From the Source

In the second season of From the Source, we focused on quality-of-life issues.

What do you need to live well?

How much?

And at what cost?

Before we sign off and come back for Season 3 in the fall, here's a recap of some of the Pittsburghers you met and the stories they brought to life this season.

What information do you need to have in place for you to transition to the end of your life on your terms? Support and palliative care social worker Tanisha Bowman walks us through how to prepare and empower your loved ones to carry out your final wishes and how bias makes the situation even more difficult.

Should we talk about loss more? Does it make a difference if it's a loss of an elderly parent or an infant? Pittsburgh bereavement doula Heather Bradley helps parents through infant loss and thinks everyone could stand to benefit from talking about end-of-life issues more openly.

Land banks, inclusionary zoning policies and community land trusts are all a part of the toolkit that cities like Pittsburgh and community leaders are using to ensure that neighborhoods maintain affordability and can benefit from development. Hear from two Pittsburgh affordable housing advocates on the historical and social through lines Pittsburgh needs to discuss affordable housing better.

When an employee says their relationship with their boss resembles that of a close brother or sister, you must be doing something right. Listen and learn how employers exercising generosity in the workplace can change the way we see and do work together.

Meet Morgan Ottley as she unpacks the lessons and challenges of remotely completing her senior year at the University of Pittsburgh following 2020's summer of racial reckoning and protests. Morgan discusses the emotional, often invisible labor left to students when universities fall short of solidarity and the future of racial justice and accountability on college campuses.

For more insights on the effects of the racial justice movement on higher ed from students, faculty, staff and administrations of Pittsburgh-area universities, check out the accompanying stories to this podcast by PublicSource higher education reporter Naomi Harris.

Meet Ali R. Abdullah as he explains the significance of being an African-American Muslim in the Pittsburgh region and what you should know about Pittsburgh's role in Islamic history in the United States.

For a deeper look into what Ali uncovered about his own family's connection to religious history in the area, check out the story by PublicSource faith and religion reporter Chris Hedlin: "Pittsburgh was once a Black Muslim refuge."

In this episode, you'll hear Dena Stanley, activist and executive director of TransYOUniting PGH, on the emotional and mental labor it takes to defend equity and the protection of human rights for the Black and trans community.

We discuss how protests inform community organizing, how she feels about her "radical" reputation and the vulnerabilities of being a visible public defender of human rights in Allegheny County.

The kind of hair service Pittsburgh-based entrepreneur LaToya Johnson-Rainey provides is for a particular clientele. Clients come to her in their most vulnerable time of need. Johnson-Rainey owns A Hair Boutique Shadyside, a private wig boutique specializing in medical wigs and hairpieces. She is also the author of The Hair Commandments; The Shalls & Shall Nots of Weaves, Wigs, and Natural Hair. Listen and learn how Johnson-Rainey is helping people find their perfect fit and style after trauma, illness and injury.

Are discussions about the non-human natural world relevant to folks outside of climate change and environmentalist circles? After listening to Pittsburgh urban ecologist Marijke Hecht, you'll understand how everyone plays a role in creating the environment. For episode 6, we're reviewing a Science Magazine article on how design patterns influenced by systemic racism affect green space and the plant and pest variety in your neighborhood. Do you see more weeds or butterflies where you live?

Hecht discusses her work as an urban ecologist and how community design, race and mental health are all related in Pittsburgh's environmental ecosystem.