Upstream Radio 7-8pm Thursdays

Tonight on the show we have Kayla Washington, a student at Eastside High; Raymundo Pena, a student at Lanier High School; and Maxey Elliott, the Program Co-coordinator with Urban Roots. Urban Roots is a program run through Youth Launch that empowers high school students through local organic farming. Kayla and Raymundo will share how Urban Roots has affected them by teaching them about teamwork, leadership, and the value of local food. Maxey is here for his THIRD YEAR in a row (wow!) to talk about the power of the program on students and the local community, and about the upcoming eat local week, which will benefit the Urban Roots program.

To learn more about Eat Local week, benefitting Urban Roots, visit www.edibleaustin.com

To listen the show, click here:Urban Roots on Upstream

Tonight on the show we have Dr. Robert Hummer. Dr. Hummer is the chair of the Department of Sociology here at UT. We’ve asked him on the show to talk to us about how academics and social justice intersect. We’ll be discussing Dr. Hummer’s research on health disparities in the United States across racial and ethnic groups, and how that research can be part of changing these realities on a national level. We’ll also be getting a little more abstract and discussing how research currently and historically plays a role in social change at levels that many people do not often include in their definitions of action.

To listen to the show: Robert Hummer on Upstream

Tonight on Upstream we are welcoming recently hitched Dr. Ew Keul on the show.  Dr. Ew is not only a local hero, D.J., and master barista he has spent some time researching how soul music played a role in the civil rights movement.  While walking us through understanding the different ways music impacted this social movement, he is also going to raid his record collection and play some songs off their original vinyl tracks!

James Brown said it best… “The word soul…meant a lot of things- in music and out.  It was about the roots of black music and it was kind of a pride thing, too…being proud of yourself and proud of your people.  Soul music and the civil rights movement went hand in hand, sort of grew up together.”

To hear the show: Nov 12 Show Music and Civil Rights

Read this!

Listen in and Speak Loudly!

Tonight on the show we have Richard Troxell from the Universal Living Wage Campaign. ULW cares that ALL workers are able to afford housing. 42% of America’s homeless work every week. However, these same workers are part of the 10.1 million in our country who make minimum wage. Even by the government’s own standards of what wages should afford for workers, minimum wage is not enough to support millions of Americans. Richard will be discussing the issue with us and the work that ULW and its allies have undertaken to make the minimum wage in the United States sufficient to afford housing, food, and the basic needs of every family.

To listen to the show: 10/29 Universal Living Wage

Tonight on the show we have Jennifer Margulies from the Texas Council on Family Violence and Narissa Adams from SafePlace. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and these women are here to educate listeners about domestic violence, services available in the Austin area, and events occurring around town in support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

To hear the show, follow this link: DVAMUpstream

For more information, visit www.tcfv.org and www.safeplace.org.

Tonight we talked with Roger Moreno and Desiree Ledet from the DiscoverHope Fund. DiscoverHope Fund provides microloans (usually around $100) to women living in poverty in Peru. These funds are used to start micro-enterprise businesses which the recipients start themselves. In fall 2007, DHF began a strategic partnership with AFIDER, matching AFIDER’s cultural knowledge and experience in local microcredit with women with DHF’s knowledge of microcredit and development and desire to fund village banking projects in Cajamarca. We spoke with Roger and Desiree about how DiscoverHope offers Peruvian women the opportunity to experience a higher standard of living. DiscoverHope is hosting a party and silent auction on November 12th to benefit their clients. More info on this event is available at http://www.lendhope.org, and if listeners use the discount code “kvrx” when buying your tickets than they will receive a discount!

This week on Upstream we have Randy Matthison and Cody Pruitt, two teachers from Manor High School. Randy and Cody have been working to help high school students find their voices through creative school programs such as open mike nights. We will be discussing the United States educational system and how education can be used as a vehicle for social justice.

Randy and Cody outside the booth

Listen to a recording of this show by clicking the following link:

Tonight on the show we have Lindsay with the Garden Posse of Austin. The Garden Posse of Austin is a guerrilla gardening group in Austin, TX whose mission is to transform neglected urban space into lush and productive gardens with the help of their young, like-minded volunteers who share a love of gardening, fun, local food networks, and sustainable land use.

Joining Lindsay will be Eva from Stem and Leaf, Charity with Skillshare Austin. These organizations are throwing a benefit this Sunday 1:00-8:00 at the US Art Authority.

On Sunday, September 27, Stem & Leaf Showcases is happy to be hosting The Garden Posse of Austin Benefit Show at The United States Art Authority from 1:00 - 8:00PM. Included with the $5.00 suggested donation, attendees will receive a raffle ticket. The winner of the raffle will receive their very own garden; project management, planning, labor and supplies provided by The Garden Posse of Austin.

Also involved will be Skillshare Austin, raffling off their handmade Chicken Tractor and Quilombo, a community garden on the East Side, will be selling vegetable transplants for cheap!

To learn more about these organizations, you can check out their websites!

http://gardenposse.blogspot.com/

http://www.skillshareaustin.org/

http://www.myspace.com/stemandleafrecords

www.quilombogardens.org

Tonight we spoke with Nathalie Sorrell and Carol Waid, co-founders and directors of the Truth Be Told organization. Truth Be Told is a non-profit service organization that provides support to women who are or have been incarcirated. Its staff and volunteers facilitate programs within the prison system to develop skills with clients such as artisticness and public speaking. In addition, Truth Be Told provides support for inmates transitioning out of prison and former inmates who have been involved in the program before. Through these programs, Truth Be Told fosters a deeper sense of personal responsibility in its clients, helping them face the truth of their pasts and embrace the hope of their futures. You can find out more about Truth Be Told at http://www.truth-be-told.org/

You can listen to this awesome show by clicking the following link: TruthBeTold9-17-09

“Child trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world. UNICEF values the global market of child trafficking at over $12 billion a year with over 1.2 million child victims.” (sctn.org)

This Thursday (Sept. 10) we will have a representative from the Stop Child Trafficking Now! organization on Upstream to talk with us about the issue of Child Trafficking and about the important work that they do to combat the sex trade industry.  One of the coolest parts of the SCTN’s strategy is their military trained operative unit working side by side with law enforcement to stop the demand for child trafficking. You can hear more about this by listening to a recording of our show below!   They will also be promoting their upcoming Community Walk, which will be September 26, 2009.  It is a great opportunity for listeners to get involved in raising awareness about this social justice issue as well as donate to the SCTN organization’s vital efforts.  So, listen in and SPEAK LOUDLY!

A BIG THANKS to our guests, Natalie and Nikki, Community Ambassadors for the Stop Child Trafficking Now Austin-Chapter.  Get involved with their Austin Community Walk, September 26, 2009 at the Triangle.

Visit STOP CHILD TRAFFICKING NOW at:  www.sctn.org 

Listen to a recording of this show:  SCTN 9-10-09