Archived Radio Show

June 23, 2025

Original Radio Show  ID:
WSA250623

Listen to the Show on the Mp3 Player below

Duration 57 minutes

.

---

Featuring

Click the Name to access the Segment below

1. Commentary by our Host, Elaine B. Holtz

2. Guest Dr. Raquell Holmes, Co-founder, Freedom Festival; Founder of ImprovScience

3. Guest Dr. Harriet Fraad, Author, Podcaster, Mental Health Counselor and Hypnotherapist

 ----

----   

1. Commentary by our Host, Elaine B. Holtz:  Joining me on the phone this morning is Dr. Raquell Holmes, coordinator of the Freedom Festival that is taking place from June 19 through July 4th. We will be talking about the Juneteenth play that Ken and I attended on June 19 which is the Federal Holiday honoring Juneteenth.
For the second segment of the show, joining me on the phone this morning will be Dr. Harriet Fraad. Dr. Fraad is a mental health counselor and hypnotherapist in practice in New York City. She is a well-published author and writes about the pressures on families and the economics of the USA. She is also a regular guest of Dr. Richard Wolff and his show Economic Update on KBBF 89.1FM every Tuesday 11 AM - noon.

2. Our Guest Dr. Raquell Holmes:  

In this Women’s Spaces interview, host Elaine B. Holtz speaks with Dr. Raquell Holmes, scientist, activist, and founder of the Freedom Festival. Now in its third year, the Freedom Festival spans from Juneteenth to the Fourth of July, promoting conversations on freedom and independence. Dr. Holmes explains the festival’s roots in Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday in 2021 and inspiration from activist Opal Lee, who envisioned 16 days of national reflection and celebration.

The Freedom Festival features over 22 events, both in-person and virtual, including poetry readings, community discussions, and science-based dialogues. Holmes highlights an upcoming conversation with astrophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi as an example of accessible, inspiring programming.
A major festival event was a staged reading of Enid Pickett’s new play on Juneteenth, which powerfully depicted the legacy of slavery and resistance. Holmes praises the play for its emotional impact and its role in preserving oral history and community memory. She underscores the importance of storytelling in grappling with America’s complex history of oppression, even as it celebrates freedom.

The conversation touches on themes of literacy, activism, and the ongoing struggle for true independence. Dr. Holmes emphasizes the transformative power of open dialogue and small daily acts of hope, especially during times of global and domestic turmoil. Her message is clear: building community through curiosity, honesty, and creativity can lead to real healing and progress.

Listeners are encouraged to visit FreedomFestivalUSA.org to explore events and RSVP. The interview closes with mutual gratitude and a shared commitment to fostering community engagement, freedom, and peace through ongoing conversation.

---- 

About Dr. Raquell Holmes: Dr. Holmes is a computational cell biologist pioneering the use of improvisational performance to foster inclusive science communities. She earned her Ph.D. from Tufts Sackler School of Biomedicine, completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School, and held positions at Boston University and the University of Connecticut Health Center. Author of Cell Biologist's Guide to Modeling and Bioinformatics, she creates multi-racial, collaborative environments for scientists, engineers, and students.
A founding organizer of the Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing and lead organizer of the SC-conferences’ Broader Engagement program, Dr. Holmes trained at the East Side Institute in social therapeutics. She founded Improvscience, offering leadership training that enhances communication and collaboration. She has coached over three thousand professionals, built a STEAM* program for underserved communities, and chaired the Cultivating Ensembles conference.

Guest Links:

Freedom Festival website with Event Schedule: https://freedomfestivalusa.org/  

----

3. Our second Guest Dr. Harriet Fraad:  In her Women’s Spaces interview with Elaine B. Holtz, psychotherapist and feminist activist Dr. Harriet Fraad offers a sweeping analysis of America's political, economic, and emotional decline. She argues that the U.S. empire is collapsing, unable to accept the rise of global powers like China. Former President Trump's nostalgic promises—such as bringing back manufacturing—are economically unrealistic, and his colonial fantasies of territorial expansion reflect delusional imperial thinking.

Fraad explores the psychological roots of aggression in politics, particularly among men, linking limited emotional expression in traditional masculinity to violence, war-making, and domestic abuse. She also examines why some women supported Trump, citing a longing for the perceived security of traditional gender roles.

Fraad criticizes mainstream media and right-wing outlets for spreading misinformation that appeals to emotional needs rather than truth. She believes many Americans knowingly consume falsehoods because they feel lied to by institutions and crave a scapegoat—often immigrants or the poor. With few political alternatives and a weakened left, public discourse remains dominated by fear, manipulation, and blame.

