Fordham Conversations

Hidden behind 19th-century brick walls along NoLiTa’s Prince and Mulberry streets in Manhattan is the only Catholic cemetery in Manhattan.

Fordham Conversations Host Kacie Candela tours the hallowed ground and catacombs of Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral with North graveyard Tour Guide Tommy Wilkinson. It’s the final resting place of some prominent New Yorkers.

When John Aldridge fell off his commercial fishing boat 40 miles
from the eastern tip of Long Island, he didn't expect to make it out of the water. Now, he and his fishing partner Anthony Sosinki are proud to call themselves Montauk's only fishermen with a book and a movie deal.

Fordham Conversations host Andrew Seger talks with both John and
Anthony about their experience while, on the ship "Anna Mary."

We also hear from Commander Jonathan Theel of the US Coast Guard. He was the Chief of Response at the Long Island Sound Sector at the time John went missing, and headed the rescue mission.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with author Deanna Singh. The Fordham University Alumni discusses what inspired her to write her first children’s picture book I Am A Boy of Color.  Singh describes it as “a tribute to the beauty and power boys of color possess.” 

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with award-winning actress, playwright, and director, Regina Taylor. The Dallas-born star is known for her role as Lily Harper in the 90’s TV series I’ll Fly Away. That earned her a Golden Globe win.  Taylor’s preformed in a number of films including Lean on Me, Clockers and Courage Under Fire. Now the Denzel Washington Endowed Chair in Theatre at Fordham is here to share her experience, advice and tell us  about bringing her play "Magnolia" to a New York City audience.  Welcome to Fordham Conversations Regina.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Dr. Celia Fisher about the various health disparities the Transgender community faces, such as stigma, discrimination and lack of access to quality healthcare. Celia B. Fisher, Ph.D., is the Marie Ward Doty University Chair in Ethics, Professor of Psychology, and founding Director of the Fordham University Center for Ethics Education.

It's all about food and how it’s more than just a source of energy. Fordham Conversations host Chris Williams talks with Fordham Professor Jonathon Appels about the lack of discourse around food culture. He also shares his own experience with food.  Then Program Director at the Museum of Food and Drink, Emma Boast, talks about a project aimed at opening a museum dedicated to food in New York City.

In the U.S. a persons with a disability is less likely to complete high school, more likely to experience unemployment and even have a higher levels of material hardships.  And on a global scale the diagnosis is sometimes worse.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Dr. Sophie Mitra.  The Fordham University Associate Professor in Economics talks about the association between disability and poverty.

Many conversations about America's history reiterate’s the idea that the progressive north led the opposition to slavery against the racist South.  But in fact, many of the nation’s Ivy League universities had profitable connections to slavery.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon sits down with Dr. Craig Steven Wilder. His latest book "Ebony & Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America’s Universities" explores the connection between Ivy League schools and the slave trade.

People may know the nation of Qatar for its international airline, “Qatar Airways” or its international news station Al Jazeera. But recently, an alleged fake news story has caused several nations to cut political and economic ties with the small, yet wealthy nation.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon sits down with Dr. Everette Dennis, Dean and CEO of Northwestern University in Qatar. They dig deeper into the recent tensions that led to the embargo. They talk about news network Al-Jazeera’s role in the region. They also discuss the new media teaching and production facilities at NU-Q that’s unique to the region.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon discusses “The Black Suns: An Astrophysics Adventure” with the documentary’s co-producer Carla Jackson. It follows 2 African American Scientists as they travel to different countries to track a series of solar eclipses.  The award winning film also touches on the importance of diversity in the fields of Science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Carla Jackson is also Fordham University’s Theatre Program administrator.