Disrupted

The Greater Hartford Gives Foundation invests in a wide range of projects from arts to education. And they recently celebrated their 100th year in existence. With that milestone, they decided to make some changes. Their projects include building a new headquarters and increased funding for scholarships. Even the name is new— until recently, the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation was known as the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. Joining us today to talk about both his work with the foundation and his past in politics is Jay Williams, President and CEO of the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation. GUEST: Jay Williams: President and CEO of the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation. He has also served as Mayor of Youngstown, Ohio and worked in multiple roles in the Obama administration. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Krystal Marquis’ debut novel, The Davenports, came out in 2023. The novel centers on four Black women navigating their careers and romances in 1910 Chicago. The book deals with class, race and gender, and it quickly joined New York Times’ bestsellers list for Young Adult Hardcover fiction. A second book, The Davenports: More Than This, was also a bestseller. And the popularity of the series may only be just beginning. Prime Video is currently adapting a television series based on The Davenports. GUESTS: Krystal Marquis: the New York Times bestselling author of The Davenports. Her short story "Group Project" will be included in the book 13 Little Love Stories: An Anthology Inspired by Taylor Swift Songs. Tanisha C. Ford: Professor of History at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). Her most recent book is 'Our Secret Society: Mollie Moon and the Glamour, Money, and Power Behind the Civil Rights Movement' See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every February, the United States celebrates Black History Month. But in recent years, the celebration might have felt a bit different. On January 31, 2025, the Department of Defense announced it would no longer use official resources to celebrate cultural awareness months, including Black History Month, which began the following day. That announcement came after the Trump administration's rollback of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives within the federal government. This hour, we listen back to our conversation with a panel of experts talking about Black History Month and what it means today. GUESTS: Kevin Gaines: Julian Bond Professor of Civil Rights and Social Justice and former Interim Director of the Carter G. Woodson Institute at the University of Virginia. Christina Greer: Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University Michael Harriot: founder of ContrabandCamp and bestselling author of Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America. In this episode, the guests mention several Black Americans who have made an impact on U.S. history. Here are some of the names if you want to learn more: Ella Baker, Mary McLeod Bethune, George Washington Carver, James Chaney, Septima Clark, John Henrik Clarke, David Dennis Sr, Fannie Lou Hamer, Steven Henson, bell hooks, Barbara Jordan, Garrett Morgan, Constance Baker Motley, Gloria Naylor, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Gloria Richardson, Amelia Boynton Robinson, Jo Ann Robinson, Cleveland Sellers, Robert Smalls, the students in the court case Edwards v. South Carolina, Ida B. Wells-Barnett Special thanks to our former interns Angelica Gajewski and Kathy Wang. This episode originally aired on February 28, 2025. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When was the last time you dabbled in something? In this episode of Disrupted, author Karen Walrond talks about the joys of dabbling and the space where dabbling and activism meet. She shares how trying activities like sports, pottery or baking—even if you're not good at them—can expand our definition of self. We also visit Jason Ramos' New Haven dance studio, Baila Con Gusto CT, where dabblers learn how to Salsa, Bachata and Merengue in community with one another. Plus, Spanish artist Esther Gonzalez reads her essay, “How to Reset Your Artistic Life.” GUESTS: Karen Walrond: Author of ‘The Lightmaker's Manifesto’ and ‘Radiant Rebellion’. Her latest book is ‘In Defense of Dabbling: The Brilliance of Being a Total Amateur’ Jason Ramos: Founder of Baila Con Gusto CT, a dance studio in residence at St. Paul & St. James Church in New Haven Esther González: Artist and author of the essay ‘How to Reset Your Artistic Life.’ Find her artwork on Instagram. And read more of her essays on her Substack, Journal Rash. Special thanks to the students at Baila Con Gusto CT who spoke to us about what inspires them to dance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disrupted recently reached a milestone— five years on the air. We celebrated with a live event that included a panel discussion on “Finding Joy and Purpose in Turbulent Times.” Panelists Erik Clemons and Ryan Parker opened up about the duality between joy and turbulence in their lives, and Ryan gave us a stirring performance of his poetry. GUESTS: Erik Clemons: CEO and President of ConnCORP (Connecticut Community Outreach Revitalization Program) and ConnCAT (Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology). ConnCAT offers job training and youth programs, while ConnCORP is dedicated to economic development in New Haven Ryan Parker: educator, poet and activist. He’s a certified mama’s boy and chocolate chip cookie lover. He works as an educational consultant and has spent more than two decades teaching. He was Poet Laureate of Manchester from 2019 to 2023. He helped create Project Happyvism, which includes a song and a children's book. His upcoming projects include a healing retreat in the Azores and an educational children's program with episodes set to release at the end of February. