With Good Reason

Kathryn Howell and Ben Teresa (Virginia Commonwealth University) are part of the RVA Eviction Lab which gathers data on eviction rates. They say high eviction rates destabilize communities, cause high turnover in student populations, and reduce community engagement and access to community networks and jobs. People who live on or near American Indian reservations are being denied access to consumer credit. Valentina Dimitrova-Grajzl (Virginia Military Institute) says redlining is a factor. Dimitrova-Grajzl has been named a 2019 outstanding faculty member by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Later in the show: Michael Lewis talks about his newest book, The 5th Risk, about the consequences of giving people control over our government agencies who have no idea how they work. Michael Lewis is the author of The Blind Side, Moneyball, Liar’s Poker, and The Big Short, among many others.

These days, due in large part to the work of Thomas Platts-Mills (University of Virginia), we know the sudden meat allergy is real and it’s caused by tick bites. And: Philosopher Jesse Kirkpatrick (George Mason University) says he’s less worried about human gene editing and more interested in how CRISPR technology can be used to enhance—or harm—the environment around us. Later in the show: In Japanese folklore, when a brightly colored fish resembling a dragon washes up on shore, its arrival is a harbinger of earthquakes and tsunamis. Jennifer Martin (Thomas Nelson Community College) is an oceanographer and has studied both the natural and cultural history of this species, called the oarfish. Plus: Hannes Schniepp (William and Mary) studies poisonous brown recluse spiders to learn how their incredibly strong silk is made and how humans might try to replicate it.

Even as shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race and Pose bring that culture into the mainstream, real-life gay bars and clubs are shuttering. DJ and Professor madison moore (Virginia Commonwealth University) argues that the club scene and the “fabulous” fashions on display there are radical spaces for queer and trans of color togetherness. Gregory Samantha Rosenthal (Roanoke College), Don Muse, and Peter Thornhill describe the sometimes-dangerous, always-exciting gay bars of the 1970s and 1980s in Roanoke, VA, before the AIDS crisis and gentrification changed the scene forever. Growing up, Lauron Kehrer (William and Mary) wasn't allowed to listen to hip-hop music. Now, she studies it for a living. Kehrer says hip-hop by both straight and LGBTQ artists can help us better understand race, gender, and sexuality. Choreographer and performer Al Evangelista brings us into the world of experimental queer Pilipinx-American dance, a form that he says can spark conversations and social change.

Frank Newsome is an Old Regular Baptist preacher, singer of lined-out hymnody, and former coal miner in Appalachia. Virginia’s State Folklorist Jon Lohman (Virginia Humanities) describes Newsome’s musical tradition and its influence on bluegrass, gospel, and oldtime music. Travel to the Carpathian Mountains in Romania and you’ll find a place that’s not unlike southwest Virginia and Kentucky. Theresa Burris (Radford University) says the parallels of these two regions are striking. Later in the show: Wally Smith (UVA Wise) recently found a type of green salamander that lives in this habitat of vertical cliffs, bluffs, and rock crevices. Plus: James Vance (UVA Wise) hopes to find ways to help animals avoid crossing a particularly high-traffic area.

David Bearinger (Virginia Humanities) introduces stories of Virginian immigrant and refugees as part of a new exhibit at the Library of Virginia. Maureen Fitzgerald (William & Mary) speaks about what lessons can be learnt from the Irish immigrant experience. Cindy Hahamovitch (University of Georgia) compares the history and experience of guest workers in the United States to other countries.

Vilissa Thompson (LCSW, Founder and CEO of Ramp Your Voice!) spoke with us about why Harriet Tubman is a foundational figure for black disability activists today.

In part three of our series American Dissent, With Good Reason Associate Producer Kelley Libby talks with Dr. Michael Higginbotham (University of Baltimore) about a list of people—some well known, some not—whom he credits with seeing America for what it could be and then working toward making it so. Vilissa Thompson (LCSW, Founder of Ramp Your Voice!) explains how understanding Harriet Tubman as a disabled Black woman has inspired intersectional disability rights activists. Terry Beitzel helps his students better understand political protest as a form of citizen engagement. Isabel Fay and Christopher Labosier (Longwood University) come from different disciplines: communications and science.

