How to Be Helpful in the Fight for Racial Equality (0:30)

Guest: Debby Irving, Racial Justice Educator, Author of “Waking Up White”

All four Minneapolis police officers on the scene when George Floyd was suffocated have now been arrested and charged with murder or aiding in the murder. Protests against racial inequality and police violence continue to fill streets across the country, with no sign of ending. We’re going to spend the next few minutes talking exploring how the color of your skin may be affecting your view on the protests.

Minority-Owned Businesses Do Not Receive as Much Aid Amid COVID19 Crisis (20:55)

Guest: Ashley Harrington, Federal Advocacy Director, Senior Counsel, Center for Responsible Lending

As part of the coronavirus relief package, the US government has been giving out special loans to help small businesses stay afloat and keep their employees. It’s called the Payment Protection Program. Lenders are supposed to give priority to underserved markets, including businesses owned by minorities, but new evidence shows that hasn’t happened. 

The Benefits of Interacting With Strangers (35:58)

Guest: Gillian Sandstrom Professor of Psychology at the University of Essex in the UK

You know that moment of uncomfortable silence when it’s just you and one other person you don’t know? Like in the elevator or waiting for the dentist? Many of us will pull out our cell phone and pretend to do something rather than strike up a conversation with a stranger. But psychologist Gillian Sandstrom says we’re missing out when we do that – talking to new people actually makes us happier. And now with a pandemic going on, there are even fewer opportunities to do this.

America’s Enduring Love of Musical Theater, Explained (52:48)

Guest: Stacy Wolf, Professor in the Program in Theater in the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University, Author of “Beyond Broadway: The Pleasure and Promise of Musical Theatre Across America”

This weekend was to be Broadway’s annual celebration of itself. But the 74th Annual Tony Awards were postponed indefinitely. Broadway has been shuttered for months because of the pandemic. The stay-at-home orders hit just as high schoolers around the country were about to go on stage with their spring musicals, as Broadway star Laura Benanti lamented on social media. She got a lot of response. Young performers posted their taped rehearsals. And their bedroom solos. Around the country, some community theaters have switched to streaming entire performances online. Because, the show must go on. Why are Americans so enamored of musical theater?

Lack of Birth Certificates Is a Global Human Rights Problem (1:31:42)

Guest: Kristen Wenz, Global Expert on Human Rights and Development. Watch Her TED Talk.

There are one billion people in the world who cannot prove their identity. They don’t have a driver license or an government issued ID card like you probably have. And they can’t get one because they don’t have any way to prove they are who they are because they have no birth certificate. There’s no official record of their existence or right to access any of the services a country might offer. What’s worse, most of the people in this bind are children.