Peace Talks Radio: Recent Episodes
Paul Ingles
A monthly series on peacemaking and nonviolent conflict resolution. Stories that inform, inspire and improve the human condition.
On this episode of Peace Talks Radio, we hear how people are finding moments of peace and connection in the natural world, even in the middle of busy urban life. We also explore how climate change is shaping the conditions for conflict and peace around the world, revealing how closely our relationship to nature is tied to our ability to build and sustain peace.
On this episode of Peace Talks Radio, we explore youth justice through the story of Jamie Silvonek, who was charged as an adult at 14 and is serving a 35-year sentence in Pennsylvania. We also hear from journalist Nell Bernstein about the growing movement to dismantle youth prisons and rethink how communities respond when young people cause harm.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we explore how basketball is being used to bridge divides and prevent violence — from PeacePlayers’ work in Northern Ireland to Oakland’s Midnight Basketball program.
In this episode, we explore the hidden toll of activism and how we begin to build something more sustainable. Through conversations with peacebuilding chaplain and mediator Michaela Ledesma and artist-activist Jacob Lefton, this series examines how burnout shows up, why it happens, and what it might look like to recover, or prevent it entirely.
On this episode of Peace Talks Radio, journalist Brian Goldstone exposes the human cost of America’s working homelessness crisis — and what it reveals about how we define dignity and belonging. Then, therapist Whitney Goodman explores how healing fractured family relationships can restore peace closer to home. Together, these conversations ask what peace really costs — in housing, in love, and in the courage to repair what’s broken.
Peace Talks Radio co-founder Paul Ingles talks with fine art landscape photographer Jan Bartelstone about his 2023 book An Ecstatic Gathering of Writers: Honoring Nature, Mankind, and Spirit. Bartelstone describes some of his large scale photographs in the book and the accompanying inspirational prose and poetry from top writers like N. Scott Momaday, John Muir, Pablo Neruda, Kahlil Gibran, e e Cummings, Terry Tempest Williams, Simon Ortiz, and more. He also reflects on how his devotion to a more peaceful world has tied into his photographic art for decades.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we revisit some of our past guests to ask: where are they now? More than a decade later, we catch up with peacebuilders who first shared their stories years ago, and hear how they’ve continued to strive for understanding, dialogue, and nonviolent change in their communities.
Peace Talks Radio explores efforts to rename and reclaim holidays like Thanksgiving, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day. Guests Mahtowin Munro and Rory Fanning discuss how these commemorations can conceal painful truths — and how reframing them can open space for justice, healing, and peace.
On today’s Peace Talks Radio episode, we explore the quiet crisis of adult loneliness and the small, brave steps people take to create new friendships later in life. We’ll hear personal stories from people reaching out across unfamiliar ground, and we’ll talk with experts about the science of connection and the design of spaces that invite strangers to become neighbors
In this edition of Peace Talks Radio, correspondent Anna Van Dine visits Seattle’s Peace Park, where a stolen statue of Sadako Sasaki — the Hiroshima girl who folded 1,000 paper cranes — is being recreated by artist Saya Moriyasu. The story reflects on Sadako’s legacy and the role of art in peacemaking.
On this episode of Peace Talks Radio, we focus on two artists building bridges of understanding in the pursuit of peace. In part one, correspondent Andrew Stelzer speaks with John Noltner, a photographer who founded the multimedia project A Peace of My Mind. He travels the country, using images and words to put our humanity on display for one another. In Part 2, we hear from New Mexico-based writer and activist Margaret Randall. Randall was an eyewitness to and participant in revolutionary movements in Mexico, Cuba and Nicaragua. As a publisher, she provided exposure and connections to numerous authors just getting their start; and her work translating poetry and other writing from Spanish to English served as a crucial cultural bridge.
In this program, correspondent Julia Joubert explores the often-overlooked connection between perimenopause and the sudden onset of anxiety, and together with her guests, discusses ways to bring more understanding, support, and peace to those experiencing this transition.
On this episode of Peace Talks Radio, turning tools of violence…into talismans of change. We hear from two innovators helping communities reimagine the deadly weapons in their midst.
On this episode of Peace Talks Radio, Anna Van Dine interviews people who experience chronic pain and speaks with experts who provide tools to cope with it.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we hear from people who chose to physically stand in the way of war. Volunteering to serve as a “human shield” is an intense act of self-sacrifice. But those who have done it say it‘s saved many lives.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we explore the connection between peace and play, and its impact on treating trauma. The importance of play was recognized globally when the UN General Assembly declared June 11th as the International Day of Play. Correspondent Nadeen Shaker speaks to experts from various organizations about why play is important as a tool for peace.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we explore the issue of overtourism. Destinations around the globe are facing the impact of tourism on local residents, cultures, economies, and the environment. How can we ensure this impact is a positive one, and minimize the conflict and harm that our travel can cause?
Correspondent Michelle Aslam speaks with tourism experts on how our travel can be a source of conflict, and a tool for peace. Journalist and author Paige McClanahan speaks about her book The New Tourist: Waking Up to the Power and Perils of Travel. Dr. Kiona, founder of Reroot Travel, speaks about how her company endeavors to take a regenerative approach to tourism, as opposed to an exploitative one. Dr. Freya Higgings-Desbiolles, an academic who studies tourism’s potential to foster a more peaceful world, addresses systemic solutions to addressing the conflict caused by overtourism.
It's a compendium of highlights from just one season in the long-running, award-winning PEACE TALKS RADIO series. You'll hear clips from our series about "Bridging Political Division", as well as from our programs on"Solutions to Gun Violence", "Intergenerational Connection", "Healing through Psychedelics", "AI: Risks and Benefits for Peace", "When Digital Addiction Threatens Family Peace", and more.
On this episode of Peace Talks Radio, we hear the story about a couple who made the difficult decision to leave a place that was not safe, what it took to make it, and how they are settling into their new life. Alaina and her wife Jeannie lived in Tennessee for many years. But as the political climate has shifted, it became untenable for Alaina to exist as a trans woman there. In 2023, the couple made the difficult decision to uproot from their community and relocate to southern Vermont.
They're an example of a national trend where liberals move to blue states and conservatives move to red ones, as the country grows increasingly polarized. But for someone like Alaina, whose healthcare and physical safety were on the line, it's not just a decision about politics; she feels like a refugee.
On this episode of Peace Talks Radio, correspondent Julia Joubert, looks at how digital addiction is affecting communication between parents and teens, and together with her guests, discusses ways to help families strengthen their relationships in a world where constant connectivity is the norm.
Over the past decade, smartphone use among teens has skyrocketed, with 95% of teens now owning one. As they spend over 44 hours per week on screens, many struggle with concentration, social isolation, and rising levels of anxiety and depression. This trend has left parents deeply concerned, feeling that excessive screen time is taking away from their children’s real-world experiences and future opportunities.
While many parents try to set limits, like creating device-free zones or monitoring screen time, teens often feel punished by these rules, which can widen the communication gap within families. Today, our guests will share insights and ideas to help bridge this divide.
Joining us are mother-daughter duo Jessica Ticktin and Lola Rubin, social media influencer Allie O’Brien, and psychotherapist Asiya Vickers. Together, they’ll discuss the pressures teens face, the concerns of parents, and strategies to help everyone communicate and connect better in the digital age.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we’re exploring the world of therapeutic psychedelic drugs. After a golden age of research in the 1950s and 1960s, research on therapeutic uses of psychedelics was grounded for much of the 20th century after they were classified as schedule 1 drugs. This classification means they have no medical use and a high potential for abuse.
In recent years, scientists have challenged those assumptions and this line of research has started to gain new momentum, with particular focus on how these substances may relieve suffering for people struggling with trauma and PTSD. Scientists are still trying to understand exactly how they work therapeutically, but believe substances like MDMA, psilocybin and LSD help the brain rewire in a way that allows new perspectives on psychiatric problems. While these drugs may be better known for their recreational uses, researchers say they have huge potential to help people struggling with mental health conditions that are sometimes resistant to other treatments, or require indefinite use, like antidepressant medications.
We’ll hear about this research and how therapists are integrating psychedelic use into their work with clients. Danielle Preiss talks with three guests who provide different perspectives on the therapeutic uses of psychedelic drugs. We’ll hear from Shannon Miller a therapist who works with people who are using therapeutic psychedelics and from Shawn, a humanitarian aid worker from the UK who tried a therapeutic mushroom trip herself. We will also hear from Dr. Jennifer Mitchell, a researcher working on this cutting edge science at the UCSF department of neurology and the San Francisco Veteran’s Administration.
Artificial intelligence is no longer merely a far-fetched feature of sci-fi, but a daily fixture in most American’s lives — whether we’re aware of it or not. Corporations and authorities are increasingly using A.I. in everything from employment and hiring, to economic decisions to surveillance and war. Police departments in some of the largest cities in the U.S. use predictive policing to forecast criminal activity, militaries use AI systems to help determine targets.
Yet humanitarian institutions and peace advocates are growing more interested in using AI to promote social good and peace. Proponents of AI for peace say that it could be harnessed for early warning of violence, combating hate speech, human rights investigations, and analyzing the effects of climate change on conflict. How do we build a world where A.I. is no longer a weapon of warfare, but a powerful tool for peace? Correspondent Mary Steffenhagen speaks with Yeshi Milner, founder and CEO of Data for Black Lives, and Branka Panic, founding director of A.I. for Peace, to find out.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we explore solutions to gun violence in the U.S. from three perspectives - academic, policy and on the streets. Since 2020 firearms have been the leading cause of death in the US for youth. One of the most promising models to address gun violence is Community Violence Intervention (CVI). CVI programs use a localized approach, identify those who are at the highest risk and work to reduce violence through targeted interventions and peer outreach.
Emily Cohen speaks with Chico Tillmon, PhD, of the University of Chicago’s Crime Lab and a leader in the CVI field, as well as Nick Wilson, a senior director for Gun Violence Prevention at American Progress, where he leads the organization’s efforts to reduce gun violence and shrink the footprint of the criminal justice system while improving public health and safety. Also featured are outreach workers Billy Deal, Rodney Phillips, James Mitchell and Nyedra Turner of the Metropolitan Peace Initiatives on their new podcast Streets, Beatz and Peace.
In this edition of Peace Talks Radio, correspondent Julia Joubert explores intergenerationl connection. Studies have shown that at least six distinct generations currently live side by side in the United States, and there are almost equal numbers of people of every age alive today. To put that into perspective, we have the same number of people who are seven years old as 70. Yet, while we might be the most age diverse we have ever been, age segregation is also at an all time high.
Rapid changes in technology, polarizing political views and isolating societal structures have resulted in a clear and growing generational gap. These divides are often fuelled by a lack of understanding as generations exist alongside each other but don’t have ways to connect meaningfully. But, the opportunity is there!
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio we explore peace and equality in body image. For centuries we have placed significant importance on beauty and body image. Society, media and pop culture often shape these views and set the standards by which we compare ourselves. But these standards are often exclusionary and unrealistic. A 2021 review by Psychologica Belgica suggests that rejecting beauty ideals, placing less value on appearance, and appreciating one’s body can contribute to a positive body image, but how do we do that in a society telling us our bodies aren’t beautiful?
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we explore political division. Research shows that polarization isn’t just something we see in politics or with elected officials, but that it is affecting our relationships with family members, neighbors, and coworkers.
This program features voices from people working to mend this division and gives listeners tips to how ask “curious questions” to help find common ground. Emily Cohen speaks with Monica Guzman from Braver Angels, Alyson Spery from StoryCorps’ One Small Step program and Ron Gunzberger, former political director for Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we’ll take a look at hostage negotiations. From criminal kidnappings to political pawns, hostage taking is a tragic business that captivates news readers and fills the plots of thrillers, and - as we've seen recently - it's often a core element between nations at war. But far from the dramatic scenes played out in movies and series, what is actually happening behind the scenes? How do hostage negotiators build rapport and trust and come to agreements with kidnappers? And how are these same tactics useful in lower stakes negotiations? Recent research supports the common sense hypothesis that some people have personality traits that make them better negotiators than others. Individual differences matter. But these traits are possible to change or develop through practice. We’ll hear about this research and how we can use it to improve how we perform in and feel about negotiating. We’ll also hear how a hostage negotiator and former hostage used these tactics in real life. Danielle Preiss talks with three guests who are deeply familiar with hostage situations and negotiations from three different perspectives. Dr. Hillary Anger Elfenbein, is a professor at the Olin School at Washington University and researches negotiation from the level of buying a car to negotiation for release of hostages. Sue Williams is a hostage negotiator who led the Kidnap and Hostage Negotiation Units for the Metropolitan Police in London. And Thomas Olsson was held hostage by Jabhat Al-Nusra, the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, for one and a half years.
It's a compendium of highlights from just one season in the long-running award-winning PEACE TALKS RADIO series. You'll hear clips from our series about "Reconciling Estrangement", "Homelessness Through a Peacemaking Lens", "Flipping Extremists to Bolster Peace", "Peacemaking in Relationships Amidst Health Challenges", "Truth and Reconciliation Commissions", and more.
On today's episode, correspondent Priyanka Shankar talks to songwriter, speaker and author David LaMotte, who wrote WORLD-CHANGING 101: CHALLENGING THE MYTH OF POWERLESSNESS and John Lawrence Graham, the author of the book CHARLOTTE'S WAR to understand each writer's views on peace, war, creative nonviolence and community peace-building in today’s world. Complete coverage on this and 250 other episodes in our series online at https://peacetalksradio.com
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we explore the incredibly common yet largely undiscussed topic of estrangement. In a national survey, almost 30 percent of American adults reported cutting off contact with a family member. And 1 in 10 reported they’d cut off contact with either a parent or a child. Yet, despite how common it is, people who are estranged from friends or family often experience profound feelings of grief, loneliness and uncertainty. Estrangement can be both voluntary and involuntary, with some making the decision to end a relationship and protect themselves, and others feeling blindsided but someone else's choice. There are many roads to estrangement and just as many to reconciliation, yet neither are ever guaranteed, and that’s okay. Individuals who find themselves on a journey of estrangement should first pause to accept their true feelings, ground themselves in their core values and desires, and then begin to seek out empathic and open communication first with self and then with the people and communities they may find themselves estranged from. Julia Joubert speaks to American voiceover artist and comedian, Tina Marie, an adult child estranged from her father, and to Seattle-based podcaster, and estrangement and reconciliation coach, Kreed Revere, who was once estranged from her two daughters. And she speaks to Dr Aileen Fullchange, a licensed psychologist, certified school psychologist, and speaker.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we’ll take a look at transitional justice through Truth and Reconciliation Commissions. We’ve looked at the topic of transitional justice in a 2021 episode, but now look at different examples of Commissions around the globe. From the most famous historical example of the Commission established to investigate abuses under the Apartheid era in South Africa, we’ll look at the evolution of the tool in countries like the Gambia and Colombia following conflict and transitions of power. A new trend is emerging of western democratic states establishing Truth and Reconciliation Commissions to look at historical abuses against indigenous and minority populations. Australia, Canada and Greenland have all concluded such Commissions in recent years. But we’ll take a deep dive into the Commission process in Norway, which is completing in 2023. From the mid-1800s to late in the 20th century, Norway forced assimilation of the indigenous Sámi population through an official “Norwegianization” policy. Traditionally reindeer herders across the Nordic region, the Sámi were forced to give up their own culture and language, particularly through a system of residential schools for Sámi children. Now, Norway is confronting the harms under that policy and its lasting legacy. Danielle Preiss talks with three experts who study transitional justice processes and their evolution including Dr. Elin Skaar, research professor at the Christian Michelsen Institute in Norway, Ereshnee Naidu-Silverman, Program Director of the Global Transitional Justice Initiative at the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, and Dr. Gloria Ayee, a political scientist and lecturer at Harvard University.
On this edition of PEACE TALKS RADIO, we explore what the sudden onset or revelation of an illness or disorder means for a relationship, be it familial, friendship or romantic. This change can be incredibly frightening, bringing with it emotions like fear, anger, guilt and deep sorrow. These are all valid emotions. Individuals in such situations may have to make a choice either to stay through the sudden change, or to leave a relationship that is no longer serving them or the other. But it is how we communicate these thoughts and feelings that is crucial in ensuring moving forward in a non-violent, respectful way. This applies both to communication with oneself, and with others. If you do not know what you want, why you want it, or even really understand how you feel - how will you know how to choose or explain a choice to those around you? Correspondent Julia Joubert talks with Adrian and Claudine de Villiers, a couple who have been navigating the introduction of addiction and Bipolar into their 17-year marriage. Also she visits with Dani van Zyl, a woman living with POTS and other chronic illnesses who is reckoning with the isolation that her illnesses bring. And we talk with Emonie Carter-Hale, a systemic and family psychotherapist, specializing in trauma, boundaries, family conflict and coping skills.
On this edition of PEACE TALKS RADIO, we’ll explore the challenges surrounding conflicts around cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation involves adopting elements from a culture or identity that’s not your own in a way that may be harmful, stereotypical, or exploitative. The lines are harder to draw between cultural appropriation and appreciation. The world is a global village and cultures are constantly interacting, borrowing, remixing, and evolving. However, in case of appropriation, there usually is a one-way transfer, in terms of pleasure, or income and opportunity— sometimes irking the other side. So how do we learn about and enjoy other cultures without appropriating them? When are we truly simply showing appreciation of something tied deeply to another culture? Correspondent Yamini Ranjan explores multiple examples of cultural appropriation with three guests who offer insights on how we can find peace & joy when we are interacting with traditions that don’t come from our own lived experience and heritage. Our panel includes Claudia A. Fox Tree, Harpinder Kaur Mann, and Dr. Eve Dunbar.
In many urban settings, there is a significant unhoused population on the streets. According to the some recent data, more than half a million people in the United States are unhoused. Many of us want to help but may feel conflicted about how.