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Connecticut’s Clean Slate law passed in 2021. The law aims to erase certain convictions from people’s records after a period of time. It was initially scheduled to go into effect in January of 2023, but the program faced delays. This hour, we'll take a look at where things stand with Clean Slate today. We'll also hear from Joe Soss and Joshua Page. Their recent book is Legal Plunder: The Predatory Dimensions of Criminal Justice. The book explores how the legal system takes resources from marginalized communities. As part of his research for the book, Professor Page spent more than a year working as a bail bond agent. GUESTS: Maysoon Khan: Investigative Reporting Fellow with The Accountability Project at Connecticut Public. Joshua Page: Fink Professor of Sociology at the University of Minnesota and one of the authors of Legal Plunder: The Predatory Dimensions of Criminal Justice. Joe Soss: Inaugural Cowles Chair for the Study of Public Service at the University of Minnesota and one of the authors of Legal Plunder: The Predatory Dimensions of Criminal Justice. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The United Nations General Assembly is currently in its 80th session. This hour we look at the status of the organization today, and the challenges it faces. Plus, historian Thant Myint-U has a new book out about his grandfather, U Thant, who was the UN’s first non-European secretary-general, and a leading ambassador of peace during the Cold War. Myint-U joins us to talk about his grandfather's role in the history of the United Nations and the lessons we can take from his example for the present. GUESTS: Thant Myint-U: Author of Peacemaker: U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World. He is an Honorary Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, a Senior Fellow at UN Foundation, and he formerly served on three UN peacekeeping operations Eugene Chen: Senior Fellow at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research. He is a former UN official This episode originally aired on October 31, 2025. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disrupted is a show about the changes and changemakers shaping our world. In these clips, you can hear how the show brings personal stories to life, while offering listeners new ways to think about the most challenging issues of the day. 0:00-9:22 Dr. Shizuko Tomoda talks about having a mother who survived the atomic bomb that the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima. As we looked for a guest who could offer the perspective of someone directly impacted by the bomb, one of our team members found, through her personal network, Dr. Tomoda’s story 9:22-10:49 Journalist Elizabeth Bruenig talks about her experience witnessing an execution 10:49-14:52 Shelly Carter, the first woman and first person of color to talk serve as Chief of Hamden, CT’s fire department, talks about breaking barriers 14:52-17:10 Two high school students, Nariyah Lindsay and Oluwaseyi Oluborode, talk about their efforts to extend a bill expanding access to transportation 17:10-24:21 Clips from our episode on student journalism. We hear from Gary Green, Executive Director of the Student Press Law Center. We then hear a panel of student journalists, hosted by our student intern Kathy Wang. This episode was in production when the government revoked Tufts University graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk’s visa after she wrote an op-ed. In that environment, it was not easy to find students willing to talk to us, but the team persevered 24:21-27:21 Interim Chancellor of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, John Maduko, talks about the ways the federal government’s policies are impacting higher education in Connecticut 27:21-29:23 Connecticut College biology professor Maria Rosa talks about how students are going overseas because of current education policies in the U.S. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to Amnesty International, 15 countries used the death penalty in 2024. The United States was one of those countries. Capital punishment is illegal in 23 states and isn’t used in some of the states where it is legal. But the United States still executed 25 people in 2024 and nearly twice as many people in 2025. But amidst all the statistics and lofty arguments for and against, it’s important to remember that capital punishment affects real people. It impacts both the people sentenced to death, and the families who’ve lost loved ones to violence. This hour, we’re listening back to our episode about what the death penalty means to the human beings impacted by it. Staff Writer at The Atlantic and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Elizabeth Bruenig, has seen the impact of the death penalty firsthand. She’s also lost a family member to violence. While many journalists cover capital punishment, fewer are applying to attend the executions of people on death row. In a deeply personal conversation, Khalilah Brown-Dean talks with Bruenig about her coverage of capital punishment. Her recent cover story in The Atlantic is, 'Witness: Inside America's Death Chambers - What Years of witnessing executions taught me about sin, mercy and the possibility of redemption.' Bruenig describes her own family tragedy, the realities of death by lethal injection, and why her feelings about capital punishment have changed over time. Plus, the pair describe the complex emotions victims’ families grapple with in the aftermath of tragedy. GUEST: Elizabeth Bruenig: Staff writer at The Atlantic This episode originally aired on September 5, 2025. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many people remember #MeToo from when it went viral in 2017. And before the hashtag, there was the Me Too movement, started by activist Tarana Burke 20 years ago as a way to support survivors of sexual violence, especially Black women and girls. This hour, we’re reflecting on what has changed since the height of the Me Too movement. We'll discuss everything from policy to social media. GUESTS: Nicole Bedera: Sociologist who studies sexual violence and author of On the Wrong Side: How Universities Protect Perpetrators and Betray Survivors of Sexual Violence. Kat Tenbarge: Award-winning independent journalist who covers internet culture, politics and sexual violence and co-founder of Spitfire News. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Disrupted team is welcoming the new year by choosing a couple of the episodes we loved from 2025. We have so many favorites that we couldn't reair all of them, but these are some of the ones that we wanted to listen back to. This week, producer Kevin Chang Barnum chose our episode on student journalism. Student journalists have been in the spotlight in recent years. In 2024, amidst massive on-campus protests, people turned to student outlets like Columbia University’s WKCR for the most up to date reporting. But practicing journalism as a student comes with risks. Tufts University graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk was detained in March after the Trump administration revoked her visa. U.S. District Judge William Sessions ordered her release on May 9th, saying the only evidence given for her detention was an op-ed she had written for her school paper. This hour, we’re talking about the role student journalists play in covering campuses and the communities around them. We discuss the risks student journalists face and they way their role is sometimes overlooked. GUESTS: Gary Green: Executive Director of The Student Press Law Center, an organization that supports first amendment rights for student journalists Anika Arora Seth: Editor in Chief of the Yale Daily News from spring 2023 to spring 2024 Maria Shaikh: Managing Editor at The Retrograde, an independent student newspaper at the University of Texas at Dallas Macy Hanzlik-Barend: News & Arts director at WKCR, Columbia University’s independent student-run radio station This episode originally aired on May 16, 2025. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Disrupted team is welcoming the new year by choosing a couple of the episodes we loved from 2025. We have so many favorites that we couldn't reair all of them, but these are some of the ones that we wanted to listen back to. This week, host Khalilah-Brown Dean chose our interview with journalist and author Megan Greenwell. Megan Greenwell's book, Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream, tells the story of four people whose lives were upended by private equity. This hour, we learn about the business of private equity, and how companies that many people don't understand play a big role in our lives. GUEST: Megan Greenwell: Freelance journalist and author of Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream. This episode originally aired on June 27, 2025. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The way people approach children’s books in the U.S. has changed a lot over time. Philosopher John Locke helped popularize the idea that learning to read should be fun with his 1693 treatise Some Thoughts Concerning Education. Fast forward 300 years and television series continued Locke’s legacy. Today's adults might remember the joy of reading being touted to young people through shows like Arthur and Reading Rainbow. The subjects of books for young people continue to change as well. The Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin—Madison tracks diversity statistics on the books they receive. 2024 was the first time since they started tracking that over half of the books had “significant BIPOC Content.” That designation takes into account the characters, settings and topics of books. This hour, we’re talking to authors about representation in young people’s literature. GUESTS: Ainissa Ramirez: Award-winning scientist and science communicator. She has worked at Bell Laboratories. Her latest book is a picture book called Spark: Jim West’s Electrifying Adventures in Creating the Microphone. Angeline Boulley: bestselling author of Firekeeper’s Daughter. Her new book is Sisters in the Wind. If you want to learn more about the Indian Child Welfare Act, you can listen to our interview with Matthew L.M. Fletcher. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Studying oysters can help us understand how Connecticut’s shoreline is changing. Studying lizards can help us understand the history of life on our planet. Biologists research living organisms. And in doing so, they help us understand not only ourselves, but also the way our lives are intertwined with those of every other species. This hour— Connecticut biologists tell us how their work helps us see what’s going on in the world around us. We'll discuss everything from how someone growing up in New York City could become fascinated by nature to the impact of federal funding cuts on research. GUESTS: Martha Muñoz: Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University, Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Zoology at the Yale Peabody Museum and recipient of a 2024 MacArthur Fellowship. Maria Rosa: Assistant Professor of Biology at Connecticut College. This episode originally aired on July 25, 2025. