Disrupted

This episode originally aired on March 31st, 2021

This moment in American history can feel unprecedented. But white supremacist violence and debates over whose rights really matter are hardly new. This hour on Disrupted, we re-air conversations with two authors who provide crucial historical and theoretical context to this moment. Keisha N. Blain co-edited Four Hundred Souls, A Community History of African America. Jamal Greene is the author of How Rights Went Wrong: Why Our Obsession With Rights Is Tearing America Apart, a book untangling the complex history and politics of rights in America.

GUESTS:

• Keisha N. Blain – Associate Professor of History at the University of Pittsburgh and co-editor of Four Hundred Souls, A Community History of African America. Her new book is called Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer's Enduring Message to America
• Jamal Greene – Dwight Professor of Law at Columbia Law School and Author of How Rights Went Wrong: Why Our Obsession With Rights Is Tearing America Apart

This episode of Disrupted was originally produced by Catie Talarski and Anna Elizabeth. The rest of our team includes James Szkobel-Wolff and Zshekinah Collier.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Materials scientist Ainissa Ramirez has made it her mission to tell the stories of little known inventors. She shines a light on the women and people of color that have helped create everything from the ice cream scoop to the GPS. This week on Disrupted, a conversation with Ainissa Ramirez.

GUESTS:

• Ainissa Ramirez - Materials scientist, science evangelist, author of The Alchemy of Us: How humans and matter transformed one another

This week's episode was produced by James Szkobel-Wolff, Zshekinah Collier, and Catie Talarski.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, ten candidates were selected to join NASA's latest class of Astronauts. They will join the Artemis program, which expects to send humans to the moon for the first time since 1972. The new cohort will be one of NASA’s most diverse ever.On today's episode, hear from two Black Americans who helped pave the way for the next generation of NASA astronauts and administrators.

GUESTS:

• Leland Melvin - Engineer, former NFL Wide Receiver, and retired NASA Astronaut. He’s also the author of Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances
• Greg Robinson - Director for the James Webb Space Telescope Program in the NASA Science Mission Directorate

This week's episode was produced by James Szkobel-Wolff, Zshekinah Collier, and Catie Talarski.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the pandemic, many people turned to art to process their feelings and cope with loss. Others turned to local artists to contextualize the current moment. Art has the unique ability to comfort us and get us through difficult times. Today, three New Haven artists and disruptors on the ways they are using art to affect change.

GUESTS:

• Kwadwo Adae - Visual Artist and founder of the Adae Fine Art Academy.
• Alisha Crutchfield McClean - Fashion Consultant and Owner of the New Haven store Bloom.
• Jacob Padrón - Artistic Director at Long Wharf Theatre and founder of the Sol Project.

This week's episode was produced by James Szkobel-Wolff, Zshekinah Collier, and Catie Talarski.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode originally aired on August 11th, 2021

Trees are one of New England’s most treasured resources. But in Connecticut cities, a painful history of racism and redlining has led to fewer trees. During this holiday week, we look back at a show from this summer about our urban tree canopy in Connecticut.

And, our region loses nearly 38 square miles of forestland each year. How can we fight deforestation in our backyard?

GUESTS:

• Drew Goldsman - Urban Conservation Director for the Nature Conservancy in Connecticut
• Caroline Scanlan - Greenskills Manager at the Urban Resources Initiative in New Haven
• David R. Foster - Senior Conservationist at Harvard University's Harvard Forest and President and Board Chair of the Highstead Foundation.

 

This week's episode was produced by James Szkobel-Wolff, Zshekinah Collier, Catie Talarski and Vanessa de la Torre. Our interns are Abe Levine, and Dylan Reyes.

And from all of our team, we'd like to wish you a holiday season full of connection, peace and understanding.

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As more people confront the realities of climate change, our society’s relationship with food is changing. This week, the ways we access our food.

We’ll hear from a man who spent just 5 dollars feeding himself over two years, by mastering the art of dumpster diving. We also hear from an indigenous ethnobotanist who shares the ways we can all lessen our impact on nature. And, a conversation with a young activist and academic fighting to end food deserts.