On this Peace Talks Radio episode, correspondent Emily Cohen explores the dynamics of homelessness with three guests working to assist people living on the street, including Miranda Twitchell who is a leader in the unsheltered community in which she has lived on and off for the past several years in Salt Lake City. Also, we’ll speak with Eva Thibaudeau-Graczyk, a social worker and the executive director of the Temenos Community Development Corporation. Temenos is a nonprofit in Houston that provides long-term housing and support services for people facing chronic homelessness, following a model known as Housing First.. And we talk with Wren Fialka, the founder of the nonprofit Spread the Love that distributes personal care, clothing and hygiene supplies to unhoused people.
A threat of both international and domestic terrorism has been a constant in our world for decades now. Radicalization of individuals to practice such terrorism has been identified as one of the key reasons behind these attacks forcing governments around the world to focus on countering terrorism through deradicalization. On this PEACE TALKS RADIO episode, correspondent Priyanka Shankar talks to our guests about what drives people into joining terrorist groups and how counter-terrorism efforts are trying to flip extremists to bolster peace. Why should we care about these efforts, and what role, if any, can WE play in such efforts? We will hear from Pieter Van Ostaeyen, a Belgium-based independent analyst on jihadist groups worldwide. Also, Elizabeth Pearson, a Lecturer in Criminology with the Conflict, Violence and Terrorism Research Centre at Royal Holloway, University of London. And Mubin Shaikh, a former extremist, who will help us understand how he helps young people get deradicalized.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, talk about what it means to be an ally to members of marginalized communities, and the necessary discomfort that comes with growing our awareness about our participation in oppressive structures in society, and how we can all be both the oppressed, as well as the oppressor. Correspondent Sen Zhan speaks with three DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) practitioners: Agnieszka Bua, Amaka Ohia-Nowak, and Kevin Groen.
How can a theatre modality called Theatre of the Oppressed work to raise awareness about the mechanisms of oppression that exist in societies, and empower both performers and audience members to take concrete steps towards social change? PEACE TALKS RADIO Correspondent Sen Zhan interviews Barbara Santos and Till Baumann from Kuringa, the Theatre of the Oppressed organization in Berlin, on how this theatre modality can be leveraged to activate citizen participation. She also speaks with four participants from an intensive course in theatre of the oppressed this summer. Finally, you’ll enjoy an immersive taster from a live theatre of the oppressed production.
On this anniversary special, you'll hear an inspirational sampling of just some of the nearly 800 guests the program has featured dating back to the pilot show in 2002, all the way through 2022. After the 9/11 attacks of 2001, Suzanne Kryder and Paul Ingles set out on a mission to protect some of the media landscape for talk about peacemaking throughout history, and nonviolent conflict resolution strategies that we could all apply to our daily lives.
It's a compendium of highlights from just one season in the long-running award-winning PEACE TALKS RADIO series. You'll hear clips from our series about "Sharing Living Space Peacefully", "Improving The Nobel Peace Prize", "Managing News Anxiety", "Cities of Asylum", "Ending Teen Dating Violence", and more.
This episode seeks to highlight solutions which help humans and wildlife coexist. It highlights the reasons behind why conflicts take place and how policymakers are addressing it. It also addresses how each of us can handle conflicts with the animals around us every day whether it is a small mosquito or a big bear.
Our first guest, Gerard Martin, is a conservationist in India who focuses on trying to educate people, and young children on how to coexist with snakes. Death due to snake bites is a very big problem in India, which also gives a negative perception of the animal. But Gerry is trying to change that.
We will also talk to Petros Chrysafis, a wildlife conservationist based in California, focusing on mitigating human-wildlife conflicts in the region. He tells us more about how he has established predator monitoring tools and non-lethal deterrent measures to ensure livestock and wildlife coexist safely.
Lastly, we will hear from Paul Pebsworth, a primatologist who has worked on mitigating human-wildlife conflict between primates and humans in many parts of the world and is currently based in Texas. Paula’s focus is to find solutions for humans and wild animals to coexist and also addresses the language and narratives policymakers, the media, researchers, conservationists etc should use while talking about human-wildlife conflicts. Our correspondent is Priyanka Shankar.
We’ll hear from Dr. Dana Rose Garfin, Assistant Professor of Community Health Sciences at UCLA, about how repeated media coverage of crises can cause anxiety, PTSD, and even cardiovascular symptoms. Also, with us, Ja’Nel Johnson Phillips, Western Region Manager for Solutions Journalism Network, which focuses on how people solve the problems that we see reported on so often. Plus, we’ll hear from Eric Deggans, a media critic with National Public Radio, who sees cable news, sowing fear and panic among viewers to keep them engaged. But Deggans thinks the responsibility for how much we take in is ours.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, Part 2 of our investigation into
conflict in the most intimate of places we spend much of our time - at
home and in our shared living spaces. This two-part series looks at why we
get into the conflicts we do when we live together. How can we use
conflict to better understand ourselves and each other? And what
practically can we do about it? Correspondent Sen Zhan speaks with five
experts in the field of communities, conflict navigation, and personality
disorders.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, Part 2 of our investigation into
conflict in the most intimate of places we spend much of our time - at
home and in our shared living spaces. This two-part series looks at why we
get into the conflicts we do when we live together. How can we use
conflict to better understand ourselves and each other? And what
practically can we do about it? Correspondent Sen Zhan speaks with five
experts in the field of communities, conflict navigation, and personality
disorders.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we’ll be talking about why it’s so
hard to live well together. How can we use the conflicts that arise in
everyday living situations to reflect on why we are the way we are, how we
can better understand the other, and how conflict can be leveraged to
enrich our relationships, rather than deteriorate them? To answer these
questions, correspondent Sen Zhan speaks with four experts in the field of
communities and conflict navigation: Laird Schaub, Maria Silvia, Karl
Steyaert, and Diana Leafe Christian.
What do you think of when you think of abusive relationships? Probably
adults, married, right? We often overlook the age group that is perhaps
most susceptible and underprepared to handle domestic abuse—teens.
According to iloverespect.org, only 33% of teens in abusive relationships
tell someone about it. At an age when they are only beginning to find out
about dating and about, really, themselves, teens can get caught like a
deer in the headlight when faced with abuse. That is why taking this
problem head-on we need to equip teenagers with the adequate knowledge and
emotional skills at an early age.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we go in-depth to understand the
psychology of abuse and break-up violence, the precedents set by media
about relationships, and the programs that can help alleviate the problem.
Yamini Ranjan talks with three experts including Dr. Malcolm Astley, a
father and educator who lost his daughter to break-up violence, Jessica
Teperow, Director of Prevention programs at REACH MA, and Nicole Daley,
the Director of the Division of Violence and Injury Prevention at the MA
Department of Public Health.
The Nobel Peace Prize was established by Alfred Nobel, the Swedish
inventor and philanthropist, in 1901. Committee members in Norway meet
privately to consider nominees. They look for world leaders who advance
the cause of peace. But in recent years, this process has come under
scrutiny. Critics say the prize has lost its way by honoring leaders who
later fueled wars and violence. On this edition of PEACE TALKS RADIO,
correspondent Avishay Artsy explores the Nobel Peace Prize’s shortcomings
and the calls to reform it. Guests are Dr. Kjetil Tronvoll, professor of
peace and conflict studies at Oslo New University College in Norway and
Dr. Comfort Ero who is the president and CEO of International Crisis
Group.
Every time a group of people line up along the external borders of a
country, debates heat up among government leaders with respect to
migration and asylum procedures. On this episode of PEACE TALKS RADIO,
correspondent Priyanka Shankar explores why migration and asylum are
contentious and how a country can make peace with migration and asylum.
Focusing on how the European Union has been dealing with migration and
asylum, we talk to Petra Molnar, a lawyer and anthropologist, who also
gives the gist of how European countries have been handling the migration
crisis induced by the war in Ukraine. Other guests are Bram Frouws, the
head of the research platform Mixed Migration Centre (MMC) in Geneva. and
.Vasco Malta, the head of the UN’s migration agency in Portugal, to
understand how Portugal getting better marks on their immigration systems
from human rights watchdogs.
On this PEACE TALKS RADIO episode, correspondent Sen Zhan explores three
perspectives on the nature of intercultural conflict in transcultural
Asian immigrants in western countries. When East meets West in the
modern-day, it’s not only cultures that can clash, it’s also the past
crashing into the present. Asians who have been formed by both cultures
know this very well, and are one group among many who navigate the
conflicts of transcultural existence. We’ll hear from Chinese-Canadian
psychiatrist, Dr. Julian Xue, Chinese-American author Iris Chen, and
Chinese-Canadian trauma recovery coach Sherry Yuan Hunter.
On this edition of PEACE TALKS RADIO, we’ll dive into a deeper
understanding of some terms we’re all now much more familiar with terms
like misinformation, disinformation, and even “fake news”, then we’ll look
at ways to block their negative impacts -sometimes deadly impact - in some
parts of the world. Correspondent Danielle Preiss and her guests will help
us learn that humans have been using what’s been called more recently
“fake news” to win conflicts since we’ve been able to communicate – over
whatever platform has been available at the time. By understanding how we
are primed as a species to use and experience false information, we can
check our impulses and use the tools available to us to stop its
influence.
Perhaps, you’ve heard of “Pacifism” but have you heard of “Anarcho
Pacifism.” What’s the difference between the two? On this edition of Peace
Talks Radio, we’ll talk with a sociology professor and an activist/scholar
who help us understand Anarcho Pacifists. They explain that Anarcho
Pacifists hold that anarchism is a philosophy of non-violence, because it
opposes all domination and power. This includes the strongest form of
domination: violence upon another person. We hear that Anarcho Pacifists
have often been in the front of efforts at peaceful, non-violent
resistance for social change.
This time on PEACE TALKS RADIO, we talk with three guests about “Cities of
Asylum” – also known as “Cities of Refuge” -- communities that put out the
welcome mat for writers, artists, journalists, and human rights defenders
whose work puts them at risk in their home countries.
It's a compendium of highlights from just one season in the long-running
award-winning PEACE TALKS RADIO series. You'll hear clips from our series
about "Healing a Country's Wounds", as well as from our programs,
"Storytelling Solutions for Systemic Conflicts", "Musician/Activists",
"Cities of Peace", "Confronting Suicide", and more.
PEACE TALKS RADIO host Paul Ingles postulates that advertising of all
kinds crowds our brains with messages that may not help us to inner peace
or peace among us. Many of us just let TV, radio and online ads wash over
us in our homes, cars and through our devices. We talk with three media
educators who think teaching young people and adults to critically analyze
ad messages may help us build some immunity to the persuasive power the
ads ply to our minds, and to our attitudes about ourselves or each other.
We'll ask our guests, media literacy advocates and teachers, about it. And
while the idea of teaching media literacy in schools has been kicked
around for about 25 years, to promote critical analysis by students of
advertising and other mediated messages, the movement hasn't really taken
off.
On this edition, PEACE TALKS RADIO continues its series on Healing a
Country's Wounds by talking about the strategy of Community Building. Past
Peace Talks Radio programs in this series on how a Country can Heal its
wounds were on Transitional Justice which uses legally mandated
strategies, like Truth and Reconcilliation Commitions, or Reparations.
Part 2 focused on Public Dialogues which see people willingly having
conversations with each other to help communities heal. This third program
in the series focuses on various OTHER forms of Community Building.
Correspondent Suzanne Kryder looks into some effective programs in 3
diverse areas of the world that challenge everyone to bring their best to
help improve the mood of a place and find common ground with each other to
heal. Guests include:
Dr. Ivis Garcia, Assistant Professor of City & Metropolitan Planning at
the University of Utah,
Julie Garreau, of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. She’s been executive
director of the Cheyenne River Youth Project ever since IT was born in
1988,
Shani Graham, the creator of sustainable resilient communities in Western
Australia such as Ecoburbia.
Millions of people around the globe have participated in protests and
demonstrations over the course of history. Have those actions actually
brought about the changes they sought? We'll talk with author Brian Gruber
who co-wrote the book. It explores the victories and setbacks of 10
movements in America and three international movements including the fight
for civil rights, women's suffrage, the Arab Spring and anti-Vietnam War
protests. We'll talk about how you measure success or failure and what we
can learn from activists outside the United States.
Also, a visit with Marianna King, author of "The Crisis of School
Violence: A New Perspective". She takes an in-depth approach to
questions about bullying and shooting rampages in schools. She looks at
psychological and neuroscientific research on the effects of violent
entertainment media on brain development. King also looks at possible
solutions for parents, teachers and decision makers.
While a past Peace Talks Radio program on Transitional Justice included
legal strategies such as a truth and reconciliation commission, this
program deals with conversations that aren’t judicially mandated. Instead,
Public Dialogues happen when people willingly listen to and talk with
other citizens, develop understandings across differences, and collaborate
on shared solutions. They discover a space between the two poles of
‘agree’ and ‘disagree’ about an issue. The need for Public Dialogue is
most acute in complex issues such as racial equity, poverty, climate
change, and mental health where it’s hoped that it’ll increase
participatory democracy.
Suzanne Kryder talks with three experts in this field: Carolyne Abdullah,
the ; and Marion Sanchez, Community Engagement Manager with the City of
Austin; and Carolyn J. Lukensmeyer, Former and First Executive Director of
the National Institute for Civil Discourse, headquartered at the
University of Arizona.
First up, we meet Fred Arment, . Since 2009, ICP has been building a
network of communities great and small that prioritize peaceful
coexistence. Fred has also been consulting with the United Nations
Economic and Social Council for NGOs for the past four years.
Then it's James Siguru Wahutu, a professor in NYUs Peace and Conflict
Studies program. When a conflict reaches an acute level of violence, it
can be difficult to communicate the gravity of the situation to people
outside that communitys borders. Wahutu studies how journalists have
historically covered genocides and other forms of mass violence in
countries like Kenya and Rwanda. Hes found that even deciding to use the
word genocide is crucial to how people confront international conflicts.
Learning about conflict resolution and social justice in far-flung places
can also help us envision solutions in our own backyards. Rivera Sun
gathers solution-based examples from around the world in her work at
Nonviolence News. She also facilitates workshops in strategy and
nonviolent action internationally.
Host Paul Ingles profiles 3 musicians whose music turned the attention of their fans to issues of peacemaking, social justice and ending hunger & poverty. From his first single in 1972 ("Doctor My Eyes") to his latest 2021 album DOWNHILL FROM EVERYWHERE, musician Jackson Browne has used many of his songs to raise consciousness over the environment, the cost of war, social justice and the wealth gap around the world. Paul offers highlights from his exclusive interview with Jackson. Paul also speaks with music writers and historians who reflect on the landmark 1971 song and album by the late Marvin Gaye called "What's Going On?" which opened the doors for many African-American artists to openly express outrage over their repressed place in society - as well as addressing concerns over the Vietnam War and the decay of the environment. And finally we'll remember the late activist and singer/songwriter Harry Chapin who died in a car accident in July 1981.
Producer Megan Kamerick explores the dynamics of anger with three guests who offer insights on how one can avoid fights that don’t change anything, and also how to use our anger effectively. Guests include Dr. Harriet Lerner, author of the book "The Dance of Anger". Also authors Todd Kashdan and Aaron Balick.
This time on Peace Talks Radio, we’ll talk about ways that countries have
addressed systematic human rights violations after they emerge from
periods of conflict and repression. While there’s no one magic solution,
transitional justice is a collection of strategies for creating
sustainable approaches and avoiding destructive outcomes when a country
has been in extreme conflict. Transitional Justice includes international
criminal courts, truth and justice commissions, and reparations.
On this episode of PEACE TALKS RADIO, three conversations about community
storytelling. If listening is an act of love, then storytelling could be
the first step to resolving many conflicts. Correspondent Sarah Holtz
speaks to storytellers who lift up the voices of individuals seeking peace
in their communities.
Highlights of the program's coverage of the environment and climate crisis issues over the years.
On this episode of PEACE TALKS RADIO, we consider a 2020 film documentary
made in response to the times we are living in. THE ANTIDOTE is a feature
documentary that weaves together stories of kindness, decency, and the
power of community in America. It's about everyday people who make the
intentional choice to lift others up, despite the fundamentally unkind
ways of our society, which are at once facts of life in America and yet
deeply antithetical to our founding ideals.
Host Paul Ingles talks with the film's directors: Academy Award-nominee
Kahane Cooperman, and six-time Emmy winner, John Hoffman. The film is
available on several platforms for online viewing.
Among the stories featured in the film is a program offering health
service to the homeless in Boston; a resettlement support services project
helping refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo adjust to a
very different life in Anchorage, Alaska; a community college in Amarillo,
Texas really going the extra mile to remove the emotional, logistical and
financial barriers students face as they try to improve themselves to
contribute more substantially to their families and the community; a
Decatur, Georgia Baptist church going off the more common script in
opening up its doors to embrace and include the LGBTQ+ community; an
intentionally intergenerational living community in Portland, Oregon
matches young people in foster care with elderly residents who offer love
and compassionate guidance.
Paul also talks with 2 of the kindness agents featured in the film. One
is DeAmon Harges in Indianapolis, Indiana. He’s a community organizer who
seems to be crafting meaningful change by bringing out the gifts and
talents of his neighbors in a neighborhood that’s been through tough
times. The focal point of the project is a bike shop that employs young
people to re-condition bikes for others. Multigenerational and
multi-ethnic adults pitch in to help. We also visit with Modesto,
California high school teacher Sherry McIntyre who has, since 2000, been
teaching freshman about the history of World Religions. The ninth graders
learn how to engage with different ideas, cultures and beliefs in
McIntyre’s class and are on their way to becoming more open-minded,
accepting young adults.
Each year about a million people in the United States attempt to take
their own lives. Another ten million people seriously consider suicide.
Those rates have been rising in the coronavirus pandemic. These statistics
became very real for us at PEACE TALKS RADIO recently when a talented
young producer named Hannah Colton, who did several episodes for us, took
her own life in November of 2020. On this episode we talk with
psychologist Dr. Ursula Whiteside about her efforts to stop suicide. We
also talk about the difficulty journalists face as frontline responders
with Bruce Shapiro, executive director of the Dart Center for Journalism
and Trauma. We also sample some of Hannah Colton's work for PEACE TALKS
RADIO. Megan Kamerick hosts the interviews.
