Poet Crystal Wilkinson says people are always surprised to hear that there are Black people in Appalachia. That’s despite the fact that two million Black people live in the region. The Black presence in Appalachia goes all the way back to the time of enslavement. And Crystal’s own family is a part of that history— her relatives Aggy and Tarlton Wilkinson were an interracial couple there in the early 1800s. She talks about all of that in her book Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Rec...
Nov 29, 2024•49 min
Actress Anna Deavere Smith is known for her roles on TV series like The West Wing , Nurse Jackie and Black-ish . She’s also the playwright and performer behind more than fifteen one-woman shows including the Tony-nominated Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 and the new This Ghost of Slavery: A Play of Past and Present . She writes scripts based on her interviews with real people in a style she pioneered called “verbatim theatre.” Host Khalilah Brown-Dean spoke with Anna about the politics of art at a l...
Nov 22, 2024•49 min
This year, Michael Morand, director of community engagement for Yale's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, was appointed New Haven's official city historian. We return to our conversation with him about bringing New Haven’s history to life and the exhibit he collaborated on at the New Haven Museum . The exhibit includes years of Michael's research as part of The Yale and Slavery Research Project documenting Yale’s historical ties to slavery. The exhibit, which is on view until March, 2025...
Nov 15, 2024•49 min
This hour, we learn about some of the ways that millennial and gen z politicians are making their mark on the U.S. Up first, Brandon Scott is the youngest mayor of Baltimore in more than 100 years. A new documentary film called The Body Politic follows Mayor Scott during his first term in office, focusing on his campaign to reduce gun violence. We are joined by that film's director and producer, Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough. Then, Layla Zaidane is President and CEO of Future Caucus , an organi...
Nov 08, 2024•49 min
In her new book Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal , Dr. Bettina Love says that Black public school students like her in the 1980s and 1990s were "labeled disposable because of our zip code, test scores, and Black skin." Dr. Love is this year's winner of the Stowe Prize for Literary Activism. She joins us to explain how she sees anti-Black racism baked into U.S. education policy. And Professor Anthony Abraham Jack , author of Class Dismissed: When Colle...
Nov 01, 2024•49 min
Disrupted is about the changes we all encounter and the forces driving those changes. Some disruptions spark joy and possibility. Others move us to take action and re-evaluate our world. But the show isn't just about those disruptions; it’s about embracing them, exploring new perspectives, and feeling more connected to ourselves and our communities. Host and political scientist Khalilah Brown-Dean creates a place where changemakers come together to help us see the world differently and challenge...
Oct 29, 2024•54 sec
The United States imprisons more people than any other country in the world. And Black people bear the burdens of mass incarceration the most. In 2019, Connecticut was one of seven states where Black people were incarcerated at over nine times the rate of white people. That’s according to an analysis done by The Sentencing Project. These problems aren't new, but they also aren't going away. Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Yale law professor James Forman Jr. hopes the new book he co-edited, Dis...
Oct 25, 2024•49 min
If you've never spent time in Appalachia, your idea of the region might be shaped by what you see in media like vice presidential nominee JD Vance’s bestselling memoir Hillbilly Elegy and its subsequent movie adaptation. But many popular depictions of Appalachia ignore its rich diversity. This hour, we talk to people who grew up in Appalachia to go beyond the stereotypes. Neema Avashia discusses her book Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place and tells us about search...
Oct 18, 2024•49 min
According to a Washington Post analysis , from 2021 to 2023, states passed 70 laws restricting education about race, sex and gender. In the four years before that, states passed zero such restrictions. That change accompanies a wave of criticism of U.S. universities brought forward by politicians like Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance. This, hour, we look into what is behind these attacks on education. Yale philosophy professor Jason Stanley 's latest book is called Erasing History: How Fascist...
