Peace Talks Radio

On this program, we present part of our chat with Former President Jimmy Carter from 2002. Also, an extended conversation with Stu Eizenstat who was President Carter’s Chief Domestic Policy Adviser, and Executive Director of the White House Domestic Policy Staff during his presidency. In 2018, Eizenstat published the book JIMMY CARTER, THE WHITE HOUSE YEARS. Finally, you’ll also hear an excerpt from President Carter’s landmark 1979 Oval Office talk with the nation called “Crisis of Confidence.”

Our annual compendium of highlights from the programs of one season of PEACE TALKS RADIO - the series on peacemaking and nonviolent conflict resolution.  You'll hear excerpts from 2019 programs about Mediation training programs, refugee asylum efforts, Johnny Cash playing the Nixon White House in 1970, peacemaking in the LGBTQ community, Catholic peacemaking icons Dorothy Day and Oscar Romero, economic class conflict, town meeting conflict resolution, and more.

Long before the United States became a nation and implemented American democracy as we know it today, there were town meetings. Nearly 400 years later, the town meeting tradition has endured in New England, though with each passing decade, towns are seeing a steady decline in participation. On this episode of Peace Talks Radio, correspondent Sarah Holtz brings us a conversation about conflict resolution through the lens of town meeting. We'll hear from four individuals who actively participate in their own town meetings.

It's easy to be fearful in the world today. But how much of our fear is based on things that are not actual threats? Today, 3 takes. One says fear is unequally distributed in the U.S.- onto people of color. Another guest says, in general there's less to be afraid of than we're led to believe. And our other guest says, we're misdirecting our fear when it comes to the major threats to our national security. Guests are Janet Napolitano, Barry Glassner, and Reggie Jackson. Host, Megan Kamerick.

While some organizations and individuals believe there is multidimensional inequality in the U.S., this PEACE TALKS RADIO program is only about economic class conflict - not social, political, or cultural inequality. We talk with two good thinkers on the topic: Dr. Tina Wright, a sociologist, who teaches at LA Southwest College and Nick Hanauer, a self-described "proud and unapologetic capitalist" who's become a leading critic of income inequality and modern economic policy. He's also the host of the weekly podcast "Pitchfork Economics".

At the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial in Poland, a quote on the wall of one of the cell blocks reads, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." These words are attributed to George Santayana, and they help explain why the former death camp is still open for public viewing 74 years after it was shut down. Historical amnesia was a real danger after the Holocaust, and with so many other tragedies that have followed, it's still a threat today.

We offer two stories this time. In Part One, a story of restorative justice and reconciliation between a woman, who was a victim of a non-consensual sexual assault during a casual date in college, and the man who assaulted her. We'll hear about an all-too-rare resolution where the perpetrator becomes inspired to make things more right by admitting his guilt first to his victim, then publicly and teaming up with the victim to share their story together to promote consent, and help reduce sexual abuse in dating. This full story can be heard on the podcast Reckonings. We present a bit of a short cut version of it today on our show by interviewing the Reckonings producer and host Stephanie Lepp. In part two of the hour-long program, we explore an emerging practice within conflict resolution. When interpersonal conflicts arise, our capacity for care and compassion can sometimes be eclipsed by other emotions. De-escalation is a technique that helps people return to that place of balance. Sarah Holtz talks with

Despite the Catholic Church being mired in its sexual abuse scandal which has tarnished the faith's reputation globally, Catholic history also holds many courageous stories of people working for peace, social justice and economic equity. We’re going to spend some time on those stories on this program. Today Megan Kamerick talks with three guests. The episode leads off with Megan’s conversation with Kate Hennessy, the granddaughter of Dorothy Day, who co-founded the Catholic Worker movement. Then Kerry Walters discusses his book: "Saint Óscar Romero: Pastor, Prophet, Martyr. Romero was assassinated in 1980 while saying mass and was canonized in 2018. He died the day after he spoke out against the violence in El Salvador. Megan also speaks with Sister Simone Campbell, a contemporary advocate of social justice and one of the leaders of the “Nuns On The Bus” movement, wherein a group of nuns travels on a bus from town to town throughout the U.S. to advocate for under-served populations.

