This hour, we look at how the Black press has shaped the United States. Professor Trevy A. McDonald tells us about the role the Black press played during important moments in history such as the civil rights movement. Akoto Ofori-Atta of Capital B explains her goals in helping to create a non-profit newsroom dedicated to centering Black voices. And Sasha Allen Walton and Endera Allen Stevens talk about working at Connecticut's largest and longest-published Black newspaper.

You can learn more about Capital B at their website: https://capitalbnews.org/ or sign up for their newsletter here: https://hype.co/@capitalb/y587mxyx. You can learn more about Northend Agent's at their website: :https://www.northendagents.com/.

GUESTS:

• Trevy A. McDonald: Associate Dean of ABIDE (Access, Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity, & Equity); Associate Professor of Broadcast and Electronic Journalism; Author; owner of Reyomi Media Group, an independent book publishing and consulting company based in Durham, N.C.
• Akoto Ofori-Atta: Co-founder and Chief Audience Officer at Capital B
• Sasha Allen Walton: Editor-in-Chief at Northend Agent’s
• Endera Allen Stevens: Endera Allen Stevens: Growth Manager for Northend Agent’s

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This hour on Disrupted, we're challenging long-held assumptions about parents and caregivers. First, Angela Garbes, author of Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change, explains how care workers are undervalued. She touches on the way the early days of the pandemic spotlighted issues in caregiving and why the legacy of American colonialism in the Philippines influenced both her family history and the disproportionate number of Filipinx nurses who died from COVID. Then, UConn professor Kari Adamsons talks about her research on fathers and the problem with the way many people think about "traditional families."

GUESTS:

• Angela Garbes: author of Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change
• Kari Adamsons: Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut

This episode originally aired on February 15, 2023.

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It's college commencement season for the class of 2023. This hour, we'll explore the history, benefits and questions surrounding Affinity-based celebrations with Dr. Crystal Garcia. And local graduates discuss their challenges in finding a job with Economist, Harry Holzer.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Crystal Garcia: Assistant Professor, Educational Administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Harry Holzer: John LaFarge Jr. Professor of Public Policy at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy

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This hour on Disrupted, we are listening back to our interviews with Black cartoonists who pushed their medium forward despite the reluctance of newspapers outside of the Black press to nationally syndicate their work. Jerry Craft talks about his banned, award-winning graphic novel New Kid, in addition to his latest book, School Trip. Barbara Brandon-Croft discusses her pioneering comic strip Where I'm Coming From and her new book, a collection of her comic strips. That book is also titled Where I'm Coming From.

GUESTS:

• Jerry Craft: author and illustrator of the graphic novels New Kid, Class Act and School Trip. He is also the creator of the comic strip Mama's Boyz and a former Connecticut resident.
• Barbara Brandon-Croft: creator of the comic strip Where I'm Coming From. Her new book is a collection of her comic strips and is also called Where I'm Coming From.

This episode originally aired on March 1, 2023.

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This hour, we explore the recent rise in anti-trans legislation. Orion Rummler of The 19th News takes us through anti-trans bills that are being passed at the state level. Karleigh Chardonnay Webb explains why attacks on trans athletes are about more than sports. And Dawn Ennis talks about finding joy during a time of discrimination.

GUESTS:

• Orion Rummler: LGBTQ+ reporter for The 19th News
• Karleigh Chardonnay Webb: contributor to Outsports, peer support operator for Trans Lifeline, organizer for the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Reapers Women’s Football team member.
• Dawn Ennis: journalist, professor at the University of Hartford, author of "What Makes Trans Joy Such a Powerful Antidote to Transphobia."

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This hour, we take a look at the context around some of the biggest news stories in recent weeks. First, a panel discussion about gun violence with Leonard Jahad of Connecticut Violence Intervention Program and Jeremy Stein of CT Against Gun Violence. They explain some of the ways the U.S. and Connecticut could reduce the number of gun deaths. Then, Lisa Napoli, author of Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN, and the Birth of 24-Hour News, talks about the history of cable news and the firings of Fox News' Tucker Carlson, CNN's Don Lemon and NBCUniversal's Jeff Shell.

