Election Day is November 5. Is anyone else nervous? We speak with Shevaun D. Neupert, a professor of psychology at North Carolina State University, about the impacts of election anxiety and how to cope before and after voting. We also hear from the sisters behind the “Vote Without Fear” campaign, reminding women — especially those in controlling relationships — that who they vote for is not public information.

 Guests: Shevaun D. Neupert, professor of psychology at North Carolina State University; Olivia Howell Dreizen and Genevieve Dreizen, co-founders of Fresh Starts Registry and the "Vote Without Fear" campaign

This episode discusses domestic violence. If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence or intimate partner abuse, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 by calling 1-800-799-SAFE, or by texting “START” to 88788.

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, New York. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. 

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On this week’s 51%, we recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month. WAMC’s Samantha Simmons speaks with Equinox Inc. counselor Melissa Kovelman about what domestic violence looks like in different types of relationships and how to seek help. We also check in with Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood about the various services it offers to patients struggling with menopause.

 Guests: Melissa Kovelman, LMHC with Equinox; Bree Samson, director of clinical services at Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood

This episode discusses domestic violence. If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence or intimate partner abuse, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 by calling 1-800-799-SAFE, or by texting “START” to 88788.

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, New York. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue.

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On this week’s 51%, we recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month and learn why doctors are being instructed to tell patients about their breast density after mammograms. We also speak with Dr. Elizabeth Lucal of Nuvance Health about the impacts of iron deficiency and anemia on women. And Natasha Senjanovic of the New York Public News Network brings us a report on how the healthcare industry is responding to one of the top causes of maternal mortality: femicide.

Guests: Dr. Arnold Baskies, former chairman of the national board of the American Cancer Society; Dr. Elizabeth Lucal, OB/GYN with Nuvance Health

This episode discusses femicide and domestic violence. If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence or intimate partner abuse, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 by calling 1-800-799-SAFE, or by texting “START” to 88788.

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, New York. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. 

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On this week’s 51%, we stop by a traveling exhibition using photography to explore the physical and emotional realities of fertility and childbirth. “Reproductive: Health, Fertility, Agency” — from Columbia College Chicago — is now on view at Vassar College’s Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center through February 2. We also stop by a ceremony celebrating a new statue of Sojourner Truth in Kingston, New York, and recognize the 50th anniversary of a women’s art collective in Rosendale.

 Guest: Mary-Kay Lombino, curator and deputy director at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College

You can learn more about Vassar's "Reproductive: Health, Fertility, Agency" here. The original exhibition can be toured found here. 

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, New York. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. 

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On this week’s 51%, we speak with Brady President Kris Brown about her work advocating for gun control measures in Washington, and why it’s harder today. We also hear from New York State Senator Liz Krueger about the state’s proposed Equal Rights Amendment, which voters will decide on in November.

Guests: Kris Brown, president of Brady: United Against Gun Violence; New York State Senator Liz Krueger

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, New York. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. 

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On this week’s 51%, we sit down with author Theo Boyd to discuss her book My Grief is Not Like Yours, and the various forms that grief can take. Boyd, a former teacher and self-described "farm girl" from Texas, experienced a string of life-altering losses beginning in 2019, including the deaths of both of her parents. Combining personal anecdotes and advice from mental health counselors, Boyd offers comfort to those who also find themselves in the throes of "complicated grief." 

Guest: Theo Boyd, author of My Grief is Not Like Yours: Learning to Live After Unimaginable Loss, A Daughter's Journey

This episode contains a discussion on suicide. If you or someone you love is in crisis, help is available. The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is open 24/7 here and by texting or calling “988.” The Crisis Text Line is also available here and by texting "HOME" to "741741."

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, New York. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. 

On this week’s 51%, we speak with writer and mental health advocate Jessica Hoppe about her new book First in the Family: A Story of Survival, Recovery, and the American Dream. The debut memoir chronicles Hoppe’s experience recovering from drug and alcohol abuse as a first-generation Latinx woman. Tracing the history of substance abuse across her family, Hoppe explores the pressures that come with the immigrant experience, the impacts of intergenerational trauma, and what it takes to break the cycles of shame and silence. 

Has dating gotten harder in recent years? On this week’s 51%, we speak with sociologist Sabrina Strings about the changing romantic landscape for women in the U.S., from dating app horrors to low-commitment “situationships.” In her new book, The End of Love, Strings argues that traditional romance has always been more elusive for women of color, and now it is practically on its deathbed. Why? Because after decades of feminist progress, a new form of toxic masculinity has evolved to maintain power over women by withholding love and commitment.

On this week’s 51%, our associate producer Jody Cowan speaks with ethnobotanist Dr. Ina Vandebroek and anthropologist Dr. Cynthia Fowler about efforts in the science community to address racism and decolonize the way we study and name native plants around the world. WAMC’s Samantha Simmons also stops by a community center in New York that’s using cooking classes to promote kids’ interest in the STEAM fields.

Guests: Dr. Cynthia Fowler, sociology and anthropology department chair at Wofford College; Dr. Ina Vandebroek, senior lecturer at The University of the West Indies

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio based in Albany, New York. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producers are Jody Cowan and Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue.