The Spark

The York County History Center serves as a major cultural anchor and community space in downtown York. A former electricity-generating plant transformed York County 150 years ago. The history center will be opening a new museum this summer.

Ron Hershner a longtime volunteer, and former board member of the York County History Center, and Joan Mummert the President and CEO of the center spoke with The Spark’s Asia Tabb about what the public can expect upon reopening.

“It’s a unique way of looking at history. It’s a state-of-the-art museum. There’s a lot of digital technology, deployed throughout the museum. We have more than a thousand photographs. We have films, video, historic films, and new films that we’ve created. So, it makes it a very dynamic place to visit. It’s unique among its peer institutions, history, institutions in the region. So, we think it’ll be different and that people will be attracted to come to York, “said Mummert.

Listen to the program to learn more about the York County History Center and it’s new museum.

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Meet Dr. Marybeth Gasman, the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair and a Distinguished University Professor at Rutgers University, and Dr. Levon T. Esters, the Dean of Graduate School and Vice Provost for graduate education at Penn State University. The co-authored HBCU:  The Power of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, published by John Hopkins Press.

In this program, Gasman and Esters discussed with us their book about the impact of HBCU’s.

“A lot of great scholars and athletes and politicians started their journeys at an HBCU. So, for me to be apart of that, and to be able to share that story with others, other students, right. No matter if they’re middle school or high school, as you name it, to get them to start thinking about it. I mean, matter of fact, I have three daughters. My middle one attended a HBCU. And so, for me, to know that I can share my story that can hopefully inspire others to want to attend, and gain what I gained when I was there. Just something that I look forward to doing. And this book is just one other mechanism to do that, “said Esters.

Gasman said she first learned of a Historically Black College in 1994 during her first year of her doctoral program. She read a book called the Education of Blacks in the South by James Anderson who was a Stillman College Graduate located in Tuscaloosa, AL. She was so inspired by Anderson, her research on HBCU’s.

“I always had an interest in race and equity, but that book really changed my life. And you know I grew up in the country. I grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where, there were no African-Americans anywhere within, like, a hour radius living in that area up near the Canada border. And so, I would, you know, a black college is not something that I would ever have crossed my radar. Especially given that we don’t really learn much in school about black colleges at the K through 12 level. It’s changing a little, but that’s kind of how I got into it, “said Gasman.

The book explores the remarkable impact and contributions of these significant institutions.

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The Lancaster Farm Sanctuary offers abused farm animals a second chance at life. The non-profit was founded in 2017 by Jonina Turzi and Sarah Salluzzo when it became obvious there was a need to save farm animals.

“Although in some circumstances farm animals are protected from egregious abuse, there are a lot of loopholes where it’s like, if it’s common practice in animal agriculture, then there are exceptions. And so, we found that to be wrong in our perspective, morally wrong. And also, disappointing that it’s like these animals are protected, but these animals are not. It’s okay to do this to a pig, but you can’t do this to a cat.”

Lancaster Farm Sanctuary’s core values are Justice, Integrity, Responsibility, Compassion and Courage. As the sanctuary works to reduce animal suffering, they also educate the public on animal agriculture, social justice issues, and the climate crisis.

Listen to the podcast to learn more about the Lancaster Farm Sanctuary.

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According to Anxiety and Depression Association of America, one in ten men will experience depression or anxiety. The study also found less men will receive treatment. June was Men’s Mental Health Month. A month dedicated to breaking the stigmas associated with men and their mental health.

UPMC Clinical Psychologist Dr. Rafat Omar calls it the silent killer.

“It is an important topic. Talking about it is beneficial because it normalizes the idea of not only men struggling with mental health conditions, but also talking about it with their friends, family, and going to get treatment. It’s really the term silent killer. Just the rates of men committing suicide is disproportionately high compared to women, and a lot of times, people in their lives have no idea anything was going on.”

According to Dr. Omar, phrases like “man up” has contributed the stigma that comes along with men and their mental health. He says the he stigma makes it much harder for men to talk about their feelings and seek help.

“It creates this idea that if you’re struggling emotionally in any way that, you know, somehow you’re weak… or that you’re not depressed. You just need to work harder. You’re just being a scaredy cat, you know whatever language they use. But then people, when they’re flooded with these messages, they start to believe it. And that causes them to not want to open up when things are going wrong, because they know the response they’re going to get is negative.”

Dr. Omar provided a lot of insight when it comes to Men's Mental Health on Monday's program.

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Ahead of the Fourth of July celebrations, The Spark on WITF had the opportunity of speaking with Sam Peterson, The Director of Veteran Programs for Altior Healthcare. For many veterans, fireworks and loud noises can be triggering for those dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorders.

According to the F&M Global Barometers team, Pennsylvania received a “C” in human rights issues for the LGBTQ+ Community.

Dr. Susan Dicklitch-Nelson, professor with Franklin & Marshall College, and Principal Investigator of the team, and Project Manager Erin Hallenbeck, sat down with The Sparks Asia Tabb to share the results.

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Extreme temperatures and loud booming sounds can have big impacts on our pets. Amanda Brunish, the Director of Marketing and Outreach for the Humane Society of Harrisburg joined The Spark on Friday to offer safety tips for pets during the summer months.

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Scientist is saying Tornado Alley is shifting from the Great Plains to the southern U.S., increasing risks to communities. According to AccuWeather, Tornado Alley is described as an area of the U.S. where there is a high potential for tornado development.

Meteorologist Dan Tomaso from ABC 27 WHTM joined The Spark to update us on what that shift means for us in Pennsylvania.

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Usually the summer calls for cookouts, festivals and jubilees celebrating all the good times. But sometimes for those dealing with eating disorders, those gatherings can feel overwhelming. Behavioral health therapist Elizabeth Sabatino with the UPMC Center for Eating Disorders joins us to shed more light on this topic.

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The Franklin & Marshall Global Barometer of Gay Rights (GBGR®), Global Barometer of Transgender Rights (GBTR™), and the Global Barometers' LGBTQI+ Perception Index (GBPI) provide a global measure of LGBTI human rights in 204 countries and regions. Dr. Susan Dicklitch-Nelson and Erin Hallenbeck join us to provide insights. 

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With the 4th of July holiday near, state officials are urging drivers to be safe on the road. PennDot's Fritzi Shreffler and Pennsylvania State Police Lieutenant Adam Reed join us to remind us about the awful realities of driving under the influence.

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