Lawrence Jackson grew up in West Baltimore. Returning to the city as a “distinguished professor” at Johns Hopkins after building his career elsewhere … called him to navigate the city’s streets and neighborhoods with a discerning eye, calculating what works for his sons and for him, finding answers in the distant as well as recent past, digging into the patrimony he’s earned and what he can hope to pass on. Jackson invites us on the journey in Shelter: A Black Tale of Homeland, Baltimore.

Links: JHU Hard Histories Series, April 24; The Billie Holiday Center for Liberation Arts, April 25; Church of the Redeemer Speakers Series, May 11; Greedy Reads' The Lost Weekend Festival, May 15.

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 her new collection of short stories, Baltimore writer Rosalia Scalia connects us to people we might never get to know by ourselves. Maybe they’re a lot older or younger than we -- or from a different ethnic group, and without Scalia at our side we wouldn’t realize that their families struggle like ours. Or maybe they’re just nasty, like the crotchety guy in the title story, 'Stumbling Toward Grace.' We learn right away that he’s a bigot who’s cut off his daughter and never met his grandkids. Somehow Scalia helps us see not just his mistakes, but why he’s made them, “There are many people around us who have things about them that are unlikeable but they themselves are not bad people, they’re just flawed.”

Scalia has two events coming up in the Baltimore area. She’ll be speaking at Pandola Learning Center at 914 Stiles St. in Little Italy-at noon this coming Saturday, April 23. And next month, on Sunday, May 29th, she’ll be in conversation with author Raphael Alvarez and poet Dean Smith at Ikaros Restaurant, 4901 Eastern Avenue, in Baltimore’s Greektown neighborhood. That event begins at 5 pm.

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

Watching from afar as war and devastation unfold moved two Peabody Institute doctoral candidates, Ukrainian flutist Denis Savelyev and Russian classical saxophonist Nikolai Klotchkov -- to help. They chose the universal language of music. We get a preview of their benefit concert.

Links: Ukraine Benefit Concert event information, Ukrainian humanitarian aid donation link. (must specify Ukrainian aid)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here's a Stoop Story from Kate Lupin about the magic that occurred on her Easter holiday in Rome. You can hear her story and others 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

Former Obama administration official Ashwani Jain is seeking the Democratic nomination for Maryland governor. At 32 years old, he would be the youngest governor in the country if elected.

We talk about Jain’s plans to make public transit free, create a massive public-jobs program, and lead the recovery from the pandemic. Another priority: doing away with the state income tax for most residents.

Read more of Ashwani Jain's plans 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

Roca, the violence intervention program that fixates on young men in Baltimore, is grounded on cognitive behavioral change. That’s why, explains Roca’s community partnership director JT Timpson, its model is to relentlessly pursue young men at risk and build relationships with them -- which takes years. Roca is in it for the long haul:

“Most of these young people, they suffer from distrust. So we really have to provide a way in which we can build a trusting relationship with them that then allows us to challenge them on the behaviors that we see them carrying out each and every day.”

Then Betsy Tolentino of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, tells why case workers throughout the state are being trained in Roca’s model … and how it's meeting success.

LInks: Roca, Roca Impact Institute

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

Black women’s risk of dying from infections, high blood pressure, blood clots and other treatable conditions during and after pregnancy is more than twice the risk of white women.Dr. Latey Bradford of the University of Maryland’s Family Medicine Clinic says pregnant Black women also confront more health dangers that don’t kill them, but can leave lasting damage. Education and a good income are no protection.Bradford and Stacey Stephens of B’More for Healthy Babies name racism as the cause, and tell us why. Original air date: May 20, 2021.

Links: The Bloom Collective events, Black Mamas Matter, Mayor, Health Department and Partners Celebrate Reduction of Infant Mortality Rate in Upton/Druid Heights Neighborhood Through Work of B’more for Healthy BabiesAddressing Health Inequities in Promise Neighborhoods

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

The suspense that typically suffuses the last day of the General Assembly session is missing: Democrats sent important bills to Gov. Hogan a week earlier than normal, so he was under a deadline to deal with them.

One he let become law without his signature mandates deep cuts in carbon emissions. Democrat Paul Pinsky, chair of the Senate environment committee, told his colleagues, "Today, I want to do something ​somewhat out of character, and that is: I want to publicly thank the governor of Maryland. Yesterday, the governor endorsed the action of the legislature that decided to take the lead on climate change, and I publicly want to thank him, whatever the motivation.

We’ll ask WYPR’s Joel McCord and MPT’s Charles Robinson what else the legislature has done.

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

The Asia North Festival promises to be a celebration across Asian cultures … and a time for healing and creating community.

Artist WeiAnne Reidy invites the public to express their dreams at the “Growing Our Gardens Living Altar,” and then plant them. … And Nerissa Paglinauan festival organizer and program manager at the Asian Arts and Culture Center at Towson University, says that with racist attitudes toward Asian communities rising in recent years, the festival opens a door to cultural understanding:

“There’s something about art and music and people finding connections through there and just expressing what we can’t always express through words, just how much we are connected.”

Links: Asian Arts and Culture Center at Towson University, Asia North Festival events list.

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's a Stoop Story from Martha Weiman about her family’s escape from Nazi Germany.

Don’t miss the next opportunity to hear LIVE stoop stories … this coming Monday, April 11. The theme is ‘Never Have I Ever: Seven storytellers share tales about a wacky, wild, and weird thing they’ve done.’

It all starts at 7 pm at Baltimore Center Stage with live funk music by the Jonathan Gilmore Project. Stories begin at 7:30.

Links: LIVE Stoop event at Center Stage.

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