It’s New Year’s resolution time. If you’re tired of thinking about your own health, maybe it’s time to turn to the kids. Amy Best (George Mason University) studies kids’ eating habits and says that part of getting them to make the right food choices means understanding what kids like about bad food. Bob O’Connor (UVA Health) has new guidelines that suggest young people should return to normal activity as soon as possible after a concussion. Plus: Justin Owens (Virginia Tech) helps arm parents and ride-share drivers with more info about using car seats. Later in the show: Francis Bush started running late in life and has now completed more than 60 marathons. Women’s soccer coach Corey Hewson (University of Mary Washington) shares advice for new runners and those training for a half-marathon.

Craft distilleries are popping up in small towns and big cities across the country. In this special episode we share a recently revived 19th-century julep recipe and take you to an event that draws “women who whiskey.” We’ll do a tasting with Ironclad Distillery and Vitae Spirits and talk with a biologist who is making his own cordials and spirits from wild roots, berries, and mushrooms.

Linguist and filmmaker Mark Sicoli (University of Virginia) shares the whistling style of speech used in the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. Saikou Diallo (Old Dominion University) talks about the 3D virtual recreation of an ancient settlement in Turkey. And we dig into coin collecting with Michael Mucedola (Longwood University, one of the nation's foremost experts on old dimes.

Tim Anderson (Old Dominion University) introduces a modern reworking of a Charlie Brown Holiday special classic. Jacqueline Secoy (Longwood University) remembers the tunes that she first played in an orchestra. Orchestra conductor Kevin Bartram (University of Mary Washington) explains what singers like Judy Garland and Tony Bennett bring to the classic songs of the season. Later in the show: Sister Rosetta Tharpe attained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her early rock and roll. Chris Kjorness (Longwood University) plays some of her groundbreaking recordings and talks about her legacy. And: Gary Richards (University of Mary Washington) argues that popular musicals tend to have a negative view of the South and don’t reflect its diversity today.

Michaela Meyer (Christopher Newport University) says the shows of Shonda Rhimes have changed the way we make and watch TV. Imelda O’Reilly's (James Madison University) film Eggs and Soldiers examines a single father and son struggling to adjust to life in New York after emigrating from Ireland. Nancy Schoenberger (William & Mary) explores the relationship between screen icon John Wayne and director John Ford in her latest book.

Sometimes, to tell a complex story, you need simple pictures. A conference at Norfolk State University has asked students to draw graphic novels that explore 1619 from African, Indigenous, and European perspectives. Tommy Bryant (Virginia Highlands Community College) explores the epic history of African Americans in comic books. Matthew Smith (Radford University) just co-curated a major museum exhibit about the history of comics. Veteran animator William “Tuck” Tucker (Longwood University) talks about his role illustrating the popular cartoons of the 1990s and early 2000s.

From the 1830s to the Civil War, Americans could be found putting each other into trances in parlors, on stage, and in medical consulting rooms. Emily Ogden’s (University of Virginia) new book is “Credulity: A Cultural History of U.S. Mesmerism.” Jeff Dyche (James Madison University) says that when we mess with the 24 hour clock, there are all kinds of bad side effects. Daniel Hirshberg (University of Mary Washington) explores the subconscious with his students by wiring meditating students up to brain-imaging headsets. And Graham Schweig (Christopher Newport University)says “deepening the heart” is the real aim of many of India’s yoga traditions.

During the holiday season, it feels like more and more consumers are skipping the department stores and opting for handcrafted goods instead. Ben Brewer says this current “third wave” craft renaissance we’re experiencing is tied to politics. We visit mOb, an innovative design studio at Virginia Commonwealth University, where students help solve design problems in the city of Richmond. We stop in at the Virginia Center for the Book, where Kristin Keimu Adolfson is printing a collaborative book called Bird Talk. Plus: Craft brewer Gabe Mixon shares a lesson in making beer. Later in the show: Chef and food activist Alice Waters argues that every child in America should be fed free, organic food at schools.