S1.E69 ∙ Episode #1.69

'Roots of Rescue' is a documentary featuring the culture of animal cruelty in Alabama. The narrative is provided by a vast network of animal rescuers who struggle every day to save abused and neglected dogs. Due to a lack of stiff animal cruelty penalties and animal legislation, many rescuers have resorted to vigilante behavior. Roots of Rescue introduces a passion for humanity so deep that it consumes the lives of those fighting to preserve it in a state where education and legislation are sub-par.

The drastic and destructive impact of incarcerating women is revealed in painstaking detail in WAR ON THE FAMILY: Mothers in Prison and the Children They Leave Behind. Haunting first person narratives, coupled with analysis from passionate advocates, paint a devastatingly clear picture of the effects imprisonment has not only on the women who are locked away, but also on the children who have been left behind.

A behind-the-scenes look at prison life within the Sarasota County jail. On a normal day 50 - 60 people get booked into this institution for crimes ranging from murder, drug dealing and theft to simple misdemeanors. While a few are hardcore criminals, most are just normal people trying to get by who just happened to make a poor decision. This film is about their life behind bars and the story of a fortunate few who get accepted into an immensely successful special program that can help them turn their life around. This program was put together by the Salvation Army and the very people who now hold them prisoner.

The film reveals the plight of Somali pirates, mostly former fishermen, who as a result of the global fishing industry can no longer make a living from the sea as they once did and have to join up with pirate cartels in order to feed themselves and their families.

In many ways, Mobile, Alabama has moved beyond the racial problems that plagued most American cities throughout the twentieth century. Overt racism is no longer tolerated, and, for the most part, race relations in Mobile are not much different than in other cities, north or south. Mobile in Black and White takes a hard look at the ways racism continues to pervade the structures and institutions of a supposedly post-racial world. Expertly blending the insights and experiences of local residences and leading experts such as Peggy McIntosh, john powell, Tim Wise, and Bryan Stevenson, as well as the poetry of Natasha Trethewey, Sonia Sanchez, and others, this documentary is a powerful, thought-provoking catalyst for constructive community conversations on race.