Where We Live

It has been one week since the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action and “race-conscious” college admissions programs. The decision has roiled Connecticut colleges and universities.

Hearst Connecticut reported that every school that replied to their request for comment “expressed frustration with the decisions.”

This hour, we hear from current and prospective students where we live, as well as local admissions officers and administrators. Eastern Connecticut State University President Elsa Núñez, who announced her retirement in May, has long championed broadened college access for underrepresented groups.

GUESTS:

• Irene Pham: Student, UCONN
• Deven Pierre: Student, UCONN
• Tatiana Watson: Student, CREC Academy of International Studies
• Samariya Smith: Community Advocate AKA "Community Mama," Greater Hartford Area
• Elissa Nadworny: Correspondent, NPR
• Elsa Núñez: President, Eastern Connecticut State University 
• Vern Granger: Director of Admissions, UCONN

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The World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently lifted the COVID-19 "emergency," but the pandemic isn't over.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health issued guidance in light of the end of the federal Public Health Emergency on May 11, clarifying that "Ending the COVID-19 emergency declarations does not mean the virus has been eradicated."

This hour, epidemiologist Dr. Saad Omer joins us to discuss.Plus, we revisit our conversation with scientist and Connecticut native Dr. Peter Hotez. His new book, the third he has written about the COVID-19 pandemic, is due out September 19.

The Deadly Rise of Anti-science: A Scientist’s Warning is described as "an eyewitness story of how the anti-vaccine movement grew into a dangerous and prominent anti-science element in American politics." You can listen to the full conversation here.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Saad Omer: Epidemiologist; Inaugural Dean, Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center
• Dr. Peter J. Hotez: Dean, National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine; Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine; Author, The Deadly Rise of Anti-science: A Scientist’s Warning

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Connecticut is one of only a few states that has a State Troubadour - an ambassador of music and song. And the state troubadour is also tasked with promoting cultural literacy, creative arts and wellness in the community.

Today, we talk to Kala Farnham, Connecticut’s Troubadour and hear about her creative process and the power of healing through music.

Later, we touch base with theaters around our state. Most theaters have returned to a full season of in person performances. And many performing arts spaces are taking the time to think critically about equity, diversity and accessibility on and off the stage.

We hear from the Ivoryton Playhouse, as well as Wheel Life Theatre Troupe.

We want to hear from you. What shows are you seeing this summer?

GUESTS:

• Kala Farnham: Connecticut State Troubadour
• Laura Sheehan: Actor with Capital Classics Theatre Company
• Kiera Sheehan: Actor with Capital Classics Theatre Company
• Keely Baisden Knudsen: Artistic Director, and Co-Founder of Legacy Theatre, and Wheel Life Theatre Troupe
• Jacqui Hubbard: Artistic Director, Ivoryton Playhouse

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Earlier this month, the Human Rights Campaign declared a national state of emergency for LGBTQ people, following "the worst year on record" for the number of anti-LGBTQ legislative proposals and wins.

The ACLU mapped and tracked 491 bills this session, including two in Connecticut. Many of those proposals are aimed at gender-affirming health care.

There are several protections for trans and nonbinary people in Connecticut, and in some cases, beyond the border. Connecticut's Safe Harbor Law, passed in response to the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, includes legal protections for people seeking gender-affirming health care from out-of-state.

But advocates say the state is not immune from ideological or political attack. Diana Lombardi, the former executive director of the Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition, and a current member of Governor Lamont’s Hate Crimes Advisory Council, notes the favorable political climate and support from "the governor on down." But "my concern here in the state of Connecticut is that pressure would be mounting to do away with our health care," she says.

This hour, we hear from the ACLU's Gillian Branstetter, and independent journalist Erin Reed, who has been maintaining a monthly "legislative risk" map of the U.S. Plus, Katy Tierney, the medical director at Middlesex Health Center for Gender Medicine and Wellness, and local reporter Dawn Ennis.

GUESTS:

• William Tong: Connecticut Attorney General
• Gillian Branstetter: Communications Strategist for the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project and LGBTQ & HIV Project
• Erin Reed: Independent Journalist; Author, Erin in the Morning on Substack
• Diana Lombardi: Executive Director of Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition and member of Lamont’s Hate Crimes Advisory Council
• Katy Tierney: Medical Director, Middlesex Health Center for Gender Medicine and Wellness
• Dawn Ennis: Reporter and Opinion Columnist

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R.F. Kuang's works of historical fantasy, including The Poppy War series, have been racking up awards since she began publishing in 2018. Her novel Babel won the prestigious Nebula Award for science fiction and fantasy writers this week.The same day, her latest book Yellowface debuted.

It is Kuang's fifth novel, and a shift from fantasy to literary fiction. The satirical thriller takes on the commercial publishing world, and through it, "questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation." Not to mention, "the terrifying alienation of social media."

This hour, R.F. Kuang joins us. Minor spoilers lie ahead...

