With Good Reason

Worldwide there are more than 35 million refugees who have fled their homes. And when other countries take in a huge influx of those refugees, there’s a lot to consider. Erika Frydenlund studies how host countries can help manage a refugee surge. And: In March 2023, the William & Mary Law School’s Immigration Clinic had their very first approval of an asylum case–a client from Afghanistan, who fled when Kabul fell. Stacy Kern-Scheerer shares what it’s like navigating the complicated asylum system.

Later in the show: The war in Ukraine created the largest refugee crisis since World War II. Patrick Rhamey says that Poland has taken in the most refugees–and actually done a good job of welcoming and resettling them. Plus: In the U.S., mainstream media has given the Ukrainian refugee crisis a lot of coverage. Nearly every day brings new headlines about it. On the other hand, the tens of millions of people making up Africa’s refugee crises are largely overlooked. Soji Akomolafe speaks to what’s causing so much movement in Africa and why Western countries aren’t paying enough attention.

Michael Carter Jr left America looking for home in Ghana. Now, on his fifth generation farm, he’s growing farmers through what he calls Africulture. And: How Virginia’s maritime climate enhances its fruit, according to celebrated sommelier Lee Campell.

Later in the show: In Richmond, Virginia, you can walk up to one of 13 community refrigerators and get what you need. No questions asked. It all started because Taylor Scott had some extra tomatoes to spare. And: How Leni Sorenson uses these cookbooks to bring to life the stories and stick-to-it-iveness of the enslaved women and men who really threw down in the kitchen.

Some of America’s first maestros of European art music were enslaved and free Virginians of African descent. Violinist David McCormick shares the music of the Black violinists of Monticello from the Hemings and Scott families. Also: Justin Holland was a black man who was born free in 1819 in Norfolk County, Virginia. He became one of America's first classical guitarists and was respected by European Classical Guitar Masters. Ernie Jackson discusses Justin Holland and Jackson’s own life as a contemporary classical guitarist of African descent.

Later in the show: Renowned musician JoVia Armstrong plays some of her latest works and discusses how her childhood led to her life as a musician and composer. This episode is hosted by musician and With Good Reason sound engineer Jamal Millner, who spent 20 years as a professional touring musician and composer and was a member of the Corey Harris 5x5.

You have Chef James Hemings, who cooked for Thomas Jefferson, to thank for the macaroni and cheese on your plate this Thanksgiving. Setting the Table's Deb Freeman tells us how the French dish became so baked into American cuisine. And: Across troubled waters, enslaved people carried benne seeds and grew them in a new land. Chef Amethyst Ganaway is snacking on benne wafers while thickening the Thanksgiving stew.

Later in the show: The Lowcountry is always cooking. Chef BJ Dennis says the vast rice plantations of the Lowcountry are visible from outer space. The famed Gullah Geechee chef honors the grain with his smoky tomato purloo.

Dorothy Suskind diagnoses the kind of workplace culture that allows bullying. And: Chris Reina says that prioritizing relationships creates better results in the workplace. This belief is at the center of his work at the Institute for Transformative Leadership.

Later in the show: Alexandra Dunn shares how “imposter syndrome” can affect us at work. Plus: The 2020 global pandemic transformed the American workers and the American workplace Ben Biermeier-Hanson found that workers now prioritize flexibility in a job.

No matter how they served or where or when, for veterans, returning to civilian life is a big transition. Eric Hodges is researching what it was like for African American veterans in his small Virginia community to return home. And: Alicia DeFonzo’s grandfather was a big part of her life as a kid. He was charming and jovial and the absolute best storyteller. But his stories always left out the years he spent fighting in WWII. Late in his life, Alicia finally asked her grandfather to tell those stories and their conversations gave rise to her new book The Time Left Between Us.

Later in the show: After the Civil War, veterans and their families were able to apply for a pension. But they had to prove they were eligible. Sharon Roger Hepburn’s book Private No More compiles almost 60 letters written by John Lovejoy Murray submitted as proof for a pension and kept in his government file since the Civil War. Murray, a Black soldier who died during the war, wrote home about the food, the pay, and racism in the ranks. Plus: Community colleges can offer a particularly welcoming landing spot for veterans transitioning to civilian life. Steve Borden shares some of the ways his college is easing the transition.

After watching movies like the Terminator, it’s hard not to come away a little jaded about the future of AI. But Dan Runfola says the rise of AI will be a huge boon to society, similar to the industrial revolution of the 18th century. And: As we enter into the age of AI, where do the humanities fit in? Rishi Jaitly recently founded the Virginia Tech Institute for Leadership and Technology, a one-of-a-kind fellowship that immerses rising leaders in the tech world in all things humanities.

Later in the show: Many teachers are scared about the impact AI will have on cheating. But Anand Rao says most of his students will be using AI in the workplace once they graduate. So he encourages them to use AI on assignments and coaches them on how to use it appropriately. Plus: Falling down the rabbit hole started as a reference to Alice and Wonderland. Now it's mostly used in the context of online radicalization. Ugo Etudo uses a form of AI called natural language processing to glean new insights into how people get radicalized on the internet.

Since she was a child, Luz Lopes would help her mother prepare the altar for the Day of the Dead. This year, her go-to bakery shut down so she made her own pan de muerto. Plus: It seemed like quinoa just kind of came out of nowhere didn’t it? Well, it kind of did. Linda Seligmann tells us how she witnessed this afterthought crop become a commercial crop. And: Will the real pigs please stand up? Brad Weiss gives us insight on North Carolina’s local farming efforts to produce real, local pork.

Later in the show: When they first hit the shelves, Americans really were not interested in canned goods. They canned their own food in clear mason jars. There really was no real need for this strange, aluminum can that they couldn’t see inside of. Anna Zeade says that the commercialization of canned foods marks the beginning of our opaque food system. And: Pasta didn’t always come in neat boxes on shelves. Melissa Gray says that American pasta makers started that practice as a way to distinguish themselves from Italian immigrant pasta makers who sold in bulk. The idea was that the American pasta was cleaner.

Old time music is a way of communication. A way to welcome rain after a drought or shoo a cold. Many men took it on the road. But the women stayed home. Rene Rodgers and Toni Doman (Birthplace of Country Music Museum) give us a taste of women musicians from Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, to Cathy Fink and Amythyst Kiah.

Later in the show: 2022 Virginia Folklife mentor artist Elizabeth LaPrelle keeping the centuries old tradition of Appalachian ballad singing alive. Plus: Nationally renowned guitar and ukulele maker Jayne Henderson describes the art and joy of crafting these prized instruments.

Conversations around community policing are polarizing. It can be hard to have a meaningful and useful conversation. Brian Williams believes that conversations that first hit the heart can impact the head and hands, bringing corrective and collaborative action. And: Police suicide rates are on the rise. It’s clear that mental health is a real problem in the profession. Stacey Clifton studies how the very culture of police–a sort of macho suppression of emotion–makes it extra hard to address their mental health crises.

Later in the show: When we think of policing, we don’t usually think about policing white collar crime. Thomas Dearden explains some of the challenges of stopping white collar crime. Plus: Before England had a police force, Queen Elizabeth had a secret enforcer named Richard Topcliffe. Topcliffe’s job was to track down suspected Catholics and use their own pro-Catholic books as weapons against them. Centuries later, Mark Rankin found those books and uncovered the treasonous evidence that Topcliffe planted in their margins.