This time on PEACE TALKS RADIO, a three-part program about peacemaking in LGBTQ communities. Coming out can lead to a sense of personal peace that many people spend their whole lives seeking. But coming out can sometimes bring about conflict with family, friends, and the larger society in which we live. On this month’s episode of Peace Talks Radio, correspondent Sarah Holtz speaks with three individuals who came out about their sexual orientation and gender identity and found their own personal peace. They are now doing the difficult work of promoting peace and justice within and outside of their communities. Whether we’re conscious of it or not, definitions of gender and sexuality surround us in daily life, from the symbols posted on restroom doors, to the families we see in advertisements. The three guests on today’s show represent an effort within the LGBTQ community to challenge accepted norms of gender identity and sexual orientation in order to envision a more inclusive world. Our guests include Sier

This time on Peace Talks Radio, a conversation with Sara Dosa, who co-directed the Netflix film "Tricky Dick and The Man in Black." In the late 1960's and early 1970's, the divisions in the United States over the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement brought the youth of America in conflict with longstanding social and political norms. The Richard Nixon administration sought to ingratiate itself to both the youth culture and the Deep South by trying to recruit the favor of music star Johnny Cash. Cash, nicknamed “The Man In Black”, was invited to perform at the Nixon White House. Nixon wanted him to play stereotypical country favorites that he didn’t even write. But Cash's social consciousness was being lit by anti-establishment rock music performers like Bob Dylan and Neil Young. The struggle in Cash's heart and the resultant song choices at the concert are at the core of the documentary. It is Part One of the hour-long episode. In Part Two of the hour-long version, conversations about how the l

This time on Peace Talks Radio, a two-part program. In Part One, we'll meet the founders of the New Mexico Peace Choir, which was formed in 2015 to promote peace and joy and also raise awareness of important issues like the environment. It has grown into a movement and last year represented the United States last at the World Peace Choir conference in Vienna. Members were also part of a world premiere work, The Great War symphony, in November 2018 at Carnegie Hall in New York commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the end of World War I. You'll hear how their performances bring people together and foster greater understanding. In Part Two, we’ll hear from military veteran and long-time peace activist Sally-Alice Thompson who, at 95, is hardly slowing down in her daily drive for social justice and peace. A Navy veteran who served in World War 2, Sally-Alice also taught school for 20 years and, along with her husband Donald founded a chapter of Veterans for Peace in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She’s also a

This time on Peace Talks Radio, a two-part program. Part one is a focus on outreach efforts that intend to bring some peace and safety to immigrants whose futures have become tangled up in the United States’ evolving immigration stance. First we’ll hear the story of Jose Torres who, in the fall of 2017, became the first person in New Orleans to take sanctuary in a church to avoid deportation. Jose is a community leader with the Congress of Day Laborers, a group of immigrant workers and families who helped to rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina. Producer Sarah Holtz spoke with Jose at his place of sanctuary, First Grace Methodist Church. Then Suzanne Kryder speaks with Justin Remer-Thamert, director of the New Mexico Faith Coalition For Immigrant Justice, who recently received the Parliament of the World's Religions Justice Award. Justin also offers some ideas about bringing opposing sides of the immigration debate closer together. Finally, Suzanne visits with Bawa Jain, the Secretary-General of The

Twenty-one people including PEACE TALKS RADIO host, Suzanne Kryder, took a 40-hour mediation course in Albuqueruqe, NM to improve their communication skills and to someday mediate professionally. Suzanne talks with Anne Lightsey, a professional mediator and the course instructor, about what each of us can do during conflict to make peace rather than simply conclude the other person is wrong. She also talks with four course participants about both their unique motivation to take the course and what they learned from it.

PEACE TALKS RADIO, the radio series and podcast on peacemaking and nonviolent conflict resolution strategies offers up another compilation show based on a single season of its programs. You’ll hear compelling excerpts from programs released in 2018. Included are conversations about reducing sexual assault by understanding consent, promoting the development of empathy in young people, improving empathy among health care workers, techniques for healing trauma and more.