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For students and families, navigating the world of higher education isn’t easy. Some of the challenges, like student loan debt, have been going on for years. Other challenges come from more recent changes in how the federal government approaches universities. To explore these challenges, we're talking to John Maduko, who was appointed Interim Chancellor of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system in June. We'll also hear from Jamal Watson, whose new book is The Student Debt Crisis: America’s Moral Urgency. GUESTS: Jamal Watson: Journalist covering higher education. He’s also Associate Dean of the School of Professional and Graduate Studies and Professor of Strategic Communication and Public Relations at Trinity Washington University. His new book is The Student Debt Crisis: America’s Moral Urgency. John Maduko: Interim Chancellor of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system. If you want to learn more about higher education, you can listen to our recent interview with Beverly Daniel Tatum. You can also listen to our 2022 interview with John Maduko. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Being the first person to do something isn’t easy. There’s no blueprint for what you are doing, no conventional wisdom to fall back on when all else fails. There is also the pressure of expectations and all the people who are counting on your success. But it’s a way to show people what is possible. Being first means being a pioneer. And here in Connecticut, people are pioneering a wide range of fields every day. GUESTS: Shelly Carter: Fire Chief at the Hamden Fire Department. She is the first woman and first person of color to serve in that role. Dawn Leaks Ragsdale: Inaugural Executive Director of the Center for Inclusive Growth, a group created through a partnership between Yale and the city of New Haven that seeks to build opportunities for economic growth for all New Haven residents. Shiang-Kwei Wang: Campus President at CT State Gateway. She’s the first person to hold the title of “Campus President” and the first Asian American leader of Gateway. This episode originally aired on September 26, 2025. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Tracy K. Smith served as Poet Laureate of the United States, she used her platform to bring people together. In 2018, she traveled the country for a series called American Conversations: Celebrating Poems in Rural Communities. At these events, she encouraged people to share their thoughts, regardless of their background. While Tracy’s two terms as poet laureate ended in 2019, she is still using poetry to build connections. Her new book is Fear Less: Poetry in Perilous Times. GUEST: Tracy K. Smith: Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard. She served as the 22nd Poet Laureate of the United States from 2017 to 2019. Her 2011 collection Life on Mars won the Pulitzer Prize. Her latest book is Fear Less: Poetry in Perilous Times. You can find both of the poems Tracy reads on this episode, "Everybody's Autobiography" and "Charity," online. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone About Winning, author Vanessa Priya Daniel writes about the challenges that women of color face. She includes a satirical section formatted like a job description, where she details the duties of women of color leaders. They include “Be likable at all costs,” “Work with zero margin of error” and “Be a willing screen onto which your staff can project the other women authority figures who ever disappointed them in life.” These are just a few of the barriers that women of color in leadership deal with. But despite these barriers, Daniel also points out that women of color are also often drivers of change. GUEST: Vanessa Priya Daniel: Principal at Vanessa Daniel Consulting, LLC. She has worked in social justice movements for 25 years, and her book Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone About Winning came out in March, 2025. Vanessa Priya Daniel will be speaking at the Community Fund for Women & Girls' 30th Anniversary Celebration on November 13th in New Haven. You can find out more at this website. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The United Nations General Assembly is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its founding this month. This hour we look at the status of the organization today, and the challenges it faces. Plus, historian Thant Myint-U has a new book out about his grandfather, U Thant, who was the UN’s first non-European secretary-general, and a leading ambassador of peace during the Cold War. Myint-U joins us to talk about his grandfather's role in the history of the United Nations and the lessons we can take from his example for the present. GUESTS: Thant Myint-U: Author of Peacemaker: U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World. He is an Honorary Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, a Senior Fellow at UN Foundation, and he formerly served on three UN peacekeeping operations Eugene Chen: Senior Fellow at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research. He is a former UN official See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, we’re talking to a journalist and a member of the Biden administration to try to understand both sides of the press briefing podium. CNN Senior Writer Matthew Vann tells us about how D.C. journalists are covering the current presidential administration. And former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's new book is Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines. She talks about the challenges she faced as she broke barriers to become the first Black person, first openly queer person and first immigrant to serve as White House Press Secretary. She also discusses why she's leaving the Democratic Party. GUESTS: Matthew Vann: Senior Writer at CNN and Adjunct Professor of Journalism Ethics and First Amendment Law at NYU’s Washington D.C. campus. Karine Jean-Pierre: White House Press Secretary in the Biden Administration. She was the first Black person, first openly queer person and first immigrant to hold that role. Her new book is Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.