On Second Thought

First, June 20 is World Refugee Day. The town of Clarkston, Georgia, is home to a large refugee population. It’s been called the Ellis Island of the South. We talked with Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry about how executive orders may impact the refugee community there. Then, two refugee friends from Syria share their stories. One of them arrived in Georgia right after 9/11, but before the Syrian civil war. The other is a young child, who came to the state last year. Besides calling Syria their

It’s been a year and a half since a deadly mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. The two attackers were killed after they gunned down 14 people . Georgia native Shannon Johnson , a graduate of Macon’s Windsor Academy, was one of them. He died shielding a co-worker in the attack . Friends of the family say Johnson’s heroics were also in his DNA . His father died years earlier trying to save a co-worker during a factory accident. We talked with Shannon’s brother, Rob, about the family’s

All this week we get additions to the essential Georgia Playlist from musicians playing at AthFest over the weekend, June 23-25. Today’s picks come from Athens-based singer/songwriter T. Hardy Morris . He waxes about music by James Brown and Robert Lester Folsom. Hardy will perform the first night of AthFest at 1 a.m., June 23 at the Caledonia Lounge in Athens.

Up first, when you go into a hair salon or a cosmetics store, how much do you know about the products used on your skin or your hair? A recent study says there are dangerous chemicals in some of these products, particularly those marketed to black women. That study comes from the non-profit Environmental Working Group. Nneka Leiba is the group’s Deputy Director of Research. She joins us with journalist A'Lelia Bundles and Atlanta hair stylist Latasha Gray. Then, it was June 19, 1865 when slaves

A cluster of drug overdoses were reported earlier this month across Middle Georgia within a 48-hour window. As of last week, 30 overall cases and five deaths have been reported. Investigators believe a potent drug disguised as Percocet made its way across the region. We discuss the growing drug addiction crisis with Chris Hendry, Chief Medical Officer of Navicent Health. Also Shannon Gordon, CEO of River Edge Behavioral Health Center in Macon; and writer and neuroscientist Marc Lewis.

All this week we get additions to the essential Georgia playlist from musicians playing at AthFest over the weekend, June 23-25. Athens band Five Eight is one staple in the town’s music scene. The group has performed with R.E.M., Pylon, and The Ramones. Frontman Mike Mantione adds two songs to our essential Georgia Playlist, including picks from The Glands and Vic Chesnutt. Five Eight performs at AthFest this Sunday on the Hull St. Stage at 6:30 p.m.

The Breakroom gang joins host Celeste Headlee to weigh in on the week's news. The panel includes Sam Burnham of the blog “All the Biscuits in Georgia,” Emory University Senior Director of Communications Tomika Depriest , Connect Savannah community editor Jessica Leigh Lebos , and NPR correspondent Sonari Glinton . BREAKROOM TOPICS: 1) We talked this week about lead contamination in Georgia’s water systems. This issue got national headlines because of Flint, Michigan. Five current and former

There’s no doubt Atlanta played a big role in the civil rights movement. Now, that history is archived in a new photo book called “Atlanta and the Civil Rights Movement, 1944 -1968.” We talk with historian Karcheik Sims-Alvarado about the significance of these photographs. Dr. Sims-Alvarado will appear at the Atlanta History Center Saturday, June 17 at 11 a.m.

One year ago, Atlanta-based Rapper Gucci Mane was released from prison. Since his release, he has been reinventing himself. He headlines a concert this weekend in Atlanta. We speak with Georgia-based hip-hop artist Makonnen and hip-hop scholar Regina Bradley about Gucci Mane’s influence on hip-hop in the South. Then, NPR Music hip-hop reporter Rodney Carmichael reviews Gucci Mane’s latest album, "Droptopwop." There’s no doubt Atlanta played a big role in the civil rights movement. Now, that

Atlanta-based rapper Gucci Mane got out of prison last year. A month later, he released a new album and headlined at the Fox Theatre.