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The Forum

KKFI 90.1 FM Kansas City Community Radio

The Forum is a platform for the discussion of significant issues. Guest speakers typically focus on issues of political, social justice, moral, educational and artistic significance. Each presentation is followed by questions and discussion.

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  • 21 episodes
  • Avg 57 min
  • English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • July 26 · 58 min

    ACLU Update with Micah Kubic

    Dr. Micah W. Kubic, Executive Director, America Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, will discuss the amendment on the upcoming ballot to amend the Kansas Constitution to authorize the election of state Supreme Court justices and abolish the existing state Supreme Court nominating commission. With more than 20 years of experience in civil rights and racial justice work, Micah leads one of the largest advocacy organizations in the state, defending and strengthening the rights that belong to everyone under the Constitution. Musical Guest: Josephine Eve

  • July 19 · 58 min

    Poetry, Storytelling and Classical Music

    The episode contains two presentations from the Unitaraian Universalist Congregation in Lawrence, KS. The first one is by Annette Hope Billings - a reading of her poetry with some story telling thrown in. This will be followed by a conceret by award winning pianist, Melane Hadley Lina.

  • July 4 · 58 min

    Creative Voices of Freedom and The Strawberry Girls

    Marci Renée is the founder and director of Creative Voices of Freedom (creativevoicesoffreedom.org) and the founder and director of The Strawberry Girls (strawberrygirls.org) — a Spanish anti-trafficking, nonprofit organization working with Moroccan women exploited through the “Red Gold” strawberry industry of Spain and into the brothels. She feels called to be a voice for the “Silent Ones.” Marci will discuss her work with broken, traumetized women in Spain and elsewhere. Musical guest: Ivory Blue (https://www.facebook.com/IVORYBLUEMUSIC)

  • June 26 · 58 min

    Self and Community in a Post-Truth Age

    Duncan Payne is a musician, athlete and academic who recently received his master’s degree in Dublin studying cognitive science, a discipline straddling the line between neuroscience, philosophy, psychology and computer science. Specializing in emerging theories of mind collectively known as ‘4E’ (embodied, embedded, extended, enacted), Duncan’s presentation engages questions of the nature of consciousness, individuality and subjectivity, social neuroscience and the relationship of the brain/mind to the body. Though technically within the scope of ‘hard’ science, these schools of thought stress the interconnected nature of life and thought, and the need for life to be lived to be understood. Musical Guest: Heath Church

  • June 20 · 58 min

    What'll We Do With All The Churches

    Steve Perron is an Emmy Award-winning journalist (15 Emmys) and a nationally recognized singer/songwriter. He left home one month after his 14th birthday to enter the seminary, where he stayed for seven years studying for the Catholic priesthood. After leaving the seminary he struggled with questions about faith and religion for decades. He now identifies as a Secular Humanist. His book, What’ll We Do With All the Churches?, is part memoir, relating his personal spiritual evolution, and part journalistic analysis and commentary on the historic decline in belief and religious affiliation in the United States, all built around 13 of his original songs. Musical guest: Steve Morton

  • June 13 · 58 min

    Transforming Foster Care

    Alyssa Carter of KCMO Angels describes the support and services provided by the organization to the community, as well as the state of foster care in Kansas City. The mission of KCMO Angels is "To walk alongside children, youth, and families in the foster care community by offering consistent support through intentional giving, relationship building, and mentorship." Musical Guest: Jack Summers

  • May 24 · 58 min

    Overlapping Issues of the Anti-War Movement

    Byron Ripley of Veterans for Peace will discuss sevral issues concerning the anti-war movement among veterans in the U.S. today. Mr. Ripley is a Marine Corps Veteran. Veternas for Peace Chapter 97 – Kansas City is an organization of military veterans and allies dedicated to building a culture of peace, exposing the true costs of war, and advocating for justice at home and abroad. Musical Guest: Christian Ripley

  • May 8 · 58 min

    Corey's Network

    Shelly Norris, President and Co-Founder of Corey’s Network, will discuss their mission, which is to provide immediate support, advocacy, and services to surviving victims of homicde in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and the actions and sctivities they us to proved these services. Musical guests: Kristopher Bruders and family.

