DisruptedDisruptions are all around us. Some spark joy and possibility. Others move us to take action and re-evaluate our world. Every week on Disrupted, host and political scientist Khalilah Brown-Dean unpacks how big and small disruptions are shaping our lives.
Disruptions are all around us. Some spark joy and possibility. Others move us to take action and re-evaluate our world. Every week on Disrupted, host and political scientist Khalilah Brown-Dean unpacks how big and small disruptions are shaping our lives.
In March of 1924, more than 100 Black and white attendees were at a dinner party in downtown Manhattan. The party was organized by prominent thinkers Charles S. Johnson and Alain Locke and included people like W.E.B. DuBois. Their goal was to bring together Harlem's young Black writers with white publishers to help the writers' work find a national audience. The party was a success. So much so that it's often considered the start of the period known as the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance saw a boom in the popularity of Black writers, just as the party's organizers hoped. Writers like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston might get the most attention, but the period was not just about writing— music and visual arts also flourished. This hour, we're listening back to our episode exploring the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance. UConn professor Erika Williams joins us to explain what the Harlem Renaissance was and to help us understand how people thought about queerness during the Harlem Renaissance. We'll also hear from Denise Murrell who curated a recent exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art called "The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism." She says exhibits like this one can help expand the museum-going public. GUESTS: Erika Williams: Associate Professor of English and Africana Studies at the University of Connecticut. Denise Murrell: Merryl H. & James S. Tisch Curator at Large at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She recently curated an exhibit called "The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism," which was on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2024. Brandon Hutchinson: Associate Professor of English, Affiliate Faculty of Women and Gender Studies and Co-Coordinator of the Africana Studies Program at Southern Connecticut State University. Jonah Craggett: one of Brandon Hutchinson's former students John Guillemette: one of Brandon Hutchinson's former students Frankie Devevo: one of Erika Williams' former students and former CT Public intern To learn more about Zora Neale Hurston, you can listen to our interview with Tracy Heather Strain. This episode originally aired on December 20, 2024. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Martha S. Jones explores racial identity by looking at her own family history
Historian Martha S. Jones was looking through a book one day when she found a section mentioning her grandfather. It referred to her grandfather as white. But in reality, her grandfather's father was a free man of color, and his mother was born enslaved. This wasn't the first time her family's racial identity was questioned, so she started writing down her version of her family's history. It's that history, and her family's relationship to racial identity, that she explores in her new book The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir. GUEST: Martha S. Jones: The Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor, Professor of History and Professor at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Her latest book is The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Martha S. Jones explores racial identity by looking at her own family history
COVID has exacerbated existing inequities in race and disability
Five years ago, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Since that time, the world has changed dramatically, from the way we think about public health to the way we socialize to the way we watch movies. But those changes haven't had the same impact on everyone. This hour, we're talking about COVID-19's impact on existing inequities. We talk about the diverse experiences of disabled people over the last five years, and take a broader look at the history of health and race. GUESTS: Mara Mills: Associate Professor and Ph.D. Director in the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University. She is Co-Founder and Director of the NYU Center for Disability Studies. She co-edited the recent book How to be Disabled in a Pandemic. Edna Bonhomme: Historian of science. Her new book is A History of the World in Six Plagues: How Contagion, Class and Captivity Shaped Us, from Cholera to COVID-19. To learn more about public health and COVID-19, you can listen to our episode reflecting on four years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
COVID has exacerbated existing inequities in race and disability
Why mothering is 'Essential Labor' with Angela Garbes
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 Adamsons talks about her research on fathers and the problem with the way many people think about "traditional families." GUESTS: Angela Garbes: author of Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change Kari Adamsons: Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut This episode originally aired on February 15, 2023. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why mothering is 'Essential Labor' with Angela Garbes
To understand homeownership inequities today, Bernadette Atuahene takes us back generations
Bernadette Atuahene initially moved to Detroit, Michigan to study squatters rights. But she discovered a more urgent issue once there— that many Black residents were losing their homes. The reason was property tax foreclosure, and it came as a result of property taxes that were illegally inflated. It's one of several racist housing policies that shapes who does or doesn't have generational wealth in the U.S. This hour, we're talking about government policies that impact the homes and neighborhoods people live in. GUEST: Bernadette Atuahene: Professor of Law at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. Her new book is Plundered: How Racist Policies Undermine Black Homeownership in America. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
To understand homeownership inequities today, Bernadette Atuahene takes us back generations
What Black History Month means in today's political climate
