This hour on Disrupted, we’re looking at the First Amendment and its impact on colleges and universities. Students are demanding their schools divest from Israel over its war in Gaza. Some colleges have allowed protests with police presence, while others have forcibly removed demonstrators. There have been allegations of antisemitic, anti-Muslim, and anti-Palestinian speech at some protests — and that’s left many wondering how to address harmful speech without curbing free expression. First Amen...
May 01, 2024•43 min
This hour, we are taking a look at how race has impacted agriculture and the environmental movement. Leah Penniman, Co-Executive Director and Farm Director at Soul Fire Farm , talks about her book Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists . The discussion touches on everything from Leah's childhood to how the creation of some of the most prominent national parks in the U.S. is linked to the eugenics movement. And Dr. Dorceta Taylor, a professor at the Yale School of ...
Apr 24, 2024•48 min
Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. returns to the show to talk about his new book, ' We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For .' The book reevaluates our understanding of leadership and argues that ordinary people need to become leaders. He also explains his views on the 2024 election and how reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X changed his life. GUEST: Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. : James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University. He is a frequent ...
Apr 17, 2024•40 min
With the release of Beyoncé’s new album, Cowboy Carter , the long and often-ignored history of Black country music is back in the spotlight. This hour, we talk to a woman who has made a career in country music, even though the industry hasn't always been welcoming. Alice Randall is a chart-topping country songwriter and author of the new book ' My Black Country A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future .' She'll explain how she co-wrote the lyrics to a number one country ...
Apr 10, 2024•41 min
This hour, we hear from people who think a lot about religion - both their own experiences and how it impacts society. NPR National Political Correspondent Sarah McCammon grew up in Kansas City as an Evangelical. Her new book, The Exvangelicals - Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church tells her story and the story of others who felt disenchanted by the movement and walked away. Hear from three Gen Z-ers about their relationship with religion and spirituality. Later in the show,...
Apr 03, 2024•49 min
This hour on Disrupted , we're challenging long-held assumptions about parents and caregivers. First, Angela Garbes, author of Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change , explains how care workers are undervalued. She touches on the way the early days of the pandemic spotlighted issues in caregiving and why the legacy of American colonialism in the Philippines influenced both her family history and the disproportionate number of Filipinx nurses who died from COVID. Then, UConn professor Kari A...
Mar 27, 2024•49 min
This week on Disrupted, we learn about two women who played important roles in the Civil Rights Movement. Historian Tanisha C. Ford wrote about Mollie Moon, a fundraiser in the 1940s in her new book 'Our Secret Society: Mollie Moon and the Glamour, Money, and Power Behind the Civil Rights Movement,' . Later in the show, we’ll listen back to our conversation about New Haven’s Constance Baker Motley. She was the first Black woman to become a federal judge in the U.S. GUESTS: Tanisha C. Ford : Prof...
Mar 20, 2024•49 min
The First Lady of the United States is not an elected position. But even so, the office plays an important role in our government. This week on Disrupted , an Art Historian talks about the powerful First Ladies of American history who don't get the recognition they deserve. Also, how gender quotas are changing politics in Latin America. GUESTS: Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw: Class of 1940 Bicentennial Term Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Pennsylvania. Previously, she was the Seni...
Mar 13, 2024•48 min
COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020. It continues to impact our lives to this day. This hour, we’re looking back at the four years since the pandemic started to understand what we’ve learned. Health policy expert Scott L. Greer analyzes the U.S. government's response to COVID-19. And critical care and infectious disease physician Taison Bell talks about health equity in addition to his experience of the early days of the pandemic. GUESTS: Scott L. Greer : Professor of H...
Mar 06, 2024•49 min
This hour, we talk to Black creators who are making their marks in the arts. Andre Rochester is a fine artist based in greater Hartford. He discusses self-expression and social consciousness in art. We'll hear from Andre's mentor, Stanwyck Cromwell about how he and Andre have both taught each other. And Busayo Olupona, who spoke with us amidst the bustle of New York Fashion Week, explains her journey from being an attorney to starting Busayo , her own fashion company. She also tells us about rec...
