With the coronavirus spreading, researchers have been racing to find a vaccination for the virus. To discuss, we FEATURE Elena Conis, PhD. Conis is a professor in the Graduate School of Journalism and the Center for Science, Technology, Medicine and Society at the University of California, Berkeley, where she also directs the joint graduate program in Journalism and Public Health. Her book Vaccine Nation: America’s Changing Relationship with Immunization (University of Chicago Press) received the 2015 Arthur J. Viseltear Award from the American Public Health Association. Media includes: Time, Bloomberg, NPR.

As the pandemic continues to impact the economy, many industries are suffering. The media industry is no exception and, as jobs are cut, there is concern that journalists from marginalized communities are more likely to lose their jobs. To discuss, we FEATURE Lauren Castaneda. Castaneda is a Professor of Professional Practice at the School of Journalism, and has been a staff writer and columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle, The Dallas Morning News, and a staff writer and editor at The Associated Press in San Francisco, New York and Mexico. She is co-editor of a book that was published in 2006 by Sage Publications titled News and Sexuality: Media Portraits of Diversity. Media includes: The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, BusinessWeek.

The Navajo Nation has surpassed New York as the area of the U.S. with the highest per capita coronavirus infection rates. To discuss, we FEATURE Rebecca Adamson. Adamson is a Cherokee economist, leader, activist, and ground-breaking indigenous woman. She is the founder and former president of First Peoples Worldwide, the first US-based global Indigenous Peoples NGO. She holds a distinct perspective on how indigenous people’s values and economic systems can transform the business models of today. Adamson was the first Native American to serve on the board of Calvert Investment Funds, one of the largest socially responsible investment management companies in the United States. Media includes: Forbes, Bloomberg, WMC Live with Robin Morgan.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is meeting virtually this week. Most of the Assembly will concentrate on the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, though tensions are high due to the U.S.'s criticism of both the WHO and China. To discuss, we FEATURE Susan Shirk. Shirk is Ho Miu Lam Professor of China and Pacific Relations and Director of the 21st China Program at the University of California, San Diego School of International Relations and Pacific Studies. Shirk's publications include her books, China: Fragile Superpower; The Political Logic of Economic Reform in China; How China Opened Its Door: The Political Success of the PRC's Foreign Trade and Investment Reforms; Competitive Comrades: Career Incentives and Student Strategies in China. Media includes: The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times.

Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, was recently on 60 Minutes to discuss the state of the economy. In the interview he discussed the ways the Reserve is working to uplift the economy, and how he expects that economic recovery will continue into the next year. To discuss, we FEATURE Valerie Wilson. Wilson is director of the Economic Policy Institute’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy (PREE), a nationally recognized source for expert reports and policy analyses on the economic condition of America’s people of color. Prior to joining EPI, Wilson was an economist and vice president of research at the National Urban League Washington Bureau, where she was responsible for planning and directing the bureau’s research agenda. She has written extensively on various issues impacting economic inequality in the United States—including employment and training, income and wealth disparities, access to higher education, and social insurance. Media includes: Ebony Magazine, BET, C-SPAN, NPR.

The 2020 presidential election is in a few months and, with Joe Biden as the presumptive nominee, many people are wondering who will be his running mate. Biden has said that he will select a woman vice president. Kamala Harris and Stacey Abrams, both of whom are black women, are two of the candidates who reportedly are being vetted by the Biden campaign. To discuss, we FEATURE Aimee Allison. Allison is the Founder of She the People, the national network elevating the political voice and power of women of color. By bringing together the most promising women of color candidates, strategists, and movement leaders, Allison is one of the primary architects for the electoral successes in 2018 that made it the “year of women of color in politics.” In September 2018, she convened the first summit to focus on women of color in politics to show that social justice can, in fact, become the law of the land. Media includes: The Hill, San Francisco Chronicle, Buzzfeed, The Daily Beast.

Phyllis George, who was the first female sportscaster of "The NFL Today," has died. To commemorate her life, we FEATURE Kavitha Davidson. Davidson is the sports columnist at Bloomberg View covering the intersection of sports and society, culture, politics, race, gender, and business. She previously edited the World News page at The Huffington Post. She has appeared on various media outlets such as MSNBC, CNN, ESPN, CBS, and Fox Sports.

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. To commemorate WMC SheSource has a list of experts to discuss Asian American and Pacific Islander issues, including Deepa Iyer. As Senior Fellow at the Center for Social Inclusion, Iyer provides analysis, commentary and scholarship on the ways to build racial equity and solidarity in light of the rapid demographic transformation in America’s neighborhoods, schools and workplaces. Most recently, Iyer served as Executive Director of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) for a decade.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and to discuss, we FEATURE Jean Kim. Kim is a psychiatrist who works as a clinical assistant Professor of Psychiatry at George Washington University and worked as a medical officer at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Kim also served as Unit Chief of the Women's Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Westchester Division from 2006-2010, and worked with active duty soldiers at Fort Meade, MD. Media includes: The Daily Beast, The New York Times, In These Times.

May is Older Americans Month. To discuss, we FEATURE Bobbie Sackman. Sackman is a leading expert on issues facing the elderly and a well-known advocate for the importance of providing community-based senior services to diverse populations. She served as a Legislative Analyst in the NYC Office of Management and Budget. Since 1989 she has been Director of Public Policy for Council of Senior Centers & Services of NYC (CSCS), and has been a leading force in ensuring this professional organization fulfills its mission to assist over 400 senior centers, transportation providers, meals programs and other service providers in delivering quality programs and services to more than 300,000 older New Yorkers. Media includes: The New York Times, New York Daily News, CBS, NPR.