Public Conversations

The final episode of WFAE's podcast She Says is out this week, wrapping up — for now — the story of a woman seeking justice after a sexual assault three years ago. Panelists at a WFAE forum last night on the topic agreed that survivors have a difficult road. But they say the system is improving.

A year after the killing of Keith Scott, Charlotte is still debating both police shootings and the social and economic inequality that led to a week of protests. Just how well CMPD and the city are doing was the question Wednesday night during a two-hour Charlotte Talks Public Conversation at Spirit Square in uptown Charlotte.

Thursday, September 21, 2017 The shooting of Keith Lamont Scott on September 20, 2016 and the protests that followed shook Charlotte. It started conversations, sometimes uncomfortable ones, across the city that continue today. On the one year anniversary of the shooting, a WFAE Public Conversation examined what has changed, what hasn’t, and looked at some of the work that’s been done over the past year.

Mike Collins hosted a special Charlotte Talks Public Conversation about Charlotte’s rising homicide count. CMPD Chief Kerr Putney and others spoke at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church on July 11th to share what’s being done to quell homicide in Charlotte, what is left to do and its impact on our city. Beyond the conversation: We want to hear from you. Share your thoughts about this problem by calling 704-879-3536.

Wednesday, March 1, 2017 A special two-hour Public Conversation about the Trump Administration’s new stand on immigration. Who do his policies affect? What is law enforcement’s role? And we hear some personal stories as Mike Collins hosts a special edition of Charlotte Talks from McGlohon Theater in Uptown Charlotte.

The recent shooting by police of Keith Scott and the unrest that followed has revealed problems in Charlotte, not unlike those we’ve witnessed in other parts of the country. But, what happened here doesn’t sit well with longtime Charlotteans who thought we had a tradition of solving problems “the Charlotte Way.” In a special two-hour Public Conversation, we examine what happened, look back on the city’s history and how it may have contributed to this, look forward to where we go from here and

The impact of HB2 is now beginning to be felt. Last week, the NBA announced they were pulling their All-Star weekend from Charlotte. City businesses are now set to lose an estimated $100 million. But there has also been an impact on the city and the state’s image, and on LGBTQ individuals who have lost protections against discrimination. We discuss this and more during a WFAE Public Conversation. This public forum was recorded in front of a live audience at McGlohon Theater on Tuesday, July 26.

This forum addressed common choices and challenges that individuals, their families and health care providers face surrounding end-of-life planning and care. We looked at things like living wills - What are they? How do they work? Are they effective? Ethical considerations regarding how we die. Hospice and palliative care. Plus more. We've compiled these documents and articles to help you prepare: New York Times: Teenagers Face Early Death, On Their Terms Medical choices and planning tools. News

As the new school year gets underway, this community forum explored the changing climate for public education in the Charlotte region. Panelists addressed recent moves to raise teacher pay and discussed the future of student achievement standards and Common Core guidelines. The forum also examined the role of charter schools, their successes and challenges to date in the Charlotte area, and the outlook for charter programs.

From class size and teacher pay to charter schools, changing test standards and the common core, public education has been big news of late. Tuesday night, WFAE will hold a public conversation on the State of Public Education. The event begins at 7 at the UNC Charlotte Center City Auditorium. WFAE’s Tom Bullock will moderate the conversation. He spoke with WFAE Morning Edition host Marshall Terry.