Seattle George Floyd Protest
Protests of the police involved killing of George Floyd have swept the country since last week. KBCS’s Gol Hoghooghi went to one of these protests in Seattle on May 30th and brings us the voices and sounds from the event. She also talks with KBCS’s Yuko Kodama about what she observed and experienced there. (more…)
Music Venues During This Pandemic
Live music events are missed by many during this time of social distancing. Listen to Dan Cowan, the Owner of Tractor Tavern, and Leigh Bezezekoff, representative of The Washington Nightlife Music Association speak about the breadth of services impacted by this closure and their needs to survive through this time and what’s to come.
Go to Quarantine Albums Pt.2
Our Music Director, Iaan Hughes, is back at it, collecting a second round of go-to quarantine albums from KBCS DJs, local artists, and friends. If you missed it, you can check out the first round here.
Browse the selections below, then share what album is getting you through the day. (Share your album pick here) (more…)
Remembering Gil Scott-Heron
The great American poet and jazz musician, Gil Scott-Heron, died today in 2011. He was 62 years old. As a boy, living with his grandmother – a civil rights activist, because these legacies can and should be passed down – he was introduced to the poetry of Langston Hughes and began to play piano. Best known for the peerless anthem “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” his cleared-eyed lyrics continue to challenge and destabilize racial hierarchies in profound ways.
With today’s SpaceX launch, the first crewed rocket to take off from American soil since Scott-Heron’s death, I can’t help but think of “Whitey on the Moon.” It’s a blunt expression of the pervasive inequality and racist violence that cripples this country; it’s a cudgel of truth: “A rat done bit my sister Nell / With Whitey on the moon…/How come there ain’t no money here? / Hmm! Whitey’s on the moon.”
General Manager Message – May 2020
Dear friends and fellow supporters of KBCS,
Thank you for your generous financial and moral support for true community radio located here in our beautiful little corner of the world. Spring is definitely here, and the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest is even more in evidence this time of year. But unfortunately, spring has a much darker side this year due to the ongoing scourge of the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
KBCS Border Stories – Living Undocumented
How does being undocumented impact your life? Does it impact where you go shopping for groceries, where you rent your apartment, whether you drive or buy a car or have access to a cell phone? Dulce Garcia, Executive Director of Border Angels, speaks to how being undocumented shaped who she is today.
Physicians Call for a More Progressive State Tax
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility are getting involved in advocating for a more progressive state tax structure. The organization is kicking off a campaign this week on the responsible and just recovery from COVID 19. (more…)
Surviving Sex Work
How do young girls get caught up in prostitution? Noel Gomez, Co-Founder of the Organization for Prostitution Survivors shares her experience, which she says is not uncommon. (more…)
The Food Bank During These Times
The number of people using the services at Seattle’s University District Food Bank has gone up by twenty percent since March. The food bank’s Executive Director, Joe Gruber speaks with KBCS’s Jesse Callahan about how they’ve adapted to food needs, client needs and the current social distancing measures.
Grocery Work During COVID 19
“I’m working with at least four people who are above 60 that just got hired when I got hired, because they got laid off…..There are people that have young children at home, people with pregnant spouses…People are making this decision out of necessity and it is just tragic that folks have to risk their lives in order to buy food…”