With Good Reason

The homeownership gap between whites and African Americans has exploded since the housing bust. It’s now wider than it was during the Jim Crow era. LaDale Winling (Virginia Tech) says this has its roots in the redlining and race-based denial of home loans dating back to the 1930s. Also: We’re in the midst of a generational change in where we live. Tim Murray (Virginia Military Institute) says mill...

In recent years, ADAPT activists have made headlines for protests that helped stop the ACA repeal. Ruth Osorio (Old Dominion University) says their tactics fit into a long history of disability activism in the U.S., from the 504 occupation in 1977 to #actuallyautistic. Also: Julie DeLancey (University of Mary Washington) explains how people with different types of bodies organized and advocated fo...

In her book Real Love, Sharon Salzberg—one of the world’s leading authorities on love—shows us it isn’t just an emotion we feel when we’re in a romantic relationship. It’s an ability we can nurture and cultivate. Also: The idea of “The Pause,” where medical caregivers take a moment together at the bedside of a patient who has died, began with emergency care nurse Jonathan Bartels at the University...

Religious scholars, neuroscientists, and psychoanalysts agree – there is a deep reservoir of activity beneath our conscious minds. Peter Vishton (William & Mary) shares how the unconscious mind may be making decisions for us, too quick for our conscious mind to realize. And: Daniel Hirshberg (University of Mary Washington) explores the subconscious with his Contemplative Studies students by wiring...

Although it was once an important part of feeding families, home canning in America has never been just about necessity. Danille Christensen (Virginia Tech) says a look back at home canning reveals the pride and creativity that went into stocking a pantry. And: Lilia Fuquen (Virginia Humanities) takes us inside a community cannery and a basement storeroom to hear from people who are keeping the tr...

Politicians from John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan have called gerrymandering a “cancer on our democracy.” It's not a new issue, but everything from the way we draw lines to what's considered legal has changed a lot in recent years. Michael Gilbert (University of Virginia) shares the latest on gerrymandering. And: Since 2016, states like Michigan and Ohio have made news for a turn to the Republican...

Be warned: everything you say on Facebook can and will be used against you in a court of law! Jeff Bellin (William & Mary) studies how courts handle digital evidence like social media posts and text messages. Bellin was named Outstanding Faculty by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. And: There’s a lot of talk about cybersecurity, but what about cybercrime? What qualifies as cyberc...

There’s a lot to learn in science class: the periodic table, the stages of a butterfly, but also how to be an American citizen. Alix Fink (Longwood University) says learning science is also learning how to participate in our democracy. And: Ben Casteel (Virginia Highlands Community College) grew up with a passion for the Appalachian landscape all around him. He believes in the value of native plan...

For many, the Thanksgiving holidays are a time to gather with your biological relatives. But what if you don’t have the traditional, Norman-Rockwell family? April Few-Demo (Virginia Tech) studies how queer families of color, especially Black lesbians, navigate biological and chosen family. She says that dialogue about identity and acceptance might happen in subtle ways during the holidays. And: Sh...

During the holiday season, it feels like more and more consumers are skipping the department stores and opting for handcrafted goods instead. Ben Brewer (James Madison University) says this current “third wave” craft renaissance we’re experiencing is tied to politics. And: We visit mOb, an innovative design studio at Virginia Commonwealth University, where students in the disciplines of Graphic De...

During the holiday season, it feels like more and more consumers are skipping the department stores and opting for handcrafted goods instead. Ben Brewer (James Madison University) says this current “third wave” craft renaissance we’re experiencing is tied to politics. And: We visit mOb, an innovative design studio at Virginia Commonwealth University, where students in the disciplines of Graphic De...

Dr. Rochanda Mitchell is an expert in fetal medicine. She’s also a black woman pregnant with her first child who understands all too well that even highly education African American women are three and a half times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. She tells us the steps she's taking to protect her life.