Our annual compendium of highlights from the programs of one season of
PEACE TALKS RADIO - the series on peacemaking and nonviolent conflict
resolution. You'll hear excerpts from 2020 programs about The Peace Work
of Jimmy Carter, Meeting Conflict around Mental Illness, Confronting White
Supremacy & Extremism, Dealing with Climate Anxiety, Confronting Hate
Crimes & Learning Media Literacy, Public Art's Response to Conflict,
Improving Political Civility, John Lewis' Work for Peace, Native Values in
Government, Restorative Justice in Clergy Abuse Cases, Police
De-escalation Training, Quakers in Costa Rica, and Tips on Peace Building
When We Disagree.
When most election seasons end, there's a lot of talk from winning
candidates about opposing political sides trying to "talk" and "listen" to
each other and stop demonizing each other. One commentator recently said
that can't be up to the politicians, "that's up to us!" This PEACE TALKS
RADIO program is about how to move from disgust of another's belief to a
more engaged alliance. Host Suzanne Kryder leads a panel discussion about
how, when we disagree, what more can we do other than the extremes of
avoiding them or screaming at them. Guests are Roxy Manning, PhD, licensed
clinical psychologist and Nonviolent Communication trainer; Rabbi Amy
Eilberg, DM, spiritual director and author; and Srini Pillay, MD,
psychiatrist, brain researcher, and author.
We explore peacemaking strategies for law enforcement officers who are
trying to respond to persistent calls from citizens to address repeated
high profile examples of excessive force. Sarah Holtz speaks with crisis
intervention trainer Scott Sharot. Then we spotlight a documentary that
tells the tale of American Quakers expatriating to non-military Costa Rica
in the 1950's and setting up a community there that still is thriving
today.
A two-part edition of PEACE TALKS RADIO this time. First, host Megan
Kamerick visits with Glenn Aparicio Parry, author of "Original Politics:
Making America Sacred Again, which explores how the best aspects of the
United States -- ideas like liberty, equality and justice -- were inspired
by Native American cultures. Megan also talks with Oren Lyons, who is a
faith-keeper of the Turtle Clan, Onondaga Council of Chiefs, with the Six
Nations Iroquois Confederacy. In part two of our program, Megan talks with
Stephanie Lepp. She’s the producer of the Reckonings podcast. In one of
her episodes of Reckonings, Stephanie featured a real-life story of two
people who are working together to find healing and solutions to clergy
sexual abuse.
The late 17-term Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis is
remembered in a special that includes the memorial ceremonies at the U.S.
Capitol when his body laid in state in the Rotunda, a week after his death
July 17, 2020. Also included are other tributes, and archival tapes of
John Lewis speeches and interviews.
National polling in recent years has consistently reported that 2/3rds of
those polled feel that there’s a major problem with civility in our
nation, while 75% agree that it’s certainly worse than it was just a few
years ago. Since 2004, PEACE TALKS RADIO has been tracking the
conversation about the declining civility in our political discourse. This
time on the program we present another panel of guests with their takes on
it with Suzanne Kryder hosting the conversations.
On this edition of PEACE TALKS RADIO, we discuss the relationship between
public art and conflict resolution. First, we meet Heidi Schmalbach, an
arts advocate who studies creative placemaking as a means to strengthen
community. Next, we speak with Tsungwei Moo, a visual artist who recently
contributed to the Art of Peace Project, which transforms gun parts into
artwork. Finally, graphic novelist Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez describes how
his superhero series, "La Borinqueña", has helped to support grassroots
activism in Puerto Rico and mutual aid efforts in New York City during the
coronavirus pandemic.
Two topics on this program. First, Judy Goldberg visits with Arjun Singh
Sethi who tells us about his book, American Hate - Survivors Speak Out.
Also in the show Paul Ingles talks with media literacy scholar and teacher
Rob Williams about ways to filter our experience with mass media to
minimize the disruption to our inner peace and ability to make peace with
others in our world.
On this edition of PEACE TALKS RADIO, we hear three perspectives on
climate anxiety. We hear from Frances Roberts-Gregory, an environmental
sociologist; Peter Fimrite, who covers the environment for the San
Francisco Chronicle; and Monique Verdin, an artist and storyteller who has
documented environmental damages to her ancestral land in coastal
Louisiana. Sarah Holtz hosts.
On this edition of PEACE TALKS RADIO, Megan Kamerick interviews Layla
Saad, the author of "Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the
World, and Become a Good Ancestor". Also, Sarah Holtz speaks with the
Executive Director of Parents for Peace, Myrieme Churchill, to learn about
the group’s vision and strategies in helping families deal with family
members who become drawn to extremist and terrorist causes.
This Peace Talks Radio program discusses lessening the stigma around
commonly named mental illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia, and
psychosis, as well as how to support someone appearing to have a mental
health challenge in public, for example, on the street, in a building, or
on a bus. Or in our family or circle of friends. The program also looks at
the conflict in mental health care over the diagnosis and treatment of the
450 mental disorders listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (DSM).
On this program, we present part of our chat with Former President Jimmy
Carter from 2002. Also, an extended conversation with Stu Eizenstat who
was President Carter’s Chief Domestic Policy Adviser, and Executive
Director of the White House Domestic Policy Staff during his presidency.
In 2018, Eizenstat published the book JIMMY CARTER, THE WHITE HOUSE YEARS.
Finally, you’ll also hear an excerpt from President Carter’s landmark 1979
Oval Office talk with the nation called “Crisis of Confidence.”
Our annual compendium of highlights from the programs of one season of
PEACE TALKS RADIO - the series on peacemaking and nonviolent conflict
resolution. You'll hear excerpts from 2019 programs about Mediation
training programs, refugee asylum efforts, Johnny Cash playing the Nixon
White House in 1970, peacemaking in the LGBTQ community, Catholic
peacemaking icons Dorothy Day and Oscar Romero, economic class conflict,
town meeting conflict resolution, and more.
Long before the United States became a nation and implemented American
democracy as we know it today, there were town meetings. Nearly 400 years
later, the town meeting tradition has endured in New England, though with
each passing decade, towns are seeing a steady decline in participation.
On this episode of Peace Talks Radio, correspondent Sarah Holtz brings us
a conversation about conflict resolution through the lens of town meeting.
We'll hear from four individuals who actively participate in their own
town meetings.
It's easy to be fearful in the world today. But how much of our fear is
based on things that are not actual threats? Today, 3 takes. One says fear
is unequally distributed in the U.S.- onto people of color. Another guest
says, in general there's less to be afraid of than we're led to believe.
And our other guest says, we're misdirecting our fear when it comes to the
major threats to our national security. Guests are Janet Napolitano, Barry
Glassner, and Reggie Jackson. Host, Megan Kamerick.
While some organizations and individuals believe there is multidimensional
inequality in the U.S., this PEACE TALKS RADIO program is only about
economic class conflict - not social, political, or cultural inequality.
We talk with two good thinkers on the topic: Dr. Tina Wright, a
sociologist, who teaches at LA Southwest College and Nick Hanauer, a
self-described "proud and unapologetic capitalist" who's become a leading
critic of income inequality and modern economic policy. He's also the host
of the weekly podcast "Pitchfork Economics".
At the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial in Poland, a quote on the wall of one
of the cell blocks reads, "Those who do not remember the past are
condemned to repeat it." These words are attributed to George Santayana,
and they help explain why the former death camp is still open for public
viewing 74 years after it was shut down. Historical amnesia was a real
danger after the Holocaust, and with so many other tragedies that have
followed, it's still a threat today.
We offer two stories this time. In Part One, a story of restorative
justice and reconciliation between a woman, who was a victim of a
non-consensual sexual assault during a casual date in college, and the man
who assaulted her. We'll hear about an all-too-rare resolution where the
perpetrator becomes inspired to make things more right by admitting his
guilt first to his victim, then publicly and teaming up with the victim to
share their story together to promote consent, and help reduce sexual
abuse in dating.
This full story can be heard on the podcast Reckonings. We present a bit
of a short cut version of it today on our show by interviewing the
Reckonings producer and host Stephanie Lepp.
In part two of the hour-long program, we explore an emerging practice
within conflict resolution. When interpersonal conflicts arise, our
capacity for care and compassion can sometimes be eclipsed by other
emotions. De-escalation is a technique that helps people return to that
place of balance.
Sarah Holtz talks with Lindsey Krinks who leads trainings in de-escalation
on behalf of the non-profit she co-founded, which is called Open Table
Nashville. Though she predominantly works with homeless communities,
Lindsey emphasizes the degree to which de-escalation can be beneficial to
anyone facing conflict.
Despite the Catholic Church being mired in its sexual abuse scandal which
has tarnished the faith's reputation globally, Catholic history also holds
many courageous stories of people working for peace, social justice and
economic equity. We’re going to spend some time on those stories on this
program. Today Megan Kamerick talks with three guests. The episode leads
off with Megan’s conversation with Kate Hennessy, the granddaughter of
Dorothy Day, who co-founded the Catholic Worker movement. Then Kerry
Walters discusses his book: "Saint Óscar Romero: Pastor, Prophet, Martyr.
Romero was assassinated in 1980 while saying mass and was canonized in
- He died the day after he spoke out against the violence in El
Salvador. Megan also speaks with Sister Simone Campbell, a contemporary
advocate of social justice and one of the leaders of the “Nuns On The Bus”
movement, wherein a group of nuns travels on a bus from town to town
throughout the U.S. to advocate for under-served populations.
This time on PEACE TALKS RADIO, a three-part program about peacemaking in
LGBTQ communities. Coming out can lead to a sense of personal peace that
many people spend their whole lives seeking. But coming out can sometimes
bring about conflict with family, friends, and the larger society in which
we live. On this month’s episode of Peace Talks Radio, correspondent Sarah
Holtz speaks with three individuals who came out about their sexual
orientation and gender identity and found their own personal peace. They
are now doing the difficult work of promoting peace and justice within and
outside of their communities.
Whether we’re conscious of it or not, definitions of gender and sexuality
surround us in daily life, from the symbols posted on restroom doors, to
the families we see in advertisements. The three guests on today’s show
represent an effort within the LGBTQ community to challenge accepted norms
of gender identity and sexual orientation in order to envision a more
inclusive world. Our guests include Sierra Debrow, outreach coordinator
for the Transilient Organization. and Anne-Marie Zanzal and Sally Michelle
Jackson who both share their own coming out stories.
This time on Peace Talks Radio, a conversation with Sara Dosa, who
co-directed the Netflix film "Tricky Dick and The Man in Black." In the
late 1960's and early 1970's, the divisions in the United States over the
Vietnam War and the civil rights movement brought the youth of America in
conflict with longstanding social and political norms. The Richard Nixon
administration sought to ingratiate itself to both the youth culture and
the Deep South by trying to recruit the favor of music star Johnny Cash.
Cash, nicknamed “The Man In Black”, was invited to perform at the Nixon
White House. Nixon wanted him to play stereotypical country favorites
that he didn’t even write. But Cash's social consciousness was being lit
by anti-establishment rock music performers like Bob Dylan and Neil Young.
The struggle in Cash's heart and the resultant song choices at the
concert are at the core of the documentary. It is Part One of the
hour-long episode.
In Part Two of the hour-long version, conversations about how the legacy
of Nelson Mandela might inspire today’s African leaders? Reporter Judy
Goldberg leads a panel that explores history, identity and power
structures embedded in the strategies to move Africans towards
sustainability and independence. Guests are Ndaba Mandela, mentor,
political consultant and grandson of Nelson Mandela; Andrew Nalani,
educational designer/evaluator who promotes positive youth development,
and Teddy Warria, entrepreneur, author, and collaborator with Ndaba
Mandela to transform leadership in Africa. This segment was made possible
in part by the Bartos Institute. Recorded at the United World
College-USA’s Migration and Belonging
Conference, 2019.
This time on Peace Talks Radio, a two-part program. In Part One, we'll
meet the founders of the New Mexico Peace Choir, which was formed in 2015
to promote peace and joy and also raise awareness of important issues like
the environment. It has grown into a movement and last year represented
the United States last at the World Peace Choir conference in Vienna.
Members were also part of a world premiere work, The Great War symphony,
in November 2018 at Carnegie Hall in New York commemorating the hundredth
anniversary of the end of World War I. You'll hear how their performances
bring people together and foster greater understanding.
In Part Two, we’ll hear from military veteran and long-time peace activist
Sally-Alice Thompson who, at 95, is hardly slowing down in her daily drive
for social justice and peace. A Navy veteran who served in World War 2,
Sally-Alice also taught school for 20 years and, along with her husband
Donald founded a chapter of Veterans for Peace in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
She’s also a veteran of scores of marches and protests over many decades
now.
This time on Peace Talks Radio, a two-part program. Part one is a focus
on outreach efforts that intend to bring some peace and safety to
immigrants whose futures have become tangled up in the United States’
evolving immigration stance. First we’ll hear the story of Jose Torres
who, in the fall of 2017, became the first person in New Orleans to take
sanctuary in a church to avoid deportation. Jose is a community leader
with the Congress of Day Laborers, a group of immigrant workers and
families who helped to rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina. Producer
Sarah Holtz spoke with Jose at his place of sanctuary, First Grace
Methodist Church.
Then Suzanne Kryder speaks with Justin Remer-Thamert, director of the New
Mexico Faith Coalition For Immigrant Justice, who recently received the
Parliament of the World's Religions Justice Award. Justin also offers
some ideas about bringing opposing sides of the immigration debate closer
together.
Finally, Suzanne visits with Bawa Jain, the Secretary-General of The
Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders that
opened at the United Nations in August 2000 with the intent to find ways
that the worldwide religious and spiritual communities can work together
as interfaith allies with the United Nations on specific peace, poverty
and environmental initiatives.
Twenty-one people including PEACE TALKS RADIO host, Suzanne Kryder, took a
40-hour mediation course in Albuqueruqe, NM to improve their communication
skills and to someday mediate professionally. Suzanne talks with Anne
Lightsey, a professional mediator and the course instructor, about what
each of us can do during conflict to make peace rather than simply
conclude the other person is wrong. She also talks with four course
participants about both their unique motivation to take the course and
what they learned from it.
PEACE TALKS RADIO, the radio series and podcast on peacemaking and
nonviolent conflict resolution strategies offers up another compilation
show based on a single season of its programs. You’ll hear compelling
excerpts from programs released in 2018. Included are conversations about
reducing sexual assault by understanding consent, promoting the
development of empathy in young people, improving empathy among health
care workers, techniques for healing trauma and more.
In public discussions of racial violence, the focus is often on people of
color and the way they experience racism. In this episode of Peace Talks
Radio, our guests turn the lens on Whiteness, asking how the notion of
Whiteness came to be, how it has shaped American history and how it
perpetuates injustice in interpersonal interactions and systems in
American society today. We talk with John Biewen, audio director at the
Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, who produced the 2017
series Seeing White for his podcast “Scene On Radio”. The fourteen-part
documentary audio series takes a deep dive into the history of Whiteness
as a tool used to oppress people of color.
Then we speak with Cheryl E. Matias, Ph.D., an associate professor at the
University of Colorado Denver’s School of Education and Human Development.
Matias, a woman of color, teaches mostly white teacher-candidates who
often have the well-intentioned goal of teaching students of color in
urban schools. Her book, "Feeling White", details how her students’ strong
negative emotional reactions often derail important conversations about
race, and offers lessons on how to work through those “emotionalities of
Whiteness” in order to have more productive dialogue.
We’ll also hear excerpts from an October 2018 workshop entitled “What Is
Whiteness?” taught by educator and anti-racism activist Frida Miles at the
Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice. Hannah Colton hosts.
Back in 2010, Peace Talks Radio did a program of an especially creative
joining of music and peace. An outfit called Playing For Change was
flying around the globe to record an eclectic collection of musicians
playing together on some popular songs to promote the power of music to
bring us together. In fact the Playing for Change motto was Peace Through
Music.
In the years since the first big Playing For Change video ("Stand By Me"),
and that early report by us here at Peace Talks Radio, Playing for Change
has continued to add to its collection of amazing worldwide performances.
We’ll hear some of the tracks from the project's 2018 CD called Listen To
The Music, which included the title cut with members of the original
Doobie Brothers who recorded it first in the 1970's, and again added
musicians from around the world contributing to the track.
Again, we got Playing For Change producer Mark Johnson on the line with us
from California to update us on the project. Paul Ingles hosts
How do we find peace and how do we make peace last? It's easy to become
cynical and lose hope when faced with conflicts that seem intractable and
have lasted for so long. But there are people working on solutions, even
reaching across divides that seemed insurmountable in the past. On this
edition of Peace Talks Radio, we talk with Noga Harpaz, an Israeli, and
Raed al-Hadar, a Palestinian, who are part of “Combatants for Peace”. The group is committed to nonviolence and was launched in 2006 by former combatants who believe the cycle of violence can only stop when Israelis and Palestinians join forces. Their work was the focus of the documentary film "Disturbingthe Peace."
We also talk with Peter T. Coleman, a psychologist with the Teachers
College at Columbia University and director of the Morton Deutsch
International Center for Cooperation & Conflict Resolution. He and his
team are studying peaceful societies in a quest to understand how peace is
sustained, a very different approach from the typical strategy of studying
peace processes after conflict. It's akin to medicine focused on promoting
wellness, versus treating illness and pathology. Megan Kamerick hosts.