In the second part of the interview, Fraad emphasizes the importance of community, activism, and political engagement as antidotes to despair. She encourages listeners to join local organizations and support progressive movements that fight for economic justice and emotional well-being.
She points to growing socialist and democratic socialist movements as examples of hope, referencing candidates like Zoran Mamdani in New York, as well as national figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib. Fraad explains that in countries with strong socialist traditions—such as Sweden, Norway, and Germany—social programs like universal childcare, paid family leave, and worker representation on corporate boards provide greater security and mental well-being. These nations benefit from a political culture where money doesn’t dominate elections, and the government is accountable to its people rather than corporations.

Fraad calls for rebuilding a strong left in the U.S. and dispels fears about socialism, clarifying that it prioritizes democratic participation and collective welfare—not government overreach. She urges Americans to connect with others, stay informed through alternative media, and act collectively. “We have each other,” she says. “If we connect, we can win.” True change, she insists, begins with unity, courage, and refusing to remain silent.

About our Guest:  Dr. Harriet Fraad is a Mental Health Counselor and Hypnotherapist in New York City. She is a longtime political activist initiating movements for better public education, free public childcare, and midwifery Rights in Childbirth. She is a founding mother of the Feminist Movement. She has the Podcast Capitalism Hits Home. Her regular radio program, Interpersonal Update appears on WBAI on Tuesday nights at 6:30 EST. Her work focuses on the mutual shaping of political, economic, and personal life. She is also a regular guest of Dr. Richard Wolff and his show Economic Update on KBBF 89.1FM every Tuesday 11-12pm.

Guest Links:

 Dr. Harriet Fraad website:  www.harrietfraad.com

----

Our History Is Our Strength

Check out important dates to remember in Herstory at the National Women's History Alliance, where the date descriptions were sourced unless otherwise indicated.

Special thank you to the National Women’s History Alliance for making women’s history alive. Shout out to Co-Founder and Retiring Executive Director, Molly McGregor who will be on the show when we celebrate Women’s History Month in March for making the fabulous list of Women in History where I get most of the info I present in this Herstory segment.

----

Announcements  

Monday, June 30, 2025 11 AM # repeats 11 PM PT, the show features Dr. Andrea Hall reading Enid Pickett's full poem Juneteenth - Ancestors Are African, and discussing Dr. Hall's new book Wake Up. Radio KBBF 89.1 FM, North SF Bay or live streaming at https://kbbf.org/live  

---- 

Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 10 AM PT, the show is a repeat of our show of 6/30/25 that features Dr. Andrea Hall reading Enid Pickett's full poem Juneteenth - Ancestors Are African, and discussing Dr. Hall's new book Wake Up.  Radio KPCA 103.3 FM, Petaluma, CA. https://petalumacommunityaccess.org/kpca 

-----

Freedom Festival is from June 19th to July 4th every year, with discussion groups local in person and/or virtual scheduled all year, see description and upcoming events at https://freedomfestivalusa.org/.  

----

Ongoing:

Every Wednesday the Peace and Justice Center of Sonoma County (PJCSC) issues new weekly list of events and links to community non-profit organizations. It includes ongoing peace and human rights rallies and protests, and those sponsored by the  Community United to Resist Fascism (CURF) of which PJCSC is a member : Website www.pjcsoco.org

----

Every Sunday, Palestine Support Sunday, 2- 4 pm, Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa, CA

----

Every Thursday, Rally for Veterans Health Benefits, Protesting Potential Cuts to VA Funding, VA Center, 2285 Challenger Way, Santa Rosa, CA

----

Take action every day - Calendar: https://indivisiblesoco.org/calendar/

----

The North Bay Organizing Project - Rapid Response Project

https://www.northbayop.org/nbrrn

Add this number to your contacts list on your smartphone: (707)800-4544

Music Selections

The Opening and Closing Theme song The Woman in Your Life is You is done with permission of the Composer and Singer Alix Dobkin ((August 16, 1940 – May 19, 2021) Alix Dobkin death was just announced - Thank you for all you did for Lesbians to be recognized and Women to be honored. May you rest in peace. See our Interview with Alix Dobkin on 12/1/2014 and our Memorial to Alix Dobkin on 5/24/2021.

Masters of War sung by Tatiana Moroz, from the album Love and Liberty (2012 Tatiana Moroz).

By My Silence (new version), sung by Ellen Buckstel and Nick Annis from the single By My Silence - new version(2009 Ellen Buckstel and Nick Annis)

The Woman in Your Life is You by Alix Dobkin from the album Living with Lavender Jane (2010 Woen's Wax Works) - www.alixdobkin.com

----

For music purchasing opportunity, supporting the artists: