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 & Museum while keeping her racial identity a secret. GUESTS: Lil Miss Hot Mess: Board member with Drag Story Hour, a nonprofit that organizes events where drag performers read to kids. She is also a University Professor and children’s author whose books include 'The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish' The Reverend Dr. Greg Gray: President of Enfield Pride and Pastor of Enfield United Church of Christ Erica Ciallela: Exhibition Project Curator at the Morgan Library See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Amendment Specialist Kevin Goldberg explains the five protections covered in the amendment. Wesleyan University President Michael Roth talks about his role as a university administrator and how to provide safe spaces for students. GUESTS: Kevin Goldberg: First Amendment Specialist, Freedom Forum. Michael Roth: President, Wesleyan University and author of Safe Enough Spaces: A Pragmatist’s Approach to Inclusion, Free Speech, and Political Correctness. This episode originally aired on February 7, 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 the Environment, explains what environmental justice is, and why we need to think about marginalized communities when we think about the environment. For more information on Soul Fire Farm, you can visit their website. You can read Dorceta Taylor's research on disparities in environmental grantmaking through ResearchGate. GUESTS: Leah Penniman: Co-Executive Director and Farm Director at Soul Fire Farm, author of Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists. Dorceta Taylor: Professor and Senior Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Yale School of the Environment. She was interviewed for Leah Penniman’s book Black Earth Wisdom and is author of multiple books herself, including The Rise of the American Conservation Movement: Power, Privilege, and Environmental Protection. This episode originally aired on April 26, 2023.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 contributor to MSNBC and a bestselling author. His newest book is 'We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For.' You can listen back to the first episode of Disrupted, which also features Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. and was mentioned in this week's interview, on our website. You can read the piece in Time that Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr. wrote that was discussed in this episode on Time's website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 song and tell us about the Black musicians who have shaped the genre from the very beginning. GUEST: Alice Randall: Chart-topping songwriter whose hits include “XXX’s and OOO’s (An American Girl),” which was first recorded by Trisha Yearwood. She is a bestselling novelist and Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies and Writer-in-Residence at Vanderbilt University. Her newest book is a memoir titled 'My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music’s Black Past, Present, and Future.' A new album called 'My Black Country: The Songs of Alice Randall' features her music recorded by Black women. You can learn more about the interview with Leah Penniman that was mentioned in this episode on our website. Special thanks to our interns Scout Raimondo and Sajina Shrestha.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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, we’ll hear from Myokei Caine-Barrett, Shonin. She’s the first person of African-American and Japanese descent—and the only American woman—to be fully ordained as a Buddhist priest within the worldwide Nichiren Order. GUESTS: Sarah McCammon: NPR National Political Correspondent and author of The Exvangelicals - Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church Myokei Caine Barrett, Shonin: Resident Priest of Myoken-Ji Temple in Houston See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Disrupted is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: Professor of History at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). Her most recent book is 'Our Secret Society: Mollie Moon and the Glamour, Money, and Power Behind the Civil Rights Movement' Connie Royster: retired attorney, former director of development at the Yale Divinity School, and the niece of Constance Baker Motley Tomiko Brown-Nagin: Dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University and Professor of Constitutional Law and History and author of 'Civil Rights Queen: Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality' Special thanks to our interns Scout Raimondo and Sajina Shrestha. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Senior Historian and Director of History, Research, and Scholarly Programs at the National Portrait Gallery Jennifer Piscopo: Professor of Gender and Politics at Royal Holloway University of London and Associate Professor of Politics at Occidental College. Click here to see more images from the First Lady Exhibition. This episode originally aired on July 27, 2022. Special thanks to our 2022 summer interns, Anya Grondalski and Mira Raju.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Health Management and Policy and Global Public Health at the University of Michigan and one of the editors of the book 'Coronavirus Politics: The Comparative Politics and Policy of COVID-19' Dr. Taison Bell: Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Virginia You can see the full video of the CT Public event with Uché Blackstock that was mentioned in this episode on CT Public's recorded events page: https://www.ctpublic.org/community/live-recorded-community-eventsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 reconnecting with her Nigerian roots. GUESTS: Andre Rochester: fine artist, curator, and arts advocate in greater Hartford. Stanwyck Cromwell: visual artist based in Bloomfield and Andre Rochester's mentor Busayo Olupona: creative director and founder of Busayo, an apparel and accessories company that uses hand dyed Nigerian prints and textiles Andre Rochester was a featured artist on Connecticut Public's series Where ART Thou? in 2023, see some of his artwork and listen to his conversation with host Ray Hardman here: https://cptv.org/programs/where-art-thou-east-hartford-wethersfield/ Special thanks to our interns Scout Raimondo and Sajina Shrestha.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 present day. GUESTS: Elizabeth Ito: writer, director and storyboard artist in the animation industry. She is the creator of the series 'City of Ghosts,' which is currently on Netflix. She also worked on Adventure Time. Bethonie Butler: author of 'Black TV: Five Decades of Groundbreaking Television from Soul Train to Black-ish and Beyond.' Bethonie is a former reporter for The Washington Post where she covered television and pop culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.