Disrupted

While many Black Americans have been celebrating Juneteenth since 1865, the holiday has often been overlooked by non-Black Americans. This hour, we look at the tradition of the holiday and recognize its importance as a time to learn more about Black history in the U.S.

Alliah L. Agostini is a mom and children’s book author. Her books The Juneteenth Story: Celebrating the End of Slavery in the United States and The Juneteenth Cookbook teach the history and joy of Juneteenth.

Distinguished Professor Dr. William Darity explains the history of reparations and today's racial wealth gap.

 

GUESTS:

• Alliah L. Agostini: children’s book author - The Juneteenth Story: Celebrating the End of Slavery in the United States and The Juneteenth Cookbook

• Dr. William Darity: Samuel DuBois Cook Distinguished Professor of Public Policy at Duke University. Co-author, From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the 21st Century

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For parents, thinking about mental health is also about the lessons they impart on their children. This hour, we talk to two parents who advocate for mental health. First, Medina Jett, author of 'Peace Be Still: Navigating My Son’s Bipolar Disorder,' opens up about being a mother to a young adult with a mental illness. Then, Michell Clark discusses his book 'Eyes on the Road' and offers advice on how he's prioritized his mental health as a parent and beyond.

GUESTS:

• Medina Jett: attorney, real estate developer and President of Jett Speaks. She’s also a mental health advocate whose newest book is 'Peace Be Still: Navigating My Son’s Bipolar Disorder'

• Michell Clark: mental health advocate and author of Eyes on the Road

If you or someone you know is struggling, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration national helpline is 1-800-622-HELP (1-800-622-4357).

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This hour, we are taking a look at friendship. While friends seem ubiquitous in our culture, they aren't often prioritized in the same way that romantic partners are. Rhaina Cohen discusses that topic in her new book 'The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center.' Then, we turn to the idea of having friends from different generations. We'll hear from two Quinnipiac University students who spent their first year of grad school living with the residents of Pond Ridge at Ashlar Village, a retirement community in Wallingford, CT. And Eunice Lin Nichols, Co-CEO of CoGenerate, will explain the value of intergenerational connections, including how they can help in a polarized society.

GUESTS:

• Rhaina Cohen: Producer and editor for NPR. Author of 'The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center'

• Elise Maiorano: grad student at Quinnipiac University studying occupational therapy. Elise spent her first year of grad school living at Pond Ridge at Ashlar Village, a retirement community

• Annemarie Allen: grad student at Quinnipiac University studying occupational therapy. Annemarie spent her first year of grad school living at Pond Ridge at Ashlar Village, a retirement community

• Ben Paige: Resident of Pond Ridge at Ashlar Village

• Eunice Lin Nichols: Co-CEO of CoGenerate, an organization that brings people from different generations together to solve problems

This episode originally aired on February 14, 2024.

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Both Democrats and Republicans are hoping immigration policy will win them votes in 2024. This hour, we take a look at immigration laws from the past and present. Atlantic Staff Writer and 2023 Pulitzer Prize-winner Caitlin Dickerson talks about Biden and Trump's records on immigration and tells us who is immigrating to the U.S. today. We also hear from a group that supports immigrants through community organizing in Bridgeport and Hartford, and we learn about a restrictive immigration act that was signed 100 years ago.

GUESTS:

• Caitlin Dickerson: Staff Writer for The Atlantic. In 2023 she won a Pulitzer Prize for her work on the U.S. policy of separating migrant children from their families.

• Barbara López: Director of Make the Road Connecticut

• Mae Ngai: Lung Family Professor of Asian American Studies and Professor of History at Columbia University. Her most recent book is The Chinese Question: The Gold Rushes and Global Politics.

For more on the history of U.S. immigration policy, you can listen to our episode on Chinese American exclusion and resistance.

