This podcast highlights the work of Groundswell, an organization based in Ithaca, NY that focuses on local food and farming, food justice, and regenerative agriculture. The Incubator Farm makes it possible for people to learn farming practices on a small plot of land. Groundswell offers a variety of support, including workshops, helping people to grow produce for their own consumption, their own businesses, or the market. Juliana Quaresma and Ariana Taylor-Stanley, both alums of Groundswell are currently co-directors. Antonisha Owens, a farmer, cosmetologist, and food activist, is also an alum and currently on the board of Groundswell. She talks about growing flowers and herbs for her beauty products Afica Pure (visit aficapure.com). She is also involved in a food cooperative in Syracuse. Erika and Carlos are farmers with roots in Peru, who currently grow produce at the incubator farm.

A fundraiser will take place on October 9th from 6 to 9 pm at the Stone Bend Farm in Newfield.
To find out more about Groundswell and the fundraiser, visit: https://groundswellcenter.org/




Groundswell Oct 3_4upload

Fidel Moreno talks about his background and experiences, as a person of indigenous heritage, who became an ethnographic documentary film-maker. 
More information can be found here: https://www.documentaries.org/filmmakers/fidel-moreno/
https://www.tribalights.org/fidel-moreno

Fidel Moreno Oct 10_4upload

Sarah Towle, author of "Crossing the Line: Finding America in the Borderlands" talks about the current immigration policies in the United States, which has been weaponized and is driving democracy in the U.S. into further crisis. She is the 2024 Nonfiction Book Award Gold Winner and recipient of the 2024 CIBA Nellie Bly Award First Place Winner for Journalistic Nonfiction.
For more information visit: https://sarahtowle.com
and: https://sarahtowle.substack.com/s/from-the-borderlands



Sarah Towle_4upload

Dolores Canales and Mike Bishop talk about upcoming events in Ithaca, including the film screening of "The Strike" on Friday, Oct. 24 and workshops the following day, Saturday, Oct. 25. The film is a documentary about hunger strikes in California's prisons, which incarcerated people took part of to demonstrate against prison conditions, including the practice of keeping people in prolonged solitary confinement. Dolores is a cofounder of California Families Against Solitary Confinement (CFASC). Mike Bishop is with CNY (Central New York) Communities for Families for Justice. The events are cosponsored by the following: CAIC (Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement), the HALT (Humane Alternatives to Long-Term) Solitary Confinement Campaign, and the New York State Jails Justice Network.

Dolores Canales and Mike Bishop_4upload

Tom McDonough, Professor of Art History at Binghamton University, talks about the current exhibit in the BU Art Museum, which he curated. The exhibit "In the American Grain: Exploring America through Art" covers the years 1919 to 1946, a time during which the country witness dramatic transformations. The exhibit will be open until December 6, 2025. For more information visit: https://bengaged.binghamton.edu/museum/rsvp_boot?id=2289701

Tom McDonough BU Art Museum_4upload

We talk about Banned Books Week, which was started by the American Library Association (ALA) in 1982. Every year, the ALA compiles a list of the ten most challenged or banned books in the United States. Amnesty International also has an annual list for Banned Books Week, which focuses on the people, who have been targeted for exercising their freedom of speech.
For more information visit: https://www.amnestyusa.org/campaigns/banned-books/bbw2025/

https://bannedbooksweek.org/
https://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10
https://www.freedomforum.org/famous-banned-books/
https://pen.org/report/beyond-the-shelves/


Banned Books Week 2025_4upload

Danielle Wimbish describes her experiences living in Cortland, New York, where neighbors have regularly filed unfounded complaints against her, which led to the police and local government officials to respond in ways that apparently violate her civil rights. Cortland officials have also been inconsistent in their official statements regarding her case and seem to have singled her out in a discriminatory way. There has been a lack of transparency. Danielle has a bench trial for supposed disorderly conduct and harassment set for Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025 at 1 pm (originally on Monday, November 3) at the Cortland City Hall at 25 Court Street. She is hoping that members of the community will attend the trial to witness the proceedings.