Every February, the United States celebrates Black History Month. But this year, the celebration might feel a bit different. On January 31st, the Department of Defense announced it would no longer use official resources to celebrate cultural awareness months, including Black History Month, which began the following day. That announcement came after the Trump administration's rollback of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives within the federal government. This hour, we're joined by a panel of experts to talk about Black History Month and what it means today. GUESTS: Kevin Gaines: Julian Bond Professor of Civil Rights and Social Justice and Interim Director of the Carter G. Woodson Institute at the University of Virginia. Christina Greer: Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University Michael Harriot: founder of ContrabandCamp and bestselling author of Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America In this episode, the guests mention several Black Americans who have made an impact on U.S. history. Here are some of the names if you want to learn more: Ella Baker, Mary McLeod Bethune, George Washington Carver, James Chaney, Septima Clark, John Henrik Clarke, David Dennis Sr, Fannie Lou Hamer, Steven Henson, bell hooks, Barbara Jordan, Garrett Morgan, Constance Baker Motley, Gloria Naylor, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Gloria Richardson, Amelia Boynton Robinson, Jo Ann Robinson, Cleveland Sellers, Robert Smalls, The students in the court case Edwards v. South Carolina, Ida B. Wells-Barnett See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Black History Month means in today's political climate
The power of books in prison with poet Reginald Dwayne Betts
Poet Reginald Dwayne Betts was part of a carjacking in a Virginia mall parking lot when he was 16 years old. He was charged as an adult and sentenced to 9 years in prison. Dwayne was released in 2005. Today, he's a lawyer and award-winning poet. He's also the founder and CEO of a nonprofit organization called Freedom Reads. It provides handcrafted bookcases full of brand new books to prisons. For Dwayne, and other incarcerated people, those books can be a lifeline— a connection to the rest of the world. This hour, listen back to our candid conversation with Dwayne as he reflects on his poetry, the power of books, and life after prison. We also take a visit to the Freedom Reads workshop and hear from some of the formerly incarcerated people who build the bookcases and bring them to prisons. GUEST: Reginald Dwayne Betts: Award-winning poet, whose books include Felon and the upcoming Doggerel. He's also a lawyer and the Founder and CEO of Freedom Reads Michael Byrd: Library Production Assistant at Freedom Reads Steven Parkhurst: Communications Manager at Freedom Reads James Flynn: Library Production Assistant at Freedom Reads Special thanks to Kevin Baker and Ivan Dominguez at Freedom Reads. This episode originally aired on December 6, 2024. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The power of books in prison with poet Reginald Dwayne Betts
From romance to organizing, a look at how love can be political
When you think about love, what comes to mind? Maybe a movie like Love Actually or Love & Basketball. Maybe Dolly Parton or Whitney Houston singing "I Will Always Love You." Love shows up a lot in our pop culture— but what about in our politics? The relationships we build...the people we love...the way we treat each other...all of that can be political. This hour, we hear about the importance of love in political organizing and the way even our most intimate relationships can be political. GUESTS: Dean Spade: Author, activist and professor at the Seattle University School of Law. His latest book is called Love in a F*cked Up World: How to Build Relationships, Hook Up, and Raise Hell, Together Terri Conley: Professor of Psychology at University of Michigan. She co-wrote a chapter called "Love is Political: How Power and Bias Influence Our Intimate Lives" in the book The New Psychology of Love See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From romance to organizing, a look at how love can be political
Actor and director Brandon J. Dirden says art is about problem solving
Brandon J. Dirden is an actor and director who has appeared in TV shows like The Americans and plays like the Tony Award-winning All The Way (he played Martin Luther King Jr. alongside Bryan Cranston as Lyndon B. Johnson). He's also a director — most recently of Yale Repertory Theatre's production of Eden. The play takes place in 1920s Manhattan. It focuses on two families living in the same apartment building. Eustace Baylor comes from the south and falls in love with Anetta Barton. Anetta's family is from the West Indies. Her father, Joseph, does not approve of Eustace. This hour, we talk to Brandon about the complex racial dynamics in Eden and the power of theater. GUEST: Brandon J. Dirden: actor, director and Associate Arts Professor in the Graduate Acting Department at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He directed Yale Repertory Theatre's production of Eden, which runs until February 8th. You can learn more about Yale Repertory Theatre's production of Eden on their website. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Actor and director Brandon J. Dirden says art is about problem solving
How the legacies of James Baldwin and Martin Luther King Jr. resonate today
James Baldwin and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were two of the most influential thinkers of the Civil Rights Movement. This hour, we reflect on their legacies as we think about our present political moment. Kyle Bass wrote the play Citizen James, or the Young Man Without a Country, which will be performed in Hartford in February. It portrays a young James Baldwin at an inflection point in his life, before he became a renowned writer. And Randal Maurice Jelks is the Ruth N. Halls Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University Bloomington. His book Letters to Martin: Meditation on Democracy in Black America started as a talk he gave shortly after President Donald Trump's first inauguration back in 2017. It puts Dr. King's ideas in conversation with present-day political questions. GUESTS: Kyle Bass: Resident Playwright at Syracuse Stage and Assistant Professor of Theater at Colgate University. His play Citizen James, or the Young Man Without a Country is being performed by Hartford's Heartbeat Ensemble in February. Randal Maurice Jelks: The Ruth N. Halls Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University Bloomington. He is also a documentary film producer and author whose books include Letters to Martin: Meditations on Democracy in Black America. You can find more information about Heartbeat Ensemble's performances of Kyle Bass' play Citizen James, or the Young Man Without a Country here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How the legacies of James Baldwin and Martin Luther King Jr. resonate today
