Where We Live

The beginning of the month means the rent is due. But what if you lost your job during the COVID-19 pandemic?

This hour, we talk to a housing advocate about what protections exist for Connecticut residents who can’t afford housing costs right now. And we learn about the lasting consequences for residents who are at risk for eviction if the state and federal governments don’t provide additional protections.

Later, we listen back to a conversation with Princeton sociologist Matthew Desmond, whose Pulitzer Prize-winning book Evicted started a national conversation about America’s eviction crisis. How do evictions disrupt --  not just families -- but entire communities?

GUESTS:

• Greg Kirschner - Legal director of the Connecticut Fair Housing Center
• Matthew Desmond - Professor of Sociology at Princeton University and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. He is the principal investigator at the Eviction Lab at Princeton
• Erin Kemple – Executive Director of the Connecticut Fair Housing Center
• Milagros Ortiz - Tenant at the Clay Arsenal Renaissance Apartments in Hartford, CT

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May 20th marked the first phase of Re-open Connecticut. What conditions will need to be met before Phase 2 starts on June 20th? This hour, Governor Ned Lamont calls in to talk about what Phase 2 will look like. 

Later in the hour, we talk to Rodney Butler, Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and executive for Foxwoods Resort Casino. Starting today, casinos in Connecticut are re-opening their doors. But the casino floor is going to look a little different. 

GUESTS:

• Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont (@GovNedLamont)

• Rodney Butler - Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and executive for Foxwoods Resort Casino (@FoxwoodsCT)

• Andy Rosen - Business Reporter covering the casino industry for Boston Globe (@andyrosen)

• Frankie Graziano - News Reporter, Connecticut Public Radio (@FrankieGrazie6)

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While swimming is a popular pastime for many Americans, a history of discrimination at pools nationwide in the 20th century has led to startling racial disparities in swimming abilities. A 2017 USA Swimming Foundation report found more than 6 in 10 African American children have low to no swimming skills.

And that has deadly consequences: Black and Latino children are statistically much more likely to drown than their white peers.

This hour, we hear from a historian about how we got to this point.

And we ask: with swimming lessons canceled because of COVID-19 and no lifeguards at beaches, are kids at greater risk of drowning this summer during the pandemic?

GUESTS:

• Jeff Wiltse - Professor of History at University of Montana and author of Contested Waters: A Social History of Swimming Pools in America
• Harold Sparrow - President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Hartford
• Kevin Borrup - Interim director of the Injury Prevention Center at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, also a member of the Commission on Women, Children & Seniors’ Water Safety Awareness Task Force

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Last week marked the beginning of a phased reopening of Connecticut. Several businesses are permitted to reopen under Phase 1 of Connecticut’s reopening, including restaurants that are able to open for outdoor dining. This hour, we hear how restaurants have fared through the shutdown, and what reopening looks like. 

Later, we hear how COVID-19 has disrupted the food supply chain and how the food distribution industry has adapted and changed through this pandemic. We’ll also hear from a local farm on how they’re reaching their customers. 

Even with all the social distance rules, is it really safe to go back to eat at a restaurant? Is the country really going through a meat shortage?

GUESTS: 

• Chef Christopher Prosperi - Chef owner of Metro Bis restaurant
• Chef Billy Grant - Chef owner of Restaurant Bricco and Bricco Trattoria
• Lisa Held - Senior Policy Reporter, Civil Eats
• Stephanie Lesnik - Owner of Field House Farms

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As Connecticut and other states begin to reopen during the pandemic, data is more important than ever. Today, we talk about the role of statistics in shaping our understanding of the COVID-19.

We hear from one of the researchers behind the How We Feel App, a volunteer system of symptom tracking. They plan to turn the symptoms users record into useful information about emerging hotspots.

And later, we talk with statistician Talithia Williams about how all of us are using statistical thinking in our everyday lives.