What are the pros and cons of empathy? Does having empathy lead to
peace-inspired action for you, your community, and the world? We'll speak
with several experts about empathy and how it impacts our behavior such as
relationships with others. Our guests include Courtney Custer at
Albuquerque's Southwest Family Guidance Center. She'll explain the "Roots
of Empathy" program in which babies successfully teach empathy in the
classroom. Also, Eric Butler who iss a national Restorative Justice
educator and activist who will discuss blocks to empathy. Plus, Dr. Sam
Richards an award-winning teacher and sociologist at Penn State University
and Dr. Laurie Mulvey is the executive director and co-founder (with
Richards) of the World in Conversation Center for Public Diplomacy at Penn
State. Suzanne Kryder hosts.
On her 2018 album project, "Rifles & Rosary Beads", singer/songwriter Mary
Gauthier shares the stories of American veterans by writing the songs with
them. Gauthier collaborated with the nonprofit "Songwriting With:
Soldiers" to co-write the album's 11 tracks with veterans and their
families. Paul Ingles hosts.
When some talk about music that promotes peacemaking, hip hop and rap
often get left out of the conversation. Some critics speculate about that
genre’s negative influence - from hypersexual music videos to glamorizing
guns and drugs. A recent Washington Post headline quotes jazz musician
Wynton Marsalis calling popular hip hop “more damaging than a statue of
Robert E. Lee.”
In this episode of Peace Talks Radio, Hannah Colton explores peacemaking
in hip hop culture and history with one documentarian and one artist.
First, Hannah speaks with Brother Ali, a Minneapolis-based rapper,
community organizer and spiritual teacher. Ali, who is white, was born
albino and partially blind, and says as a kid he found belonging in the
black community and hip hop culture. As a young man he converted to Islam,
and he speaks to ideas of spirituality in his 2017 album “All The Beauty
In This Whole Life.”
Then Hannah speaks with Harry Allen, a hip hop activist who has written
for many publications including the Village Voice, The Source, Essence and
Wired magazines.
The evolution of medical discoveries and advanced technologies have
brought wonderful cures and increased longevity. But what have we lost?
How often have you been a patient, or an advocate for a loved one in the
hospital, and faced doctors who seem curt or who aren't fully present and
listening? Today on Peace Talks Radio, we'll talk about empathy and
compassion in medicine. There's an increasing recognition that
compassionate care not only improves patient outcomes, but also helps
doctors avoid professional burnout.
Our host Megan Kamerick talks with three guests. First is Dr. Rana
Awdish, who learned a harrowing lesson when she went from being a critical
care physician to a critical care patient in her own hospital - the Henry
Ford Health System in Detroit. A tumor on her liver ruptured during her
pregnancy and she nearly died. Awdish found there was a shocking lack of
empathy among her colleagues and realized many of the faults she saw she
had committed herself as a doctor. Also, Dr. David Rakel talks about the
role compassion and human connection play in promoting health and
well-being, something he witnessed often in his own practice. Another
guest, Dr. Marc J. Kahn completed a study with his colleagues that found a
correlation between exposure to the arts and empathy in medical students,
which might lead to fostering more compassion in care.
Conversation with both Darron Spencer, a former Colorado Sheriff's deputy
and author of the book "Humane Policing" and Albuquerque Police officer
Simon Drobik who participated in a 13-hour effort to stop a troubled man
from jumping off a highway overpass into traffic. Both men discuss
infusing more empathy toward the public and suspects in police work.
Trauma can make a person feel unsafe in their own body. At that point, the
enemy that was living outside is now living inside. This time on Peace
Talks Radio, we'll talk about how trauma can hurt not only the survivor
who experiences it, but sometimes also the people and society interacting
with the survivor. There are many traumas such as childhood and adult
abuse, car accidents, surgeries, and war. There are also many ways to
nonviolently heal the internal and external conflicts that arise due to
them. Suzanne Kryder talks with three guests. Dr. Josie Chase, an expert
on healing inter-generational massive group trauma particularly in people
who are Native American. Also, Matthew Sanford, a yoga teacher, author and
paraplegic for the last thirty-nine years due to a car accident. Also Dr.
Bessel van der Kolk, MD, a pioneer in recognizing and healing trauma and
author of the book, "The Body Keeps Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the
Healing of Trauma".
At the end of 2017 PEACE TALKS RADIO completed its 15th season. This
program includes highlights from the 5 seasons that bridged the series
from 10 to 15 years on the air. Listeners will hear excerpts from
programs in those seasons that touched on conflict scenarios that are
still challenges for us today, including gun violence, political
polarization, and moderating police use of force, as well as hearing
inspiring words and analysis of peace greats like Nelson Mandela and
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Our annual compendium of highlights from a season of PEACE TALKS RADIO,
the series on peacemaking and nonviolent conflict resolution. This time
listeners will hear highlights from programs about handling political
stress, understanding and challenging hate speech, over population as a
threat to peace, how to find peace jobs, an author's visits to former U.S.
military incursions, a CIA analyst's turn toward peace work, raising girls
through challenges, and more.
Peace Talks Radio host Paul Ingles talks with two therapists - Kathryn
Stamoulis, from Hunter College in New York City and Jennifer Weeks,
director of Sexual Addiction Treatment Services in Pennsylvania about how
to talk to youngsters about sexual harassment and unwanted sexual
behavior. The conversation aims at setting a framework early on, so when
our young people are adults, there may be less of the kind of sexual
abuse, intimidation, insensitive advances that made news dramatically in
- It's been a big part of the national conversation since.
Massasoit was the leader of the Wampanoag Confederacy when English
settlers landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. He and his people kept the
Pilgrims from starving in the early years of their settlement, attended
the first Thanksgiving and forged a peace treaty with the English that
lasted 40 years until his death. We'll talk with American Indian scholars
Darius Coombs and Bob Charlesbois who'll fill in the details of this
Native American leader's attempt to make peace for his people and with the
new strangers. Also, Native American film director Chris Eyre on his
portrayal of Massasoit for the 2009 PBS television series "We Shall
Remain".
Could we be trying to increase peace through speech or action, but forget
about the planet’s ability to handle population growth? Most contemporary
estimates for the carrying capacity of the Earth are between 4 and 16
billion people. Depending on which estimate is used, human overpopulation
may or may not have already occurred. The United Nations estimates the
world human population is over 7 billion today. We discuss the impact of
population on peace and what people can do about it.
Guests include Dr. Nazli Choucri, Professor of Political Science at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology; her work is in sustainable
development and violence. Also, John Seager, President and CEO of
Population Connection which works to ensure that every woman around the
world who wants to delay or end childbearing has access to the health
services and contraceptive supplies she needs in order to do so. Suzanne
Kryder hosts.
Periodically in recent years, there has appeared to be a resurgence of
activity in the U.S. by white supremacist groups, the Ku Klux Klan and neo
Nazis, marching openly in US cities often defending their right to
assemble and spout hate speech as constitutionally protected freedom of
speech. As the marches and gatherings occasionally become more frequent,
tensions have risen. Counter protesters appear on the streets to stand
against the divisive ideologies. Some of them are provoked to act
aggressively. And skirmishes have resulted. Fractions of both groups
choose violence. One of the high profile confrontations was in
Charlottesville, Virginia in the summer of 2017…and there have been
others.
It’s all sparked a debate about appropriate and effective ways to
demonstrate peacefully to counter hate speech and extreme ideologies. One
core riddle seems to have been, whether people of good conscience and
compassion should NOT show up to white supremacist rallies and just ignore
the hate speech, whether they should show up and engage in comedic put
downs of the extremist groups, or whether to show up and actively
out-shout and out number them, or should they be even more aggressive in
confronting the hate speech purveyors, as the groups that came to be known
as ANTI-FA for anti-fascist, tried in chasing and harassing the white
power groups. We’re going to offer our own conversation on the topic
today…
Our guests are social activist and author John Dear, Jesuit priest who’s
written extensively on Gandhi as well as books like Living Peace, Peace
Behind Bars, and A Persistent Peace.
Tonya Covington is Director of Conflict Resolution at Outcomes, Inc. in
Albuquerque, New Mexico. Tonya has been a trained mediator and teacher of
mediation for 27 years. Tonya has expertise in Workplace and
Cross-cultural conflict.
Brian Levin is a professor of criminal justice and director of the Center
for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University at San
Bernadino. He is a court certified expert on extremism in both the US and
the UK and has testified before both houses of Congress. He has also
consulted for the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, as well as for
universities and civil rights groups.
We’ve also heard on tape from Frank Meeink – a former skinhead who now
lectures on tolerance and compassion after long ago quitting is
association with neo-Nazi groups.
In 2010, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Liu Xiaobo, the Chinese
literary critic, writer, professor, and human rights activist who had
called for political reforms in China for decades. At the time of his
award, he was incarcerated as a political prisoner in China, and was
unable to attend the peace award ceremony.
Liu Xiaobo, died Thursday, July 13 at age 61 while on medical parole in
China, where he was being treated for liver cancer. He was 7 years into an
11-year prison sentence for trying to overthrow the Chinese government.
In this rebroadcast of our 2012 program, we talk with poet Jeffrey Yang
who is editing a collection of Xiaobo's poetry to learn more about the
prize winner's life and commitment to peace. Also Chinese writer Tienchi
Liao, a literary colleague of Xiaobo, details Xiaobo's key role in the
Tiananmen Square turmoil of 1989, and offers perspective on Xiaobo's
political writing. Paul Ingles hosts.
September 13, 1993 is a date that many of a certain age will recognize as
the day the OSLO ACCORDS were signed. It was marked by a White House Rose
Garden ceremony with President Bill Clinton officiating over a handshake
between Israeli Prime Minister Itzak Rabin and Yasser Arafat of the
Palestinian Liberation Organization. Papers were signed by both warring
parties to set up a framework for peace between the two adversaries. Back
then, and still today, the OSLO ACCORDS represent at least a hopeful
moment for peace.
Although the Oslo Accords didn’t result in a lasting peace between Israel
and Palestine, how they came to be at all makes for a fascinating study in
the hope for change, the persistence and bravery of negotiators on both
sides of a conflict, and, in this case, the dogged determination of two
Norwegian peacemakers who drove the whole process.
A stage dramatization of the story of OSLO was written by J.T. Rogers and
directed by Bartlett Sher. It started modestly in 2016 at a small theater
at New York’s Lincoln Center. Later it advanced to the Lincoln Center’s
Broadway stage, and went on to win the award for BEST PLAY at 2017’s Tony
Awards.
Today on Peace Talks Radio, host Paul Ingles talks with both OSLO
playwright JT Rogers and director Bartlett Sher about the peacemaking
lessons on display in the acclaimed play.
In recent years, national elections have been tightly contested and one
result has been an uptick in the rancor in political discourse. With that,
surveys show an increase in stress over politics, and anxiety over
discussing politics with family and co-workers. Can we craft more peace of
mind when politics don’t go our way? Can we talk with our political
opposites? All open for more discussion, this time on Peace Talks Radio.
The story of how Janessa Gans Wilder, a CIA analyst working in Iraq during
the war, became inspired to leave the agency to run a non-profit
organization that instead promotes peacebuilding through dialogue and
understanding and education, particularly surrounding conflict issues in
the Middle East.
Part 2 of our sampling of ideas and best practices for raising girls into
adulthood. Three women who all have daughters and are also scholars and
writers in the field are featured. Lisa Damour, Lara Dotson-Renta, and
Michele Coleman.
A sampling of ideas and best practices for raising girls into adulthood.
Three women who all have daughters and are also scholars and writers in
the field are featured. Lisa Damour, Lara Dotson-Renta, and Michele
Coleman.
Conversation with religious scholar Will Keepin and artist Paul Re who
established a peace prize to honor modern day peacemakers in New Mexico.
Conversation with two authors. First Suzanne Kryder talks with David
Smith, author of "Peace Jobs: A Student’s Guide to Starting a Career
Working For Peace". In his book, Smith features 30 stories from recent
college graduates who are working in ways that promote peacemaking and
conflict resolution. Smith takes the stance that most any field of work
can be shaped into a peacebuilding career. The key is to apply creativity
and passion to the work. Then Paul Ingles visits with Brian Gruber,
author of "War: The Afterparty – A Global Walkabout through a Half-Century
of U.S. Military Interventions". His book documents his world tour
through countries that the U.S. has sent its military in the past 5
decades: Southeast Asia, the Greater Middle East, the Balkans and Central
America. Gruber talks with political and religious leaders, citizens,
writers, teachers, mothers and combatants who witnessed a turbulent
history. Gruber wonders: Do we accomplish in war what we say we will?
After the party is over, what are war’s real effects?
Our annual compendium of highlights from the past year's programs
including reducing political polarization, the neuroscience of
peacemaking, how meditative practices help school kids, the humanitarian
work of Doctors Without Borders, racial justice work and more.
On this episode, we spotlight two books - 1941: FIGHTING THE SHADOW WAR.
by Marc Wortman that, in part, tells the story of the considerable popular
effort to keep America out of World War 2 before the Japanese surprise
attack pulled the country completely in. Also, John Dear's book THE
BEATITUDES OF PEACE, in which he deconstructs each of the teachings that
he calls the "blueprint for how to be a human being". Paul Ingles hosts.
Three people who are engaged in one part of the community organizing
efforts going on around the country to secure racial equity. All three
share ideas of how we can each address our own implicit biases and become
more involved in our own communities to make progress facing these
challenges. Paul Ingles hosts.
Memorable moments from Peace Talks Radio programs spotlighting Nobel Prize
winners Mairead Maguire, Ralph Bunche, Muhammad Yunus, Jody Williams,
Martti Ahtisaari, Liu Xiaobo, Jimmy Carter and Al Gore.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, three guests who’ll touch on just a
few of the many reasons political polarization continues in the U.S. Each
have a few ideas and programs that could close the gap, even a little bit.
Ideas that you could try that just might lessen political polarization at
your dinner table, in your neighborhood, your state, and around the
country. Suzanne Kryder hosts with Paul Ingles.
Doctors Without Borders has been serving the wounded and sick in conflict,
disease and disaster sites around the globe since 1971. On this show, the
organization's Mission Head Suzanne Ceresko talks about its work, which
earned a Nobel Peace Prize in 1999. In the second half of the program, the
spotlight is one the Peace Corps which was established in 1961 by U.S.
president John F. Kennedy. In this segment, five returned Peace Corps
volunteers share stories and give their perspective on the history of the
corps. Paul Ingles hosts with help from Carol Boss.
While the PEACE TALKS RADIO series goes out of its way to feature the
less-heralded peace workers throughout history and in our world today, the
personalities who rise to the top of world consciousness often do so for
very good and powerful reasons that deserve more focused attention. On
this program, we’ve gathered 6 whose stories in the 20th Century, and a
couple whose stories have continued into the 21st century, who seem linked
in many ways – and each has left succeeding generations inspiration to
build on. Asked to name peace leaders, these are the names most people
on the street would come up with – the Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King,
Cesar Chavez & Dolores Huerta, Nelson Mandela and Mohandas K. Gandhi. The
program includes some inspiration from each to create one big, always
useful, dose of peace thought for us to take in.
Two history books are profiled that both provide a timeline of history for
peace periods, peace leaders, key philosophers, important turning points
and more. We’ll hear from both authors today. Canadian scholar Antony
Adolf and Peter Stearns, Professor of History and former Provost of George
Mason University in Virginia.
Some schools are trying programs that teach their students meditation
techniques as a way to help them deal with stress in their lives. The
results have been encouraging at some locations including reductions in
fighting and suspensions along with a bump up in grades. Two programs (in
Albuquerque and San Francisco) are spotlighting in this episode of Peace
Talks Radio
We talk with two experts about how advances in the field of neuroscience
may transform conflict resolution on an individual and global scale. Dr.
Mari Fitzduff of Brandeis University talks about a hormone that promotes
peace building and explains how conservatism and liberalism can appear in
brain scans. Dr. Emile Bruneau, visiting professor at the University of
Pennsylvania uses neuro-imaging to better understand the often unconscious
biases that drive conflict.
Over the last 100 years, how effective have nonviolent resistance
movements been to effect social and political change, compared to armed
violent uprisings? This was the question that researchers Erica Chenoweth
and Maria Stephan set out to answer as they dug deep into the historical
data on the subject over the period of 1900-2006. They conclude
empirically that nonviolent resistance campaigns were more than twice as
effective as violent ones in achieving their goals.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, Ms. Chenoweth talks with Carol Boss
about some of the data, including the conclusion that successful
nonviolent resistance was also more effective at creating durable peaceful
democracies. Erica Chenoweth is an assistant professor at the Josef
Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver and an
Associate Senior Researcher at the Peace Research Institute of Oslo.
Carol also talks with Ken Butigan executive director of Pace e Bene, an
organization with a mission to work with individuals, organizations, and
movements to strengthen their efforts to abolish war, protect human
rights, end poverty, challenge injustice, heal the planet and to meet
today’s profound spiritual task: to build a more just, peaceful and
nonviolent world. Ken’s a peace and justice worker, workshop
facilitator, and writer for two decades. He also teaches at DePaul
University in Chicago.
Compelling and timeless moments drawn from just one of the many seasons of
programs in the Peace Talks Radio series on peacemaking and non-violent
conflict resolution. Included are conversations about an effort to "cure
violence" like an infectious disease, improving the relationship between
police and citizens, understanding and coping with sibling rivalry, an
indigenous people's history of the United States, and more.
Since 2002, PEACE TALKS RADIO has been talking with guests who have worked
in all manner of non-violent conflict resolution scenarios. In sharing
what works, certain themes about effective communication skills seem to
come up again and again. This program features highlights from previous
shows that point to a list of Top Peacemaking Communication Themes. Tips
that you can put to use in your daily lives as you try to sort out
conflict at your workplace, with your spouses, kids, relatives,
strangers, sales clerks, friends or enemies. Guests include Daniel
Goleman, Byron Katie, Marshall Rosenberg and Azim Khamisa.
Conversations with people in business who believe that business, social justice, fair labor practices, peacemaking and community building can go hand in hand.
A epidemiologist approaches violence as an infectious disease and former U.S. intelligence officer Ray McGovern talks presidents and peacemaking.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we hear from a professor who’s pulled the stories of those peace studies advocates together in a book. Then we’ll hear from a panel of folks supporting an effort to bring an honest to goodness peace studies class to a New Mexico high school, and later, a conversation with a man who took a tandem bike all around the world to try to promote peace and compassion.
