Against the Odds is a public radio/multimedia documentary series that profiles people who have overcome significant obstacles in life. They are stories of uplift but also stories with a serious message; and they have a particular focus on people from marginalized groups who don’t typically get a lot of media play. Click here for a list of airdates.
Hope on a Pile of Bones introduces listeners to a range of people who are building the new Rwanda. In this segment, we meet Anglican Bishop John Rucyahana, founder of the Sonrise boarding school, which took in orphans of the Rwandan genocide. We also visit a village built by Rucyahana’s ministry, where victims and perpetrators of the 1994 genocide live in harmony.
“Ivy League Refugee” aired in 2008 on over two hundred public radio stations nationwide. Ellis Cose is the creator, executive production, writer and host.
RECENT PRESS
Ellis Cose was the focus of an hour-long C-SPAN broadcast featuring audio and video clips from his “Against The Odds” documentary series that aired on August 16th and 17th, 2009. View the full program here.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor introducing Ellis Cose at a New York Country Law
function, May 7, 2009. – Focus is “Nerds In The Hood” segment of Against the Odds radio series.
Rwanda 15 Years After Genocide
April 3, 2009
A Message of Hope From a Pile of Bones
April 4, 2009
On the radio: Ellis Cose has good news for those who want uplift
April 6, 2009
The first program in Against the Odds is, “Ivy League Refugee,” which tells the story of Abass Hassan Mohamed, born in war-torn Somalia, who escaped to a refugee camp in Kenya.
Listen to the full documentary
Introduces listeners to a range of people who are building the new Rwanda.
Listen to a sample of Hope of a Pile of Bones
Listen to the full documentary
Looks at kids from some of the toughest streets on both coasts who have managed, despite their harsh backgrounds, to become exemplary achievers.
Listen to a sample of Nerds in the Hood
Listen to the full documentary
Focuses on several remarkable people in India who have said “no” to prejudice and low expectations.
Listen to a sample of Breaking the Bonds of Tradition
Listen to the full documentary
Profiles survivors of foster care, including two sisters who last year graduated from Smith College and Virginia Polytechnic, respectively.
Listen to a sample of Trauma, Turmoil and Recovery
Listen to the full documentary
AGAINST THE ODDS is supported by The Ford Foundation, the Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Fund, The Atlantic Philanthropies, and The Goldman Sachs Foundation.
