VFTFL Archive, All Years

At January 16 court hearing, Judge Fischer dismissed all charges against Alex without prejudice. Alex discusses his work mediating gang truces and helping disenfranchised youth of color.

Eric Mann shares his review of the film Django Unchained and passionate listeners call in to share their opinions of the film.

Martin Luther King evolved from advocating an integrated American Dream to his observation that “we do not want to integrate into a burning building.” I read from his famous Riverside speech when he came out against the Viet Nam war and describe the complex dynamics of that historical moment.

The Drug Policy Alliance is the nation's leading organization promoting alternatives to current drug policy that are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights. The DPA works to ensure that drug policies no longer arrest, incarcerate, disenfranchise and otherwise harm millions of people - particularly young people and people of color who are disproportionately affected by the war on drugs.

Manuel Criollo on the heavy police presence at predominantly Black and Latino public high schools, School to Prison Pipeline, Privatization of Public Schools, and What is School Reconstitution.

Speilberg's Lincoln does a great historical disservice by portraying the Civil War as a debate among white people about Black people, who, in the film, hardly exist.

Community Coalition fights efforts by LA School District to "Reconstitute" Crenshaw High School, which would start by firing all the current teachers there...

If Measure J passes, the MTA will get tens of billions of dollars to spend in the near future, but borrowed against a 30-year extension of a one-half cent sales tax in LA County from 2039 to 2069.

The entire staff at Dorsey High School may be fired! Sharonne Hapuarachy
and Taylor Broom discuss "Reconstitution" and what the impacts are for
the student and the community and the movement to stop it.

As the presidential election draws near, the right wing has increased their efforts at voter suppression. Journalist and political commentator Erin Aubry discusses Right Wing voter suppression strategies and the influences of Obama on Black movement building.

Sharonne Hapuarachyand Taylor Broom help us understand how LAUSD is threatening to destroy another historic South Los Angeles High School with "Reconstitution"--a radical and racist restructuring program.

Diane Fujino discuses her recent book, Samurai Among Panthers: Richard Aoki on Race, Resistance, and a Paradoxical Life. The book has generated an intense debate on the historical record about Aoki and the Black Panthers.

The influences of Hip Hop and race on the presidential election and building social movements.

Barbara Lott Holland, organizer with the Community Rights Campaign of Los Angeles, and Zachary Norris, Co-Director of Justice for Families, discuss their new report called "Families Unlocking Futures: Solutions to the Crisis in Juvenile Justice".

Kitzia Esteva a dozen undocumented immigrants were arrested in front of the Democratic National Convention. The protest was the culmination of a month long UndocuBus Tour they took from Phoenix to Charlotte, visiting along the way many groups who are fighting for immigrant rights.

Mumia discusses black political thought, the great thinkers, movement builders, and decolonization of the mind.

Alex Sanchez-former gang member and peace activist, and Luis Rodriguez-poet and author, discuss El Salvador's unprecendented gang truce which was initiated by the County's Top gang leaders and facilitated by top government and church officials.  

Jay will tell us about his latest political work as the lead founder of the organization Fix Our America and the effort to amend the constitution.

Police harrassment of the homless community, gentrification, and the fight for their civil rights.

Cinthia Gonzalez discusses The Labor Community Strategy Center's Civil Rights rally: President Obama: Enforce, Restore, Expand Our Civil Rights! and the broader work of the Bus Riders Union and training young organizers as a youth organizer with the Community Rights Campaign.

Van Jones, founder of Rebuild the Dream, discusses the U.S.economy, foreclosures, student loans, Obama, Occupy, and what it means to Build the Movement.

Kim McGill discusses recruiting and training young organizers around the issues of the juvenile Injustice system, police and prison funding, the school to prison pipeline, what it means to build a movement led by people and communities of color, especially youth of color.

Carla Gonzalez. Carla is a community rights activist and co-founder and leader of the Summer Youth Organizing Academy (SYOA). Carla has been doing amazing work recruiting and training young high school age organizers for many years now from many of LA's inner city high schools.

Professor Miguel Tinker Salas, on the presidential elections that took place in Mexico on Sunday. Now that the elections are over, what can we expect A) will be the real consequences for the Mexican people and, B) what will the consequences be for movement building in Mexico and in the U.S.?

The Strategy Center organizer and policy analyst Crystal McMillan, tells us about the Federal Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill that was just passed by the U.S. Congress and is waiting for Obama's signature. This is a huge bill worth $109 billion dollars over two years and we'll find out what the Strategy Center is asking Obama to do to strengthen it.