GUESTS:

• Gary King - Weatherhead University Professor at Harvard, Director of the Institute for Quantitative Social Science; he is one of the researchers who helped develop the How We Feel COVID-19 symptom reporting app
• Talithia Williams - Associate professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College; she is also the host of the PBS show Nova Wonders

Catie Talarski contributed to this show.

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Last week we brought you a show about the New Haven’s Black Panther trials and the 1970 May Day rally, fifty years ago now this month, when tens of thousands of protestors gathered on the New Haven Green and the campus of Yale University--in  support of Black Panther Party leaders Bobby Seale and Ericka Huggins, who were on trial in New Haven. Many New Haven residents feared violence would break out during the May Day protests. And yet on that day, New Haven remained relatively peaceful.

On Yale’s campus, black student leaders played a critical role in making sure that peace held. In this Where We Live Extra, we wanted to share a conversation with one of those student leaders, Ralph Dawson, a member of the Yale Class of 1971 and the moderator of the Black Student Alliance at Yale (BSAY) at the time. Connecticut Public Radio spoke to Dawson about his recollections of the weeks leading up to May 1, 1970.

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Memorial Day is a day of remembrance and a day to acknowledge those who serve our country. This hour, what is it like to serve in the military during the coronavirus? How are those deployed, and their families navigating the pandemic?

Later, Commissioner Katie Dykes from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection joins us to discuss how to stay safe if you are heading to the shore this weekend. What does social distancing at the beach look like? Some beaches are open to residents only, and the Governor is only allowing gatherings of five. How are you spending the holiday weekend?

We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Captain Jamie Cuticello - Domestic Operations Officer in the Army National Guard 
• Commissioner Katie Dykes - Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (@CTDEEPNews)
• Eileen Banisch - Executive Director, Madison Chamber of Commerce (@MadisonCityCoC)

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Discrimination against Asian Americans has increased during the pandemic. An Ipsos Poll in April found 6 out of 10 Asian Americans said they observed COVID-19-related bias against Asians.

From rude comments to even violent assaults, anti-Asian racism is impacting many Asian Americans’ sense of safety, on top of the regular stresses of life during the pandemic.

Today, Where We Live, we talk about the impact of xenophobia during COVID-19.

Have you experienced anti-Asian comments or actions during the pandemic? Has that impacted your sense of security in your community?

We take your calls, comments, and tweets. 

GUESTS:

• Mike Keo - Photographer from West Hartford Connecticut, organizing the #IAmNotAVirus campaign in Connecticut
• Grace Kao - Chair and IBM Professor of Sociology at Yale University
• William Tong - Attorney General for the State of Connecticut
• Xiaoyu Weng - Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Associate Curator at the Solomon Guggenheim museum in NYC

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Donald Collins first told his mom he was transgender when he was a senior in high school. His mother wasn’t totally sure what the word transgender even meant. From there, they began a difficult emotional journey as Donald began his transition.

This hour, we sit down with Donald and his mother, Mary Collins. They have written about their experience in the book At the Broken Places: A Mother and Trans Son Pick Up the Pieces. We ask them how they rebuilt their relationship and what lessons they hope to share with other families.

Have you or a loved one come out as transgender? We want to hear from you.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

GUESTS:

• Mary Collins - a writer and professor of nonfiction writing at Central Connecticut State University
• Donald Collins - a 26-year old graduate student living in California, and a trans advocate an educator

Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired on May 21, 2019.

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Daycares have continued to stay open throughout the quarantine, but many parents have opted to keep their children at home. When Connecticut starts to open up this week and more parents head back to work, many will need childcare. This hour, how are daycares taking care of kids in a pandemic? Later, going to camp can be the highlight of any child’s summer. How will Connecticut summer camps operate this season? Coming up, Beth Bye, the state’s Early Childhood Commissioner joins us. What questions do you have about sending your child to daycare or summer camp? We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Commissioner Beth Bye - Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (@CT_OEC)
• Keith Garbart - Camp Director at Winding Trails 
• Elissha Park - Preschool teacher at Educational Playcare

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