Disrupted

This hour, we are exploring the central role that Native peoples have played in the development of the United States, while facing legal discrimination that goes all the way back to the country's founding documents. Professor of Law Matthew L.M. Fletcher gives us the context around the Supreme Court's recent ruling on the Indian Child Welfare Act. And Ned Blackhawk discusses his new book, The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History, which tells the history of the United States, emphasizing how Native Americans have been essential to determining that history.

GUESTS:

• Matthew L. M. Fletcher: the Harry Burns Hutchins Collegiate Professor of Law and Professor of American Culture at the University of Michigan and a citizen of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. He is appointed to the appellate court of several tribes
• Ned Blackhawk: Professor of History and American Studies at Yale. His most recent book is The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History

Special thanks to our interns Carol Chen and Stacey Addo.

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This hour, we take a deep dive into LGBTQ+ Pride and history. We’ll talk about Stonewall, but also other moments in the LGBTQ+ rights movement that don’t get as much attention. Historian Marc Stein describes LGBTQ+ movements that happened before the Stonewall Uprising and two protests that occurred in Bridgeport. Archivist, Frank Perez and documentarian Sheri Wright tell the tragic story of The Upstairs Lounge, a popular New Orleans gay bar in the 1970’s. Beau Lancaster is an LGBTQ+ historian currently working on a documentary about Blues Bar - a popular New York City bar among the Black LGBTQ+ community.GUESTS:

• Marc Stein: Jamie and Phyllis Pasker Professor of History at San Francisco State University; director of the OutHistory; coeditor of Queer Pasts, a digital history project.
• Frank Perez: Co-founder and Executive Director of LGBT+ Archives Project
• Sheri Wright: Visual artist and producer of Tracking Fire: Finding Hope in the Aftermath of Hate, a documentary in production about the Upstairs Lounge and Pulse Nightclub.
• Beau Lancaster: LGBTQ+ historian and content creator; Adjunct Professor at The City University of New York; producing the documentary Gay, Black, and Blue: The Raid on Blues Bar.

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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.

This episode originally aired on April 19, 2023.

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This hour, we’re celebrating the 158th anniversary of Juneteenth with a look back at how Black Americans have helped shape Connecticut History.

Maisa Tisdale has dedicated much of her career to uncovering the rich history of a planned neighborhood for Black and Indigenous Americans in Bridgeport in the 1800s. When she came on the show two years ago, she shared her work as the president and CEO of the Mary and Eliza Freeman Center for History and Community and her efforts to renovate the historic Bridgeport homes of the Freeman sisters. The National Park Service recently awarded the Freeman Center a $750,000 grant as part of the Historic Preservation Fund’s African American Civil Rights Grant Program.

The 29th Infantry was a Black Civil War volunteer regiment in Connecticut. Private Orrin Benjamin Hawley was a member of that infantry as discovered by his great-great-grandson Charles “Ben” Hawley. Ben shares what he learned about his ancestors and how he’s doing his part to educate younger generations on their contributions.

Did you know that in 1831, New Haven had the opportunity to be the home of the first HBCU in the Northeast? We revisit our conversation with Dr. Jelani M. Favors about the history of HBCUs and how they disrupted the notions of leadership and excellence to elevate Black communities.

Looking for ways to celebrate Juneteenth? Find a list of events happening across Connecticut here.

Guests: 

• Maisa L. Tisdale: President and CEO of the Mary & Eliza Freeman Center for History and Community.
• Charles Benjamin Hawley: West Haven native and great-great-grandson of Orrin Hawley, soldier of the 29th Civil War Black regiment
• Dr. Jelani M. Favors:  Henry E. Frye Distinguished Professor of History at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University and author of Shelter in a Time of Storm: How Black Colleges Fostered Generations of Leadership and Activism

To learn more about New Haven’s 1831 failed HBCU proposal, listen to “A People’s History of Dixwell” walking tour, voiced by Metropolitan Business Academy students in New Haven.

This episode was produced with support from: Kevin Chang Barnum, Catie Talarski, Wayne Edwards, Meg Dalton, James Szkobel-Wolff, Zshekinah Collier, Daniela Luna and Meg Fitzgerald. Excerpts from our conversation with Ben Hawley originally aired on November 11, 2020. Excerpts from our conversation with Dr. Jelani Favors aired on August 4, 2021.

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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

Disrupted is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

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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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