  • April 24 · 58 min

    Petroglyphs of the Kansas Smoky Hills.

    Rex Buchanan, author and former Director of the Kansas Geological Survey will discuss Petroglyphs found in Kansas’s Smokey Hills. Before Europeans arrived here, Native people lived on the plains, and some left behind rock carvings on soft sandstone in the middle of Kansas. This presentation focuses on these carvings, the people who made them, and what the carvings tell us about those people and their relationship to the land. The presentation also discusses the challenges of dating and interpreting these carvings, the threats posed by erosion and vandalism, and the role of landowners whose property shelters these carvings. Musical Guest: The Tequa Bluegrass Band

  • April 18 · 58 min

    About Islam and on Leaving Islam

    Janey Rizvey discusses various aspects of Islam and his reasons for leaving Islam. He draws on his experience growing up as a Pakistani-American in Texas and relates the teachings of Islam to the current perception of Muslims in America. Mr. Rizvey is the current President of the Oasis Network, as well as being one of its co-founders. Musical Guest; Kadesh Flow

  • March 30 · 58 min

    From Sketchpad to iPad - Learning to Evolve as an Artist

    Jaye Wiley, a lifelong native of Kansas City and former artist at Hallmark will present “From Sketchpad to iPad — Learning to Evolve as an Artist,” Jaye will describe his development from “the guy in class who was a good drawer” to a professional artist. Our musical guest is Lezlie Revelle Zucker. The presentation and music were recorded live at Kansas City Oasis on January 18, 2026.

  • March 21 · 58 min

    John Brown, a Lit Match in a Tinderbox

    In this presentation, Grady Atwater, the Site Administrator of the John Brown Museum State Historic Site in Osawatomie, Kansas, explores the realities and ramifications of John Brown’s abolitionist crusade in Kansas Territory and the nation. Grady Atwater holds a Master of Arts degree in History from Emporia State University. His historical research focuses on the life of John Brown and his impact on history and the present day, and the abolitionist movement in American history and its impact on modern American culture. Musical Guest: KJ Koa

  • March 14 · 58 min

    Glacial Flooding, Human Evolution, and Climate Change

    Dr Andrew Boyd will discuss the flooding that inundated the interior of Washington State and northern Oregon and the effects on human evolution.. He will look at the devastation caused by the floods and make some observations about climate change. Musical guest: Tracey Myers (https://www.instagram.com/traceymyersmusic/)

  • March 6 · 58 min

    The Fort Osage National Historical Site

    Don Laskey, who holds a Masters Degree in History, is a historian and park interpreter at the Fort Osage National Historic Landmark. His presentation will cover the history of Fort Osage and its role in the development of the United States west of the Mississippi.

  • February 21 · 55 min

    Heartland Tree Alliance

    Jesus Valenzuela from the Heartland Tree Alliance, A Division of Bridging the Gap, will discuss the aims and goals of the organization to provide education and information about the critically important benefits created by urban trees and why these trees need extra care. Musical Guests: Deann Kinsch and Scotty McBee

  • February 14 · 58 min

    Kansas City Water Quality and Infrastucture

    Daryl Young, Environmental Manager at the Kansas City Water Laboratory, will discuss the infrastructure and how we get clean water here in Kansas City. In this behind-the-scenes view, he will describe the various components of our water system and how they are operated. Musical Guest: Gracie Caggiano

  • February 7 · 58 min

    Facing Fascism: Lessons of Resistance from Nazi Germany

    Jessica Rockhold and Dr. Shelly Cline will discus various examples of resistance to the Nazi regime in 1930's/1940's Germany, and the effect ond outcomes of these resistance actions. In doing so, they also draw parallels to what is happening in America today. Musical guest: Jillian Riscoe

  • February 1 · 58 min

    Care Beyond the Boulevard

    Please join Jaynell (KK) Assmann as she decribes the work and purpose of Care Beyond the Boulevard. Care Beyond the Boulevard fills a significant gap in access to comprehensive medical care for Kansas City’s homeless residents. They deliver high-quality, reliable, evidenced-based care for unsheltered homeless patients by taking healthcare services directly to their patients. Musical guests: Double Treble

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