G-town Radio is proud to present news breaks from the Media Mobilizing Project.  You will hear new pieces each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays (noon & 5 PM).

This week's On Blast segment is called Little Weapon: The Military Comes to Our Schools.  Every year, the armed forces spend millions of dollars on targeted recruitment of "high performing, low income" students. More and more, the military is building a presence in public schools. From running JROTC programs to gathering mass contact lists, the armed forces are employing tactics to recruit more students straight out of high school. This piece explores the ways that the military targets certain students.This piece was produced by Dan Jones & Shaniece Mobley.

To download an opt-out form to stop yourself from being contacted by military recruiters, paste this link into your browser:
http://webgui.phila.k12.pa.us/offices/a/accountability/documents/military_opt_out_form_english-2009.pdf

For more info about opting-out (and links to download opt-out forms in several other languages) visit the School District's page at http://webgui.phila.k12.pa.us/offices/a/accountability/forms/

To have your contact info will be withheld from military recruiters, mail completed opt-out forms directly to this address:
Joint Advertising, Marketing Research & Studies(JAMRS)
ATTN: Opt-Out
4040 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite #200
Arlington, Virginia 22203-1613

Labor Justice Radio this week features a piece called A Day in the Life of a Cleaner. Every day, thousands of people go to work in Center City. But few people stop to think about what it is like for the janitors who keep Center City's office buildings clean and running smoothly. In this piece, Kirk Shelton talks to his fellow cleaners, and members of SEIU 32 BJ, about what they face on a daily basis at their jobs.

G-town Radio is proud to present news breaks from the Media Mobilizing Project.  You will hear new pieces each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays (noon & 5 PM).

This week's On Blast segment is called "I Am Talking About Student-Created Solutions to Violence in our Schools".  On Wednesday, February 17, Philadelphia Student Union member DeVante Wilson spoke before the School Reform Commission. He announced the launch of PSU's campaign to address the root causes of violence, and to end violence in our schools and communities. His speech was well received by the members of the School Reform Commission, and Dr. Ackerman stated that she wanted to meet with students to discuss these issues further and learn more about the campaign. This is a successful next step to what began on MLK Day, when 600+ people from all walks of life took the first step towards creating a just and peaceful school system.  This is the testimony that DeVante presented to School Reform Commission. This piece was produced by Shania Morris.

Labor Justice Radio this week features a piece called Coalition of Immokalee Workers Demands Justice for Farmworkers. Today there is a human rights crisis in Florida's fields. There, tomato pickers earn subpoverty wages, and lack basic labor protections and benefits.  In recent years, a new hope for reform in Florida's fields has emerged: the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). The CIW's current campaign is aimed at Subway and Chipotle, two fast food companies that refuse to recognize the human rights abuses in Florida's fields, even as they make billions off of the tomato pickers' labor.  To learn more, visit: www.ciw-online.org  This campaign update was produced by Desi Burnette.

G-town Radio is proud to present news breaks from the Media Mobilizing Project.  You will hear new pieces each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays (noon & 5 PM).

This week's On Blast segment is called Song Breakdown: One More Drink.  In this installment of our Song Breakdown, Zakia Royster & Candace Carter analyze the real messages in the song, "One More Drink" by Ludacris featuring T-Pain. Candace & Zakia break down Ludacris' lyrics and end up talking about men, women, alcohol, drinking and driving, sex, and self-esteem.

Labor Justice Radio this week features a piece called Temple Students Meet with PA Association of Nurses and Allied Professionals. In this audio piece, Kate Harkins, of Temple University's Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) discusses what she learned from listening to the stories of Temple Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP) and calls on other students to stand in solidarity with the union during their contract negotiations.  Produced by Kistine Carolan

G-town Radio is proud to present news breaks from the Media Mobilizing Project.  You will hear new pieces each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays (noon & 5 PM).

This week's On Blast segment is called The Struggles of the Homeless in Philadelphia (1995-96).  In January of 2010, the Poverty Initiatve, a group based in New York that aims to reignite Dr. Martin Luther King's Poor People's Campaign, visited Philadelphia for an immersion tour. The tour highlighted the history of the struggles of poor people in this city. Willie Baptist and Liz Theoharis shared stories about the struggle of the homeless in 1995 and 1996, which included a "tent city" and the takeover of an abandoned church.  This piece was produced by Gregory Jordan-Detamore.

Labor Justice Radio this week features a piece called "They're Not Considering Us As Human": A Worker Speaks Out.

No talking.
No humming.
No pausing to drink water.
Don't stop moving.
Don't complain about lack of ventilation.
Just keep cleaning.

These are the rules that workers like Darnell Dixon are expected to follow. Darnell is a cleaner in a prominent center city office building (which he chose not to name publicly.)  In this piece, he details the list of new rules for workers in his building and the ways that workers' human rights are being violated. John Mason conducted the interview for this piece.

