Real talk, Real people

The conversation this week is about the pending vaccine for COVID-19 that is expected to here no later than the beginning of 2021.

My guest is Gary Spinner from the Southwest Community Health Center in Bridgeport. He is a physician's assistant who works with HIV patients and has seen first-hand how effective vaccines can be.

One of the big questions surrounding the coronavirus is whether Black Americans will take part in experimental trials to ensure the vaccine will work for them -- and, perhaps, more importantly, will they take the vaccine when it becomes available.

I think we’re all feeling a little out of it and maybe some mild depression about what has been going on this year. The conversation is about COVID-19 fatigue.

Our guests today are Dr. Jeff Dietz and Alex Parkhouse,  two assistant professors from Quinnipiac University -- one a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst at the Frank H. Netter School of Medicine and the other, a medical sociologist whose research areas focus on chronic illness stigma, stress and mental health and health literacy.

This is our second segment on how people earning $40,000 to $60,000 a year can chip away and find financial freedom

My guest is Cornell Wright of the Parker Wright Group, a consulting firm based in Stratford.

I know Cornell from my time as senior editor of the New Haven Register, where he writes a weekly column called "Plan Well & Execute. "

The drag queen industry has been hit hard as bars,  nightclubs and restaurants have been shut down due to COVID-19, as well as other places and events where drag queens traditionally perform.

My guest today is Robin Banks, a drag queen living in Hamden, who depends on performing to earn a living. Like many drag queens, she does not work a traditional job and the virus is preventing her from taking the stage. 

I received an email from the company that manages the building where I live, stating it would begin reporting missed rent payments to the three credit bureaus.

That is a major problem during this pandemic where more than 30 million people have lost their jobs and more than 28 percent of Americans face being evicted due to the loss of jobs. Here in Connecticut, at least 140,000 are at risk of being evicted from their homes.

How do you get on the road to financial freedom when you make $40,000 -$60,000 a year? With the cost of living, it really seems like a pipe dream to save or invest when you’re struggling to pay bills.

Stephanie Miller, an assistant professor of accounting and finance at Quinnipiac University, says it's about prioritizing and taking small steps to get bigger rewards

There is a lack of leadership in black communities as we face multiple issues that are familiar such as jobs, housing, health care and crime. 

The deaths of John Lewis and the Rev. Cordy Tindell "C.T." Vivian are reminders how important that leadership is at the national level. But who will step up at the local level?

If COVID-19 taught minorities one thing, that is to take better care of your health. You do that by gaining more access to health services and by becoming more knowledgeable about health issues that affect not only you but your race.  

My guests today are Leandre Memborn, former New Havener living in Providence RI; Frank Taveres of Waterbury and Jim Rawlings, chairman of the board of directors for The Southern Connecticut Sickle Cell Disease Association of America.

Black-on-Black crime and gun violence continues to be a serious problem as bullets continue to take young lives. 

My guest is Thayer Barkley, a Bridgeport resident and volunteer for Moms Demand Action. She says the Black community is paralyzed and suffering from PTSD

Kiana Brown, 19, was shot in the head while she was asleep in her home in New Haven. She was the victim of a random bullet. Another innocent, black life lost. Gun violence continues to be a problem in black neighborhoods. What is the solution?

Chaz Carmon, president of the anti-gun violence organization "Ice the Beef," says the key is getting to kids while they're young. He talks about how the organization intervenes in the lives of youth.