GUESTS:

• Leonard Jahad: Executive Director of Connecticut Violence Intervention Program, former Chief Adult Probation Officer in New Haven
• Jeremy Stein: Executive Director of CT Against Gun Violence
• Lisa Napoli: author of four books, including Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN, and the Birth of 24-Hour News; broadcaster and public speaker

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This hour, we are taking a look at how race has impacted agriculture and the environmental movement. Leah Penniman, Co-Executive Director and Farm Director at Soul Fire Farm, talks about her new book Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists. The discussion touches on everything from Leah's childhood to how the creation of some of the most prominent national parks in the U.S. is linked to the eugenics movement. And Dr. Dorceta Taylor, a professor at the Yale School of the Environment, explains what environmental justice is, and why we need to think about marginalized communities when we think about the environment.

For more information on Soul Fire Farm, you can visit their website: https://www.soulfirefarm.org/.

You can read Dorceta Taylor's research on disparities in environmental grantmaking through ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369261149_Examining_Disparities_in_Environmental_Grantmaking_Where_the_Money_Goes.

GUESTS:

• Leah Penniman: Co-Executive Director and Farm Director at Soul Fire Farm, author of Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists.
• Dorceta Taylor: Professor and Senior Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Yale School of the Environment. She was interviewed for Leah Penniman’s book Black Earth Wisdom and is author of multiple books herself, including The Rise of the American Conservation Movement:  Power, Privilege, and Environmental Protection.

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Video games have a history of racist and sexist stereotypes, from damsels in distress to Asian martial artists. With the recent releases of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and HBO's television adaptation of The Last of Us, we wanted to take a closer look at representation in the video game industry. Sheri Graner Ray, CEO of Zombie Cat Studios and author of Gender Inclusive Game Design: Expanding the Market, explains what it's like to be a woman game designer pushing for the industry to broaden its perspective. And Professor Edmond Y. Chang talks about queerness and racial stereotypes in video games.

GUESTS:

• Sheri Graner Ray: CEO of Zombie Cat Studios, a computer game consulting and design studio; author of Gender Inclusive Game Design: Expanding the Market
• Edmond Y. Chang: Assistant Professor of English at Ohio University. His research interests include video game studies, queer theory, and American literature

Special thanks to our intern Melody Rivera, who helped produce this episode. Special thanks also go to our intern Elizabeth Van Arnam.

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When journalist Stephanie Foo was 30, she finally learned her mental health diagnosis. She had complex post-traumatic stress disorder or C-PTSD, a condition caused by repeated exposure to trauma. At first, learning that fact made Stephanie feel hopeless. But she soon embarked on a journey of healing that helped her better understand what having C-PTSD really meant. In the process, she not only learned about herself, but also about the broader societal implications of trauma and how trauma in her family's past still affects her today. She chronicles that journey in her book What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma.

This hour, we return to our discussion with Stephanie. We talk about her book and how mental health care in the U.S. often ignores the pain of people of color. Since this episode first aired in February, the paperback version of the book was released and entered the New York Times Best Sellers list.

GUEST:

• Stephanie Foo: journalist and author of What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma

This episode originally aired on February 1, 2023.

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This hour, we look at how media is understood across generations and why media literacy is more than just identifying misinformation on the news or social media. Global media literacy educator Dr. Belinha De Abreu talks about the evolving relationship between people and the platforms they use. She also explains Connecticut's policy surrounding media literacy education. Later in the show, we hear a roundtable discussion with college journalism students as we learn how they approach finding accurate news.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Belinha De Abreu: President of the International Council for Media Literacy and professor at Sacred Heart University; author of over 13 books including, most recently, “Media Literacy for Justice: Lessons for Changing the World”
• Tyler Wells: senior journalism major at the University of New Haven, Editor-in-Chief of The Charger Bulletin campus newspaper
• Faith Arcuri: junior at the University of New Haven majoring in journalism who writes for The Charger Bulletin
• Julie Dunn: junior at Sacred Heart University majoring in media arts with a concentration of TV, film and media
• Colin Moura: sophomore at Sacred Heart University majoring in media arts, Photography Editor of campus newspaper The Spectrum

Special thanks to our interns Melody Rivera and Elizabeth Van Arnam who hosted the roundtable discussion.

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