In this week's Stir It Up, Joshua Shurley speaks with Aaron Foster, the program coordinator for Advance Peace, a community-based organization that aims to reduce urban gun violence by engaging the young people at the center of firearm hostilities and providing them with transformational opportunities to avoid conflict.  
Advance Peace works with both public and community-based stakeholders to establish responsive community-driven strategies that achieve high-impact outcomes for those caught in the cycle of urban gun violence.
Despite acknowledging the fact that this intervention works, Fresno City leaders have continued to oppose these efforts on ideological grounds, and continue to marginalize, defund, and delegitimize Advance Peace at every turn.

Stir It Up - July 12 2022

In this episode of Stir It Up, Joshua Shurley speaks with Nayamin Martinez, the executive director of the Central California Environmental Justice Network (CCEJN). They discuss the local work of CCEJN and its mission to empower our communities and secure our children’s future by eliminating negative environmental impacts in low income and communities of color in the Central Valley.

Stir It Up - May 11, 2022

This week, Joshua Shurley is speaking with peace activist Susan Schnall, president of Veterans For Peace (VFP), a global organization of military veterans seeking to raise awareness of the true costs of war and dedicated to building peace. On the cusp of Veterans Day, the pair discuss VFP's campaign to "Reclaim Armistice Day," as the original intent of the November 11 commemoration was a day of peace. They also cover some of incredible work Susan has been involved in, from the GI Resistance Movement during the American War in Vietnam, to advocating for the victims of Agent Orange in that conflict, to heading up Veterans For Peace.

Stir It Up - November 9, 2022

As we wrap up 2023 and enter the third month of the brutal Israeli military onslaught against Palestinians, Josh is joined this week by longtime activist and faith leader, Hajj Reza Nekumanesh. They discuss how events in the Middle East connect with us here at home, from recent flag raising ceremonies and responses by local leaders to the language and tactics used to suppress the voices of marginalized communities among us.

Stir It Up - Dec 13, 2023

In this first episode of 2024 (and in advance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday), Josh Shurley talks with advocate and organizer Marcel Woodruff. Marcel is the director of the Community Justice Network and a program strategist for Advance Peace in Fresno. Their discussion focuses on alternatives to traditional carceral models of "criminal justice," the importance of "decolonizing" the approaches currently favored by the status quo, as well as how we bring about narratives that increase mutual trust and build community.

Stir It Up - Jan 10, 2024

This week, Josh Shurley talks with indigenous community organizer Roman Raintree about the upcoming primary elections and Fresno County's Measure B, involving efforts by the county board of supervisors to retain offensive names, as well as issues facing local American Indian folks. Fresno County contains the largest number of indigenous groups still lacking federal acknowledgement.

Stir It Up - Feb 14, 2024

This week, Josh speaks with housing advocate and activist Shar Thompson, Central Valley Regional Coordinator with Tenants Together. They discuss the work of Tenants Together, a statewide coalition of tenant organizations building the capacity of local tenant groups, connecting organizations in a statewide movement, and collectively advocating for statewide policy change. Shar elaborates on what work is being done to address the root causes of housing insecurity across California, and why this is so important.

Stir It Up - April 10, 2024

This week, host Josh Shurley talks with Jesse Nevel of the Uhuru Three, and the current Chair of the Uhuru Solidarity Movement, which is an anti-colonial organization working under the leadership of the African People’s Socialist Party that seeks reparations, African liberation, self-determination and national liberation. They discuss the ongoing persecution and prosecution of a trio of movement leaders known as the “Uhuru Three” by the federal government on a set of bogus charges, as well as the larger implications of this case on free speech and mass movement organizing in US society.

Stir It Up - June 12, 2024

In this episode, Josh talks with public interest Bob McCloskey about the recent spike in hate crimes in the Central Valley, and how this fits in with larger national and global trends. There are direct through-lines between local government's complicity in hate crimes and national government complicity in genocide. From Palestinians to the LGBTQ community, none of us are free until we are all free. The lesson, as Bob reminds us, is to continue to "think globally, act locally."

Stir It Up - July 10, 2024

In our August episode, Josh sits down with Aline Reed, longtime social justice activist and board president of the Fresno Freedom School. They delve into Aline’s personal journey and the motivations behind her advocacy work. The conversation highlights the Fresno Freedom School's mission to equip Valley youth with practical skills. Aline also explores how community organizing ties into the broader movement against systemic injustice both nationally and globally.

