years ago, I had an opportunity to teach high s...
Uniting for Democracy: Teressa Raiford & Steve Pierson
January 12, 2021 18:00 - 46 minutes - 31.6 MBOn today’s podcast, I will be discussing the events on January 6th with two previous guests: Teressa Raiford of Don’t Shoot Portland and Steve Pierson from Swing Left. I asked both of these progressive leaders to join me to discuss what can be done in the days and weeks ahead and how, most importantly we can work together strategically to combat the real threat of fascism that now lies before us. Those of us who believe in the ideal of an equitable America and the democratic process cannot...
Coronavirus Vaccine and the Research Revolution
January 02, 2021 15:00 - 45 minutes - 31.4 MBIt’s January, and people all over the world are celebrating the end of the year 2020. It was harrowing for so many reasons, not the least of which was our year with the Coronavirus. Thousands of American families who have lost loved ones and millions lost their jobs too. But there is hope on the horizon as millions of Americans have started receiving the new vaccines. Three options have already been released and a fourth is on it’s way. The speed with which our scientific community has i...
Building a Resilient, Equitable America with Richard Heinberg
December 26, 2020 17:00 - 1 hour - 42.1 MBIt's the end of 2020, a year in which many of our nation's deepest problems and divisions have taken center stage. The coronavirus may be new, but the environmental issues that helped create it (and the politics that unleashed it's massive spread across our country) is not. Our economy, social systems, healthcare and every individual's sense of security have been deeply damaged this year. In response, we've seen historic levels of protest, voting and violence. It seems that no one is sa...
Building Change That Lasts with Nieeta Presley
October 30, 2020 17:00 - 54 minutes - 37.3 MBFor decades, Nieeta Presley has been building community and making change. As the Executive Director of Aurora/St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation (ASANDC) in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has led numerous programs aimed at empowering people throughout the African American community. Now, on the eve of her retirement, she spoke with host Kimberly Miller about her organization's accomplishments: most notably the completion of a multi-unit apartment and commercial building that help...
Swing Left and the 2020 Elections with Steve Pierson
October 09, 2020 17:00 - 1 hour - 48.6 MBThe clock is ticking... and President Trump knows it. With less than 30 days to go before the 2020 election, we are on the verge of turning the political process back in the direction of equity, honor, truth and justice. With every American life on the line due to the coronavirus pandemic, none of us can afford to sit on the sidelines. Today's guest Steve Pierson, is a leader of the training and media teams with Swing Left and joined Kim to discuss their strategy to increase democratic ...
Coronavirus, Substance Use & Recovery with John Magnuson
September 26, 2020 18:00 - 1 hour - 49.1 MBWe are all feeling the stress these days and for many of us it has taken a toll. Whether it's teaching kids from home, trying to work and stay safe or national politics, there are a lot of things on our plates. Sometimes stress can lead people to find new support systems, such as the boom in use of Zoom for all kinds of social activities. Another option that many have leaned on even more heavily is substance use. Consumption of alcohol and other drugs has skyrocketed since the lock down ...
Minneapolis NAACP Gets the Vote Out with Angela Meyers
September 18, 2020 20:00 - 53 minutes - 36.6 MBThis summer, the world exploded in protest after we began marching in Minneapolis following the murder of George Floyd. What started here sprang from the outrage of people from all walks of life at witnessing such a callous taking of a human life. Many have been inspired by the community organizing and activism that has taken off in Minnesota, other parts of the country and around the world. But while the summer’s activities were triggered by a single event, Minneapolis’ African American ...
Vegans and Black Lives Matter with Gwenna Hunter
September 03, 2020 22:00 - 49 minutes - 34 MBAs environmental issues have moved closer to center stage, the connection between what we eat and how it's produced has been a larger topic of conversation. Recent studies have challenged the notion that beef is necessarily bad for our bodies. At the same time, the impact of the mass production of beef on the environment is seen as a real threat to the future of our planet. Those who choose a vegan diet are equally, if not more concerned with how animals are treated throughout the proces...