Danielle Wimbish Oct 31_4upload

Alice Rothchild talks about her experiences as a physician and activist, who has spent time in Gaza and the West Bank, Palestine. She gives a brief update on Gaza, the dangers of conflating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism, and the importance of educating people. From Nov. 14 to Nov. 19, 2025 she will be in Ithaca, NY for a series of events and talks.

Alice has published several books, including her memoire "Inspired and Outraged: The Making of a Feminist Physician" and "Condition Critical: Life and Death in Israel and Palestine." Her fiction books, "Old Enough to Know" and "Finding Melody Sullivan" are for younger readers. Alice also participates in the mentoring program "We Are Not Numbers," and produced a video of interviews with Palestinians, titled "Voices Across the Divide," which is on Vimeo.

For more information visit: https://alicerothchild.com/ and https://www.alicerothchildbooks.com/

Her schedule, including events in Ithaca, can be found here:  https://voicesacrossthedivide.com/documentary/film-showings/

We Are Not Numbers: https://wearenotnumbers.org/

The documentary "Voices Across the Divide": https://voicesacrossthedivide.com/documentary/

Alice Rothchild Nov 7_4upload

Anisah Sabur and Phoebe Brown talk about the intensifying horrendous conditions in NYS prisons and jails, especially since the murder of Robert Brooks in December 2024, and the state-wide wildcat strike of prison guards after the guards who killed Brooks were indicted in February 2025. Anisa and Phoebe also invite the community to an event on December 1, organized by the CNY Communities for Justice, to build the people power needed to address the urgency of this crisis, including mobilizing support for policies to protect the rights of people who are incarcerated and help facilitate their release.

The event on December 1st will begin at 5:30 pm with an indoor rally at the Ithaca Friends Meeting House, 120 Third St., which will be followed by a community dinner and conversation (6:30 pm) led by directly impacted women about how the community can better support people returning to their communities.  Anisah, who is based in Harlem, will be the keynote speaker at the rally and co-facilitate the community conversation. The Ithaca rally is held in conjunction with rallies across New York State, kicking off a campaign to pass the Elder Parole and Fair and Timely Parole bills in the 2026 NYS legislature.  The Ithaca rally also calls for the full implementation of the HALT Solitary Confinement Act and the passage of the Rights Behind Bars bill. 

Anisah is the National Coordinator for the "Unlock the Box" campaign and an organizer for prisoner justice. Phoebe Brown is a long-time activist who has been campaigning for policy change and advocating for individuals and families impacted by incarceration. She also cofounded the CNY (Central New York) Communities for Justice, which organized the event. They will draw connections between organizing in Harlem and Ithaca.

The bills can be found here: https://www.parolejusticeny.com/campaign-platform

https://justiceroadmapny.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rights-Behind-Bars-One-Pager.pdf


For more information about CNY Communities for Justice,  contact Phoebe Brown (brownphoebe813@gmail.com) or Beth Harris (beth55harris@gmail.com).

Anisah Sabur and Phoebe Brown Nov 21_4upload

Paul O'Brien, who is the executive director of Amnesty International USA, talks about the erosion of rights around the world and the importance of ongoing human rights work. In recent years, authoritarian rulers have engaged in efforts to accumulate massive power, while getting rid of rules that would check it. In the United States, the politics of chaos and cruelty is centered on grabbing power and attacking people through the politics of othering. Freedom of speech has been significantly eroded. Globally, we have seen the rise of anti-immigrant sentiments in many countries but even in Hungary, citizens have been pushing back against Orban's policies. It is important to see the intersection of rights, for example, political and economic rights, and to understand that attacks against one ultimately affect us all. 

Every year, Amnesty International commemorates International Human Rights Day with a "Write for Rights" letter writing campaign. Last year more than four million actions were taken around the world, and more than 350,000 people wrote letters. Several people, who were featured last year were either released from prison, or removed from death row. For more information on this year's actions and to sign up, visit:  https://write.amnestyusa.org/

Paul O'Brien_4upload

WRFIhumanrightsshow

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