The pandemic has taken its toll on all of us - mentally, physically, emotionally.

Yet its impacts have been especially brutal on some: Andrea Brown, executive director of the Black Mental Health Alliance, talks about particular ways Covid-19 is hitting communities of color and what the alliance is doing to help.

Then psychologist Dr. George Everly, an expert in dealing with disasters, reviews ways this pandemic is especially hard on mental health. He stresses that resilience grows from collaboration:

"These are times not to politicize, not to find reasons to disagree. But these are times to find reasons to come together. And a pandemic is a powerful one.”

Links: Black Mental Health Alliance, connect with a Black therapist, Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Black Coalition Against Covid report.

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

Today we Pass the Mic to host Sharayna Ashanti Christmas. She talks with photographer Solomon Ade and writer and archivist Bilphena Yahwon about the ‘New Generation Scholars Intergenerational Institute,’ and why sharing knowledge across diverse age groups is critical for Black history … and Black future:

“The Black elders are not able to speak to what the current world is looking like for our Black youth. And our Black youth are building without a blueprint because they have no connections to our elders to know what we’ve already done. And so this institute is bringing together both generations in an attempt to be participating in the present and the past at the same time.”

Plus Michael Haskins Jr. , head of ‘Currency Studio,’ discusses the importance of access to space.

Links: New Generation Scholars Intergenerational Institute kick off event, Muse 360 Arts, Muse 360 Instagram, Necessary Tomorrows, Archive Liberia, The Womanist Reader, Bilphena's Library, Sharayna Christmas, Currency Studio.

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

Cemeteries offer a physical space to remember relatives and friends … They also hold clues to the past. What happens when this sacred ground falls into disrepair, or worse … is plowed over?

The Laurel Cemetery Memorial Project hopes to recreate a picture of the vibrant nineteenth and early twentieth century Black community in Baltimore. Cultural Anthropologist Elgin Klugh of Coppin State chairs the project:

“We wanted to basically get the word out, we wanted to make sure that individuals had some knowledge of this site, of the significance of the importance of the people buried there, and what they did in their lives in terms of helping to build the Baltimore that we have today.”

Links: Laurel Cemetery Memorial Project, Baltimore Heritage video, Historic African American Cemeteries Preservation Fund and Study.

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

Here is a Stoop Story from Darnell Henderson about what really makes a marriage. You can get more information about the Stoop Storytelling Series - including upcoming live events and the Stoop podcast - at Stoopstorytelling.com

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

Daniel and Mary Bell tried to use the courts to win freedom for their family, so history shows us more details about them than many other enslaved people in the 19th century. We know that Francis Scott Key, who wrote our national anthem, was one of the whites who lined up against freedom for enslaved people like the Bells.

A new film tells the Bells’ story; we talk to director Kwakiutl Dreher and historian William G. Thomas III. Thomas says, "We need to see this part of American history differently-- enslaved people, not as nameless and faceless, but as real people acting in history, who are clearly attempting to claim freedom from day one of the United States."

And we ask two of Mary and Daniel’s descendants about the strength they draw from this history.

The Bell Affair will premiere at Prince George's Publick Playhouse on Thursday, June 2, 2022. Find ticket information and a trailer 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

Baltimore is set to give 200 young parents $1,000 a month over two years as part of a “guaranteed income” pilot program

Robin McKinney of the CASH Campaign of Maryland explains how the pilot will work. She says data will be collected to measure the project’s effects, "What we’re really trying to understand here is what is the baseline that people have, what are the needs that they’re bringing to the table, and how does consistent and sufficient income change the outcomes for their household stability.”

Then, Stacia West of the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins public-health epidemiologist Lorraine Dean talk about the history and potential of cash transfer programs.

Links:
Baltimore Young Families Success Fund
NPR coverage of the Stockton universal basic income pilot
Op-ed: Baltimore’s guaranteed income pilot among first to focus on health influence

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 creative restaurant seating that popped up during the pandemic? There’s a logic behind it. Jennifer Goold, of the Neighborhood Design Center, tells us about ‘Design for Distancing’ and how people all over the world have replicated their concept.

Plus, some Baltimore intersections are getting a colorful makeover. Projects called “Made You Look” blend beauty with safety. We hear details from Quinton Batts, at MICA’s Center for Social Design. And from public artist and complete-streets designer Graham Coreil-Allen his dream for the future:

“I hope that we can continue to show that by working in collaboration with communities and the city government, that everyday people can come together with artists to really help improve safety for all.”

Links: Design for Distancing, Made You Look - Art in the Right of Way, Make Place Happen, Neighborhood Design Center, MICA Center for Social Design, Graham Projects.

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

Two women, driven to defend France from the Nazis - one, a young British spy and the other, an American collaborating with the underground resistance. Erika Robuck’s latest novel “Sisters of Night and Fog,” weaves the true stories of these World War II heroines together until they meet in one of the darkest places of the war.

Check out this interactive map and photos of settings from the book and the real lives of its characters. Original air date: March 1, 2022.

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

May is reserved to highlight the dedication, courage and sacrifice of men and women serving in the armed forces. So we’re commemorating ‘Military Appreciation Month’ with two special Stoop Stories:

Executive Naval officer Thomas Dotstry values the power of human connection, especially in tense times and close quarters.

And US Navy Lieutenant Sylvia Jordan talks about what it’s like to face her mortal enemies -- but the kind not in uniform.

“The ship had taken on a lot of water, there was major flooding, there had already been a fire at this point in time. In addition they were also listing, and they were in danger and heading toward the danger angle. In other words, they were in danger of capsizing.”

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

Our skin is our biggest organ; its proper care can be lifesaving. What if healthcare providers don’t have evidence to draw on for treatment?

Dr. Chesahna Kindred, a Howard University dermatology professor, and owner of Kindred Hair & Skin Center in Columbia, talks of life-threatening situations that show up because Black skin is rarely included in dermatological research trials … and how she’s trying to change that.

And software developer Avery Smith, whose wife died of melanoma that was not treated aggressively, is developing an app to educate and assist people with Black skin:

“I’m trying to create a tool that I wish existed when my wife was here. And I know that there are people everyday that are going through this issue that are aggravated that they cannot find references to their skin issues.”

Links: Melalogic, Kindred Hair & Skin

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