This time on Peace Talks Radio, the conflict scenario that we’re going to
look into with our guests is sibling rivalry.
It's something that seems ubiquitous across cultures and is as old as the
oldest stories in human history.
Approximately one-third of adults describe their relationship with their
siblings as rivalrous or distant. Also, there’s this: A 2005 study put
the number of assaults each year to children by a sibling at about 35 per
100 kids – so about a third of children are actually suffering physical
violence at the hands of siblings. So, although the Smothers Brothers,
and most sitcoms over the years have made sibling rivalry into an ongoing
joke, it can lead to serious emotional and physical hurt. We hear ideas
from our guests about how to reduce that pain – both during childhood and
into adulthood if those bad feelings endure.
Our guests are: Samuel Roll, a psychologist and professor emeritus in
psychology at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque; Jeanne Safer,
a New York psychologist and author; and Atlanta authors and parents Denene
Millner and Nick Chiles, who have three children, including two teenage
daughters.
In some communities in the United States, the relationship is frayed
between law enforcement officers and the citizens they are sworn to serve.
Some high profile police shootings or overly aggressive police encounters
with citizens captured on video by police cams or citizens have only
intensified the tension in some places. Since one of our goals in the
PEACE TALKS RADIO series is to provide a forum that might lead to
nonviolent conflict resolution strategies, we’ve sampled opinions from 13
people, all stakeholders in the issue, and asked each what they thought
might help most to improve the relationship between the police and the
citizenry. Then we followed up with a few questions for each. Current
and former police officers, city councilors, community leaders, police
trainers, and criminologists all suggest ways to bring more peace around
the sometimes frayed connection between citizens and police.
Guests include Steven Herbert, University of Washington Professor;
Cleveland City Councilor Zack Reed; Former Albuquerque Police Department
employee Karen Fischer, Albuquerque Police officers John Garcia, Shermane
Carter and Brian Werle; Bernalillo County Deputies Aaron Schwartz and
Autumn Neas; Santa Fe Police Officer Gardner Finney; Jim Ginger, CEO of
Public Management Rources; Mike Scott, former police officer and director
of the Center for Problem Oriented Policing: Greg Saville, police training
expert and former police officer; Glenn Ivey, former prosecutor and former
state's attorney in Prince Georges County, Maryland.
Put the words "murder" and "loner" into a web search and you won’t have
any shortage of matches. Certainly it’s been a characteristic used to
describe several perpetrators of mass violence in the fairly recent past.
Some research about loneliness, and those who retreat deeply into it,
suggests that a significant number suffer physical and emotional risks of
their own…which sometimes can trigger backlash behavior against society.
Statistics suggest that the percentages of people living alone keeps
moving steadily forward and the number of people who report being lonely
at any given point in time has jumped from 20% in 1980 to 40% more
recently. A Guardian column was titled, THE AGE OF LONELINESS IS KILLING
US, while on the other hand, a Psychology Today column was titled THE
HAPPY LONER and began with the words “Loners get a bad rap.”
We had a number of conversations with folks who have studied what’s
happening when loneliness develops, how it can devolve into anti-social
behavior, but more important still, how it can upset personal peace and
lead to an aching depression and physical challenges and a compromised
hope for a longer life. Our guests also reflect on how an individual can
get help and how those close to a lonely loved one can offer support.
And one of our guests wants to make sure we don’t stigmatize all people
who choose freely to live alone-- at no risk to themselves or others.
Guests: Dr. Louise Hawkley, Dr. Steven Asher, Dr. Bella DePaulo and
licensed therapist Robert Thomson. Paul Ingles hosts.
How Indigenous people in the United States handle the conflict of living in a world taken from their ancestors.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio…forgiveness on a grand scale as the family of slain American anti-apartheid activist Amy Biehl work together with two men who were involved in her 1993 murder in South Africa after the men were granted amnesty through the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We’ll hear from Amy’s mother, Linda Biehl, as well as Easy Nofemela, one of the two men granted amnesty, who now seem more like family to the Biehls as they and others work to improve conditions for South African youth and improve race relations. Also Marina Cantacuzino, the founder of the Forgiveness Project which has elevated this and dozens of other extraordinary stories of forgiveness. Paul
Ingles hosts with Megan Kamerick.
On the show, you’ll hear part of a conversation with the Atlanta school clerk, who by showing compassion and empathy, helped foil a potential school shooter’s plan to wreak havoc on an elmentary school. Also some talk with historians who tell us about several peacemaking chapters in the stories of Teddy, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. And we’ll hear from the woman who walked side by side with Cesar Chavez in the farm workers movement recalling his deep commitment to nonviolence. Also, finding peace with disability, raising boys to steer them away from violence and crime, conscientious objectors in the volunteer military, and a couple of top scholars of the life of Martin Luther King Jr pick three of his many inspirational speeches to look more deeply at. Hosted by series producer Paul Ingles with Carol Boss and Suzanne Kryder.
We consider Teddy, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt through a peace studies lens. First, some details about the effort that won Teddy Roosevelt the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize, the later we explore the war and peace philosophies of Franklin Roosevelt, and the peace and human rights work of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Our guests are Charles Doleac, a Portsmouth, New Hampshire attorney and expert on The Portsmouth Peace Treaty of 1905. Also Dr. Allida Black of the George Washington University in Washington, DC and author or editor of many books on Eleanor Roosevelt.
This time on Peace Talks Radio, how sports can be used to point to peace. While sports headlines these days are as much about pro football players facing domestic violence, child abuse, shooting crime charges and crippling game injuries, there are still examples of the potential for sports to bring together athletes from all ethnicities, nationalities and sexual preferences to bond and celebrate the fun, skill and mutual respect of sport. We spotlight an annual sporting event that on the surface may seem sort of small – a two day summer basketball camp in the border city of El Paso, Texas. But the hearts behind the camp seem sort of large and the perspective the camp offers is sort of large too. Carol Boss talked with Rus Bradburd, one of the directors of "Basketball In The Barrio." Bradburd is a former collegiate basketball player and coach who both loves sports, sees some potential for good in it, but also doesn’t especially like where sports has come to sit in the order of priorities. He was led to use sports as an avenue to teach other lessons in establishing his annual camp. Also, we visit with Doug Harris, the executive director of the Athletes United for Peace, the camp’s parent organization, about other initiatives that use sports to promote unity, diplomacy and peace. Plus, a conversation with former collegiate basketball star and NBA player, Len Elmore, who also believes in the uniting power of sports, but wishes its pro athletes would speak up MORE often on social justice and peace issues. Carol Boss and Paul Ingles host.
This is the second of two programs exploring the special challenges of raising boys into becoming young men who DON’T turn to violence and crime and sexual domination. Young boys and sex will be the focus of this program. Among the statistics that we heard in the first program are these sex-related crimes – the super huge majority committed by men, young men or boys – 87% of stalkers are male, 86% of domestic violence assaults resulting in physical injury are done by males, 99% of rapes are committed by males. Some high profile rapes and shootings have involved a certain misogyny like the apparently misogynistic mass shooting in 2014 in Santa Barbara by a young man who seemed to be settling the score with young women who wouldn't go out with him.
These cases have many of us wondering. Not wondering so much about where those messages are coming from. Everybody seems to know that although we debate which is more at fault, the misogynistic messages and perpetration of sexual myths come from other adults, sometimes in the same household as young boys, and they come from the media – books, magazines, movies, the internet, advertising, television. In a nation of freedom of speech and low government regulation, most seem to accept that doing anything about the media end of the equation seems to be a lost cause. A perhaps debatable conclusion which we’ve covered in other Peace Talks Radio programs on video game violence for example.
But we also wonder how to counter or balance the impact of the many messages of sexual objectification and gender inequality that are aimed at our boys. And that’s where we’ll spend a good bit of our time with our guests today on Peace Talks Radio.
Guests include: Dr. Victor Lacerva, co-founder of New Mexico Men’s Wellness and author of the book Masculine Wisdom ; Dr. Joseph Marshall, a former educator in San Francisco who left teaching behind to study and try to end youth violence. Also neuroscientist Dr. Lise Eliot from the Chicago Medical school and the author of a book Pink Brain Blue Brain. Suzanne Kryder hosts with Paul Ingles.
Statistics show that males commit about 90% of all the murders and almost all of the other violent crime in the United States. On these programs, we’ve chosen to not just list the symptoms and multiple sources contributing to the culture of violence in the U.S., but to look upstream to learn what parents and the community can do to understand why some boys and men are drawn to violent themes and sometimes turn violent. We’re asking our panel, what we can do to catch our boys and young men before they fall into the abyss of the criminal justice system or worse, lose their lives and take others with them. Our next episode will focus on the sometimes confused takes on gender and sexual roles that young men sometimes develop - becoming misogynistic, domineering and sometimes violent in their intimate relationships. Suzanne Kryder hosts.
Our guests include a former educator in San Francisco who left teaching behind to study youth violence and try to end it. Dr. Joseph Marshall runs the Omega Boys Club/Street Soldiers program there. "Street Soldier" is the name of one of his books on the subject. Also we’ll hear from Dr. Victor La Cerva, co-founder of New Mexico Men’s Wellness and author of the book "Masculine Wisdom". And we also visit with Dr. Lise Eliot of the Chicago Medical school about boys and men’s brains and hormones. She’s the author of the book "Pink Brain Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow into Troublesome Gaps – and What We Can Do About It".
August 20, 2013, school clerk Antoinette Tuff was at her job at a Suburban Atlanta elementary school of 800 students. She was only temporarily filling in at the front office, when an agitated 20 year old man carrying an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition came in threatening to open fire. Now you may not remember this story because it only made news for about a day or two. There were no deaths, there was no community in mourning, no reporters camping out for the funerals a week later, and there was no shooter turning the gun on himself or a good guy with a gun finishing the suspect off. There was, however, Antoinette Tuff, the 46 year old school clerk there , using calm words, empathy and compassion --- while most of the time, having an open line to the 911 operator…and truly being in the line of fire.
In part, what Antoinette Tuff employed was a kind of nonviolent communication that we’ve covered before on PEACE TALKS RADIO. We go back into our archive to re-visit one of those conversations with NVC expert Jorge Rubio.
If one had a philosophical or religious objection to military service, why would they volunteer? The modern CO application, as it’s called, comes from those who sign up for service, but come to their conscientious objection during their tour of duty, like Dante Searcy and Fanny Garcia who tell us their stories of being granted “CO” status on this program. Also on this program, we hear from Maria Santelli, the Executive Director of the Center on Conscience and War, an organization that began in 1940 and today offers assistance to people like Searcy and Garcia to prepare their Conscientious Objection applications that go before Pentagon Panels for review. We placed three calls over the course of a week to the public affairs office at the Pentagon to get the Defense Department take on the Conscientious Objector discussion, but no one returned our calls.
Suzanne Kryder, co-founder of Peace Talks Radio, hosts this exploration of the world of disability two years after experiencing an AVM, an arteriovenous malformation, which disabled her in 2012, compromising her speech and movement. She shares details of her experience living with the disability and offers some ideas about how the disabled and non-disabled world can get along better. She also asks others about it - attendees at a 2013 disability conference and a college professor and researcher whosuffered a spinal injury herself and has written about these issues.
This episode features two stories born in World War 2. A Japanese man who was only 5 in 1945, but survived the Atomic Bomb blast in Hiroshima that led to the end of the war in the
Pacific. He visited the U.S. recently to call for the abolition of nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants. Also, an excerpt from a mid-1990's talk by the late Miep Gies (meep-geese), who helped hide Anne Frank's family from the Nazi's in World War 2. Ms. Gies was the one who found Anne Frank's now-famous diary. And a chat with foreign aid proponent Jamie Drummond. All on the next edition of Peace Talks Radio.
This program will trace the influences on Chavez, as a child, young man and adult, that led him on a path to nonviolence. We'll also recall the major moments during his campaigns when his dedication to nonviolence and social justice were put to the test.
We'll talk with Dolores Huerta, his colleague, friend and co-founder of the UFW. Also Jose-Antonio Orosco, whose book "Cesar Chavez and the Common Sense of Nonviolence" seeks to elevate Chavez as an original thinker, who added significantly to the peacemaking toolkits of more celebrated nonviolence heroes like Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Finally, we hear from Texas community organizer Juanita Valdez-Cox, who worked the fields there with her family in the 1950's and 60's and recalls Chavez and Huerta leading the organization of farm workers in her state. Our guests will discuss what Chavez' own actions and theories about nonviolence have to offer to our daily lives as well as how they can be used to address today's social and political issues. Archival comments from Cesar Chavez are included, along with comments made by President Barack Obama at the dedication of the Cesar Chavez National Monument in 2012.
You’ll hear from Dr. Vincent Harding, Professor of Religion and Social Transformation at Illiff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado and a personal friend and speech writing colleague of Dr. King in the 1960’s. Also mixed into our program, you’ll hear Dr. Clayborne Carson, who at Coretta Scott King’s request, has been directing the King Papers Project since 1985. Dr. Carson established the Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute at Stanford University in 2005. The speeches these scholars chose were… King’s last address, the night before his assassination in Memphis in April, 1968. Also, the speech he made a year to the day before he was killed, called “Beyond Vietnam,” in which Dr. King came out publicly and explicitly in opposition to the Vietnam War. And from March of 1965, Dr. King’s remarks that he made at the conclusion of the Selma to Montgomery marches, considered a turning point in the struggle for Voting Rights and equality for African Americans.
The program features conversations about restorative justice programs, peace journalism, activism to prevent gun violence, a winning domestic violence prevention project, and the peacemaking roots of Mothers' Day. Also excerpts of our programs about Nelson Mandela, Peace Pilgrim and Sister Peggy O'Neill. And we'll recap our countdown of the Top Ten Peace Songs of all time. Paul Ingles hosts.
A new e-book for young people by Alex Paramo helps children understand and appreciate multi-culturalism, cooperation, forgiveness and more. Also positive thinking researcher and Ted Talk star Shawn Achor talks about his 2013 book Before Happiness . And John Dear, an internationally known peacemaker, organizer, and lecturer talks about the blueprint for living set out in his book The Nonviolent Life.
In Minnesota, 38-year old Robert King is trying to make peace in his relationship with his wife. After 20 years of abusing women, Robert finally was forced into getting help through what’s now being referred to in domestic abuse circles as “The Duluth Model” - a Domestic Abuse Intervention Program – the heart of which is to get both offenders and victims to talk openly about their experiences, and to get multiple agencies to work cooperatively around the understanding gleaned from the true stories. So Robert King has been talking in these week after week sessions and learning how brutal he’s been to women and how to break the cycle of violence.
We hear him tell his honest story as well as hear from the man who's been leading the sessions Robert's been attending. That's Scott Miller, system coordinator for the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project in Duluth, Minnesota. Also featured, Melissa Scaia, Executive Director of Advocates for Family Peace in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Carol Boss and Paul Ingles host.
The hosts of Peace Talks Radio present a special program counting down the Top 10 Peace Songs since the late 1960's. Also featured are honorable mention selections that didn't quite make the list.
While in prison from 1964 to 1990, Mandela became a symbol for the apartheid resistance which withstood bloody massacres and continued oppression while Mandela and other resistance leaders were in jail. Pressure from both within and outside of South Africa resulted in political changes that resulted in Mandela’s release and the allowance of parties like the African National Congress. Mandela helped negotiate the end of apartheid policies and was elected president of South Africa, a post he held from 1994 to 1999.
Today, we’ll hear some of our former Peace Talks Radio guests who, during our interviews with them assessed the importance and impact of Mandela’s life and example. We’ll hear from others too, including radio producer Joe Richman who researched Mandela’s life for over a year to produce the 2004 series and special Mandela: An Audio History. Joe’s allowing us to excerpt some of the more compelling moments from his award-winning series which blended archival tape, news reports, old and new interviews to tell the tale both of Mandela and the black South African’s and anti-apartheid activist’s decades long struggle for civil rights. Also, Mandela's inaugural address in 1994 when he became President of South Africa.
In this episode, we’ll hear the stories of three people . One, Colin Goddard, the survivor of the mass shooting in 2007 at Virginia Tech where 32 were killed by a disgruntled highly armed student. After 2 years of healing, he joined national efforts to promote mandatory background checks on gun sales.
Second, we’ll talk with Annette Nance-Holt, the mother of an innocent 16 year old boy who was shot and killed on a Chicago city bus. She's helped start an organization called "Purpose Over Pain" that assists other families who've lost children to street violence as well as addresses some of the root causes of gang violence.
And third, we’ll meet Scott Cameron, an Albuquerque father of two boys. When he heard of the mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary school in CT in 2012, although he was 2,000 miles away, he began to organize in his own community, setting up events he thought might reduce the chances of a Sandy Hook happening in his city.
Do common conventions of reporting instead inflame conflict and omit viable non-violent options for resolving conflicts. Can severe hate speech and alarmist propagandathat threaten lives in developing nations be quelled with targeted training? Our conversation today starts with Steve Youngblood, the director for the Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University in Parkville, Missouri. Also we'll hear from Ugandan Journalist Gloria Laker who took Youngblood's "Peace Journalism" workshops in Uganda, then helped facilitate them to other journalists across her homeland. Finally, Humankind radio producer David Freudberg, who calls for the development of a "Peace Beat" at news organizations, offers his thoughts on the responsibilities of journalists to cover conflict thoughtfully.
More engaging, inspiring and informational clips from episodes featured onPeace Talks Radio, the series on peacemaking and nonviolent conflictresolution, between 2002 and 2012. Among the voices you'll hear in thissecond program of highlights: The Dalai Lama, Mairead Maguire, Rick Steves, William Ury and more...on ways to reduce conflict in our own lives and around the world.