GUESTS:

• R.F. Kuang: Author, Yellowface; Babel; The Poppy War Trilogy

Cat Pastor contributed to this episode which originally aired May 18, 2023.

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Of the millions of people working in STEM fields in the U.S., only 9% are Black, according to the Pew Research Center. Those numbers are "unchanged" since 2016.

How can efforts around “inclusivity” in these fields go farther? Environmental scientist Dr. Nyeema Harris has written about the importance of Blackology.

“Blackologists are not simply scholars that are Black but, rather, are scholars who deliberately leverage and intersect Blackness into advancing knowledge production," she writes.

Dr. Harris joins us to discuss how this approach is applied to environmental science and so many other disciplines.

Plus, public health professor Dr. Ijeoma Opara discusses her work to reduce racial health disparities, and to "strengthen the pipeline of Black youth to the field of public health research."

GUESTS:

• Dr. Ijeoma Opara: Assistant Professor, Yale School of Public Health; Assistant Clinical Professor, Yale School of Nursing
• Dr. Nyeema Harris: Knobloch Family Associate Professor of Wildlife and Land Conservation, Yale School of the Environment

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

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While contestants with Connecticut ties have appeared on the reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race in the past, the Season 15 premiere on MTV marks the first time more than one Connecticut drag queen has been represented.

Robin Fierce from Hartford, Loosey LaDuca from Ansonia, Amethyst from West Hartford and Jax from the Bronx, raised in Connecticut, comprised this season's Connecticut contingent.

This hour, Loosey and Robin join us to discuss how they discovered drag, developed their artistry, and why they’re determined to confront misunderstanding by showcasing drag as a force for good.

GUESTS:

• Loosey LaDuca: Contestant, RuPaul's Drag Race
• Robin Fierce: Contestant, RuPaul's Drag Race

Cat Pastor contributed to this episode which originally aired January 27, 2023.

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Connecticut rolled out a Black and Latino history elective this past school year, the first of several recent curricular updates and mandates to go live statewide. This hour, we hear from social studies teachers Daisha Brabham and Julian Shafer about how they worked with the curriculum offered by the state.

Plus, their students share their experiences. Students in Windsor recently led a push to offer the elective to ninth-graders.

Brabham and Shafer also discuss an Educators Bill of Rights they helped draft, along with several educator organizations in the state.

According to PEN America, there have been 78 different legislative proposals since 2021 that are aimed at K-12 curriculum, referred to by the free speech org as "gag order bills." Connecticut is often seen as a kind of safe haven from these kinds of political or ideological attacks in the classroom, but we’ve seen a rise in debates over curriculum and book ban requests in our state too.

The Educators Bill of Rights calls for "learning spaces for students and working spaces for educators that are free from harassment and intimidation," and underscores the need "to teach in accurate and complex ways without censure or punishment."

GUESTS:

• Daisha Brabham: Teacher, Windsor High School
• Julian Shafer: Teacher, Danbury High School
• Sarai Pichardo: Student, Danbury High School
• Damela Seal: Student, Windsor High School
• Christine Palm: Democratic State Representative

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John Ondrasik, better known as Five for Fighting, has been performing since childhood. And after several hit singles, he hasn’t slowed down. He’s currently touring with the Barenaked Ladies and Del Amitri. They’ll be performing at the Mohegan Sun in July. 

In 2001, Ondrasik became a sensation after his single “Superman” was released and became a token tribute song to those lost in the September 11th attacks. Since then, he’s been known for his emotional chart-topping anthems that defined the early 2000s. He has gone on to do extensive philanthropic work to support the troops. Last year, he recorded a music video in Ukraine.

He knows that his music carries a lot of nostalgia for certain generations. Today, we’re talking to John about his musical journey and his advocacy efforts throughout the years.

GUEST:

• John Ondrasik: Singer-songwriter and pianist known as the platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated artist, Five For Fighting.

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

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Parents in Granby, Connecticut, are deeply divided over a 45-second video shown to students. The short video featured kids talking about Pride Month. Today, we unpack this conversation and what LGBTQ studies at the secondary and elementary school level might look like.

Irene Parisi, Chief Academic Officer at the Connecticut State Department of Education, joins us to talk about this debate. And we hear from the 15 year old organizer of the first ever Granby Pride event.

And later, author and teacher Chasten Buttigieg joins us to discuss his book. He is the husband of 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg in 2018. His book, I Have to Tell You Something, was originally published in 2020 and has since been rewritten and republished as I Have to Tell You Something - For Young Adults. He joins us for a conversation over Zoom to talk about his book and his message to LGBTQ youth.

GUESTS:

• James Crocker: 15 year old organizer of Granby Pride and sophomore Granby Memorial High School
• Irene Parisi: Chief Academic Officer at Connecticut State Department of Education
• Paul Freeman: Superintendent of Guilford Public Schools
• Chasten Buttigieg: Author of I Have to Tell You Something, teacher, and advocate

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