Real talk, Real people

Gay Pride Month is being celebrated throughout the US and by sane people and governments worldwide. I had to put it that way because in some countries being gay is illegal. And to me, that’s just insane.

My guest today is Patrick Dunn. He is the executive director of the New Haven Pride Center. He says there is much to celebrate as barriers continue to fall but he is concerned about the lack of resources for LGBTQ+ youth who are homeless and have very little support from families because they are gay.

Let’s listen to him reflect on Pride month, the Legend Drag show and how he is trying to help LGBTQ+  youth who are struggling.

Eating healthy can help low-income people control obesity and diabetes. But eating healthy foods isn’t cheap and that is where community gardens comes in.

My guest today is Eliza Caldwell, who listeners may remember from last year when she offered tips on planting vegetables and when to do it. She is the program manager for the community gardens at Gather New Haven. Once again, she is here to talk about the value of growing healthy food and how it benefits low-income communities.

I think it is around the age of 1, that we discover the joy of music. I don’t care if it’s classical, R&B, hip-hop, pop or jazz, music plays a crucial part in most people’s lives.

But do you ever wonder where these musicians learned to play instruments and polish their craft?

My guest today is Ty Scurry. He is the owner of the Family Music Center on Dixwell Avenue in Hamden, where the motto is "Believe, Achieve, Become!"

He has his attention on bringing music and the arts to low-income children and communities. Let’s hear how he is doing that and how you can be part of his community musical event.

It's been a long 14 months and things are beginning to reopen. I, for one, am grateful. 

Healthy food. You wouldn’t think putting healthy food on the table would be a problem, but it is, particularly for low-income people.

My guest today is Brent Peterkin. He is the executive director of Gather New Haven. As many of you know, we had Eliza Caldwell from Gather New Haven on the podcast last year where she shared tips for growing food. She’ll be back with us in the coming weeks to share more seasonal tips on plating vegetables.

Bent is here to talk about the overall mission of Gather New Haven, which is about a lot more than growing food.

We hear a lot about the bad things that young people are doing. But there are many young people striving to do things that help make their communities a better and safer place to live.

My guest today is Daniel Hunt. He is the newest member of the Hamden Human Services Commission. For the past several years, Daniel has been creating programs in New Haven that include building relations with police and making learning a fun experience for kids. He hopes to expand those programs and bring them into Hamden.

He is to talk about what he hopes to do in his new position on the commission.

We're jumping into the year 2022 to give young Black men about to graduate high school a heads up on scholarship money that could be theirs.

My guest today is Ed Stowe Jr. He is the vice chairman of scholarships for the Fairfield County chapter of Alpha Psi Alpha.

He says his fraternity has four $2,500 scholarships to give away but many times has a hard time finding young men to apply.

What are the requirements? How do they get it? Let's hear what he has to say.

There are a lot of mix-messages about COVID-19, with conflicting information coming from many sources.

My guest today is Dr. Heidi Zapata, an infectious disease doctor at Yale University's School of Medicine.   

She is here to talk candidly about the virus, where we stand on getting people vaccinated, the effectiveness of the different vaccines and what  potentially lies ahead. 

This podcast is also available in video format on YouTube. https://youtu.be/VlwT9Ah2xbQ 

New Haven resident Alessia Mesquita, 28, is the latest woman to lose her life to domestic violence. Police say she was shot dead by her boyfriend while she was with their 1 year old child.

My column this past Sunday in Hearst CT newspapers is about domestic violence because it has become more deadlier than ever. 

We’re going to listen to Corrinna Martin, the founder of Mothers of Victim Equality, a nonprofit to help women victimized by domestic violence.

She lost two daughters and a grandchild to domestic violence.

Here in Connecticut, nearly 38 percent of women and approximately 33 percent of men experience domestic violence, sexual violence and/or intimate partner stalking during their lifetimes.

And 30 percent of all criminal court cases involve family violence. In 2017, there were 18 family homicide victims and a gun was used in 35 percent of those homicides.