As the COVID crisis has been knocked from the headlines, but not from the realities of people’s lives, by a countrywide uprising against racist police murders with impunity, Pacifica is in the process of launching its first new national radio program in many years. COVID, Race & Democracy features contributions from all five Pacifica stations — WBAI in NY, WPFW in DC, KPFT in Houston, TX, KPFK in Southern California, and KPFA/KPFB in Berkeley — plus the contributions of the Pacifica Affiliates Network, hundreds of radio stations from all around the US and beyond. The show will also feature independently produced segments as well as international elements.

The programs include: news headlines, a Q & A with a significant analyst or newsmaker, and multiple segments on the Black Lives Matter uprising and all aspects of the Coronavirus: its disparate racial impact, its threat to health and safety in the workplace, and its long term economic consequences, as well as coverage of the solutions and struggles that are shaping a better future. There are also cultural and comic expressions that help us weather the storm.