Taking Risks for Animals: Zoe Rosenberg on direct action, open rescue, and the criminalization of compassion

Taking Risks for Animals: Zoe Rosenberg on direct action, open rescue, and the criminalization of compassion

In this episode of Nonviolence Radio, we speak with animal rights activist Zoe Rosenberg about nonviolent direct action, open rescue, and the personal costs of standing up for animals. A recent graduate of UC Berkeley, where she designed her own major in social movement strategy, Zoe brings both practical experience and thoughtful analysis to the challenges facing today's animal rights movement. She shares her experience rescuing chickens from Perdue's Petaluma Poultry facilities, the legal consequences that followed—including a felony conviction, house arrest, and time in solitary confinement—and why those experiences only deepened her commitment to nonviolence. The conversation explores the history of repression in the animal rights movement, the ongoing campaign to rescue beagles from Ridglan Farms, and the power of principled action to expose hidden suffering and inspire change. Through stories of courage, compassion, and solidarity, Zoe offers a compelling vision of what it means to extend our circle of care to all living beings and to build movements capable of transforming both hearts and institutions.

"What do you need for repair?" A Conversation with Jonathan Bradley

On this episode of Nonviolence Radio, we continue our exploration of restorative justice with Jonathan Bradley, co-executive director of SEEDS Community Resolution Center. Drawing from years of experience in schools and communities, Bradley reflects on restorative justice not simply as a set of techniques, but as a practice that challenges the assumptions of punitive culture and invites people into accountability, repair, and human connection. The conversation explores what it means to move beyond retribution, why restorative practices require participation and practice rather than rigid formulas, and how communities can rediscover their own capacity to address harm. We also reflect on the broader cultural roots of punishment, the importance of restoring our confidence in human beings, and the role of nonviolence in transforming conflict. In the Nonviolence Report, Michael highlights recent movements and actions from around the world, including protests defending democracy, solidarity flotillas for Gaza, and a remarkable nonviolent campaign that led to the rescue of 1,500 beagles from a breeding and research facility in Wisconsin. Together, the stories point toward the growing power of organized nonviolent action and the importance of uplifting alternatives to violence in public life.

Restorative Justice as Relationship: A Conversation with Dominic Barter

In this conversation, restorative justice practitioner Dominic Barter reflects on more than three decades of work at the intersection of community, justice, and nonviolence. Beginning with his early experiences in Rio de Janeiro, he describes how communities already hold a “dialogical” capacity to respond to harm—one rooted in listening, relationship, and shared needs. From grassroots work in favelas to collaborations with courts, prisons, and governments, Barter traces how restorative justice has evolved across contexts while resisting reduction to a fixed method or technique. Instead, he emphasizes that this work must emerge from within each community’s own culture and lived experience. At a time of deep polarization, the conversation explores how conflict itself can become a source of transformation rather than division. Barter invites us to move beyond retribution and toward rebuilding the relational foundations that make community—and a more humane vision of justice—possible.

Disagreement as Practice: Communication Across Divides (with Francesca Po)

In this episode of Nonviolence Radio, Stephanie Van Hook speaks with nonviolence educator and Metta Center board member Francesca Po about communication as a living practice of nonviolence. Moving beyond any single method or formula, they explore how curiosity, dignity, and self-awareness shape the way we engage across disagreement. Together, they reflect on what it means to stay in relationship without giving up truth, why curiosity can soften conflict before it escalates, and how communication becomes a form of rehumanization in a deeply polarized world. The conversation also touches on the limits of “cancellation” as protest, the importance of restorative approaches, and the role of self-care in sustaining meaningful dialogue.

The Discipline of Nonviolence: Emily Yellin on James Lawson’s life and the making of a movement

In this episode of Nonviolence Radio, we speak with journalist Emily Yellin about her collaboration on Nonviolent: A Memoir of Resistance, Agitation, and Love, offering a rare and deeply personal window into the life and thought of Reverend James Lawson—one of the most important yet often overlooked architects of the U.S. nonviolent movement. Drawing from years of conversations and archival research, Yellin illuminates Lawson’s spiritual grounding, strategic brilliance, and lifelong commitment to nonviolent direct action. The conversation highlights how nonviolence is not a spontaneous tactic but a disciplined, relational, and deeply strategic practice rooted in listening, training, and long-term vision—offering powerful lessons for movements today.