12:00 PM Pacific Time: Mondays - Wednesdays
Acclaimed program of ideas, in-depth analysis, and commentary on a variety of matters—political, economic, social, and cultural—important to progressive and radical thinking and activism. Against the Grain is produced and hosted by Sasha Lilley.
Democracy is one of the most contradictory terms in political discourse today. On the one hand, it evokes rule by the people. On of the other, it’s used relentlessly by elites to mask where power truly resides in our society. Is it still a word worth fighting for? That’s one of the questions posed by … Continued
A discussion about “Man’s Search for Meaning,” Viktor Frankl’s classic exploration of psychology, philosophy, and the meaning of life.
“Power to Heal” is a documentary film that examine racial health care disparities in the U.S.
According to the spiritual explorer and teacher Ram Dass, we are far too busy being somebody.
As the climate emergency increases in urgency, what can we do, as individuals and collectively, to force action when politicians won’t act? We present highlights from a recent KPFA event featuring the writer Jonathan Safran Foer and chef and food writer Samin Nosrat, where they weighed in on climate change, denial, and our food system.
In what ways do media-propagated ideals of beauty affect women and girls? Whose interests do such ideals serve? Meeta Rani Jha draws from the ideas of second- and third-wave feminism in her examination of the beauty pageant phenomenon; hair-straightening and other appearance-changing practices; and antiracist challenges to the dominant white beauty standard. Also: Angela Davis … Continued
While inaction seems to be the order of the day, at some point those in power may take measures against global warming—and the ecological and social effects of those measures may be alarming. What should the left advocate and struggle for? Environmental historian Troy Vettese discusses the idea of rewilding half the earth by replacing … Continued
Puerto Ricans in New York City already numbered in the tens of thousands by 1930. As Lorrin Thomas indicates, the fact that they were U.S. citizens did not shield them from discrimination and harassment. Thomas describes how, over the course of the twentieth century, young Puerto Ricans came to assert a new political consciousness and … Continued
The experience of trans people has burst into the mainstream in the last decade, although the struggles of gender variant people are nothing new. Jack Halberstam talks about the politics of categorization, generational differences, radical vs. single-issue politics, and anti-trans feminism. Resources: Jack Halberstam, Trans* A Quick and Quirky Account of Gender Variability UC Press, … Continued
