Community & Social Justice Episodes

Southern California is famous for sunshine, beaches, and opportunity but it's also known for a harsh reality. For far too many people, housing here feels out of reach. In this episode of SoCal Voices, host Angela Ross sits do...

The Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” included funding cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known as SNAP. These cuts mean Southern Californians dealing with food insecurity may need to turn to ...

Laura C. Chávez-Moreno is an assistant professor at UCLA and author of How Schools Make Race . Her research digs deep into the ways schools don’t just reflect race—they actually produce it. In this episode of SoCal Voices, Dr...

Dr. Lauren Guerra is a dedicated lecturer in Chicana/Chicano & Central American Studies at UCLA and the heart behind Gold Hoops & God, a podcast that uplifts and empowers Millennial Latinas to embrace their purpose with confi...

The rich legacy of Negro League Baseball was front and center at Moreno Valley's Woodland Park on May 31 during the Community Softball Game organized by James Harris, founder of the African American History presentation serie...

As a teenager, Kim Valentine found herself without a home. Today, she’s the founder and president of Operation Helping Hands SoCal, a nonprofit dedicated to helping the unhoused rebuild their lives. In this episode of SoCal V...

For many Southern Californians, the January wildfires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena are like distant memories, but for those directly impacted, the devastation remains a daily reality. Recovery can be difficult and painfu...

A community softball game commemorating the iconic legacy of Negro League Baseball is happening Saturday, May 31, 1pm - 4pm, at Woodland Park in Moreno Valley. The game is being organized by returning SoCal Voices Podcast gue...

In January, the Palisades and Eaton fires killed at least 29 people and destroyed or damaged 18,000 structures valued at nearly $300 billion dollars. In the weeks since the fires, people who lost homes have been navigating di...

Is SoCal’s Inland Empire the land of the local news mirage? While news outlets cover the region, media observers say some elements of the IE’s local news coverage are a mirage, giving residents the illusion of vigorous local ...

Southern California’s vibrance and abundance bely the fact that a number of our neighbors don’t have enough food to eat. Led by CEO Carolyn Fajardo, Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino, the region’s largest food bank, ...

Alarming statistics reveal that Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. In this episode of SoCal Voices, Dana Sherrod, co-founder and executive director of...

Community development is essential to how all the elements of where we live fit together and impact how we experience our communities. Eric Nelson is a 20-year community development expert who has impacted the lives of thousa...

Do you have the pink “donor dot” on your driver’s license? Do you know why you should? April is Donate Life Month and there’s an organization in southern California that’s dedicated to saving lives through organ, eye and tiss...

The killing of George Floyd at the hands of police focused the world’s attention on the problem of police abuse and misconduct in ways that few other cases have. In the US, the murder of Floyd renewed calls for police reform ...

In a marked change from the racial reckoning that occurred in 2020, some have declared that DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) is dead. Is it? Where exactly are we with DEI initiatives? In this episode of SoCal Voices, Jo...

Susan Partovi’s colleagues call her “The Skid Row Doctor.” She’s a leading expert on street medicine who has treated hundreds of the most underserved patients in Los Angeles — substance users, and people experiencing homeless...

In her book, The Struggle for the People’s King: How Politics Transforms the Memory of the Civil Rights Movement, Hajar Yazdiha, an assistant professor of sociology at USC, outlines how decades-long efforts to sanitize the c...

Twillea Evans-Carthen has a servant’s heart. She is University Ombuds Officer at Cal State San Bernardino, an active member of a number of community organizations, and serves on the board for the Inland Ivy Foundation and Lea...

Bibi Pirayesh is an educational therapist based in Los Angeles. For 15 years her work has focused on helping children, families, and schools better understand the unique needs of kids with learning disabilities. More recent...

As part of Earth Month activities this April, cities across the nation can show how water-wise they are by participating in the Wyland Foundation’s National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation. In this edition of SoCal V...

From its broadcast center on March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, the American Forces Network (AFN) ensures that “a touch of home” reaches US military personnel stationed overseas. The service provides radio and television ne...

In this edition of SoCal Voices, host Angela Ross chats with Clinton Galloway, author of Anatomy of a Hustle: Cable Comes to South Central LA and What Did you Think was Going to Happen? — books that detail his experiences try...

Jocelyn Harris is Founder and CEO of Connections, Inc. Her organization helps bring joy to struggling low-income families in San Bernardino County. In this edition of SoCal Voices, Jocelyn shares how Connections makes a meani...