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As election day steadily approaches, we hear two conversations about voting. Back in March, Khalilah hosted a live event with MSNBC Legal Analyst Charles Coleman Jr. We take a listen to that event and learn how Black voters can make a difference in their communities. The discussion was part of The Legacy Foundation of Hartford's Black Excellence Speaker Series.

Then, Jacqueline De León, Senior Attorney with the Native American Rights Fund, talks about a 2020 report on barriers to voting access that Native Americans face and how those could impact the 2024 elections.

GUESTS:

• Charles Coleman Jr.: MSNBC Legal Analyst, Civil Rights Attorney and Co-Host of 'Black Men in America: Road to 2024,' which aired on MSNBC in February

• Jacqueline De León: Senior Attorney with the Native American Rights Fund and co-author of the report Obstacles at Every Turn: Barriers to Political Participation Faced by Native American Voters. She is an enrolled member of the Isleta Pueblo.

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Seventy years ago, Brown v. Board of Education outlawed racial segregation in public schools. This hour, we look at the historic Supreme Court decision — and some of the inequities that still exist in education today.

We speak with the Executive Director of a youth development organization in Hartford working to close education opportunity gaps.

And later, we talk about the legacy of Ellen Peters, the first woman appointed Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. She wrote the opinion in Sheff v. O’Neill, a landmark school desegregation case here in Connecticut.

 

GUESTS:

Kathy Trusty: Independent historian and children’s author.

Andrea Williams: Executive Director, ConnectiKids.

Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson: Chief Justice, Connecticut Supreme Court.

Richard Palmer: Former Connecticut Supreme Court Justice, Chairman of the state Public Defender Services Commission.

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Many people think of libraries as quiet places to study, work or read a book. But the quiet rooms of libraries have also been centers of social change. This hour, we look at how libraries help people build community and explore their identities. First, we talk about a recent drag story hour in Enfield, CT that was successfully rescheduled after it had initially been canceled due to safety concerns. Then, we discuss a pioneering librarian who helped start New York's well-known Morgan Library & Museum while keeping her racial identity a secret.

GUESTS:

• Lil Miss Hot Mess: Board member with Drag Story Hour, a nonprofit that organizes events where drag performers read to kids. She is also a University Professor and children’s author whose books include 'The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish'

• The Reverend Dr. Greg Gray: President of Enfield Pride and Pastor of Enfield United Church of Christ

• Erica Ciallela: Exhibition Project Curator at the Morgan Library

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This hour on Disrupted, we’re looking at the First Amendment and its impact on colleges and universities.

Students are demanding their schools divest from Israel over its war in Gaza. Some colleges have allowed protests with police presence, while others have forcibly removed demonstrators. There have been allegations of antisemitic, anti-Muslim, and anti-Palestinian speech at some protests — and that’s left many wondering how to address harmful speech without curbing free expression.

First Amendment Specialist Kevin Goldberg explains the five protections covered in the amendment. Wesleyan University President Michael Roth talks about his role as a university administrator and how to provide safe spaces for students.

GUESTS:

• Kevin Goldberg: First Amendment Specialist, Freedom Forum.

• Michael Roth: President, Wesleyan University and author of Safe Enough Spaces: A Pragmatist’s Approach to Inclusion, Free Speech, and Political Correctness.

This episode originally aired on February 7, 2024.

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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 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.

You can read Dorceta Taylor's research on disparities in environmental grantmaking through ResearchGate.

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.

This episode originally aired on April 26, 2023.

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Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. returns to the show to talk about his new book, 'We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For.' The book reevaluates our understanding of leadership and argues that ordinary people need to become leaders. He also explains his views on the 2024 election and how reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X changed his life.

GUEST:

• Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr.: James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University. He is a frequent contributor to MSNBC and a bestselling author. His newest book is 'We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For.'

You can listen back to the first episode of Disrupted, which also features Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. and was mentioned in this week's interview, on our website.

You can read the piece in Time that Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr. wrote that was discussed in this episode on Time's website.

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