The story of Julia Ward Howe's 1871 Proclamation for Peace and her call for a universal Mother's Day to promote peace and disarmament. Host Carol Boss talks with Kate Stickley, a direct descendent of Howe, and Jane Smith Bernhardt, an actor who portrays Howe onstage. Plus conversation with Susan Galleymore, author of a book called "Long Time Passing: Mothers Talk About War and Terror."
Two women, two elders, who deep into the later years of life, made peace their goal – one, Catholic Sister Peggy O’Neill landed in war-ravaged El Salvador in the 1980’s and has been there ever since. The other, a woman who in 1981 had a 28 year personal campaign for peace come to an abrupt end when she had just turned 73. In 1953, Mildred Norman changed her name to Peace Pilgrim and started walking for peace. She kept doing it until the day she died.
Restorative Justice programs often bring offenders, victims, family members and other stakeholders in the society together to work through what happened, to identify the harm done and together to work out appropriate punishment and possible restitution. There have been examples of restorative justice style practices throughout history. As you’ll hear from some of our guests, many cite the talking circle model practiced by First Nation and Native American Communities as an inspiration for today’s restorative justice programs. Maybe the most well-known application of restorative justice practices in recent history has been the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission assembled in the mid- 1990’s in the aftermath of the abolition of apartheid. Although there were critics of the commission – which granted amnesty to about 1 in 10 offenders who went through the process, generally the TRC was thought of as successful in promoting honesty and healing in the country. But parts of the restorative justice practices have drawn criticism. Some say it trivializes crime, doesn’t reduce recidivism, and doesn’t do as much to restore and repair as it claims. Even those working in the field of Restorative Justice admit that it’s a work in progress, but as an addendum to what they see as a largely flawed criminal justice system, the practitioners of restorative justice are confident that it’s a model worth exploring. We explore two programs on today’s show, one that works with youth in Oakland, CA and one that for some years has been employed in Taos County in New Mexico.
Engaging, inspiring and informational clips from episodes featured on Peace Talks Radio, the series on peacemaking and nonviolent conflict resolution, between 2002 and 2012. Among the voices you'll hear: Jimmy Carter, Jody Williams, Arun Gandhi, Daniel Goleman, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Marshall Rosenberg, Byron Katie and more...on ways to reduce conflict in our own lives and around the world.
SEEKING PEACE ON EARTH: A PEACE TALKS RADIO SPECIAL (2012). It's our annual compendium of compelling moments from shows of the past year. You'll hear: Young women from opposing sides in the Middle East conflict come together to work for peace. A former West Point grad and Army captain puts the 'warrior ethos' to use in his post-service peace work. A Republican and a Democrat agree on what to do to improve our political discourse. A West Oakland neighborhood coming together over an effort to bring better food to its residents. A former Afghan ambassador talking about essentials of diplomacy. Practical and heart-felt ideas about finding peace around death and dying. The story of how the famous peace symbol was created How to become a Peace Ambassador. ... and more.
Two Harvard scholars with recent books are featured in this edition of Peace Talks Radio. Steven Pinker, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, says we seem to be living in one of the most peaceful eras in human history, despite the level of violence still at play in the world. He talks about his research. Then Donna Hicks talks about her book Dignity: The Essential Role It Plays in Conflict Resolution. She spells out 10 essentials for showing each other dignity and the 10 most common pitfalls. Two engaging interviews. Paul Ingles hosts.
On this special election season edition of Peace Talks Radio, an assessment of the degree of the problem, and some ideas on how to address it, from a number people. We’ll hear from current Democratic congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio, former long-term Republican congresswoman Connie Morella from Maryland – both of whom actually agree on several things they think will help. We’ll also talk with two media analysts - Western Washington University's Michael Karlberg and Hakim Bellamy of the Media Literacy Project, who’ll comment on the media’s role in heightening incivility in political discourse. And we’ll hear from a woman who’s launched an online project she thinks may help things a bit, by taking a kitchen table around the country. Paul Ingles hosts
On this episode of Peace Talks Radio, we revisit the story of a non-profit program called Creativity for Peace which includes a camp experience in the high desert of New Mexico for adolescent girls from all sides in the Middle East conflict. At the annual camp, t he girls speak their minds and hearts about their own suffering due to the hostilities. Despite being taught to see the other as the enemy, they learn to get along and even be friends. More importantly perhaps, they learn important lessons in conflict resolution. On this program, host Carol Boss talks with two former campers, now young women, who have stayed with the Creativity for Peace organization as young leaders both at the camp and actively working for peace in their homelands. Palestinian Jwana Ghaleb and Israeli Jew May Freed were back in New Mexico to help at the summer camp in 2012 when Carol talked with them.
In the spring of 2012 - PEACE TALKS RADIO attended a training exercise put on by the US Institute of Peace in Washington DC. It's called SENSE - which stands for Strategic, Economic Needs and Security exercise. Forty to sixty people participate by taking on roles of business leaders, govt officials, security officers, non-governmental representatives and the like and, in three days, they work in a fictional world Akrona- a struggling state emerging from years of war and still vulnerable to violence. ( as some of the paraticipants have said, not unlike Afghanistan in the early 2000's.) A sophisticated computer program sets up the parameters of resources and circumstances. When one player makes one move in the game, it effects others. Parties have to negotiate to bring economies and quality of life into balance. Suzanne Kryder talked with some of the players to learn how it works and what they hope to learn and apply to their regular lives when they return from the exercise. She also has a conversation with Omar Samad, former Afghani Ambassador to both Canada and France.
Draw the well-known peace symbol almost anywhere in the world, and show it to almost anyone over the age of 4, and you're likely to hear them tell you that the symbol means "peace." Walk through the halls of any elementary or junior high school and you'll see the peace sign all over in kids' fashion, young girls especially - t-shirts, shorts, shoes, backpacks, earings, pendants. People know the symbol means peace but not so many know where the symbol came from. On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we'll talk with author Ken Kolsbun who co-wrote the book Peace: The Biography of a Symbol. He'll tell us the tale of British graphic designer Gerald Holtem, who came up with the design for a 1958 Ban the Bomb protest march. Since then the sign has been used to mean "peace" in all kinds of causes from stopping war to saving the planet's environment. We also talk with Leigh Golterman who created a peace apparel and accessories company called "Peace Please," which has donated its profits to peace organizations. Paul Ingles hosts.
After serving proudly in the US Armed Forces, what motivates a person to later work passionately for peace? On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we’ll learn how two war veterans were changed by their military experience and about the peace work they now do. Our guests talked with host Suzanne Kryder about the role of the US military in peace building, their views on defense spending, and what all of us can do to bring an end to war. Paul K. Chappell is a West Point graduate who served in the army for seven years including a deployment to Baghdad in 2006; he retired as a Captain. Paul now serves as the Peace Leadership Director for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. He is the author of three books including Peaceful Revolution: How We Can Create the Future Needed for Humanity’s Survival. We’ll also speak with Erik K. Gustafson who served in the 1991 Gulf War. Witnessing the consequences of the war fueled Erik’s passion for human rights and peace building. He’ll describe why and how he founded the Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC) in 1998 to improve humanitarian conditions in Iraq and defend the human rights of the Iraqi people.
When American psychologist Abraham Maslow introduced the Hierarchy of Needs in his seminal work A Theory of Human Motivation, he presented a pyramid that listed the most important, fundamental needs of humans toward the bottom. Food, Water, Breathing, and Sleep were among the needs supporting the base of the pyramid. Only one level up was "Safety" including security of body, health, resources and family. If one's safety is threatened by war, disaster or family violence - a peaceful life is not possible. Anxiety, PTSD and trauma passed down through generations can follow.
There are communities around the world that don't have their basic physiological and safety needs adequately met. Nearly a billion people on the planet are undernourished according to 2010 figures- roughly 14% of the worlds population. And some of these communities in deficit are here in the U.S., in places you normally wouldn't think of as being at risk, neighborhoods in or near large urban centers where access to nutritious affordable food has disappeared and in some cases. What has followed is an over-arching blight - communities with gang problems, mistrust and fear among residents. Some social scientists see a link between food insecurity and a lack of peace in these neighborhoods, so experimental programs have been launched in some places with, so far, encouraging results. We'll hear about a couple of them on this edition of Peace Talks Radio - one in Albuquerque, New Mexico and one in West Oakland, CA - where Nikki Henderson directs the work of The People's Grocery. She talked with our Carol Boss, as did Jacqueline Thomas. She's been a West Oakland resident for many years who now works for People's Grocery too. Meantime, in Santa Barbara/Martineztown near downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico an NIH grant has funded a program called Fiestas that will bring together women in the community over food and interview them to help understand food access problems. Then a board of the women will brainstorm some solutions. It's a kind of peacemaking in that it brings people together who normally wouldn't come together to identify community problems and propose solutions. While this brainstorming begins, some gardening programs already underway seem to be having a noticeable impact in the neighborhood according to Veronica Apodaca, who lives in Martineztown and visits with Carol Boss. Also we talk to Amy Annexter Scott who is helping to coordinate the Fiestas program.
If the inevitability of death - our own death or the death of our loved ones - or anyone for that matter - was something we could all handle with more calm, with more inner peace, how might the world change? What manner of thinking or perspective can one who is facing his or her own death adopt to create a more peaceful place to live out their days? What can a relative, friend or caregiver do to promote a more peaceful passage for one who is dying? What manner of thinking or perspective can one who is facing the death of a loved one or friend adopt to nurture a more peaceful place for themselves during the transition and afterwards? We talk with three women - two nurses and a physician - who have worked closely in the hospice community for some suggestions, including Camille Adair who also produced the film "Solace: Wisdom of the Dying." Host Paul Ingles, who lost both his mother and an aunt in a two week stretch in 2011, also shares his own story.
In this program, we explore an online training opportunity called Becoming a Peace Ambassador. James O’Dea, the facilitator of the Peace Ambassador training, is the guest. He’s a former official with both Amnesty International and the Institute of Noetic Sciences…and author of books like Creative Stress and Cultivating Peace. We also talk with two graduates of the online program. Paul Ingles hosts.
For that time of year when everyone is wishing for more "Peace on Earth," share some hope with the latest in the annual Peace Talks Radio year-end specials. This one highlights programs aired in the series in 2011. Hear compelling conversation excerpts from programs on: The U.S. Institute ofPeace; Nobel Peace Prize winners Martti Ahtisaari and Liu Xiaobo; Heading off domestic and dating violence; Vietnam veterans finding peace by traveling back to Vietnam; Alternatives to Violence program in prisons; The Global Peace Index and Imagining a Peace Economy; A conference on religious tolerance; Peace messages in classical music.
We spotlight two instances when peace broke out – right on the field of battle. First, the impromptu but widespread unofficial Christmas Truce of 1914 in the early months of fighting in Europe in World War 1. Soldiers from both sides essentially said, war is hell – let’s not do it near Christmas Day. To tell us that story, we have Stanley Weintraub, historian, professor emeritus from PennState University, biographer and author of many books including “Silent Night- The Christmas Truce of 1914.” Also the story of the National Jubilee of Peace – the first major gathering of Civil War veterans from the North and South in 1911 - 50 years after the Battle of Bull Run at Manassas. Steve Pendlebury has our story – from the place where it happened in 1911 – and was re-enacted in the summer of 2011, Manassas, Virginia. Paul Ingles hosts.
Religious liberty and tolerance are complex issues, impacted by a variety of factors including education, politics, and the media. On this edition, conversations with participants in a 2011 conference called, "Liberty and Tolerance in an Age of Religious Conflict." Guests include Dr. Kelly James Clark, a Professor of Philosophy at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, who co-chaired the conference and has written a book exploring the issue. Also Dr. Hedieh Mirahmadi, an attorney, author, and founder and president of the World Organization for Resource Development & Education (WORDE), which works to improve communication between Muslim and non-Muslim communities in order to reduce social conflict and political instability; Dr. Nurit Peled-Elhanan, the Jewish educator who lost her 13-year old daughter to a Palestinian suicide bombing in Jerusalem but who is still working to promote dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians; and Dr. Nick Wolterstorff who is the Noah Porter Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Yale University. He helped found the Society of Christian Philosophers in 1978. Also featured are comments from South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Arun Gandhi, Martin Luther King III and the 14th Dalai Lama, recorded at a special event honoring the Dalai Lama's 76th birthday in 2011. Suzanne Kryder hosts.
Jane Ellen, a composer, performer and music historian tells stories about how classical composers have been influenced by the threat of war and the hope for peace in their works. Music by Beethoven, Vaughan Williams, Britten, Crumb and others is featured. Paul Ingles hosts.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, stories about former enemies in war, reconciling between each other to achieve peace within themselves and, they hope, delivering a message about the futility of war. We talk with Dr. Edward Tick first, psychologist and author of book "War and the Soul" and founder of Soldier's Heart, an organization that promotes innovative approaches to healing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) -among them sponsoring trips for US citizens, veterans and non-vets, back to Vietnam where the US was involved in bloody war for over a decade in the 1960's and early 70's. We also hear from 2 American soldiers, Al Plapp and Tommy Laughlin, who made such a trip back to Vietnam. Carol Boss hosts.
“Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.” When President Eisenhower warned of the power of the military industrial complex in January 1961, he probably wouldn’t have guessed that the 2012 budget request for defense-related expenditures would be one trillion dollars. While conventional wisdom asserts that war and military spending are good for the economy, a 2007 report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research showed that military spending diverts resources from productive uses, such as consumption and investment, and ultimately slows economic growth and reduces employment. Today on Peace Talks, we’ll explore the relationship between economic development and peace. We’ll talk with two representatives from the Institute for Economics and Peace. Steve Killelea is the founder of the Institute and the creative force behind both the Global Peace Index and the United States Peace Index. Clyde McConaghy, a Board Director for the Institute, has been involved with the development of the Global Peace Index since its inception in 2007. Their annual rankings hope to identify the positive economic impacts of increased levels of peacefulness on a global and regional level. We’ll also talk with Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, the New York Times bestselling author of The Dressmaker of Khair Khana --- the true story of the “breadwinners in burqas,” five Afghani sisters who become successful entrepreneurs during the Taliban years. They started a dressmaking business in their living room that offered work to 100 women in the neighborhood. Gayle is also the deputy director of the Women and Foreign Policy program at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Since 1975, a program called the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) has been going into prisons to offer non-violence workshops to prisoners with the intent of reducing violence in prisons and steering inmates toward nonviolent practices when they return to society after completing their sentences. Carol Boss talks with two former inmates who each served extended sentences for second degree murder charges. Both feel their lives were transformed with the help of AVP.
Martti Ahtisaari is a former Finnish President who also has over 30 years of international mediation experience, negotiating agreements of various kinds in Namibia, Indonesia, Northern Ireland and Kosovo. He talks with host Paul Ingles about his mediation style.
Also, a rebroadcast of our 2002 interview with former U.S. President and Nobel Prize Winner Jimmy Carter. The hour winds up with a fascinating interview with a former Skinhead White Supremist, Frank Meeink, who now preaches diversity and compassion.
Host Paul Ingles tells the story of losing a friend to a domestic homicide and explores efforts to help young people learn the building blocks for experiencing healthy relationships as adults. Researchers say those who turn into stalkers and jealous, violent lovers often experience abuse as children and have limited positive role models for good relationships. Paul talks with two people involved in developing programs for schools that help youngsters learn how relationship conflict can be handled and how relationship breakups can be managed and survived without turning to violence. David Wolfe developed a program called "The Fourth R" in which "Relationship" joins the traditional "reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic" in middle and high school training. Alexandra Smith oversees a program called "Start Strong Bronx" in New York that makes use of "The Fourth R" curriculum in middle schools.
For those interested in peacemaking, an ideal conference might include dozens of peace workers throughout the world, gathered together for a week of panels and conversations. In 2010, such a gathering took place. Not in a physical space but in the virtual world of the internet. Using teleconference technology, The Shift Network and The Peace Alliance teamed up to bring 75 peace luminaries to the web, allowing anyone with a computer or a smart phone to listen in live and even interact with the guests. The resulting archive of conversations is also available free online. On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, one of the architechts of Peace Week, Stephen Dinan of The Shift Network, guides host Paul Ingles through samples of 8 of the more compelling conversations of Peace Week. You'll hear youth peace building experts like Aqeela Sherrills, Kimmie Weeks, Ocean Robbins, and Rich Dutra-St.John. Also Nobel Peace Laureate Betty Williams, peace economics expert Steve Killelea, peace walker Audri Scott Williams, and U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich.
In 2010, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Liu Xiaobo, the Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, and human rights activist who called for political reforms in China. Currently incarcerated as a political prisoner in China, he was unable to attend the peace award ceremony. We talk with poet Jeffrey Yang who is editing a collection of Xiaobo's poetry to learn more about the prize winner's life and commitment to peace. Also Chinese writer Tienchi Liao, a literary colleague of Xiaobo, talks about his story. Pau Ingles hosts.
It's been a great year at Peace Talks Radio. We looked at peace endeavors in U.S. prisons, highlighted the “Peace Through Music” project, and examined international efforts to protect human rights defenders in global conflict hot spots. We also talked with leading thinkers in conflict resolution, like William Ury, Daniel Goleman and Rick Hanson, and asked a panel how we can make peace with Mother Nature in the wake of 2010’s many environmental disasters. We explored the story of Massosoit's peace pact with the pilgrims and learned tips for a peaceful divorce. And in one absorbing episode, we gave our microphone over to school children to hear their thoughts on peacemaking. Listen in to this one-hour year-end special to hear highlights from all of these programs.
