Under the Radar with Callie Crossley

This week on  Under the Radar : On this 39th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a look at the legacy and the future of the ongoing struggle for Black civil rights by the young people who’ve put it all on the line to lead it. Guests: Curtis Bunn , co-author of “ Say Their Names: How Black Lives Came to Matter in America ." Bunn is an award-winning journalist at NBC NEWS BLK and the bestsell...

A booming variety of plant-based options are now available at grocery stores, restaurants and even fast-food chains. Bloggers, celebrities and chefs are reinventing their menus and recipes to make veggies the delicious stars of the meal. And the plant-based movement is no longer just for the privileged as affordable products have helped attract people with modest incomes. What's more, ordinary Ame...

Ready to sip and savor? We hope you’ve brought your appetite! It’s a new year, and there’s an abundance of new food and wine trends that will be served up in 2022. It’s our food and wine roundtable! Guests: Jonathon Alsop , founder and executive director of the  Boston Wine School  and author of  “The Wine Lover’s Devotional.” Amy Traverso , food editor at  Yankee Magazine,  co-host of GBH’s  “Wee...

This week on  Under The Radar: Seven years ago, the Massachusetts Port Authority shook up the local real estate world. Plans for a new hotel on public land, overseen by the agency, would be the biggest to open in Boston since the mid-80s. But the agency's thumbs up for developers hinged on the inclusion of companies owned by women and people of color working as leaders on the project. Dubbed the “...

This week on  Under The Radar: The MacArthur Foundation released the names of its Class of 2021 “Genius” Fellows this October. They join an exclusive group of previous Fellows who have demonstrated outstanding talent in their fields. American historian, professor and author  Dr. Ibram X. Kendi  is one of three local awardees, part of our series, “The Genius Next Door.” Dr. Kendi is America’s leadi...

The 1% and a billionaire tax are mainstream concepts today — but they weren't always so well-known. Back in 2011, Occupy protesters promoted these fringe ideas. The populist socio-political movement sprang up from the streets in Boston and elsewhere before becoming a massive international happening. Occupy’s message about social and economic inequality changed how many Americans think and talk abo...

“Bah humbug!” Scrooge’s familiar retort to Christmas enthusiasts doesn’t begin to describe  Alex Bernstein’ s take on the holidays. In his new book, “ Miserable Holiday Stories: 20 Festive Failures That Are Worse than Yours! ” the author and humorist envisions a fictional world of offbeat characters caught up in the hurly-burly of a holiday season gone off the rails. In Bernstein’s homage to the s...

This week on  Under the Radar: Harvard professor  Dr. Marcella Alsan  is a physician-economist and a member of the 2021 MacArthur “Genius Fellows” — one of three who are local. We talk with Dr. Alsan for our series, “The Genius Next Door.” She researches the effects of racial discrimination and the resulting mistrust of the medical field for historically marginalized populations. GUEST: Dr. Marcel...

This week on  Under the Radar: George Wein, jazz promoter, musician and producer, died in September at the age of 95. The music impresario with local roots is best known for founding the annual summer Newport Jazz Festival. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Wein played piano and jazz as a child. Early on in his producer career, he opened the Storyville jazz club in Boston and in 1954 founded the N...

Today on  Under The Radar: Breathe in… and out… Easy? Not so much for Massachusetts residents, who inhaled 50 days of polluted air in 2020. Plus, with fall foliage comes piles of dead leaves and the ubiquitous leaf-blowers — environmentally conscientious consumers may want to rethink their use. And, we’re zeroing in on important takeaways from the UN Climate Change Conference this month. It’s our...

This week on  Under the Radar: Mutants, monsters, monarchs — and the beloved superheroes who battle them — populate the Marvel universe. These days, that fictional comic book universe draws fans beyond the faithful comic book nerds. Millions of enthusiasts eagerly follow the creative storytelling, which often inspires more questions than answers. How did it all come to be? In his new book, “All of...

This week on Under the Radar: America has a recycling problem. Ever since China banned the United States' recyclables back in 2018, recycling centers in American towns and cities have struggled to manage the massive amount of waste. Not to mention paying for the infrastructure and processing costs of recycling. But a new law in Maine relieves municipalities’ financial burden by shifting the respon...

