Mitchell Ginsberg, Edward Schwartz and Daniel Thurz discuss poverty in America and War on Poverty legislation. Ginsberg is the associate dean of the School of Social Work at Columbia University, Schwartz is the George Herbert Jones professor of social work in the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, and Thurz is an associate professor of social work at the University of Maryland.

James and Ann Harper join Studs Terkel to discuss their personal stories and the work of their social center called Save the Alcoholic, located in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. James discusses his struggle with alcoholism and how his experiences influence the mission of Save the Alcoholic. Ann says its often hard to work with “Skid row alcoholics,” but ultimately, they both believe it’s important to help those who are alienated by society, despite their frustrations.

John A. McDermott and Sister Mary Peters discuss Catholic Church's Participation in Civil Rights Movement. Includes interview with unknown Catholic man opposed to nuns' and priests' involvement. Includes song "It Isn't Nice" by Judy Collins.

Nancy Milio's book, "9226 Kercheval: The Storefront That Did Not Burn," is about community health services offered in a ghetto on the south side of Detroit, Michigan. As a nurse, Milio knew how important it was to offer quality health services to poor and uneducated individuals. With their real names changed, Milio talks about her experiences with Mrs. Watkins, Johhnie West and others at the center.

CONTENT WARNING: This conversation has the presence of outdated, biased, offensive language. Rather than remove this content, we present it in the context of twentieth-century social history to acknowledge and learn from its impact and to inspire awareness and discussion.

Discussing the books "Now We Can Speak: A Journey Through the New Nicaragua" and "What Difference Could a Revolution Make?: Food and Farming in the New Nicaragua" with the author Joseph Collins.

Born in Hamburg, Nicola Geiger, recalls her upbringing and her life under Nazi Germany. She lost two children in World War II. Later in life, she worked in both Japan and Korea. Geiger knew that she alone could not change the world but that she worked tirelessly to get other people to work on peace, too.

Cesar Chavez discusses unionizing migrant farm workers, and how nonviolent tactics made the farm workers' struggle a cause with nationwide support(grape boycott). Includes excerpt from Hard Times: Voices of the Great Depression.

The song "America the Beautiful" always reminded Gale Cincotta about how great it was to live in America, the land with great schools and great jobs. It wasn't until Cincotta became a community organizer that she realized all schools and all jobs are not great for everyone. Cincotta's hope was to give people the power to make their lives better, not solely by pointing out problems but by doing something about them.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations