Think from KERA

Samantha Power began her career as a journalist tracking human rights abuses, which led to a Pulitzer Prize. But transitioning from muckraker to policymaker meant learning new ways of tackling international issues. The former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President Obama joins host Krys Boyd to talk about her life in public service, which she writes about in “The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir.”

In 1621, the chief of the Wampanoag tribe and the governor of Plymouth agreed to a truce. And that fall, their respective people actually did gather to celebrate a successful harvest. George Washington University professor David J. Silverman joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how the peace finally dissolved – and about how we should look at the time period through the eyes of the indigenous people involved. His new book is called “This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving.”

Lindy West made a name for herself with her critically acclaimed memoir “Shrill,” which was developed into a series for Hulu. The New York Times columnist joins host Krys Boyd about to talk about her follow-up, “The Witches Are Coming,” which looks the deep ways that misogyny and male privilege are baked into American society.

Seventy-one percent of Americans say mass shootings are a “significant source of stress,” according to a new poll from the American Psychological Association. Robyn Thomas, Executive Director of Giffords Law Center,and Peter Ambler, Executive Director of Giffords,join host Krys Boyd to talk about strategies for decreasing gun violence while balancing gun owners’ 2nd Amendment rights.

The call of the West pulled adventurous Americans from the East Coast to cross the Mississippi in search of fortune. H.W. Brands, Jack S. Blanton, Sr. chair in history at the University of Texas at Austin, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the perseverance that these pioneers displayed – and about the extreme violence they were capable of. His new book is called “Dreams of El Dorado: A History of the American West.”

Jaquira Diaz’s formative years were complicated. Growing up in Puerto Rican housing projects, in a family affected by mental illness, all while navigating her own struggles with sexual assault and depression – it’s a wonder she survived. But survive, she did – and the now visiting assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison joins host Krys Boyd to talk about overcoming her many obstacles, which she writes about in, “Ordinary Girls: A Memoir.”

Derek Black is the son of a KKK grand wizard and godson of David Duke. And when he met Matthew Stevenson, an Orthodox Jew, in college, the two seemed like an unlikely pair. They join host Krys Boyd to talk about the time Matthew invited Derek to attend a Shabbat dinner – and how that interaction paved the way to a new understanding. They’ll talk more about the experience tonight as part of the Funk Family Upstander Speaker Series at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum.

The tradition of young women “debuting” began 600 years ago in the court of Elizabeth 1. And since that time, the practice has crossed back and forth across the Atlantic. Kristen Richardson joins host Krys Boyd to talk about what it is to become a debutante – and if the ritual still has a place in the 21stCentury, which she writes about in her book, “The Season: A History of the Debutante.”

More than 1,500 migrant children have been taken from their parents at the border by the Trump administration, according to the ACLU. Frontline investigative producer and correspondent Daffodil Altan joins host Krys Boyd to talk about what happens to these kids once they’re in federal custody – and how this separation might affect them long-term. Her Frontline/Associated Press documentary “Kids Caught in the Crackdown” airs Tuesday night on PBS stations.

Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor openly challenged their audiences. Comic Hari Kondabolu, however, takes a more circuitous path via self-deprecation and intellect to attack racism and human rights violations. He joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his comedy style, his Netflix special “Warn Your Relatives,” and that graduate degree in human rights he earned from the London School of Economics.