Equal Time with Mary C. Curtis

Known for his work in the courtroom and the classroom, Harvard Law School's Charles J. Ogletree Jr. is being memorialized by the many he mentored, including former President Barack and first lady Michelle Obama. One of his students, civil rights attorney Areva Martin, was particularly inspired by his work to restore the justice historically denied to so many, including the victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. Martin represents more than 700 survivors and descendants of Palm Springs Section 14 in their quest for reparations after their community was racially targeted, burned out and bulldozed by the city of Palm Springs in the 1950s and 60s. In this episode of "Equal Time," author, activist, attorney and media personality Areva Martin joins Mary C. Curtis in a conversation some Americans would rather avoid. Is resolving America's unpaid debt to many of its citizens necessary before the country can move forward?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Executive Order 9981. President Harry Truman signed it on July 26, 1948, creating the President’s Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services, mandating the desegregation of the U.S. military. As the Truman Library Institute in Washington hosts a commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the landmark decision with a civil rights symposium, there are questions, as well. Some of today’s elected officials have even derided the merit of diversity in the military and as an American value, making it a part of the so-called “culture war.” Yet the order changed the country – and lives. In a ground-breaking 35-year-career, Adm. Michelle Howard (Retired) was the first woman to become a four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy, the first Black woman to captain a U.S. naval ship and the first woman graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy to become an admiral. In this episode of “Equal Time,” she speaks with host Mary C. Curtis about not only history and her story, but also the importance of diversity in building today's military -- and the way forward.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has described mental health as “the defining public health crisis of our time.” He has used his position and megaphone to highlight how the country is doing and where it falls short, particularly in the treatment of young people who are suffering. It’s a complex topic worthy of discussion, and not just in May -- Mental Health Awareness Month. How can the mental health of young people in America be protected from influences that could harm? Legislators are taking note; but is it enough? Equal Time host Mary C. Curtis speaks with Julie Scelfo, executive director of Get Media Savvy, a nonprofit initiative devoted to fighting media chaos and fostering media literacy, about what is needed from policymakers and the public to tackle the youth mental health crisis and rebuild “our civic fabric.” 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Black women rising to prominence in politics, the arts and every field in between, it could be said that it is their moment in history. But dig deeper and the picture is far more nuanced. When expectations are high and mothers still counsel daughters to “work twice as hard” to succeed, what is the cost? Is there enough attention paid to the concerns of Black women all day, every day, and not just when they are called on to “save the world”? And does the current, sometimes toxic political climate create additional stress? In this episode of Equal Time, host Mary C. Curtis talks with Dr. Inger E. Burnett-Zeigler, associate professor of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University, whose clinical interests include stress management and wellness. Based on her own experience, extensive work and research, she offers advice on resources and services that can help everyone, especially Black women, show up for community and family, while paying attention to their own needs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do companies achieve success and attract investors, and decide on how to center their own investments, while making a difference in the world? Can a company’s value and its values align? And, what is the plan for navigating these issues with knowledge and nuance. On this month's 'Equal Time,' host Mary C. Curtis talks with Jonas Kron, Chief Advocacy Officer for Trillium Asset Management, responsible for leading and coordinating the company's work to engage companies on their environmental and social performance. He also serves on the board of US SIF -- the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment. On the show, Kron explains a trend that is not that new.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When America started officially honoring Hispanic heritage in 1968, it was a one-week celebration. Though the country now marks National Hispanic Heritage Month, acknowledging how generations of Hispanic Americans have influenced and contributed to our nation doesn't have to end when that month is over. This episode of Equal Time reflects on the issues and challenges facing the community and the country now and into the future.

Equal Time host Mary C. Curtis speaks with Larry Gonzalez, an experienced participant in policy-making at the federal and state levels, and a founder and principal of The Raben Group, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm, and Teresa Puente, an assistant professor who teaches journalism at California State University Long Beach, and has spent her career reporting on immigration and Latino issues in the U.S., with extensive reporting from Mexico. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marking its 32nd anniversary this year, the Americans with Disabilities Act has inspired the world to see disability through the lens of equity, opening opportunities for persons with disabilities to contribute to our global progress. But, from creating more consistency for academic accommodations to providing additional employment opportunities, what needs to be done in the next 32 years and beyond? “Equal Time” host Mary C. Curtis talks with Nicole Patton, the Manager of State Government Relations at the National Down Syndrome Society, and Charlotte Woodward, the Education Program Associate for NDSS. Charlotte, who was born with Down syndrome, as well as a heart condition, is one of the few people born with Down syndrome to receive a life-saving heart transplant. She went on to graduate Summa Cum Laude from George Mason University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, with a concentration in inequality and social change.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade raised many questions on the future of abortion rights in the United States. With search histories and health apps possibly used for tracking, how can data be protected and kept private? Will the health-care outcomes of African-American women, already three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women, worsen? In this month’s episode of Equal Time, to shed some light on life in a post-Roe world, host Mary C. Curtis talks with Amie Stepanovich, Vice President for U.S. Policy at the Future of Privacy Forum, and a nationally recognized expert in domestic surveillance, cybersecurity and privacy law, and Kwajelyn Jackson, Executive Director at Feminist Women's Health Center in Atlanta, Georgia, an independent, non-profit, multi-generational, multi-racial reproductive health, rights, and justice organization. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Pride Month ends, celebration is tempered by setbacks across the country, from laws that ban transgender athletes from competing in school sports to efforts to remove books on the LGBTQ experience from library shelves. And with a Supreme Court willing to overturn precedent, many wonder if LGBTQ rights will be next. What is needed, culturally and legally, to insure forward movement on the path to equality for all Americans? What can organizations and corporations do to be more intentional in supporting the LGBTQ community? Equal Time host Mary C. Curtis explores what comes next with guests Sasha Buchert, a Senior Attorney in the Washington D.C. office of Lambda Legal, and Kendra R. Johnson, Executive Director at Equality North Carolina.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, has special significance in 2022, as both acknowledgment of contributions and reminder of a resurgence of xenophobic rhetoric and violence. Civil rights groups, academia and businesses have responded with action, education and activism, part of a “Stop AAPI Hate” coalition. Mary C. Curtis speaks about the past, the present and future solutions with Anne Lee Benedict, active with MCCA, a national organization dedicated to advancing diversity, inclusion and equity in the legal profession, and Dr. Joanne L. Rondilla, an assistant professor in Sociology and Interdisciplinary Studies and Asian American Studies at San José State University.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices