Humankind on Public Radio

Millions of adult children or other relatives are caring for older loved ones. They do this out of love, but the cumulative burden can be heavy. We’ll hear stories of how different families manage the duties of eldercare. We also include useful suggestions from a leading professor of nursing on how caregivers can benefit from proven techniques of self-care.

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We examine the remarkable life of Charles Sumner, a U.S. senator from Mass. who boldly championed the abolition of slavery. Sumner coined the phrase “equality before the law” and was viciously assaulted for his beliefs.

To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in a...

From firefighters to police officers to the Red Cross and many others, First Responders play an essential role in protecting public safety and helping people cope with emergencies. In this segment, we consider the work of providers of disaster spiritual care. These folks look after both survivors of tragedies and the responders, who are sometimes reeling in the wake of calamity.

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In Providence, Rhode Island, a former Israeli army sergeant, Teny Gross, has become a powerful force in combating youth gang violence, in part by recruiting ex-offenders to serve as street workers who offer intervention and advocacy for vulnerable kids.

To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX...

A visit with Mothers Out Front, a fascinating group of mothers who come together (usually at house parties) to focus on the threat that climate change poses to their children and to future generations.

To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

We explore the mysterious ability of placebos to promote measurable physical healing, even when no medicine is present, and what this tells us about the power of belief and the body’s capacity for self-curative potential.

To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in assoc...

Author Cynthia Wachtell describes contrasting views of war in American literature, including the Civil War reflections of Walt Whitman and the fervent anti-war beliefs expressed by Mark Twain in several works.

To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Bo...

In this documentary we enter a rich dialogue with Joel Bauman, a remarkably gifted physician, trained in care for the elderly. He describes the special needs of palliative care for hospice patients, who have shifted from seeking a cure (which may no longer be realistic) to relief of symptoms and distress, as life draws to a close.

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In a country as wealthy as the United States, “working poor” should be a contradiction in terms. But tens of millions of Americans fall into that category, affecting a growing population of children.

To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH ...

The Prisoners Literature Project, an all-volunteer service based in Berkeley, California, packages and ships books to people who are incarcerated, as a humanitarian gesture and one that helps inmates prepare for re-entry into society.

To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, i...

Years into an uneven economic recovery throughout the United States, more and more Americans will be relying on the good will of their neighbors.  When and how to help people in poverty is an ancient ethical question. But in most cases, there remains a wall between the poor and everyone else.  This documentary examines why people decide to offer their time and money to answer the need.

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With the tightening economy, increased middle class anxiety, home foreclosures and lengthening lines at soup kitchens throughout the United States, more and more and more Americans will be relying on the good will of their neighbors. This documentary examines why people decide to offer their time and money to answer the need.

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George Mumford teaches top athletes the “superpowers” of mindfulness, concentration, insight, right effort and trust as techniques to strengthen performance and avoid the trap of spiritual demise.

To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Bos...

The power of a patient’s self-reflection as a tool for coping with illness is explored by a nurse scientist who has studied meditation as a health technique, and by a cancer survivor who teaches other patients about the value of therapeutic writing in expressing their inward feelings.

To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member stations, in...

We consider the plight of tens of millions of Americans in families and relationships with alcoholics. How does the destabilizing influence of active addiction affect family systems? What emotional and life challenges are faced by people raised around alcoholism?

To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on N...

In these special Humankind documentaries, ‘Beyond War’ takes a look back at the last time the U.S. military had major involvement in the Middle East. We examine the true human costs of organized violence (for both soldiers and civilians). And what happens when citizens protest against war?

How fully do we exhaust peaceful options before resorting to military action? When has nonviolence been effective and when has it been dan...