Guests:

 

• William Reid – Food waste expert, dumpster diver and director of the documentary "Trash Empire".
• Rosalyn LaPier – Ethnobotanist and Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Montana. She is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe.
• Katharine Morris – Sustainability Fellow for the EPA and scholar-activist focusing on environmental justice. Check out her TEDx Talk How To Collaborate For Environmental Justice.

Disrupted is produced by James Szkobel-Wolff, Zshekinah Collier, and Catie Talarski. Our interns are Abe Levine, and Dylan Reyes.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

America is home to many spiritual practices that were once considered evil - like Brujeria or Hoodoo. But today, more people are looking to reclaim these ancestral traditions.This hour on Disrupted, we hear how slavery gave birth to Hoodoo and how young African-Americans are embracing their past. We learn about Brujeria, a witchcraft tradition from Latin America. And, the legacy of Pamela Coleman-Smith - a forgotten artist who changed the face of tarot cards.

Guests:

• Yvonne Chireau – Professor of Religion at Swarthmore College and author of Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition.
• Lorraine Monteagut – practicing Bruja and author of Brujas: The Magic and Power of Witches of Color
• Elizabeth Foley O'Connor – Associate Professor of English, Director of the Gender Studies Program at Washington College in Maryland, author of Pamela Colman Smith: Artist, Feminist & Mystic 

Disrupted is produced by James Szkobel-Wolff, Zshekinah Collier, and Catie Talarski. Our interns are Abe Levine, and Dylan Reyes.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In September, TikTok surpassed over a billion monthly users. And the app is fundamentally changing how creators reach an audience online. This week, how TikTok is changing our relationship with media. We’ll hear from a TikTok creator about how he’s staying relevant. A professor reveals how TikTok's impacting childhood development. And a look at TikTok’s stronghold on the music industry.

Guests:

• Gohar Khan – TikTok creator who provides college admission tips and advice @Goharsguide, and CEO and Co-founder of Next Admit.
• Jaime Riccio – Communications and media studies professor at LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York.
• Dan Whateley – Media reporter for Business Insider. Click here to find more of his reporting.

Disrupted is produced by James Szkobel-Wolff, Zshekinah Collier, and Catie Talarski. Our interns are Abe Levine, and Dylan Reyes.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Capitalism is a major driving force in American society. But the COVID-19 Pandemic has shown that the system doesn’t work for everyone and what we prioritize matters.

This hour on Disrupted, a conversation with political scientist Margaret Levi on the future of our economy and how we can find dignity in work. And economist Janelle Jones talks about the importance of the Black female workforce.

GUESTS:

• Margaret Levi - Director of Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences, Professor of Political Science, and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University
• Janelle Jones - Chief Economist for the Department of Labor

To learn more about moral political economy, check out the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences' website.

Disrupted is produced by James Szkobel-Wolff, Zshekinah Collier, and Catie Talarski. Our interns are Abe Levine, and Dylan Reyes.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The United States is responding to an influx of refugees from Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover of the country. But what happens after they arrive in our state?This week, we take a look at the immigration process for refugees. We’ll hear from two immigration experts about how we can best support new migrants and what research tells us about their ability to thrive in America. And a housing advocate breaks down zoning policy in Connecticut and how it’s making housing more expensive.

Guests:

• Hossna Samadi - Afghan migrant who moved to Connecticut with her family in 2016. She now works with Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services and Sanctuary Kitchen in New Haven.
• Martine Dherte - Refugee Services Program Manager at the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants.
• Salma Mousa - Assistant Professor of Political Science at Yale University.
• Sara Bronin - Professor of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University, and founder and lead organizer of Desegregate Connecticut. She was recently nominated by President Biden to chair the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

Disrupted is produced by James Szkobel-Wolff, Zshekinah Collier, and Catie Talarski. Our interns are Abe Levine, and Dylan Reyes.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.