This week, Josh Shurley talks with valley activist Roman Raintree, who is the newest addition to the Fresno Center for Nonviolence's board of directors. Roman has led the multi-year effort to rename S- Valley to Yokuts Valley. They discuss the recent name change, the politics behind the pushback to this effort, and the ongoing struggle to gain federal tribal recognition for the many indigenous groups in the area.

Stir It Up - July 12, 2023

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

250115 Jodie Evans

250319 Medea Benjamin

In this week’s segment we have an update on the civil war in Sudan, which may be nearing a conclusion. But first we discuss how to analyze the actions of the Trump administration and understand that it may not be as much of an aberration as we’ve been led to believe.

Black Agenda Radio March 28, 2025

In this edition of Stir It Up, Josh is joined by Ruben E, the Public Pressure and Direct Action Subcommittee lead with the Fresno Budget Advocacy Coalition. The coalition seeks to push for the City of Fresno to reallocate and reinvest in community care—specifically to reduce inflationary and excessive police spending and fund the resources the community needs to thrive and prosper. Together, they discuss what it means to shift priorities from punishment to prevention, and why reimagining public safety is essential to building a truly just and healthy society.

Stir It Up - July 9, 2025

It is so frustrating, there are so many issues, which one should I focus on:  war, immigration, genocide, climate, racial justice, worker's rights, or something else?  Mike Ferner who is just recovered from the VFP FAST joins us to discuss a movement that just might relieve your frustration and address all the issues at once.  All of the issues we face today have one thing in common and that is corporate backing.  From immigration to genocide, from proxy war against Russia to war against workers, from climate to health care, we can track it all back to corporations and capitalism.  Mike shows how corporations have been in charge of our country for the most part of over 100 years and with the help of the supreme court (purposely not capitalized) their power is greater than ever.  That is why Mike and over 300,000 members of MovetoAmend are working hard to educate the public in order to take away corporate power.

8.21.25 Vets for Peace Mike Ferner explains the difference between fire fighting and fire prevention

This week, host Josh Shurley speaks with Gloria Meneses-Sandoval of Witness at the Border about the Blue Triangle Solidarity campaign—reclaiming a symbol once used to target migrants and turning it into a badge of support. They unpack how intensified immigration enforcement, ICE raids, and recent Supreme Court actions are eroding due process and equal protection, with ripple effects from big cities to farmworker communities in the Central Valley. Gloria traces the movement’s roots in “the subversive act of seeing” at detention camps and makes the case that when rights are denied to immigrants, everyone’s freedoms are at risk. The episode closes with concrete ways listeners can “witness,” stand in solidarity, and turn outrage into action. 

Stir It Up - Sep 9, 2025

Today Josh Shurley speaks with Dr. Jim Rine of the Climate Crisis & Militarism Project (of Veterans For Peace) about an often-overlooked driver of global warming: militarism. Dr. Rine explains how armed forces and warfighting infrastructures are massive, largely unreported sources of greenhouse-gas emissions; how defense spending and military priorities divert trillions away from climate mitigation and human needs; and how geopolitical strategies frequently protect fossil-fuel interests rather than confronting fossil dependence. The conversation connects local impacts (jet pollution, community health, and the costs of militarized parades and airshows) with global consequences, and it outlines concrete steps students, activists, and communities can take. The episode closes with a call to join Veterans For Peace’s “Wake Up to the Climate Crisis” tour, including a screening of Earth’s Greatest Enemy at Fresno City College on Thursday, October 16.

Stir It Up - Oct 8, 2025

The US pirating a Cuba-bound oil tanker from Venezuela illustrates how the empire is hurrying to shore up control over Latin America in the same way the US and Israel are quickly shoring up control over the middle east.

Reading by Tim Foley.

The Empire Is Scrambling To Fully Dominate Latin America, And Other Notes

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 - July 12, 2023

Fresno Center for Nonviolence

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