This week on Under the Radar: It’s Transgender Awareness Week, which is a time to reflect on issues facing the trans community, including representation in media. One space that is becoming more inclusive? Children’s literature. There is a growing catalog of books that center trans kids as main characters, and more stories that portray a range of experiences. Advocates want more trans authors and...

This week on  Under the Radar: Candidates of color made history nationwide this month, including right here in Boston where Michelle Wu became the first woman and person of color elected as the city's mayor. Voters also gave Boston City Council new powers to override some of the mayor’s decisions. Plus, Republicans took home some big election wins nationwide, including governor of Virginia; is tha...

This week on  Under the Radar: TikTok, the Chinese-owned app known for popular dance videos and creative tips for everyday tasks, has changed the way people go viral on social media. The video-sharing platform exploded in popularity during COVID becoming the world’s most downloaded app in 2020. With school buildings shut down, a generation of young people looking for connection and entertainment f...

This week on  Under the Radar: The art world has been turned on its head this year. Visitor numbers to galleries plummeted as the pandemic forced shops to close their doors. The art world had to shift, kicking off a digital art craze. Back in March, a new record was set when a piece of digital artwork, by the artist Beeple, sold for $69 million dollars. The art was sold as a digital file, called a...

This week on  Under the Radar: The MacArthur Foundation named its Class of 2021 “Genius Fellows" earlier this month. The recipients join an exclusive group of previous Fellows who have demonstrated outstanding talent in their fields. The award acknowledges the Fellows’ demonstrated talent and potential as leaders in their fields. MIT professor Taylor Perron  is a geomorphologist who studies the ev...

This week on  Under the Radar : Netflix is reeling from backlash against comedian Dave Chappelle’s latest special, which critics say contains transphobic material. Plus, Hollywood celebrities from Adele to Jonah Hill speak up against fan obsession over their weight loss. And The Rolling Stones remove one of the most popular songs from their tour setlist over lyrics referencing slavery. Those stori...

This week on  Under The Radar: Few would dispute that The New York Times has elevated the age-old tradition of the wedding announcement to an important status symbol. Why, in these times, when many other social traditions have gone the way of the polar ice cap, do the announcements still draw enthusiastic readers? Author Cate Doty shares her insider’s view in her book, “ Mergers and Acquisitions:...

This week on  Under The Radar: Pop the champagne! October is the most popular month to get married,  according to The Knot , the nation’s leading wedding marketplace. And the wedding industry sure is on the rebound after more than a year of postponed pandemic weddings. That includes increased consumer demand for diamond engagement rings. Diamond sales shot up 30 percent from last year . Consumer d...

When thinking about “fine art,” many minds immediately envision paintings by the likes of Monet or Van Gogh. But one artform – quilting – is finally being recognized as fine art, rather than just craft. African American quilters, in particular, are reclaiming the artform's history, after having been mischaracterized by scholars for decades. A new Museum of Fine Arts, Boston exhibition, “ Fabric of...

The Tokyo Paralympics were held this summer and American elite athletes, who have physical and neurological disabilities, medaled in competitions from archery to swimming. Paralympians like Breanna Clark who is autistic, the first female U.S. athlete to win gold for 400m track in 2016 and who broke a world record this summer in Tokyo. But had Breanna  not  been an athlete with access to custom tra...

Two bonus questions with author Wil Haygood!

This week on  Under the Radar: From the moment D.W. Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation” became a film sensation, racist portrayals of African Americans have been embedded in film history. Author Wil Haygood begins his history of Black films with white filmmaker Griffith’s movie, documenting the setbacks and triumphs within the context of American Black history. His new book, “Colorization: One Hundred...

This week on  Under The Radar: We kick off LGBTQ History Month with our LGBTQ News Roundtable. A local school committee member is under fire for her transphobic TikTok posts. Plus, is the state's child welfare system putting LGBTQ youth at risk? And, Rep. Liz Cheney admits she was "wrong" to oppose gay marriage. Guests: Grace Sterling Stowell is the executive director of the  Boston Alliance of Le...