Get Out The Vote... From Home! All about VOTEFWD.ORG with Scott Forman
August 28, 2020 18:00 - 41 minutes - 28.2 MB"I don't want everyone to vote." declared Paul Weyrich, a conservative leader who helped spearhead the conservative political movement in the U.S. "As a matter of fact our leverage in the elections goes up, quite candidly, as the voting populace goes down." With election day only ten weeks away, it's time to get serious and get busy. Between the coronavirus pandemic and increasing voter suppression from nearly every angle, the risks of an election unfairly skewed in the Republican's fav...
Reopening American Schools with Gina McKuen
August 22, 2020 13:00 - 44 minutes - 30.5 MBIt's late August and for millions of students, that means going back to school. But because of the Coronavirus, parents, students and teachers across the country are facing some truly harrowing choices. Go back to the classroom or stay home and do our best long distance? Should my school try a hybrid approach? Differing approaches in each state are also adding to the confusion. Here in my home state of Minnesota, for example, the governor is taking it county by county. In person learn...
Portland Responds to Trump's Secret Police with Teressa Raiford, Founder, Don't Shoot Portland
August 15, 2020 16:00 - 49 minutes - 34.4 MBSince the murder of George Floyd in late May, people from all over the country have marched to express their outrage and to support the Black Lives Matter movement. In Portland, Oregon, these rallies have continued peacefully throughout the summer until just a few weeks ago when President Trump made good on his threat and sent in a new team of federal officers. These forces joined other largely unidentified "security forces" that appeared in the city just weeks earlier. They threw tear ga...
Letter to My White Male Friends with Dax-Devlon Ross
August 04, 2020 20:00 - 58 minutes - 40.4 MBWhen the word spread about the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Dax-Devlon Ross began to receive calls and messages from many of his white friends. Like other African Americans, he wondered how best to respond to these friends -- men that he cared about -- who did not always respond to the murder of another African American man in this way. He decided to write a letter, which resulted in his article "To My White Male Friends of a Certain Age". It is a powerful piece written from the...
The Dark Side of Social Media Screening Technology with Alex Marcus
July 28, 2020 21:00 - 52 minutes - 36.4 MB"Your social media activity may be preventing you from finding a job in ways you’ve never imagined." So begins the article written by our guest Alex Marcus about how some job applicant screening technology is designed to negatively flag people of color and our supporters. As the leader of recruiting for a large Social Service agency in New York, Mr. Marcus was asked to conduct a social media screening of applicants for a top-level position. The reports he received were disturbing, to sa...
Stress and Self-Care In Tumultuous Times
July 21, 2020 19:00 - 54 minutes - 37.8 MBWe're all feeling it. Between the Coronavirus pandemic, skyrocketing unemployment and outrage following the murder of George Floyd, stress and depression are on the rise. African Americans and Asian Americans are at greatest risk these days, but we are by no means alone. How do we all take care of ourselves when it seems like every bit of news keeps going from bad to worse? This week's guest is Margaret Benson Thompson,B.A., M.A., M.A.*, a therapist and family counselor who specializes in wo...
Stress and Self-Care During Tumultuous Times
July 21, 2020 19:00 - 42 minutes - 29.2 MBWe're all feeling it. Between the Coronavirus pandemic, skyrocketing unemployment and outrage following the murder of George Floyd, stress and depression are on the rise. African Americans and Asian Americans are at greatest risk these days, but we are by no means alone. How do we all take care of ourselves when it seems like every bit of news keeps going from bad to worse? This week's guest is Margaret Thompson, MFCC, a therapist and family counselor who specializes in working with people o...
Labor Unions and Police Accountability with Kent Wong, UCLA Labor Center Director
July 17, 2020 13:00 - 29 minutes - 20.6 MBIntroducing the RE-CONSTRUCTION.US podcast! For our audience who enjoys reading essays and stories we now have interviews available for your listening pleasure. Each week we will feature activists, artists, community and thought leaders on a wide range of subjects on making change in America and transforming ourselves in the process. For our first interview, we are honored to have Kent Wong, a labor leader in the City of Los Angeles who is speaking on the intersection between unions and t...