This week Josh Shurley speaks with San Francisco area peace activist Michael Wong. Just before Tax Day, they discuss where our tax dollars go (to fund wars and militarism!). In particular, the increasingly hostile US rhetoric toward China poses a real threat to world peace. 
Mike Wong is the vice president of the national board of Veterans For Peace (VFP), heads up the VFP China Working Group, is the vice president of VFP Chapter 69 in San Francisco, and is a co-founder of Pivot to Peace. He is published in the anthologies, “Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace,” and “Waging Peace in Vietnam.” He also appeared in the documentary “Sir! No Sir!” about the GI resistance to the Vietnam War.

Stir It Up- April 12, 2023

In this episode of Stir It Up, host Josh Shurley talks with Gary Butterfield from the San Diego Chapter of Veterans For Peace and the Steering Committee of the National Veterans For Peace Climate Crisis & Militarism Project. They discuss the looming existential threat posed by the intersection of militarism and the climate emergency, and what can be done about it.

Stir It Up - Aug 9, 2023

In this month's second Wednesday edition of Stir It Up, Josh Shurley talks with activist-journalist Bob McCloskey of the Community Alliance on the subject of the human effects of mass incarceration in the state of California and here in the Central Valley. How has California responded to federal court mandates from over a decade ago to reduce the horrific prison overcrowding problems that peaked at that time? In what ways are vulnerable people impacted locally?

Stir It Up - Sep 12, 2023

The problem with oppressing a population with maximum force is that at some point they start figuring they've got nothing to lose by fighting back.

Reading by Tim Foley.

A Population With Nothing To Lose

In this episode of Stir It Up, which coincides with Indigenous People's Day, Josh Shurley speaks with Morning Star Gali, an Indigenous rights activist and executive director of Indigenous Justice from the Ajumawi band of the Pit River Tribe in northern California. The topic is the MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) crisis and the lack of response from government authorities compared to other demographics. California is one of the top ten states in which Indigenous women are facing a crisis of survival.

Stir It Up - Oct 11, 2023

This week, in advance of the November 11 Veterans Day holiday, Josh Shurley interviews Bay Area-based peace activist Paul Cox. Paul is a combat veteran of the US Marine Corps and the American War in Vietnam, and currently serves on the national board of directors of Veterans For Peace (a global organization of military veterans seeking to raise awareness of the true costs of war and dedicated to building peace). They discuss VFP's campaign to "Reclaim Armistice Day," as the original intent of the November 11 commemoration was a day of peace. Paul also provides insights and experiences from his recent delegation to Vietnam, and how all of this intersects with the ongoing peace movement in light of global conflagrations raging from Ukraine to Gaza and beyond.

Stir It Up - Nov 8, 2023

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 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, Josh Shurley talks with Zeiad Abbas Shamrouch, in advance of his May 11 appearance in Fresno. Zeiad is the executive director of the Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA), a nonprofit organization that works to protect the rights and improve the lives of children in the Middle East through aid, empowerment and education. They discuss the work of MECA in the region and in Gaza in particular, and the myriad challenges faced by Palestinian children during the ongoing genocide since Oct 7, 2023.

Stir It Up - May 8, 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

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. ☮ 

Stir It Up - April 10, 2024

Fresno Center for Nonviolence

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