Glitter & Doom

First up, immigration attorney Cesar Vargas joins us in the studio to shed some light on Trump’s plans to abolish birthright citizenship. Then, Brian speaks with Antoinette Cockerham, Executive Vice President of External Relations and Family Services for Spence-Chapin Services to Family and Children. Cockerham lays out the current landscape of adoption in the U.S., what’s changed over the years, and what stereotypes persist.

Midterm Elections are tomorrow and there’s a lot at stake. Ross Barkan, journalist, author, and former democratic State Senate candidate, phones in to talk about what’s on the ballot (front AND back) this year for NYC residents. Then, college applications are always a long and difficult process, but especially so for minority and low-income students who may not have the resources or guidance to put together strong application materials. Brian is joined by Juliane Dressner, director of a new documentary “Personal Statement”, which explores the fraught landscape and follows three NYC students competing for scholarships and acceptance into four-year colleges. We’re also joined in the studio by Enoch Jemmott, one of the students featured in the film.

Want to help get out the vote for the upcoming Midterm Elections? Jon Mallow, Senior Advisor at non-profit Swing Left, joins us to talk about opportunities in New York City. Then, a horrendous hate crime occurred last week in a suburb of Louisville, Kentucky. Two black Americans, Maurice Stallard and Vickie Lee Jones, were shot dead by a white gunman. To talk about this event in the context of racially motivated murders in American history, Lurie Daniel Favors, general counsel at the Medgar Evers Center on Law and Social Justice, phones in. Then, Ashley speaks with Racquel Gates, author of the book “Double Negative” and an assistant professor of Media Studies at the College of Staten Island. “Double Negative” explores the idea that disreputable representations of black people in popular media can pose questions about blackness, black culture, and American society in ways that more respectable ones cannot.  

Writer Batya Ungar-Sargon joins us to talk about her piece in The Forward, which unpacks debates within the diverse American Jewish community about public toleration for the president following the mass shooting in Pittsburgh. Then, the “Everything is Alive” podcast interviews inanimate objects, personifying them and posing existential questions that make for a unique and smart package with an unexpectedly moving edge. To tell us more, podcast creator and host Ian Chillag joins us in the studio.

Colin Dickey, author of “Ghostland, An American History in Haunted Places,” joins Ashley in the studio to talk about hauntings: is it ghosts that define a spirit-rich space, or is it the people trying to reconcile the feeling that they’re among the undead? Then, Brooklynite Parker MacLure, recently crowned Miss Subways, talks to us about how they plan on using their platform to advocate for subway reform.

The anti-Semitic and Islamophobic shooter who took the lives of 11 people and injured 6 at a Pittsburgh synagogue this weekend had fixated on HIAS, a refugee advocacy organization, claiming that their work and beliefs were aiding terrorists crossing borders into the U.S—before carrying out an act of terrorism of his own. In light of HIAS being in the news, we revisit Ashley’s interview with Rabbi Rachel Grant Meyer, Educator Director of HIAS, to help provide a more accurate perspective on HIAS and their mission. Then, Kristin Russo, co-host of the “Buffering the Vampire Slayer” podcast, joins us in the studio to talk about queerness and patriarchy-toppling in the cult-classic "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Brooklyn Tech Week’s inaugural edition kicks off early next month. To tell us more about the event and about the growth of Brooklyn’s tech hub, Program Coordinator Nizar Saunders joins us in the studio. Then, learn about New Fest, one of the oldest and most storied LGBTQ film festivals in the country. Directors Gustavo Sánchez and Caroline Berler talk with Ashley about their films and what to expect from the festival’s 30th edition.  

The “Reimagine End of Life” Festival is coming to NYC this Saturday, October 27, kicking off a week of events and discussions exploring the death and challenging the taboos and stigmas around it. Filmmaker Shaina Feinberg (creator of BRIC TV’s “Dinette”), joins us in the studio to talk about her upcoming presentation at the festival, which will take a comedic approach to death and includes a screening of her film, “Senior Escort Service,” Feinberg’s response to the sudden death of her father. Then, Anthony Long and Andrew Arnett of the Brooklyn Paranormal Society tell us about Brooklyn’s most haunted haunts, and what you can expect from a night with this unusual social club.

Small businesses are disappearing in the city, and City Council is continuing to fight for legislation that will prevent the die-off. Journalist Steven Wishnia tells us about first meeting of the Committee on Small Businesses and his Gothamist article on this subject. Then, Borough President Eric Adams joins us in the studio to talk about the 2020 Brooklyn census, the city charter, climate change, and more. 

First up: Joanna Cifredo, former Media Relations Manager at GLSEN and host of the podcast Trans Specific Partnership, phones in to talk about the Trump administration’s recent attempts to define transgender and gender non-conforming folks out of existence. Then, author Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah joins us in the studio to talk about “Friday Black,” his debut collection of satirical stories about racism and capitalism, drawing from the author’s experience working in retail.