When you visualize the National Mall in Washington, DC, what do you see? Perhaps stately buildings like the US Capitol or the Smithsonian castle. Or, perhaps you see some of the monuments and memorials that remind us of conflict and war, for example, the World War II, Korean, and Vietnam war memorials. Even the majestic monuments to Washington and Lincoln are reminiscent of wars that our country fought for freedom. On the next Peace Talks Radio, we explore a new memorial on the National Mall: The United States Institute of Peace. The USIP is an independent, nonpartisan, national institution established in 1984 and funded by Congress to increase the nation's capacity to manage international conflict without violence. The new 150,000 square-foot, five-story USIP building on the northwest corner of the Mall will house staff offices, a library, conference center, classrooms, and a public education center designed to heighten understanding of the challenges of international conflict management. Host Suzanne Kryder talks with several staff members about the history of USIP, their national and international programs, and the new building that recently opened. By virtue of its purpose and location--it faces the Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials--the headquarters of the United States Institute of Peace will serve as a symbol of the country's efforts for peace.
Massasoit was the leader of the Wampanoag Confederacy when English settlers landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. He and his people kept the Pilgrims from starving in the early years of their settlement, attended the first Thanksgiving and forged a peace treaty with the English that lasted 40 years until his death. We'll talk with American Indian scholars Darius Coombs and Bob Charlesbois who'll fill in the details of this Native American leader's attempt to make peace for his people and with the new strangers. Also, Native American film director Chris Eyre on his portrayal of Massasoit for the 2009 PBS television series We Shall Remain.
PEACEMAKING AFTER A DIVORCE - In the U.S., about 50% of all marriages end in divorce. Divorce is often described in the language of war. The ex-spouses battle over possessions and children. Attorneys look for ammunition. The warring partners burn bridges, plunder bank accounts, and drop bombshells. In a sense, the script is already written for us. Divorce is a civil war in a family. But does it have to be that way? What happens when both parties want to write the ending a different way and divorce peacefully? Can they? On this edition of our series, you'll hear the divorce story of the couple who created Peace Talks Radio and still work together to produce it: Paul Ingles and Suzanne Kryder. Guest reporter Sasha Aslanian tells how the couple managed to steer around divisive divorce troubles and stay friendly, civil and even helpful to each other in the post-divorce years. Also, a conversation with therapist Samuel Roll who offers ideas about managing divorces that don't go so smoothly and may involve children. Read about it and hear it right now by clicking here.
AFTER THE TOXIC SPILLS: MAKING PEACE WITH NATURE. When the British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig exploded in April of 2010 and set off the largest accidental marine oil spill in history, virtually everyone viewing the disruption - to wildlife and the lives of people in that region - was devastated. Here at Peace talks Radio, we guessed that the event probably set off an inner conflict in many about humans’ relationship with nature. Then there was the toxic sludge spill in Hungary. So we sought out some voices of people who have already placed that relationship with nature at the center of their lives to see how their experiences and thinking might help us all grapple with this conflict. A lot of the headlines during the three months when the oil gushed into the gulf framed the event as an attack or war on nature. How can we think and act to make peace with nature, especially in the wake of such environmental disasters? On this show we speak with Dr. Daniel Scwartz, a social ecology professor at the University of New Mexico. Also Kathy Sanchez, a Native American environmental policy activist, and John Francis,whose response to an oil spill in 1971 was to quit riding in motorized vehicles for 22 years, walk all across the country and, during 17 of those years, not to speak a word. Carol Boss is host. Read about it and hear it right now by clicking here.
Do you work to transform destructive conflict into cooperation? Can you take the "Third Side" in the conflicts around you even when you’re a party to the conflict? The "Third Side" looks at conflict not just from one side or the other but from the larger perspective of the surrounding community, or “third side.” This time on Peace Talks Radio, host Suzanne Kryder talks with Dr. William Ury, co-founder of Harvard University's Program on Negotiation and author of The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No & Still Get to Yes and Getting to Peace (released in paperback under the title The Third Side). Dr. Ury has worked as a mediator and negotiator for over 30 years in corporate mergers, wildcat strikes in a Kentucky coal mine, and among the Bushmen of the Kalahari. He says that it takes two sides to fight, and a third to stop; that third side can transform our daily battles into creative conflict and cooperation at home, work, and in the world.
We’ll also talk with people who have used the Third Side approach to ending conflict in their communities: Danna Smith who works with the Dogwood Alliance, an nonprofit organization whose mission is to mobilize diverse voices to defend the unique forests and communities of the Southern US from destructive industrial forestry, and Gachi Tapia who has worked as trainer for several institutions in Latin America, East Europe and ex Yugoslavia. She has collaborated with experts in interventions aimed at a constructive transformation of social and political conflicts in Venezuela 2004, Middle East 2004, Bolivia 2008.
This time we talk with young people to hear their ideas about what it takes to make peace and resolve conflict. Second to fifth grade students have a lot of good ideas as it turns out. We talked with a diverse group of 15 youngsters who were attending Sunday youth activities one morning at Albuquerque's First Unitarian Church. We also visited with three teen members of KUNM's Youth Radio Project: Luke Iha, Bashar Jawad and Amanja Lambert.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, two men – Greg Mortenson and Dr. Mohammad Khan Kharoti- who firmly believe that the path to relieving suffering, reducing conflict, and promoting peace in the troubled and chronically war-torn country of Afghanistan is by building schools. Schools for young Afghan boys and especially for young Afghan girls for whom education and basic literacy has been denied.
Greg Mortenson is the author of the best selling books THREE CUPS OF TEA and STONES INTO SCHOOLS. He’s founder of the Pennies for Peace program, and co-founder of the Central Asia Institute. Mortenson has raised the money and resources to build over 130 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan- expanding the horizons and hopes of tens of thousands of young boys and girls.
Also on the program, a less well-known school builder in Afghanistan who built a school in 2001, which flourished into 2008 before it was destroyed by militants. The man behind the school was Dr. Mohammad Khan Kharoti who was born in a nomadic Afghan tribe in the 1940's to poor parents. In 1970, an American family in Iowa helped support him in the U.S. while he got the early education that prepared him for medical school back in Afghanistan. Now he's a U.S. Citizen and doctor of nuclear medicine at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Portland, Oregon where he established Green Village Schools, a non-profit organization, to raise funds for his school building efforts.
Finally, a profile from reporter Mary Anne Meyers of a young Iraqi refugee who studies music in Indiana through the Iraqi Student Project, which invites US colleges and universities to accept qualified students who have lived most of their lives in Iraq, giving these students tuition waivers for undergraduate study.
Peace Talks Radio, the series on peacemaking and non-violent conflict resolution, features Jane Davis of Hope-Howse. In December 1993, Jane was asked to be a media witness at an electric chair execution in Georgia. She says witnessing the execution made everything inside her go "haywire." She writes, "This isolated act of killing another human being...left no alternatives. It took away all hope." Since then Jane has been travelling to death rows and prisons around the country and around the world, counseling inmates to help them find the goodness inside them and help them achieve some inner peace. She has worked with at-risk youth as well and has advocated against the death penalty. "Hope-Howse" stands for "Help Other People Evolve through Honest Open Willing Self Evaluation." She talks about her work with Carol Boss.
In part two of the program, we rebroadcast our visit with musician and death penalty opponent Steve Earle from 2005 and hear some voices in support of the death penalty from the debate in the New Mexico State Legislature that year. New Mexico ultimately abolished the death penalty in 2009.
17 million views on You Tube to date. That's the number of times the unique rendition of the song "Stand By Me" has been seen on the internet. The song featured contributions from street musicians and indigenous performers around the world, all playing to the same basic track recorded in Santa Monica, CA by music producer and engineer Mark Johnson. The good vibe from the collaboration inspired a whole CD called Songs Around The World, a DVD called Peace Through Music, a live tour, and a non-profit organization called the Playing For Change Foundation that has raised money to build music schools in developing countries. Can a project like this really promote peace in a noticeable way? On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, Carol Boss talks with both Mark Johnson and Whitney Burditt of Playing for Change, as well as with two of the music performers - Clarence Bekker from The Netherlands and Mermans Kenkosenki from South Africa - about this remarkable project.
Despite ongoing turmoil and conflict in our world, there are still people who are working for peace. Listen for the annual compendium of highlights from the Peace Talks Radio series on peacemaking and nonviolent conflict resolution. Listeners will hear about the Dalai Lama's commitment to peace, John Lennon and Yoko Ono's peace work, peace lessons from the annual Rainbow Gatherings and from international water negotiations. Other programs spotlighting a community art project and an international pen pal project for peace will be recalled. Plus comments on peace building through travel with Rick Steves, reduction of nuclear arsenals from Nobel Peace prize Laureate Dr. Bernard Lown and a word from Capt. James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise (really!). It's an uplifting and empowering hour. Paul Ingles hosts with Suzanne Kryder and Carol Boss.
Kim Rosen, author of the book Saved by a Poem, talks about how people struggling with personal conflict can find peace, comfort and perspective in the words of poetry and song. She also sees a role for poetry in international negotiations that address conflict on a broader scale. Also on the program, Sarah Wilkinson tells about the Peace Pal Project which connects school children in different parts of the world through a pen pal initiative and conflict resolution curriculum that,she says, broadens understanding and gives young people tools to address the conflicts that may lay ahead in their lives. Carol Boss is the host.
This time we explore the question, will managing the world's overtaxed water supply lead to more conflict or actually be a compelling catalyst to peace? The fact is that, so far, cooperation rather than conflict over water is the norm around the world. That's according to Oregon State University Professor Aaron Wolf, co-author of the book Managing and Transforming Water Conflicts, who's been facilitating solutions to water conflicts for years and sees many lessons in peacemaking emerging from the experience. “Water hits us at a profoundly different level than other resources,” he says. “People are willing to do horrible things to each other. What they seem not willing to do is turn off each other’s water.” Host Carol Boss talks with Aaron Wolf on this edition of Peace Talks Radio
Also, a chat with Matt and Christina Berlin who took some Oakland school kids to Kenya for a horizons-expanding experience, then got deeply involved in the effort to help a rural Kenyan community purify it's dangerous water supply. The two talk about their up close experience with water's role in improving the health and dignity of a community and making it less susceptible to conflict.
In 1516, Sir Thomas More published the book, “Utopia,” a word he coined for an ideal, imaginary island nation. His book describes a perfect socio-political-legal society that’s free of poverty and suffering. Even though utopia comes from Greek words meaning “no place” and indicates that More considered it an impossible goal, groups throughout history have tried to create idyllic, peaceful communities. On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we explore an on-going utopian experiment, the Rainbow Gathering-a loosely-knit group of anarchists holding temporary gatherings in remote rural areas since 1972. Host Suzanne Kryder interviews Dr. Michael Niman, author of People of the Rainbow: A Nomadic Utopia, about the group’s efforts to practice nonviolent, nonhierarchical cooperative living with each other and the earth. The program includes interviews and first-hand reports from Suzanne’s participation in the 38th annual Rainbow Gathering in New Mexico, July 2009. The Peace Talks Radio series is produced by the non-profit media organization, Good Radio Shows, Inc. Visit online at www.peacetalksradio.com.
This time on Peace Talks Radio, we explore a program that transforms troubled neighborhoods into more peaceful, secure places through art, learning, land transformation and economic development. Host Carol Boss speaks with Lily Yeh, co-founder of two organizations dedicated to re-building communities: The Village of Arts and Humanities, Inc. and, more recently, Barefoot Artists, Inc. In North Philadelphia, Yeh, with a group of neighborhood residents (mostly children), cleared a trash-strewn vacant lot and began to build an art park that incorporated mosaic sculptures, murals, and landscaping with trees and flowers. Over the next few years, Yeh's project was joined by artists, builders, educators and a growing number of community residents caught up in the vision of creating a more peaceful community. Yeh's ideas that helped bring the North Philadelphia neighborhood back to life are now being applied to projects in Rwanda, Kenya, Ecuador and China.
On this special edition of Peace Talks Radio, we recall the several years when musician John Lennon and his wife, performance artist Yoko Ono, were among the most high profile peace advocates on the planet. John was shot dead outside his apartment in New York in 1980 – 11 years after he wrote the song that – since its creation in 1969, has been a fixture at just about any gathering for peace. Give Peace A Chance was released 40 years ago this summer (July 4). We’ll talk with Yoko Ono as well a the producers and directors of two fine films about this part of their lives: David Leaf who co-created the film The US vs. John Lennon, and the co-producers of the film John and Yoko, Give Peace A Song, Paul McGrath and Alan Lysaght. Lennon's voice is heard in clips from both films and in his songs including, Give Peace A Chance, Happy Xmas (War Is Over), Power To The People, Revolution, and Imagine. Hosted by Paul Ingles.
2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the Dalai Lama's exile from Tibet. On this program, Suzanne Kryder talks with Tibetan scholar Dr. Robert Thurman, author of the book Why The Dalai Lama Matters: His Act of Truth as the Solution for China, Tibet and the World. Also featured is Pico Iyer, author of The Open Road: The Global Journey of the 14th Dalai Lama. Listeners will also hear excerpts from the Dalai Lama's 2008 appearance at Seattle's Seeds of Compassion Conference. This program explores how the Dalai Lama's life and story might inspire our own search for personal and global peace. It also examines the Dalai Lama's proposal to settle the long-running conflict with China over Tibet.
Peace Talks Radio, the series on peacemaking and nonviolent conflict resolution, explores the peace message in the hugely popular original 1960's TV series - STAR TREK. A new Star Trek movie was released in May 2009 that revisits the stories of Capt. Kirk, Spock, Bones and the characters from the original series. This episode ot Peace Talks Radio notes how many stories in the original series thoughtfully explored the themes of war and peace, tolerance, friendship and compassion. When originally released in the turbulent late 1960's, Star Trek stories tackled complex issues that mirrored both the Cold War, the Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights Struggle. Host Paul Ingles talks with Dr. Judith Barad, author of The Ethics of Star Trek and David Gerrold, author of The World of Star Trek and the popular episode "The Trouble With Tribbles." Also, Nichelle Nichols, the actress who played Lt. Uhura, the communications officer, in the original series.
In this two-part program, Peace Talks Radio salutes "Peacemaking Elders"- people who, well into their eighties, are still working for peace. Our guests in Part One are Juanita Nelson and Ruth Imber.
Juanita and Wally Nelson were among the first to take the step of refusing to pay taxes to the government because they did not want their tax dollars to go to military spending. Starting in 1948, they lived simply below the taxable income line and were active in civil rights and social justice movements. Wally Nelson died in 2002 at the age of 93. Juanita Nelson, now 85, continues on her own, living in the house she and Wally Nelson built together from salvaged material. She has no electricity, no plumbing, and grows her own food on a small tract of land in western Massachusetts. Juanita Nelson is one of our guests.
Ruth Imber, 83, is a fixture in the peace and justice community in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She's a poet, writer and singing member of the "Raging Grannies." Carol Boss hosts the conversation with these two inspiring women.
Our Part Two guest is Dr. Bernard Lown, who co-founded International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) and Physicians for Social Responsibility. In 1985, despite active opposition from the U.S. government and NATO, he and a Soviet cardiologist colleague, Evgeni Chazov, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of IPPNW. Now 87, Lown has written Prescription for Suvival: A Doctor's Journey to End Nuclear Madness. He talks with Peace Talks Radio producer Paul Ingles.
January 20, 2009, newly inaugurated United States President Barack Obama declared a new era for American leadership in promoting peace on the planet, but how likely is it that he'll play the role of peacemaker as president? During the campaign, he pointed to his early opposition to the war in Iraq, while talking tough on other international fronts. While he's said it's important for the U.S. to talk to its enemies, he's appointed a Secretary of State in Hillary Clinton who challenged him on that philosophy during the primary campaign. What in Obama's background suggests that he would be an effective diplomat to bring warring factions together internationally or in Congress over key domestic issues? On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, host Carol Boss and our guests will explore Barack Obama’s potential as a peacemaker in global and domestic affairs.
Guests include David Mendell, author of the best-selling book Obama: From Promise To Power. As a former reporter for the Chicago Tribune, Mendell covered Obama’s rise through politics and offers a close-up view of the man’s conflict resolution skill set and history. Also on the program, Dr. Joseph Gerson, Ph.D., author and director of Programs of the American Friends Service Committee in New England. Finally, excerpts from a human rights conference put on by the Carter Center in Atlanta December of 2008. The aim of the two-day conference was to draw up a list of recommendations for the new president related to the struggle for human rights around the world. We’ll hear from Former President Jimmy Carter and others, and talk with Karin Ryan, director of the Carter Center's Human Rights Program, who organized and moderated the conference.
A popular program for the holiday season, Seeking Peace on Earth: The Peace Talks Radio Special reminds listeners that there ARE people who are actually pursuing peace and offering ideas how to reduce conflict in our lives. The program is a compendium of compelling moments from recent episodes of Peace Talks Radio, the series on peacemaking and nonviolent conflict resolution. On this show. listeners will hear from recent guests who talked about the connection between climate change and peace, making peace with money, video game violence, creative street peace actions, the neuroscience of compassion, JFK's turn towards peace, and showing compassion to animals. The full episodes, from which these excerpts were taken, can be heard at www.peacetalksradio.com.
In an in-depth conversation, James Douglass, author of "JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters", spells out his theory that the 35th President was the victim of a murder conspiracy and that he died because of his peacemaking policies. He tracks Kennedy's transformation from a hawkish anti-Communist to someone who helped save the world from nuclear war by establishing back-channel conversations with Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev.
Listeners will also hear much of Kennedy's 1963 speech at American University during which he laid out his vision for world peace, less than 6 months before his murder.
Paul Ingles hosts.
Whenever election season rolls around, conflict between political camps really heats up. Differences over whom to support can even put friends and family members at odds with each other. Undecided voters may authentically be at odds with themselves. And it's often those undecided voters who swing close elections. In the month's leading up to election day, each candidate's campaign workers are trying their best to bring those conflicted voters their way, maybe even change the minds of some voters, whose support for a candidate might be soft.
On this edition of PEACE TALKS RADIO, some insight into that mind-changing process that targets the undecided or conflicted voter. Host Suzanne Kryder talks with two people who have written extensively on changing minds, and a political media specialist whose job it is to change some minds. Guests include political media strategist Rachel Gorlin, also Howard Gardner, Harvard professor and author of the book Changing Minds, and Dave Straker, author of the website, changingminds.org and the book, Changing Minds: In Detail.
