Untold: A CT Mirror Podcast

When it comes to tackling gun violence in Connecticut’s cities, questions over gun control go hand-in-hand with a whole raft of other problems caused by racism, poverty and disinvestment. This episode of Untold, we’ll learn what that looks like day-to-day from Tyrone Bynum Jr., an intervention specialist with Hartford Communities That Care. When a gunshot victim arrives in the emergency room, it’s his job to be there to offer support and counseling. Each year for the last five years, more people under the age of 24 have died from gunshot wounds than in car crashes in the US. But the question of what we can do about rising gun violence seems no closer to being “self-evident” in our country. Guests this episode: Tyrone Bynum Jr. Senior Intervention Specialist with Hartford Communities That Care. HCTC is a Hartford-based nonprofit organization committed to creating and supporting non-violent and drug-free communities in which youth and families can thrive. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transgender children have been put in the middle of a political battle they never asked for, as lawmakers across the country introduce bills that roll back protections, and even criminalize medical care.  This episode we hear from one Connecticut family about navigating the education system for their transgender son. And we’ll invite Ace Ricker into the studio – he gives us an insight into what it’s like to grow up trans in Connecticut, and tells us why this moment is so dangerous for the LGBTQ community. Guests in this episode:Ace Ricker is a public advocate and educator who’s been speaking on transgender rights since the age of fifteen. He’s the founder of A.C.E. (Awareness through Communication and Education) where he facilitates interactive workshops, training sessions and round-table discussions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The state of Connecticut has a progressive reputation, but its record on voting access is actually pretty atrocious. We’re one of just four states that doesn’t allow early voting, and until the pandemic, absentee ballots were hard to get. This episode we’ll find out how one Black church is getting out the vote – and what the parishioners think of their access to the ballot.  And we’ll invite Steven Lance from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund into the studio. He’ll tell us why he believes Connecticut needs a Voting Rights Act. We’re talking all this season about our rights, and about our participation in democracy. As the 2022 midterm elections get closer, what issues motivate us to go to the polls? Where can we claim some common ground as a nation and across generations, and where will we never agree?  Guests in this episode: Steven Lance, Policy Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund where he works to advance and defend voting rights and racial equity through legislation and policy change.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite its progressive image on reproductive rights, Connecticut doesn’t require public schools to teach sex education. This episode we speak with two teenagers who have stepped in to help educate their peers on this most intimate of topics  – and we find out what questions they get asked the most. We also hear from Laura Garcia, an undocumented woman who shares her story of attempting to get care during her pregnancy. Throughout this season we’re looking at the issues that are driving young people’s engagement with politics – the climate crisis, reproductive rights, gun violence, gay and trans rights, and access to the ballot box. What about those issues is self-evident? Where do we have common ground as a nation and across generations, and where do we differ?  Guests this episode:Liana Cunningham, senior director of education and training at Planned Parenthood of Southern New England.Xaritzy Villanueva, Planned Parenthood STARS peer educatorHannah Kohn, Planned Parenthood STARS peer educatorSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The planet’s getting warmer, but we’re not all feeling the effects in the same way. This episode we go inside Resilient Connecticut, one of the state’s biggest climate adaptation efforts to find out how our towns are preparing for a hotter future. And we meet Kat Morris to learn how the climate crisis intersects with environmental racism, health inequities, global migration and reproductive justice. Throughout this season we’re looking at the issues that are driving young people’s engagement with politics – the climate crisis, reproductive rights, gun violence, gay and trans rights, and access to the ballot box. What about those issues is self-evident? Where do we have common ground as a nation and across generations, and where do we differ?  Guests this episode: Katharine Morris is a scholar-activist for intersectional environmental justice. She has a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Connecticut. She founded UConn Collaborative Organizing to promote solidarity and intersectionality in social and environmental justice movements. She's currently the CT governor's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Advisor. Kat appears on the show in her private capacity and the views expressed are her own. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident..." 246 years since those words were first written in the Declaration of Independence, what truths do we all still hold to be self-evident? In just a few weeks many of us will go to the polls for the 2022 midterm elections.  In the midterm elections of 2014, just 15 percent of people aged 18-29 in Connecticut turned out to cast a vote. Four years later, in 2018, that number had doubled to 30 percent. In fact it was a year that broke records for youth turnout across the nation. Will young people surpass that mark again this year? Throughout this season we’ll be looking at the issues that are driving young people’s engagement with politics – the climate crisis, reproductive rights, gun violence, gay and trans rights, and access to the ballot box. What about those issues is self-evident? Where do we have common ground as a nation and across generations, and where do we differ? All of the people we’ll invite into the studio to speak with us this season are in their 20s or even younger. To set the scene we’re assembling a panel of young people to explore why we’ve seen this resurgence of interest in politics. Guests this episode: Nanee Sajeev, a member of the CT Mirror’s Community Editorial Board, who does community work in the field of sexual and domestic violence. Ed Ford, who was first elected to office as a Republican at the age of 20. He served on the Middletown Board of Education and then the Common Council. Valli Pendyala, the vice-chair of Future Leaders in Politics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coming soon: What truths can we all still hold to be "self-evident"? Young voters and activists from around Connecticut explore the issues that matter most to them this election season. Mercy Quaye and John Dankosky challenge assumptions, seek understanding and leave nothing Untold.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whose recovery is this anyway? The pandemic shutdowns threw tens of thousands of people out of work in Connecticut. Businesses had to close their doors. Essential workers risked their health for low wages and non-existent benefits. Two years later, house prices have surged, businesses are back open, and there seem to be plenty of jobs – so we should be feeling pretty good, right? But the inequalities that existed in Connecticut well before the pandemic were only worsened by COVID.  This episode, we’ll hear how the boom in home prices has affected the organizations trying to tackle the affordable housing crisis, Terrell Williams shares his journey as an essential worker during COVID, and Ryan Martins visits with small business owners around the state to hear how their recovery is going. Mercy and John talk with Janée Woods Weber, the executive director of CWEALF, the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund. Organizations featured in this episodeHabitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield CountyThe Black Business AllianceSEIU1199 NESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you had to think about a key area of life where the pandemic truly exposed the enormous divisions that already existed in this state – education would be pretty close to the top of the list. We were already the state with the largest achievement gap in the nation. A state where half-a-million people owe more than a billion dollars in student loans. And then, in March of 2020  — teachers, students, everyone, was sent home. This episode, we visit with three UConn students who transitioned out of high school during the pandemic. And Jeniece Roman talks with teachers and families around Connecticut about surviving lockdown in the K-12 system. John and Mercy talk with Cristher Estrada-Perez of the Student Loan Fund about the generational burden of educational debt. Organizations featured in this episodeHigher EdgeCenter for Children’s AdvocacyConnecticut Education AssociationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The opioid epidemic that has been devastating many communities in Connecticut for the last several years was only exacerbated by the stress and isolation of the pandemic. And that’s on top of the influx of fentanyl that has truly led to an epidemic of overdose deaths. But the pandemic has also shown us all the importance of prioritizing recovery and mental health. Are we turning the corner on the stigma of drug use? This episode we go inside the district court in Torrington to learn how people are being given access to treatment rather than jail. And Harriet Jones will take us to New London to find out how churches there are helping in the effort to keep drug users safe. Mercy and John speak with Rushnee Vereen about her work as an overdose response technician for the City of Waterbury. Organizations featured in this episodeMCCALedge Light Health DistrictAlliance for LivingMadry Temple ChurchSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.