The Community News Production Institute (CNPI) in partnership with Global Movement Urban Struggles produced a show on Tuesday, April 28 at 10AM on WBAI 99.5FM. In this episode, we examine the impact of the economic downturn on non-profit and grassroots organizations; how Domestic Workers United are fighting for the passage of a Bill of Rights; and Willie Baptist of the Poverty Initiative talks about some of the many difficulties low-income New Yorkers are faced with during these times. We are also joined by Desiree Marshall, a member of the New York LBGTQ organization, FIERCE, to discuss the group’s activities; and by Ramona Africa, a former jailhouse lawyer and the sole adult survivor of the 1985 government bombing of MOVE, to talk about the recent release of Jailhouse Lawyers, a book by Mumia Abu-Jamal. Our producers are Donald Anthonyson, Rob Robinson, Christine Lewis, Janis Rosheuvel, Julia Paul and Ravi Ragbair. Our music editor is Kristofer Rios. We had help from Renee Feltz and Abdulai Bah.

Labor standards and respect – those are the key demands that were voiced by Domestic Workers United this past Saturday. The workers marched on the Upper East Side to call attention to their rights, and to a piece of legislation now pending before New York lawmakers that could guarantee their rights. CNPI reporter Ravi Ragbir was there to report on their demands, and he brings us this update.

The Bernie Madoff scandal may have sent shock waves through the non-profit sector, but in the months following, non-profits have found themselves caught even deeper under the tidal wave of the economic crisis. For grassroots non-profits in particular, this crisis has meant thinking of new ways to strategize, organize, and fight back. CNPI reporter Janis Rosheuvel spoke with three New York City based groups to highlight how they are creatively responding to the crisis.

From April 4-5, Radio Rootz attended Open Society Institute’s Youth Camp in Istanbul, Turkey. Over the weekend, youth who practice citizen journalism and debate from Kyrgyzstan to Thailand gathered to share their inspiring stories and practices. Operations Officer and Radio Rootz educator, Jackie Kook, represented Radio Rootz and demonstrated just how we use audio to collect and share our experiences using radio. We even set up a skype video conference between the Youth Camp goers in Istanbul and a Radio Rootz class in Manhattan!