In public discussions of racial violence, the focus is often on people of color and the way they experience racism. In this episode of Peace Talks Radio, our guests turn the lens on Whiteness, asking how the notion of Whiteness came to be, how it has shaped American history and how it perpetuates injustice in interpersonal interactions and systems in American society today. We talk with John Biewen, audio director at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, who produced the 2017 series Seeing White for his podcast “Scene On Radio”. The fourteen-part documentary audio series takes a deep dive into the history of Whiteness as a tool used to oppress people of color. Then we speak with Cheryl E. Matias, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Colorado Denver’s School of Education and Human Development. Matias, a woman of color, teaches mostly white teacher-candidates who often have the well-intentioned goal of teaching students of color in urban schools. Her book, "Feeling White", detai

Back in 2010, Peace Talks Radio did a program of an especially creative joining of music and peace. An outfit called Playing For Change was flying around the globe to record an eclectic collection of musicians playing together on some popular songs to promote the power of music to bring us together. In fact the Playing for Change motto was Peace Through Music. In the years since the first big Playing For Change video ("Stand By Me"), and that early report by us here at Peace Talks Radio, Playing for Change has continued to add to its collection of amazing worldwide performances. We’ll hear some of the tracks from the project's 2018 CD called Listen To The Music, which included the title cut with members of the original Doobie Brothers who recorded it first in the 1970's, and again added musicians from around the world contributing to the track. Again, we got Playing For Change producer Mark Johnson on the line with us from California to update us on the project. Paul Ingles hosts

How do we find peace and how do we make peace last? It's easy to become cynical and lose hope when faced with conflicts that seem intractable and have lasted for so long. But there are people working on solutions, even reaching across divides that seemed insurmountable in the past. On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we talk with Noga Harpaz, an Israeli, and Raed al-Hadar, a Palestinian, who are part of “Combatants for Peace”. The group is committed to nonviolence and was launched in 2006 by former combatants who believe the cycle of violence can only stop when Israelis and Palestinians join forces. Their work was the focus of the documentary film "Disturbingthe Peace." We also talk with Peter T. Coleman, a psychologist with the Teachers College at Columbia University and director of the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation & Conflict Resolution. He and his team are studying peaceful societies in a quest to understand how peace is sustained, a very different approach from the typical str

What are the pros and cons of empathy? Does having empathy lead to peace-inspired action for you, your community, and the world? We'll speak with several experts about empathy and how it impacts our behavior such as relationships with others. Our guests include Courtney Custer at Albuquerque's Southwest Family Guidance Center. She'll explain the "Roots of Empathy" program in which babies successfully teach empathy in the classroom. Also, Eric Butler who iss a national Restorative Justice educator and activist who will discuss blocks to empathy. Plus, Dr. Sam Richards an award-winning teacher and sociologist at Penn State University and Dr. Laurie Mulvey is the executive director and co-founder (with Richards) of the World in Conversation Center for Public Diplomacy at Penn State. Suzanne Kryder hosts.

On her 2018 album project, "Rifles & Rosary Beads", singer/songwriter Mary Gauthier shares the stories of American veterans by writing the songs with them. Gauthier collaborated with the nonprofit "Songwriting With: Soldiers" to co-write the album's 11 tracks with veterans and their families. Paul Ingles hosts.

When some talk about music that promotes peacemaking, hip hop and rap often get left out of the conversation. Some critics speculate about that genre’s negative influence - from hypersexual music videos to glamorizing guns and drugs. A recent Washington Post headline quotes jazz musician Wynton Marsalis calling popular hip hop “more damaging than a statue of Robert E. Lee.” In this episode of Peace Talks Radio, Hannah Colton explores peacemaking in hip hop culture and history with one documentarian and one artist. First, Hannah speaks with Brother Ali, a Minneapolis-based rapper, community organizer and spiritual teacher. Ali, who is white, was born albino and partially blind, and says as a kid he found belonging in the black community and hip hop culture. As a young man he converted to Islam, and he speaks to ideas of spirituality in his 2017 album “All The Beauty In This Whole Life.” Then Hannah speaks with Harry Allen, a hip hop activist who has written for many publications including the Village Voice