Oct 11, 2024•41 min
For years, Dr. Jonathan Metzl thought about gun violence as a public health issue. His approach treated it like an epidemic and treated guns as a health risk. But as he studied a mass shooting that happened near where he lives in Nashville, he realized he had been missing something crucial for years— the cultural power of guns. He joins us to talk about his new book, What We’ve Become: Living and Dying in a Country of Arms . GUEST: Dr. Jonathan Metzl : Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Soc...
Oct 04, 2024•49 min
Author Amy Tan is best known for popular novels like The Joy Luck Club and its 1993 film adaptation . The book and movie explore several mother-daughter relationships — some of which were shaped by Amy’s own experiences. Amy’s latest book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles , hits close to home in a different way. In it, she brings the birds in her backyard to life with humor and tragedy through observations and drawings from her nature journals. But the book isn’t just a recounting of wildlife. Amy v...
Sep 27, 2024•49 min
This hour, we are returning to conversations 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 196...
Sep 18, 2024•49 min
This year, Michael Morand, director of community engagement for Yale's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, was appointed New Haven's official city historian. We talk with him about bringing New Haven’s history to life and the exhibit he collaborated on at the New Haven Museum . The exhibit includes years of Michael's research as part of The Yale and Slavery Research Project documenting Yale’s historical ties to slavery. The exhibit, which is on view until March, 2025, is called Shining Li...
Sep 11, 2024•49 min
Listening to the news, it feels like there are more natural disasters than ever. This hour, we return to conversations about why flooding and droughts are becoming so common and 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...
Sep 04, 2024•48 min
Disrupted will be back with new episodes in September. In the meantime, as we prepare for the election, we are bringing you some highlights from the New Hampshire Public Radio series ' Civics 101 .' Why Vote, And How To Do It The United States is supposed to be a representative democracy. We vote for our leaders, and those leaders represent our interests. But the impact of your vote isn't always so clear. On Civics 101, NHPR's show about the basics of how our democracy works, we talk about why y...
Aug 28, 2024•51 min
Disrupted will be back with new episodes in September. In the meantime, as we prepare for the election, we are bringing you some highlights from the New Hampshire Public Radio series ' Civics 101 .' Are We A Democracy Or A Republic? Civics 101 has a tagline: we’re a show about the basics of how our democracy works. And there’s a complaint we get pretty often around here, that our tagline contains the word "democracy," but the United States is actually a republic. So...do we need to make a change...
Aug 14, 2024•51 min
This week on Disrupted , we dive deep into one of the wildest election cycles in recent history. Journalist and editorial director for Mother Jones , Jamilah King, offers her take on some of the latest political developments. We also discuss Vice President Kamala Harris’s candidacy with Higher Heights for America, an organization that supports Black women in politics. You can also watch Disrupted host Khalilah Brown-Dean's interview with C-Span's Washington Journal about the role of black sorori...
Aug 07, 2024•49 min
This hour, we listen back to conversations with 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 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. Three Gen Z-ers talk about their relationship with religion and spirituality. Late...
Jul 31, 2024•49 min
This hour, we explore Connecticut music. Violinist Kersten Stevens recently 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 the Owner and Founder of the Female DJ Association . And filmmakers And...
Jul 24, 2024•49 min
In its early stages, Miss America was mostly about physical beauty. Today, pageants have placed more emphasis on interviewing skills, social platform and inclusiveness. Shavana Clarke is the first openly queer and lesbian woman to win Miss Connecticut USA . She shares her pageant journey and her mental health experience through her personal blog . We also hear from Sally-Ann Fawcett, one of the judges in the first ever Miss AI Beauty Pageant . It’s a competition where teams from around the world...
Jul 17, 2024•49 min
This hour, we prepare for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic games. We'll hear from competitors, including a Connecticut native who lost part of her leg in a shark attack one year ago. She will now swim for Team USA in the Paralympics. We'll also check in on the geopolitical implications of this year's Olympics and talk to Logan "Logistx" Edra , who is competing in breaking— a style of dance rooted in hip-hop culture. It is the first time that breaking will be an Olympic sport. GUESTS: Ali Truwit :...