G-town Radio is proud to present news breaks from the Media Mobilizing Project.  You will hear new pieces each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays (noon & 5 PM).

This week's On Blast segment is called Grow Your Own: A Community-Based Model of Teacher Development.  A new model of teacher development is emerging that could help 'hard to staff' neighborhood schools build and retain a base of effective teachers by recruiting young adults in the neighborhood to choose a career in teaching.  This model is called 'Grow Your Own' and it is happening in Chicago, thanks to the organizing work of students and communities. Dan Jones interviewed Rod Wilson of Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (KOCO) in Chicago, about how 'Grow Your Own' is changing the way teachers and communities interact.

Labor Justice Radio this week features a piece called Veteran Taxi Driver Gives Insight To An Ongoing Struggle. With 25 years of experience, Terrence exposes some of the flaws in the taxi system run by the Philadelphia Parking Authority; from training to dispatching to managing. He also exposes what some might call 'extortion by color of authority.' This story was produced by Charles Clarke.

G-town Radio is proud to present news breaks from the Media Mobilizing Project.  You will hear new pieces each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays (noon & 5 PM).

This week's On Blast segment is about the Teacher Quality Platform.  Teacher quality is the biggest equity issue in the district. This platform is what the community wants for their teachers. They believe by helping out the teachers they help themselves, the students and the community. These are recommendations that will help get qualified teachers evenly distributed all across the city. This was produced by Simone Waller.

Labor Justice Radio this week features 'If I don't have a license, I can't work'. Thousands of immigrants in Pennsylvania can't get driver's licenses, and in December the state made some people who already had licenses give them up. Community members speak about how this policy affects their ability to earn a living and support their families. A report by Milena Velis.

G-town Radio is proud to present news breaks from the Media Mobilizing Project.  You will hear new pieces each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays (noon & 5 PM).

This week's On Blast segment is about a Milestone Achieved at West Philadelphia High School.  As 2009 came to a close, West Philadelphia High School students saw a new beginning; the groundbreaking on a new building for West Philadelphia High School. This was a big milestone for PSU members at West who have been working to change not just building, but to improve the education and the school culture. The process started in 2003 when Superintendent Paul Vallas announced that there would be a new building. Since then, students have spearheaded a community process that has included over 200 people (community members, faith based organizations, parents, local representatives, and politicians.)

This piece was produced by Azeem Hill, a student at West Philadelphia High School Auto Academy.

Labor Justice Radio this week features The Coalition of Labor Union Women. Learn about the Philadelphia Chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union (CLUW) Women. Kathy Black, Health and Safety Director for AFSCME District Council 47 and President of the Philadelphia Chapter of CLUW describes some of their efforts, including national campaigns for pay equity through the recently-passed Lily Ledbetter Act; the ongoing push for the Employee Free Choice Act; and local organizing to guarantee that contraceptives are covered in workplace health plans.

Also, a special third piece this week previews a call to action and witness on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Click through for more details and to see the flyer.

G-town Radio is proud to present news breaks from the Media Mobilizing Project.  You will hear new pieces each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays (noon & 5 PM).

This week's On Blast segment is South Philly High Students Speak Out.  PSU sat down with Asian students from South Philadelphia High School (SPHS) who were attacked inside their school and subsequently organized a student boycott when the School District failed to appropriately respond.  In this piece, two students describe the attacks that hospitalized several of their friends, and their feeling that adults in the school district have let them down.

A few days after these interviews took place, the boycott ended and students returned to SPHS. But students --both SPHS students & PSU members-- are continuing to work toward holding the district accountable and solving the root problems of this violence.  This piece was produced by Dan Jones.

Labor Justice Radio this week features The Employee Free Choice Act: An International Perspective. Jim Grogan is an organizer with Unite Here International Union who just returned to the United States after a year working in Ireland. In this interview he gives a perspective on the role of unions in general society and the importance of the Employee Free Choice Act.  Produced by Charles B. Clarke.

G-town Radio is proud to present news breaks from the Media Mobilizing Project.  You will hear new pieces each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays (noon & 5 PM).

This week's On Blast segment is It's Not an Afterschool Program -- It's My Life!  Student leaders speak to Dylan Washington, Jaileah Gibson & Kimora Lamotte about how Philadelphia Student Union has affected their lives and their futures. Zakia Royster, Lawrence Jones Mahoney & Khalif Dobson talk about how they became part of this youth-led organization and how their identity as organizers and their sense of purpose has been shaped through their work with PSU.

Labor Justice Radio this week features They Don't Want Us to Speak Out for Our Patients. Nurses and technicians at Temple University Hospital are facing a "Gag Order" in their proposed contract with Temple University Health Systems. This order could mean fines for any member of PASNAP, the nurse's union, who says anything negative about Temple in public. A report by Milena Velis.