Think from KERA

On January 20, the Constitution calls for a peaceful transition of presidential power, though delays by the Trump administration in acknowledging the results of the election have hampered the passing of the baton to President-elect Biden. Anita Kumar, White House correspondent and associate editor at Politico, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the complicated issues of presidential transitions, from national security to the COVID-19 pandemic, and what happens when they don’t run smoothly.

The flora and fauna of the natural world have learned to adapt to their surroundings. Maybe they can offer humans some help in adapting to ours? Poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil joins host Krys Boyd to talk about finding solace and inspiration from the beautiful and odd creatures that stand out – or blend in – to their surroundings and what we can learn from them. Her book is “World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments.”

Ten-thousands years ago, “I scratch your back, you scratch mine” was a survival tactic reserved for families. But soon our species learned friendly vis-à-vis with strangers offered even greater chances of success. Michael McCullough, professor of psychology at the University of California San Diego, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how our collective experiences have taught us to care for one another. His book is called “The Kindness of Strangers: How a Selfish Ape Invented a New Moral Code.”

The early days of the pandemic gave many of us a new appreciation for the convenience of grocery stores and the essential workers who keep them stocked. Benjamin Lorr joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his investigations into the highly-guarded inner-workings of how our food goes from field, to truck, to shelf. His new book is “The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket.”

The historical records are clear: Native tribes knew American colonists were coming for their lands by any means necessary — and millions were slaughtered in the process. Jeffrey Ostler, Beekman Professor of Northwest and Pacific History at the University of Oregon, joins guest host John McCaa to talk about how America was built in part on relentless violence and Native American dispossession. His book is called “Surviving Genocide: Native Nations and the United States from the American Revolution to Bleeding Kansas.”

He’s one of the most celebrated character actors living today, and hearing his signature salty delivery means whatever you’re watching is about to be injected with a little Texas twang. Barry Corbin joins guest host John McCaa to talk about his storied Hollywood career – from “Urban Cowboy” and “War Games” to “No Country for Old Men” and “Lonesome Dove” – and how his training in Shakespeare set him up for success.

Since the nation’s founding – and particularly after the Civil War – public education was seen as a key component of creating common values that would hopefully unite the states. University of South Carolina School of Law professor Derek W. Black joins guest host John McCaa to talk about why a public education system built to serve all students is fundamental to creating an equitable society. His book is called “Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy.”

In the mid-19th Century, Chinese immigrants began settling in the U.S. – largely in San Francisco. And many of the young women and girls who crossed the Pacific were thrown into a life of slavery and prostitution. Julia Flynn Siler joins guest host John McCaa to tell the story of a courageous group of female abolitionists who dedicated their lives to rescuing these women, which she writes about in “The White Devil’s Daughters: The Women Who Fought Slavery in San Francisco’s Chinatown” (Knopf).

Latria Graham is a Black woman who grew up near nature and still seeks refuge in it as an adult. She joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how our public parklands are still full of reminders of American racism – and about what she has to say to those who feel unsafe when they explore the backcountry. Her article in Outside Magazine is “Out There, Nobody Can Hear You Scream.”

As a nation, what are we rejecting when we fight to remove Confederate statues? And what do we amplify when we refuse to take them down? Connor Towne O’Neill, journalist, producer on the NPR podcast White Lies, teacher at Auburn University and with the Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how the battle over monuments reveals racism is baked into the very mold of America. His book focusing on Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest is called “Down Along With That Devil’s Bones: A Reckoning with Monuments, Memory, and the Legacy of White Supremacy.”