WHIV: Human Rights and Social Justice Radio
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Collection Summary
The WHIV: Human Rights and Social Justice Radio special collection features two series produced by WHIV-FM in New Orleans: “PFLAG New Orleans – Expanding the Rainbow” and “NOLA Matters: Civil Rights Radio." The collection currently includes thirty-six episodes from both series produced between 2015 and 2024, with plans to expand the collection in late 2026 and beyond.
Hosted by Sally Michelle Jackson, Joshua “Adonis” Carcabasi, and Tyra Ellis, “PFLAG New Orleans – Expanding the Rainbow” covers topics of interest to members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies. Several episodes feature interviews with queer writers, artists, and activists discussing their sexuality and gender identity, such as a 2017 episode with Maxx Sizeler, in which he reflects on his life and work as a gender-variant artist, and a 2018 interview with August Steinkamp, who describes his experiences as a trans high school student and activist. Other episodes report on local activism, community organizing, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and New Orleans cultural events, such as Mardi Gras. LGBTQ+ history is also a frequent topic, with episodes addressing the history of International Transgender Day of Remembrance, the 1973 UpStairs Lounge arson attack, and LGBTQ+ activism in New York City before and during the AIDS crisis.
Hosted by retired Judge Calvin Johnson, “NOLA Matters: Civil Rights Radio” takes an in-depth look at racial and social justice issues, particularly in New Orleans. Episodes often highlight the work of activist organizations and local nonprofits, such as Sister Hearts, a thrift store and re-entry program for recently incarcerated men and women, and Daughters Beyond Incarceration, which supports the daughters of incarcerated parents. The series frequently explores issues at the intersection of race, history, and the law, with episodes on Jim Crow, constitutional amendments, and voter registration. Other episodes cover varied topics, including men's sexual health, the impact of chronic stress and trauma on children, and the Indigenous people of Bvlbancha, the historic Choctaw name for the area today known as New Orleans.
Collection Background
WHIV-FM 102.3 isn’t a radio station with a mission; it’s a mission with a radio station. A program of the New Orleans Society for Infectious Disease Awareness (NOSIDA), WHIV is a low-powered, volunteer-driven community radio station dedicated to fighting for social justice and protecting human rights. WHIV’s founder, infectious disease specialist Dr. MarkAlain Déry, chose the station’s call letters to reduce the stigma around HIV and AIDS. The call letters “HIV” simultaneously stand for “Honoring Independent Voices” to reflect the station’s ongoing commitment to amplifying the voices of local community members. Created to raise awareness of HIV and other infectious diseases through music, WHIV first went on the air on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2014.
WHIV features local music and talk radio, as well as programming from the Pacifica Radio Network. As of 2026, WHIV features more than seventy hosts and DJs and broadcasts over twelve hours of original content daily. On the air throughout the greater New Orleans metropolitan area, WHIV is also available streaming online in all fifty states and eighty-five countries. The WHIV: Human Rights and Social Justice Radio special collection was added to the American Archive of Public Broadcasting in June 2026.