Feb 28, 2024•49 min
This hour, we are talking about the stories we see represented on the small screen. Elizabeth Ito is the creator of ' City of Ghosts ' and also worked on Adventure Time . She'll discuss using people's real voices in her work and covering topics like gentrification on a series that children watch. Bethonie Butler, author of ' Black TV: Five Decades of Groundbreaking Television from Soul Train to Black-ish and Beyond ,' talks to us about shows centering Black characters from 1968's Julia up to the...
Feb 21, 2024•49 min
This hour, for Valentine's Day, we are taking a look at friendship. While friends seem ubiquitous in our culture, they aren't often prioritized in the same way that romantic partners are. Rhaina Cohen discusses that topic in her new book ' The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center .' Then, we turn to the idea of having friends from different generations. We'll hear from two Quinnipiac University students who live with the residents of Pond Ridge at Ashlar Villa...
Feb 14, 2024•49 min
This hour on Disrupted, we discuss the First Amendment and its impact on higher education. College campuses are in the spotlight as students have continued to hold protests since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. There have been allegations of antisemitic, anti-Muslim, and anti-Palestinian speech at some protests — and that’s left many wondering how to address harmful speech without curbing free expression. First Amendment Specialist Kevin Goldberg explains the five protections covered in the a...
Feb 07, 2024•49 min
In a new essay, NPR host Ayesha Rascoe writes about how Howard University helped shape her into the person she is today. The essay is part of a collection that she edited called ' HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience ' and features contributors like Oprah Winfrey, Stacey Abrams and comedian Roy Wood Jr. This hour, she tells us about the book and her career, discussing everything from self doubt to sounding different from the hosts that NPR listeners are used to. GUEST: Ayesha...
Jan 31, 2024•40 min
Black news outlets have long shed light on important stories ignored by other organizations. This hour, we’re taking an in depth look at the Black press. Professor Trevy A. McDonald tells us about the role the Black press played during important moments in history such as the civil rights movement. Akoto Ofori-Atta of Capital B explains her goals in helping to create a non-profit newsroom dedicated to centering Black voices. And Sasha Allen Walton and Endera Allen Stevens talk about working at C...
Jan 24, 2024•48 min
This hour, we explore Connecticut music. Violinist Kersten Stevens just released a jazz album that she worked on with eight-time Grammy winner Christian McBride. She talks to us about facing imposter syndrome and how her unique sound came out of her experience playing a wide range of genres while growing up in Connecticut. Qiana Coachman-Strickland, also known as " DJ Q-Boogie ," discusses her work supporting women DJs as Owner and Founder of Female DJ Association . And filmmakers Andy Billman a...
Jan 17, 2024•49 min
The Disrupted team has been welcoming the new year by choosing a few of the episodes we loved from 2023. We have so many favorites that we couldn't reair all of them, but these are a few that we wanted to listen back to. This week is the last of our "2023 favorites" episodes. Producer Kevin Chang Barnum chose our episode on Chinese American exclusion and resistance not only because of how it highlights the discrimination that Chinese Americans face, but also because it shows something that isn't...
Jan 10, 2024•49 min
The Disrupted team is welcoming the new year by choosing a few of the episodes we loved from 2023. We have so many favorites that we couldn't reair all of them, but these are a few that we wanted to listen back to. This week, Producer Wayne Edwards chose our episode on media literacy. We look at how media is understood across generations and why media literacy is more than just identifying misinformation on the news or social media. Global media literacy educator Dr. Belinha De Abreu talks about...
Jan 03, 2024•49 min
The Disrupted team is welcoming the new year by choosing a few of the episodes we loved from 2023. We have so many favorites that we couldn't reair all of them, but these are a few that we wanted to listen back to. This week, our host Khalilah Brown-Dean chose our episode on how race has impacted agriculture and the environmental movement. Leah Penniman, Co-Executive Director and Farm Director at Soul Fire Farm , talks about her new book Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Envir...
Dec 27, 2023•49 min
A recent report found that one in five young people in Connecticut is dealing with challenges like disconnection from education and employment, being at-risk of not graduating high school and incarceration. This hour, we take a closer look at that report. First, Andrew Ferguson walks us through the numbers. He is Co-CEO of Dalio Education, the organization that commissioned Boston Consulting Group to create the report. Then, we talk to young people in the state about what it's like to grow up in...