Jalane Schmidt (University of Virginia) recently brought a group of Virginia teachers to see Charlottesville’s tiny monument to its enslaved residents. One teacher had a startling personal revelation at that site. And: Elgin Cleckley (University of Virginia) is an architect who studies empathy. He says redesigning public space can help heal racial wounds. Plus: Danville, Virginia was once a Confed...

A yellow-eyed witch who sucks the life from unknowing strangers; fish-obsessed ghosts who lure lone men to a watery death; and ghosts who call out in the voice of a loved-one, sealing a murderous fate. Suchitra Samanta (Virginia Tech) says Bengali culture is filled with stories like these of ghostly women who wield supernatural powers after death. And: Horror films often mirror the anxieties and c...

The most important architectural thinker of the young American republic was Thomas Jefferson. He also held captive more than 600 enslaved men, women, and children in his lifetime. Architects Mabel O. Wilson (Columbia University) and Louis Nelson (University of Virginia) discuss Jefferson’s conflicting ideals. Also featured: Erik Neil (Chrysler Museum of Art) takes us through the new Chrysler exhib...

What is a Hogzilla Chuck Norris Duck Ape? It’s the creation of a special education class in St. Louis and winner of the 2014 Global Monster Project. Terry Smith (Radford University) explains how creating monsters can help kids learn and grow. Plus: After a viral video raised new concerns about how teachers should be disciplining young children Kevin Sutherland (Virginia Commonwealth University) ta...

From all-African American sports teams to pioneering black opera singer Camilla Williams, many people thrived while living parallel lives during segregation.

Blown glass is one of the most beautiful and versatile mediums in art. Today, the art of glass blowing may involve up to date technology, but the essence of working with glass remains an ancient art. Jutta Page is an internationally acclaimed glass curator and the executive director of the Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University. And: 3D printmaking gets a lot of attention these days as techno...

Imagine if Beyonce had a secret recording of her singing Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton, from before they were both famous. It would be epic! Music professor Brooks Kuykendall (University of Mary Washington) has worked with a graduate student to uncover the epic musical crossover of the 19th century--a John Philip Sousa arrangement of Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore. And: Stephen Vit...

The best defense against conspiracy theories and fake news is robust journalism--but only if people trust their sources. Mallory Perryman (Virginia Commonwealth University) studies why people distrust their news sources and what we should do to change their minds. And: Why do people believe weird things? That’s what Jason Hart (Christopher Newport University) wants to find out. He delves into the...

On Sept. 27th and 28th, the most notable poets of our time will gather in the nation’s capital to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Furious Flower Poetry Center, the first academic center devoted to African American poetry in the United States. The founder of Furious Flower, Joanne Gabbin (James Madison University), along with Lauren Alleyne (James Madison University) join us in studio to cele...

In late August 1619, twenty or more enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia at what’s now called Fort Monroe. They were the first Africans documented in British North America. We speak with Terry Brown, Fort Monroe’s park superintendent about how the park--and America--are commemorating their arrival. We hear from the Tuckers, the descendants of the very first African-American baby, and learn about...

In the early 19th century, Americans began to journey away from home simply for the sake of traveling. Will Mackintosh(University of Mary Washington) is the author of a new book Selling the Sights: The Invention of the Tourist in American Culture. And: In the past couple of decades, a lot has changed for rural American tourism. Nancy McGehee (Virginia Tech) says that from public artworks to popula...

Dr. Fern Hauck (University of Virginia Medical System) and Farah Ibrahim (CHIP) work to connect refugees and asylum seekers with high-quality healthcare, no matter what language they speak or what trauma they’ve suffered. Al Fuertes (George Mason University) is also dedicated to improving outcomes for refugees and displaced peoples. He draws on his personal experience growing up under martial law...

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. In the years since, as residents have come and gone and rebuilt their lives, a lot has changed about the city-- including, says Katie Carmichael (Virginia Tech), the way people talk. The author of Sudden Spring, Rick Van Noy (Radford University) says that, in many Southern communities, climate change is already here. Later in the show: Resi...