Jamila Norman on the Importance of Homegrown Food to Urban Communities

Most of us are used to shopping in stores where one section is devoted to fresh produce, but the rest of the food for sale is either boxed, canned, or shrink-wrapped. Jamila Norman is an urban farmer and food advocate teaching the world about the benefits of growing our own food and eating fresh fr…

Ty Seidule on Challenging the Myth of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy

History and memory are two different things, one is built on facts and documents and the other is built on tradition, myth and politics. Ty Seidule dissects the history of the American Civil War and the legacy of the myths it spawned about the cause of the war. Seidule retired from the U.S. Army a…

The 2022 Story of the Year with Evelyn Farkas

In 2022, the United States dealt with the Omicron surge, saw a major land war in Europe and witnessed a Supreme Court decision that reversed 50 years of precedent. Dr. Evelyn Farkas breaks down these stories and discusses the 2022 Story of the Year. Over her three-decade career, Farkas has made a …

Refelcting on Questions of Gender Identity and Acceptance with Casey Parks

Some mysteries are never solved, but Casey Parks says some, like the one she writes about, can shed light on profound questions of gender and identity and fundamental questions about how we treat each other as human beings. Parks is a reporter on the social issues team of the Washington Post. Thro…

Ruth Glenn on her Domestic Violence Advocacy

Nearly 20 people are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States every 60 seconds, more than ten million people every year. Ruth Glenn bravely shares her story of trauma, survival, and advocacy. Glenn has dedicated her life to supporting survivors of domestic violence. She is the…

Looking to a Future of Bipartisanship with David Gergen

Throughout American history, leadership has played an important role, and it continues to matter as we grapple with the lingering effect of the pandemic, intractable political disputes, and disputes about the integrity of American elections. Despite all this, David Gergen pins his hope on the publi…

Examining Conspiracy in a Post-Truth Age with Andy Kroll

In the summer of 2016, Seth Rich, a young employee of the Democratic National Committee, was murdered in Washington, D.C. His death became fertile ground for conspiracy theories peddled by some Americans and certain foreign intelligence services. Andy Kroll gives us the truth about what happened th…

Discussing Leadership, Race, and Democracy in America with Marc Morial

The threats to American democracy seem to grow every day, not from some external threat, but from within: revelations about the January 6 insurrection, gerrymandered Congressional districts and even restrictions on voting rights proposed or in place across the country. Marc Morial helps document th…

Marc Follman on Targeted Violence and the Promise of Emerging Prevention Methods

Too frequently, the captions flash across the lower third of the television screen: another mass shooting; more innocent lives cut short. The debate in the following days follows a well-worn script of hopeless resignation and incensed outrage. But Mark Follman says there are techniques and methods …

Mark Johnson on Building Empathy in his Science Reporting

Nowadays, science is often reduced to facts, data and analysis which can seem impersonal and cold. But science journalist Mark Johnson brings the human capacity for empathy to his reporting. He has become known within the industry as someone who brings great knowledge and great empathy to his scien…