Dec 20, 2023•49 min
This hour, we talk to people who are disrupting the way we think about parenting. Mr. Chazz has hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram . He tells us how social media can be used to break generational cycles of unhealthy parenting behaviors. And cultural developmental psychologist Nandita Chaudhary discusses her realization that the developmental psychology she was studying didn't reflect childhood in India, where she grew up. GUESTS: Mr. Chazz : teacher; social media content ...
Dec 13, 2023•41 min
As we gather with friends, family or co-workers, questions about social courtesies may arise. This hour on Disrupted, we learn holiday etiquette tips from lifestyle and etiquette expert Terri Bryant. Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa are the more recognizable holidays of this season, but have you heard of or celebrated Bodhi Day or Pancha Ganapati? Dr. Aaron M. Gale educates us about religious holidays celebrated worldwide during the winter months. According to people.com , 2023’s holiday-themed ...
Dec 06, 2023•49 min
On November 14th, Disrupted held a live event at Quinnipiac University to talk with leaders from across our state about the economic inequities that women face. The discussion focused on housing, childcare and economic mobility and coincided with the release of a report titled " Elusive Equity: Continuing Effects of the Pandemic on Women’s Economic Security .” First, Michelle Riordan-Nold of CTData Collaborative and Jenny Steadman of Aurora Women and Girls Foundation spoke about the findings of ...
Nov 29, 2023•49 min
Ned Blackhawk's book ' The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History ,' just won a National Book Award. In recognition of that award, we listen back to our interview with Professor Blackhawk. We also hear Professor of Law Matthew L.M. Fletcher give us the context around the Supreme Court ruling on the Indian Child Welfare Act from earlier this year. GUESTS: Matthew L. M. Fletcher : the Harry Burns Hutchins Collegiate Professor of Law and Professor of American Cultur...
Nov 21, 2023•49 min
This hour, we talk to documentary filmmakers whose work disrupts the way we view the world. Ken Burns joins us in a wide-ranging conversation that covers everything from his distinctive style to why we may be in the most difficult crisis in U.S. history. Then, we talk to Su Kim, one of the producers of the film ' Free Chol Soo Lee .' The film tells the story of a man who is convicted of a murder he didn’t commit and the movement to have him released. But the film is also about the systems that f...
Nov 15, 2023•48 min
Listening to the news, it feels like there are more natural disasters than ever. This hour, we talk about why flooding and droughts are becoming so common and discuss how the word "disaster" affects the way we view an event. First, Connecticut State Historian Andy Horowitz explains why understanding disasters involves looking at the decisions people made before the devastation, sometimes decades before. And Professor Mohammed Ombadi breaks down the science behind how climate change is causing an...
Nov 08, 2023•49 min
As you prepare to cast your vote in this upcoming election, you may have questions about how campaigns work in Connecticut. This hour on Disrupted, we learn about the State Elections Enforcement Commission which oversees voter fraud allegations and campaign finance. We'll also examine America's youngest voters, Gen Z. Ruby Belle Booth will provide insight on Gen Z's voting impact followed by an all-Gen Z roundtable. Looking to dive deeper in today's discussion? Here are some resource links from ...
Nov 01, 2023•49 min
As Halloween approaches, we are exploring America's history of racism through horror books and films. Mark H. Harris, one of the co-authors of The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar , talks about different eras of Black horror cinema and the origins of the famous racist horror trope referenced in his book's title. Author and academic historian P. Djèlí Clark discusses his story “Hide & Seek,” which was recently included in the collection Out There Screaming , co-e...
Oct 25, 2023•49 min
This hour on Disrupted, we hear from three women who are rewriting narratives around death and dying in the U.S. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many of us to confront death head-on. At the same time, we’re also seeing major changes in the death care industry — from the emergence of things like green burials and human composting to the diversification of funeral directors. GUESTS: Cole Imperi : Founder of the School of American Thanatology and one of America’s leading experts on death, dying and gr...
Oct 18, 2023•49 min
This hour, we listen back to a conversation with author and journalist Ari Berman on democracy and voting rights. He’ll talk about the decision the Supreme Court made 10 years ago in Shelby County v. Holder that removed key provisions from the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He'll also explain what Democrats need to do differently if they want to ensure people have access to the polls. This conversation was recorded at a live event as part of New Haven’s 2023 International Festival of Arts & Idea...
Oct 11, 2023•41 min