Jul 10, 2024•49 min
It's time for our second annual summer movie panel! This time we are talking about the possible end of the summer blockbuster (as we know it) and the end of the world in film. The panelists discuss the lack of hype around any specific movie(s) this year as compared to what we saw with last year's Barbie / Oppenheimer pairing and the trend in post-apocalyptic imagery in films like Dune: Part Two and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga . We also hear about movies for kids like Inside Out 2 and talk about what...
Jul 03, 2024•49 min
This hour, we’ll hear some of our favorite segments from our archive that teach us about the past and present of LGBTQ+ rights. Historian Marc Stein describes LGBTQ+ history beyond the Stonewall Uprising, including protests that occurred in Bridgeport. In a segment from Where We Live , Orion Rummler of The 19th News updates us on anti-trans bills that are being passed at the state level. And Dawn Ennis talks about finding joy during a time of discrimination. GUESTS: Marc Stein : Jamie and Phylli...
Jun 26, 2024•49 min
While many Black Americans have been celebrating Juneteenth since 1865, the holiday has often been overlooked by non-Black Americans. This hour, we look at the tradition of the holiday and recognize its importance as a time to learn more about Black history in the U.S. Alliah L. Agostini is a mom and children’s book author. Her books The Juneteenth Story: Celebrating the End of Slavery in the United States and The Juneteenth Cookbook teach the history and joy of Juneteenth. Distinguished Profess...
Jun 19, 2024•49 min
For parents, thinking about mental health is also about the lessons they impart on their children. This hour, we talk to two parents who advocate for mental health. First, Medina Jett , author of ' Peace Be Still: Navigating My Son’s Bipolar Disorder ,' opens up about being a mother to a young adult with a mental illness. Then, Michell Clark discusses his book ' Eyes on the Road ' and offers advice on how he's prioritized his mental health as a parent and beyond. GUESTS: Medina Jett : attorney, ...
Jun 12, 2024•41 min
This hour, 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 spent their first year of grad school living with the residents of Pond Ri...
Jun 05, 2024•49 min
Both Democrats and Republicans are hoping immigration policy will win them votes in 2024. This hour, we take a look at immigration laws from the past and present. Atlantic Staff Writer and 2023 Pulitzer Prize-winner Caitlin Dickerson talks about Biden and Trump's records on immigration and tells us who is immigrating to the U.S. today. We also hear from a group that supports immigrants through community organizing in Bridgeport and Hartford, and we learn about a restrictive immigration act that ...
May 29, 2024•49 min
As election day steadily approaches, we hear two conversations about voting. Back in March, Khalilah hosted a live event with MSNBC Legal Analyst Charles Coleman Jr. We take a listen to that event and learn how Black voters can make a difference in their communities. The discussion was part of The Legacy Foundation of Hartford 's Black Excellence Speaker Series. Then, Jacqueline De León , Senior Attorney with the Native American Rights Fund , talks about a 2020 report on barriers to voting acces...
May 22, 2024•49 min
Seventy years ago, Brown v. Board of Education outlawed racial segregation in public schools. This hour, we look at the historic Supreme Court decision — and some of the inequities that still exist in education today. We speak with the Executive Director of a youth development organization in Hartford working to close education opportunity gaps. And later, we talk about the legacy of Ellen Peters, the first woman appointed Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. She wrote the opinion in ...
May 15, 2024•49 min
Many people think of libraries as quiet places to study, work or read a book. But the quiet rooms of libraries have also been centers of social change. This hour, we look at how libraries help people build community and explore their identities. First, we talk about a recent drag story hour in Enfield, CT that was successfully rescheduled after it had initially been canceled due to safety concerns. Then, we discuss a pioneering librarian who helped start New York's well-known Morgan Library &...
May 08, 2024•49 min
