Each year, the Open Society Institute selects a class of fellows, and funds their work with an disadvantaged group. How is this investment shaking out? We speak with Danielle Torain, the executive director of OSI-Baltimore, and Pamela King, the senior program manager for community fellowships.

Meet the 2022 class of OSI-Baltimore Community Fellows.

Plus: newly minted fellow, Jessica Smith, tells us about her project to break the stigma of mental illness in the faith community, the Mindful Ministries Collective.

Learn about her other work, the Mental Health Emergency Fund.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

While it's rare for Alzheimer’s disease to be diagnosed in people under age 65, it happens. It’s hard to track, but research suggests between 220,000 and 640,000 people in the U.S. are living with early-onset Alzheimer’s.

Yolanda Wright is the program manager for the Greater Maryland Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. She describes benefits of support groups for care partners as well as people who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

And we meet three men who all have been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s: Dennis Myers, Jim Hursey, and Mike Razzi. They met at a support group, formed a deep friendship, and dubbed themselves, “The Optimistics.”

The Alzheimer’s Association’s 24/7 helpline is 1.800.272.3900.

Resources:

Local support group finder

The 18th Annual Pythias A. and Virginia I. Jones African American Community Forum on Memory Loss to be held Saturday, 11/5 at Coppin State University

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

American politics seems more divided than ever. That division can lead to extreme views about political opponents, that they are evil or less than human.Hopkins political scientist Lilliana Mason says these attitudes can be a precursor to violence, like the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Her latest book, co-authored with Louisiana State professor Nathan Kalmoe, is “Radical American Partisanship.”How widespread is the acceptance of political violence? What are the consequences for democracy? Original airdate: 8.24.22

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

Take a listen to this Stoop Story from Sarah Pinsker about shifting perspective.

Listen to to the Stoop Storytelling Series podcast. Find out about upcoming Stoop events.

On November 3rd, the Stoop Storytelling Series and Baltimore Museum of Art will present a selection of personal tales about escape and exodus. The theme is, "A Movement in Every Direction: Stories about Modern-Day Migration."

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

We On the Record with the next music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, conductor Jonathon Heyward. Raised in South Carolina, Heyward studied at the  London’s Royal Academy of Music. We ask him about finding his voice with a new orchestra. 

Read more:
Jonathon Heyward is Named Music Director of Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
BSO Names Jonathon Heyward as Music Director
Where are the Black musicians in the country's largest orchestras?

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

From 1910 through 1970, about six million Blacks fled the south toward safety and prosperity. ‘Legacies of The Great Migration’ is the focus of the Baltimore Museum of Art’s latest exhibit. We get a preview …. and learn how artists Akea Brionne and Robert Pruitt uncover and illustrate their personal connections to the past. 

Links: A Movement in Every Direction, Legacies of the Great Migration, Opening Day Lecture, Oct. 30, with Isabelle Wilkerson, Community Day for families, Oct. 30.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

Elections call for enormous people power and attention to detail. The Baltimore City Board of Elections director Armstead Jones describes the struggle to train … and retain elections judges. Then we talk with Whitney Quesenberry, executive director at the Center for Civic Design to hear how they work to simplify ballots and the voting process.

Links: Early voting poll locations, Register to become an election judge, Vote 411 Maryland for ballot information and more, Center for Civic Design.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

It’s a dead heat in the race for Anne Arundel county executive, and on the Eastern Shore, Maryland’s lone Republican congressman faces a progressive challenger. Days before early voting starts, we talk politics with Maryland Matters founding editor Josh Kurtz.

Then, at the bottom of the Baltimore City ballot - questions about police and an underground conduit system. We break down some ballot questions with Baltimore Sun reporter Emily Opilo. 

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

In his debut novel, Brendan Slocumb draws on his own experiences as a Black violinist encountering racism. His protagonist, Ray McMillian, faces the same challenge, plus a devastating betrayal -- the theft of his priceless Stradivarius. We delve into "The Violin Conspiracy."

Slocumb will be in Baltimore on Wednesday evening for a conversation at Enoch Pratt Central Library with Judith Krummeck, drive time host for classical station WBJC. Details here. 

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

That was a Stoop Story from Jeffrey Kent about trusting your gut … and becoming who you want to be. You can hear his story and others at Stoopstorytelling.com.

Looking forward to Halloween? Start the spookiness with a live Stoop Storytelling event! “Tales from the Crypt: Stories that Shiver Your Spine and Boggle Your Brain” happens on Monday at Center stage. Come for cocktails and live music from Midnight Sun at 7 p.m.; eerie stories start at 8 p.m.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472