Imagine the courage of a young black man in the Jim Crow South to sit at a “Whites Only” lunch counter; to need a military escort for a bus ride; to be assaulted by the Ku Klux Klan, and, through it all, remain committed to non-violence. Dr. Bernard LaFayette has done just that, he joins us this week on Story in the Public Square.
This show—Story in the Public Square—is built on one central insight: that stories have the power to change the world. Martin Puchner is a scholar of the impact stories have had on minds around the world, and on human history itself.
The intermingling of traditional and emerging security challenges demands fresh thinking from a new generation of scholars and practitioners—guest Jacquelyn Schneider tells us that some of those new thinkers and new soldiers will not look like their predecessors.
One of the most important stories in human history is the creation story of the Hebrew bible. Its impact can still be felt today in debates over the proper role of creation and evolution in American classrooms. Kenneth Miller is a respected scientist whose published work seeks common ground between God and science.
The documentary filmmaker has for her canvas the broad sweep of human experience. Kendall Moore has turned her lens on issues as diverse as AIDS patients in Africa and polluted air in an office building. Kendall Moore is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and a Professor in the departments of Journalism and Film Media at the University of Rhode Island. Before joining the faculty at URI in 2003, she worked as a television journalist focusing on medical, health, race, and environmental issues.
International law outlaws the targeting of medical facilities in conflicts. However, guests, Justin Kenny and Steve Morrison, point to an alarming trend in the Syrian Civil War and other conflicts where combatants are targeting healthcare facilities and healthcare workers through their film, “The New Barbarianism.”
Sexual assaults happen on America’s college campuses more frequently than anyone wants to admit. This week’s guest is a victim of sexual assault herself. Sofie Karasek says it’s time to change that reality.
What’s the difference between a riot and an uprising? Your answer might have something to do with your perspective on the violence. Heather Ann Thompson looks at events at Attica State Prison in 1971 and draws a direct connection to the challenges America faces in its criminal justice system today.