Stir It Up - Aug 14, 2024

This week, Josh Shurley talks with guest Will Hopkins for a special 9/11 episode. WIll Hopkins is the former executive director of New Hampshire Peace Action, a former combat infantryman and Iraq War veteran, and an organizer with Veterans For Peace Chapter 62. The two will discuss the legacy of  9/11 and what lessons could be applied to better understand the escalatory nature of current foreign policy dynamics, and the role of grassroots activism in countering the power of rampant militarism.

Stir It Up - Sep 11, 2024

In advance of Indigenous People's Day (formerly known as Columbus Day), Josh speaks with Wahinkpe Topa ("Four Arrows"), aka Don Trent Jacobs, professor and writer known for his work in cognitive anthropology about the importance of indigenous worldview. Four Arrows expands on the concept and his current Indigenous Worldview Project, along with its applications for education, sustainability, wellness and counter-hegemonic justice.

Stir It Up - Oct 9, 2024

This week (while the COP29 global climate talks are underway in Azerbaijan), Josh Shurley talks with Janet Weil of the Climate Crisis and Militarism Project (CCMP), a national project of Veterans For Peace.  The two discuss the often poorly understood linkages between global greenhouse gas emissions (which are fueling the climate disaster) and rampant US militarism. American aircraft, ships, and equipment consume massive amounts of fossil fuels in addition to the toxins released when ordinance is exploded and soil and water contaminated as a result of US-funded wars around the globe. The public must be mobilized to push the Pentagon to report and reduce its enormous greenhouse gas emissions, and to push Congress to redirect tax dollars to respond to the existential threat of climate change. The future of our children and grandchildren depend on it. 

Stir It Up - Nov 13, 2024

In this final episode of the Center for Nonviolence's radio program for 2024, Josh Shurley sits down with Zeina Rose, a Jordanian-Palestinian American who is a Director of Special Education for local preschools in the valley and a writer. They discuss the ongoing genocide in Occupied Palestine and the parallels to what occurs here in the Central Valley to marginalized communities, as well as the outlook for the coming year considering the incoming Trump administration amidst a wave of support for Palestinian justice worldwide and locally. 


Stir It Up - Dec 11, 2024

In this first episode of 2025, Josh Shurley talks with activists and Fresno City College students Arion Grajeda, Melody Martinez, and David Mendez about the work of their organization, MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán; "Chicano Student Movement of Aztlán"). These students represent the new face of MEChA, and discus the ways in which their advocacy for social, racial, and economic justice intersects with other causes--most notably the mass student movement in support of Palestinian liberation in the face of imperialism and genocide. 

Stir It Up - Jan 8, 2025

In this second Wednesday episode, Josh speaks with Fresno activist Stan Santos, co-chair of Raza Against War. They discuss recent developments regarding the Trump administration, the ongoing genocide in Palestine, the campaign of terror against migrant communities via mass deportation, and how all of these things are connected (and what we all must do to resist!).

Stir It Up - Feb 12, 2025

This week, Stir It Up host Josh Shurley speaks with Wendy Snyder. Wendy is the West Coast organizer for the Uhuru Solidarity Movement. They discuss the USM’s efforts to organize the white community for reparations to African people, its connection to the broader movement against colonialism and imperialism, and the upcoming Uhuru Solidarity Conference. They also talk about the challenging months and years ahead, as well as the ongoing struggle for liberation and self-determination for all peoples. 

Stir It Up - Mar 12, 2025

In advance of Earth Day, Josh talks with FCC geography instructor and activist Sean Boyd from the Environmental Collaborative of Central California about upcoming events at the city college campus. They also dig into the challenges local communities face from mining and development interests that often prioritize profit and unchecked urban growth over people and a sustainable future. In the end, environmental concerns aren’t just about nature—they're about fairness, equity, and the right of every community to live in a healthy, thriving environment.

Stir It Up - Apr 9, 2025

Welcome to Stir It Up, a weekly program brought to you by a collective of local activist organizations in Fresno. Join us each Wednesday at 3:00 pm Pacific on 88.1FM or streaming at kfcf.org as we educate, agitate, and pontificate! 

The second Wednesday edition of Stir It Up is brought to you by the Fresno Center for Nonviolence. Stir It Up is hosted by Dr. Joshua Shurley, political science professor, activist, and organizer with Veterans For Peace, as well as a proud board member of the Fresno Center for Nonviolence. On behalf of the Center, thank you for listening. ☮ 

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