On a recent episode of our program, we explored the debate over violence in video games and asked what impact violent video gaming might have on our notions of conflict resolution and on levels of aggression in society. Some say it's a significant problem, that effects are real and anti social, and that violent video games should be more tightly regulated. Others think the concern over the negative effects of violence in video games is overstated and that the games have problem-solving and role-playing benefits for players.
This time on Peace Talks Radio, we talk with the co-creator of a video game, called A Force More Powerful, that is explicitly about nonviolence. To win this game, you have to craft a strategy against an opressor that will bring about change without resorting to violence. Our guest, the game's co-creator, Ivan Marovic, has some first-hand experience at this. He was one of the founders of the Serb student resistance movement that helped remove Serbian president Slobodon Milosovic from power in 2000, without violence. He has since been active with the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, which helps human rights activists around the world organize pro-democracy movements and overcome repressive governments, nonviolently. Paul Ingles hosts.
Almost 3 out of 4 Americans consider it a worthy goal to do something to temper the violence in our media, yet violent movies, television and video games are extremely popular. Do violent games, like the recently updated Grand Theft Auto series, along with other violent entertainment, chip away at our sensitivities about violence and impact our notions about conflict resolution?
This time on Peace Talks Radio, the video game violence debate. And it is a debate. While no one is FOR letting very young kids play the most violent games, there ARE authors and academics who defend the presence of violence in the games rated for adults, and question the strength of the research studies that suggest that exposure to violent entertainment correlates with aggression and desensitization toward violence. On the other side, there are those who decry the violence, believe the negative effects research to be true and call for tighter restrictions on violent game sales and content. We hear both sides of the conversation on this program.
Guests: Bob McCannon, a media scholar, educator and media reform activist, co-founder and co-president of the Action Coalition for Media Education; Arizona State University Education Professor James Paul Gee, author of "Why Video Games Are Good for Your Soul"; Dmitri Williams, Assistant Professor in the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. Paul Ingles, Host.
By awarding the prize to Gore and the IPCC, the Nobel committee seemed interested in promoting the link between climate change and the threat to peace. Could the unchecked effects of climate change lead to conflicts and civil war within nations, or war between nations? Could a collective effort to save the planet from the harmful consequences of climate change actually promote peaceful cooperation within and between nations?
We talk with two scholars who have studied the possible links between climate change and conflict. First we visit with Dan Smith, Secretary General of International-Alert, an independent peace building organization that works in over 20 countries to promote lasting peace and security in communities affected by violent conflict. He’s the author of the report “A Climate of Conflict: The Links Between Climate Change, Peace and War." Later in the program we hear from Dr. Thomas Homer-Dixon (Ph.D.) He's written extensively on the links between environmental stress and security. He oversees the Peace and Conflict Studies Department at the University of Toronto.
"Our argument is not to say that climate change will cause conflict, but to say that climate change, interacting with other factors – other weaknesses, if you like – in the political, social, economic makeup of a country – can, seriously, increase the risk of armed conflict."
~ Dan Smith, International-Alert, author of A Climate of Conflict: The Links Between Climate Change, Peace and War
Host Suzanne Kryder talks with Lynne Twist, author of The Soul of Money: Transforming Your Relationship With Money and Life and financial advisor and author Brent Kessel who wrote It's Not About The Money: Unlock your Money Type to Achieve Spiritual and Financial Abundance.
Lynne Twist has had a long career as a global activist, fundraiser, speaker, and mentor. She works to end world hunger, empower women, nurture children and youth, promote economic integrity and spiritual authenticity, and preserve the earth's natural heritage through the Hunger Project, Pachamama Alliance, Institute of Noetic Sciences, and State of the World Forum. She has raised hundreds of millions of dollars and trained thousands of fundraisers to be more effective in their work.
In the second part of our program, we talk with Brent Kessel, one of the top 250 financial advisors in the U.S. according to Worth Magazine. If you go to his website www.Brent Kessel.com, you can take a quiz to determine your money type. There are eight types. Most people are mixtures of each but once Brent finds out which types you are, he can help you understand your relationship with money and address any conflict you might have over it. Kessel has also studied meditation with many of the worlds' most revered teachers.
In his more recent public appearances, Tibetan Leader, the Dalai Lama, has been targeting his peace and compassion message to young people. To him, teaching compassion and peace to our young is the best hope for peace in the future. A look at efforts to teach peace in the schools, this time on Peace Talks Radio.
First, a visit with Azim Khamisa, director of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, a non-profit organization that takes programs on nonviolence and forgiveness into schools. The foundation memorializes Mr. Khamisa's son Tariq, who was delivering pizzas in San Diego in January 1995 when he was shot and killed by a 14-year-old gang member who had been challenged to prove himself to his gang by firing a gun into Tariq's car. Mr. Khamisa joined with Ples Felix, the grandfather and guardian of the shooter, to create the foundation and develop the school programs.
Also on the program, a journalist-turned-teacher who has been on a one man crusade to bring peace curriculum to schools in the Washington, DC area. From 1969 to 1997, Colman McCarthy wrote columns for the Washington Post. In his years as a columnist and journalist, he had the opportunity to interview Nobel Peace Prize winners and other figures that, he says, inspired him, in 1982, to begin teaching courses courses on nonviolence and the literature of peace in high schools and universities in the DC area. In 25 years, he has taught more than 7,000 students in his classes. McCarthy has edited two books for use in Peace Studies classes and in 1985, he founded the Center for Teaching Peace, a nonprofit that helps schools begin or expand academic programs in Peace Studies.
Finally we go to Seattle, Washington where teacher Lori Markowitz manages an organization called "Bridges To Understanding." She oversees programs in some Seattle schools that promote global understanding and compassion to students. "Bridges to Understanding" has Seattle school kids connecting with kids in Thailand or South Africa, swapping stories and pictures over the internet. Some get to connect live and in person when they visit the U.S. We talked with both Lori Markowitz and Teleia Thurman, a student who participated in one of the programs. Our host is Carol Boss.
"Kids are our future leaders. If we can teach them, now, that from conflict you create your brother or sister, you create love and unity - if you apply the principles of nonviolent peace making and forgiveness - maybe,someday, we'll have world peace."
-Azim Khamisa, Founder of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation
"Each of us in our hearts, is yearning for peace. All governments claim they want peace. So, I began to wonder. If that's the case, why aren't we teaching ourselves how to go about it? I wanted to see if that could be taught, whether it could be learned and whether students would be receptive to it."
Listeners will hear about three Nobel Peace Laureates. The peacemaking diplomacy of 1950 Peace Prize winner Ralph Bunche is recalled. 1997 Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams talks about her campaign to ban landmines and speaks of personal repsonsibility in peacemaking. The microcredit work of 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus is explored.
Also, a remarkable story of forgiveness leads to a program for teaching nonviolence in schools, author Byron Katie talks about the search for inner peace, young people of disparate faiths work together on community projects, and 9/11 Families turn their grief into action for peace.
With election cycles in constant motion, this time on Peace Talks Radio, we offer a conversation about the possible impact of electing mediators to public office. We'll talk with Dr. Dan Dana, a mediator and former candidate for the US House of Representatives in Kansas. After his failed, non-adversarial bid for office, Dan created the "Elect Mediators to Public Office" project. He believes that having more mediators in public office who use a non-adversarial approach to conflict resolution would result in better political processes and better government. Of the total U.S. work force, only 6 percent are lawyers. Yet 45 percent of the members of Congress are lawyers. Would more mediators in public office change political discourse? We'll talk with other mediators who have run for public office to learn how they hope to change public service including Texas Representative Henry Cuellar, 2006 Texas U.S. Senate candidate Barbara Ann Rodnofsky, and former mayor of Manzanita, Oregon, Hugh McIssac. Suzanne Kryder is host.
This time, what is religious tolerance and how can it be promoted? Many of the world’s religions believe they are the one true faith, and they encourage members to convert others to their faith. How, then, do people from different faiths find common ground and make peace? Our guests will discuss the definitions and limits of religious tolerance. Should we tolerate all religions, even those whose members are intolerant of other faiths? What steps can we take to make peace with people of other spiritual beliefs and non-beliefs? Is there anything we can learn from someone who believes differently from us? Suzanne Kryder hosts the discussion which includes Dr. Eboo Patel, executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core, headquartered in Chicago.
This time, we check in with "9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows," an organization founded by family members of those killed on September 11th who have united to turn their grief into action for peace. By developing and advocating nonviolent options and actions in the pursuit of justice, the organization hopes to break the cycles of violence engendered by war and terrorism. By acknowledging their common experience with all people affected by violence throughout the world, these survivors of tragedy work to create a safer and more peaceful world for everyone. Carol Boss will hosts a discussion with Terry Rockefeller, Bruce Wallace and Anne Mulderry, all members of "9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows." All lost loved ones on that fateful day.
This time on Peace Talks Radio, Nonviolent Communication (NVC) with Marshall Rosenberg. NVC is a verbal technology for exchanging information and resolving differences peacefully. Marshall Rosenberg, who founded the NVC technique, is captured before a live Albuquerque audience talking about how this communication style helps to resolve conflict. He also helps members of the studio audience develop solutions to conflict scenarios using the principles of Nonviolent Communication. Co hosts: Paul Ingles and Suzanne Kryder.
The program was taped at the First Church of Religious Science Auditorium on February 7, 2005.
Taken Too Soon: The Cost of War is produced by Paul Ingles, who runs a non-profit media organization called Good Radio Shows, Inc. The program features some of the names and circumstances of the deaths of coalition forces, Iraqi and Afghan civilians, contractors and journalists killed since the fighting began in Afghanistan in October of 2001 and continuing up to the present day.
"I don't think there's been a program like this that has acknowledged the loss of life among civilians, contractors and journalists along side of military casualties," says Ingles. "I just felt it was important that people marking Memorial Day in the U.S. take a moment to contemplate a roll call that goes beyond just our own country's loss. All most Americans have heard is that 15, 8, 30 Iraqis died in a certain incident on a given day. These people had names and families just like the men and women of our armed forces. It seems appropriate to me to read some of their names."
The hour long program will contain about 135 names meant to represent the various casualty constituencies. A soldier from each state in the U.S. is included. Ingles used Defense Department information for the names of coalition casualties. Civilian, contractor and journalist names were drawn from press reports and websites devoted to tracking those deaths.
Ingles put an email call out to members of the Association of Independents in Radio asking for volunteers to help voice the special. Within a few days, he'd heard back from nearly 40 producers who said they'd be willing to voice a couple of minutes of names for the program.
"Since the program will consist primarily of a list of names, I thought it would sound better to have a variety of voices involved," adds Ingles. "Also I think it will create a sense of how we all are impacted by this loss of life."
Ingles estimates that the hour long program will contain about 135 names meant to represent the various casualty constituencies. "Sadly," says Ingles, "a complete reading of names at this pace, even with conservative estimates of civilian deaths, would require about 400 hours."
(Porgram produced in May 2006)
Peace Talks Radio, the series on peacemaking and nonviolent conflict resolution returns this time to maybe the most challenging conflict terrain of all, our inner selves. How can we calm the turmoil within ourselves about who we are, how we are and how we relate to the rest of the world? On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, a conversation with a woman who offers one approach. Her name is Byron Katie who, in the mid 1980's, says she was in deep personal chaos trying to manage her life as a business woman and mother living in Southern California. More than miserable, she says she was deeply depressed, fearful, suicidal and living in a halfway house, unable to manage on her own.
Some 20 years later, the woman everyone calls Katie has written three best-selling books "Loving What Is,""I Need Your Love - Is That True?", and "A Thousand Names for Joy" co-written with her husband Stephen Mitchell. As the book titles suggest, Byron Katie found a way of dealing with her stress that turned her life around. She says, on a specific 1986 morning in that halfway house, she experienced what she called a falling away of self that led to an inner freedom. She insists anyone can achieve it utilizing a method of personal inquiry she's crafted that she calls, The Work.
"I realized that when I believed my thoughts, I suffered," says Katie. "But when I didn't believe my thoughts, I didn't suffer. And I've come to see that this is true for every human being."
In our program, host Suzanne Kryder interviews Byron Katie about The Work, and we hear both her and her husband Stephen Mitchell recorded before a standing room only crowd in a Santa Fe auditorium.
INFO: This time on Peace Talks, our host Carol Boss, talks with two former prison inmates who grew up in substance abusing families. Both began using at the age of 11 and progressed from alcohol to marijuana to cocaine to meth. We used first names only. Our first guest is Chris, who is now clean and about to start work as a matre dei in an Albuquerque restaurant. He was released from prison April 2006 after serving a 15 month sentence. Our second guest is Alisha who, like Chris, grew up in a home with drugs and alcohol. She started using at the age of 11. At 21, she was convicted of attempted first degree murder. She served a 5 year prison sentence, and is out now rearranging her life. She works at a Village Inn restaurant in Albuquerque and is back in college studying business communications. She has two young daughters who live with grandparents out of state.
In this Peace Talks Radio Episode, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mairead Maguire recalls her peace work and talks with host Carol Boss about how the principles of nonviolence can be applied to conflicts around the world and in daily life.
Info: Mairead Corrigan Maguire founded the Community of the Peace People in 1976 in war-torn Northern Ireland along with Betty Williams and Ciaran McKeown. Mairead was the aunt of the three Maguire children who were hit by a runaway car after its driver was shot by a soldier. The deaths prompted a series of marches throughout Northern Ireland and further afield, all demanding an end to the violence plaguing her country at the time. Mairead and Betty went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976.
Even if you only work the American average of 40 hours a week, that still means that almost 40% of your waking hours are spent at work. And we all know that workplaces can become workshops in conflict resolution. It's not always easy to get along with your boss, your fellow employees, your customers. Conflicts of all kinds can surface and frankly, a lot of us do our best to steer around them for as long as possible rather than face them head on. Suzanne Kryder, the original host of this program, Peace Talks, has been a leadership coach and trainer for many years and lately she's been focusing her attention on helping people stop putting off those dreaded conversations at work, make peace, and be more productive and happy in the workplace. She talked over the problem and potential solutions recently with Peace Talks host Carol Boss and some callers facing communication challenges at work.
A conversational profile of Ralph Bunche - a sometimes overlooked African-American who excelled in the world of diplomacy.
INFO: In the middle part of the 20th century, if there was a news story about a peacemaking mission around the globe, chances are it contained the name of African-American diplomat Ralph Bunche. A scholar of world affairs and race relations, Bunche was recruited from academia first into the U.S. State Department, then into the fledgling United Nations. He stepped boldly onto the world stage as a peace negotiator and advocate for the liberation of peoples of color from colonial rule. Along the way, he was targeted and cleared of communist allegations, criticized as a pawn of the white establishment, and ultimately heralded as a role model for all in human relations.
Today on Peace Talks, a profile in peace featuring Ralph Bunche. We'll highlight just a few chapters from this remarkable life, and try to take away some lessons about peacemaking as we talk with Bunche's UN colleague and biographer Sir Brian Urquhart, William Greaves, a filmmaker who produced a PBS documentary on Bunche, Tonya Covington, a diversity trainer inspired by Bunche, and with Ralph Bunche Jr., son of the late Ralph Bunche.
Compelling moments from the 2006 season of Peace Talks Radio episodes.
Info:
Listeners will hear
-nonviolent communication expert Marshall Rosenberg;
-Arun Gandhi, Mohandas K. Gandhi's grandson;
-1976 Nobel Prize Laureate Mairead Maguire;
-plus highlights from programs on peaceful parenting, the Peace Corps, workplace peacemaking, prison inmates finding their own peace and more.
Compelling moments from the 2003 season of Peace Talks Radio episodes.
Info:
Seeking Peace on Earth: The PEACE TALKS 2003 Special, is a collection of some of the most compelling segments from the monthly series PEACE TALKS, broadcast on public radio KUNM, in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the year 2003.
Host Suzanne Kryder talks with people whose life's work is to resolve conflict peacefully in a variety of environments. Listeners will hear:
-tips on raising children who are skilled in handling conflict and their emotions,
-techniques that mediators use to help kids through those tough middle school years,
-ways to develop inner peace in especially troubling times,
-how language can transform a potential conflict into a resolution,
-ideas for handling conflict in the workplace,
-thoughts on improving race relations.
Compelling moments from the 2004 season of Peace Talks Radio episodes.
PEACE TALKS: Making Peace Day To Day, is a 59 minute collection of some of the most compelling segments from the monthly series PEACE TALKS, broadcast on public radio KUNM, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Hosts Suzanne Kryder and Paul Ingles talk with people whose life's work is to resolve conflict peacefully in a variety of environments. Listeners will hear:
-tips on how to find a primary relationship that has less conflict and how to handle conflict when it arises,
-techniques for customer service reps to use to cool off angry customers,
-thoughts from two individuals who took their concern for peace to the heart of global conflicts - Iraq and North Korea,
-an analysis of how modern media might change to promote and reflect a more peaceful world,
-ideas for handling schoolyard bullies,
-a powerful story of forgiveness involving two fathers, one whose son killed the other's son. They are working together to improve the conditions for youth in their community,
- a discussion about how to bring civility back to our political discourse. _____
Compelling moments from the 2005 season of Peace Talks Radio episodes.
Info:
Listeners will hear from:
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Yolanda King, daughter of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., talking about the nonviolent legacy of her father.
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Princeton University Professor Dr. Zia Mian on nuclear disarmament issues.
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Parenting expert Ruth Beaglehole on how to raise children without resorting to physical or emotional violence.
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Musician Steve Earle about his campaign to abolish the death penalty.
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Mel Duncan, executive director of the Nonviolent Peaceforce at work in Sri Lanka.
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Oren Lyons and John Mohawk on American Indian peacemaking traditions (this segment covered by stations running a newscast).
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Teenage girls from all sides of the conflict in the Middle East talking about their fears and hopes at a summer Peace Camp.
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And a bonus interview with President Jimmy Carter recorded in 2002.