It's 2009, and the biggest front of global action is on climate change. The US has moved from the flat denials of the Bush era to an acceptance of the problem, but solutions still elude us. As always, the people will have to lead.

It's not just jobs the nation needs, it's jobs with justice -- the sort government can create, not by thinking petty and small, but thinking big. The best thing that could happen at the president's summit with CEOs is for him to declare a massive government jobs program at genuinely living wages, and for him to demand that private employers shape up.

The School of the Americas, now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation at Fort Benning, Georgia, has long been a training facility for Latin American military officers, many of whom have gone on to be involved in gross human rights violations. A graduate of the SOA is one of the coup leaders in Honduras.

What happened to organized labor in the US? With the decline of manufacturing jobs and rise of female-dominated service fields, does the old labor union model still hold up, or do we need new ways of organizing and supporting workers? And what happened to solidarity?

Today is "Black Friday," where people wait in line to buy discounted electronics and other goods for holiday gifts. Will the recession have an impact on people's ability to buy? If you are heading out to buy holiday gifts, take a minute to think about the impact of your shopping.

It's a heartwrenching story: more than five million dead and rape is used to terrorize the population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where spillover from the Rwandan conflict has led to the ongoing violence of daily life despite an official ceasefire. And minerals like coltan, used in your laptop or cell phone as well as aerospace technologies, are funding the violence. We all use cell phones and computers, but what can we do to stop supporting the horrific abuse of women and children in the Congo?

Ora Wise of the Palestine Education Project, Ras K'Dee of SNAG Magazine, and hip-hop activists Invincible of Detroit and the Narcicyst join us in the studio to talk about their experiences organizing across borders, creating solidarity between communities of struggle, and being part of a new generation of activists forming their own connections.

Philadelphia singer-songwriter Melody Gardot is a believer in music therapy. In 2003, she was hit by a car while riding her bike, and while bedridden, she learned guitar and started to write songs. She has recorded multiple albums, including her latest, My One and Only Thrill, and she credits performance with helping her transcend her pain.

A few weeks ago, we spoke with activists around the world who struggle for basic human rights. Everywhere you turn, the same corporate interests, the same apathetic or outright hostile governments--it's enough to drive social justice activists to despair. Instead of giving up, though, plenty of people figure out ways to keep going, to draw energy from the oppression and pain and to win victories against incredible odds. Sometimes their work seems overwhelming, but it's people like them who make us at GRITtv thankful this holiday season. We bring you that show and hope you enjoy another look at these inspiring people.

The Bellevue Hospital Natural Birth center in Manhattan, one of the few centers that cater not to the wealthy but to poor women, closed this month amid controversy. With the ongoing debate about health care reform and costs, decisions about childbirth are getting lost in the shuffle.