This past weekend, thousands of protestors across the nation and around the world took to the streets to protest police violence and systematic racism following the police killing of George Floyd. To discuss, we FEATURE Andrea J. Ritchie, who helped put together Barack Obama's New Era of Public Safety: An Advocacy Toolkit for Fair, Safe, and Effective Community Policing. Through research, writing, legal services, and organizing, Ritchie has dedicated the past two decades to challenging racial profiling, police violence, criminalization and mass incarceration, with a particular focus on the experiences of women, girls, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people of color. She is the author of Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color (Beacon Press 2017) and co-author of Say Her Name: Resisting Police Brutality Against Black Women (African American Policy Forum 2015), and Queer (In)Justice: The Criminalization of LGBT People in the United States (Beacon Press 2011). Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Teen Vogue, The Root, MSNBC, NPR.

As conversations about race and racism continue, many people are looking for ways to fight racism. To discuss, we FEATURE Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD. Scholar, teacher, author, administrator and race relations expert Dr. Tatum was the ninth president of Spelman College. In her critically acclaimed 1997 book, “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” and Other Conversations about Race, she applies her expertise on race to argue that straight talk about racial identity is essential to the nation. Using real life examples and the latest research, she not only dispels race as taboo, but gives readers a new lens for understanding the emergence of racial identity as a developmental process experienced by everyone. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Oprah Winfrey Show, C-SPAN, CNN.

Police officers are under scrutiny for using excessive force as protests spread nationwide. To discuss ways to reform policing, we FEATURE Captain Ivonne Roman. Roman has 25 years of experience in urban policing, having held every rank from police officer to police chief. She founded the Women’s Leadership Academy in 2018, to address the stagnating rates of women in policing, and the high attrition rates for female applicants and recruits. She works as a consultant on topics of recruitment and retention of policewomen, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission requirements for validating physical fitness tests. Roman serves as an executive board member of the National Police Foundation and the American Society for Evidence-Based Policing. She is a National Institute of Justice Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) scholar. Media includes: USA Today, Vice News, The Marshall Project.

With protests across cities in the U.S., President Trump has accused many governors of being "weak" and said that they have to "dominate" protestors by arresting and jailing them. To discuss, we FEATURE Madeleine Kunin. Kunin is a Marsh professor at large at the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT and a regular commentator on Vermont Public Radio. She served as the first female Governor of Vermont for three terms (1985-91) after having served three terms in the state legislature (1973-79) and two terms as Lt. Governor (1979-83). Extensive media experience.

Religious congregations are beginning to meet in-person for services, with social distancing rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19. To discuss, we FEATURE Dr. Renita J. Weems. An ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Weems is a nationally renowned theologian whose scholarly insights into biblical text and the role of spirituality in everyday lives have made her a popular author and speaker. Media includes: Ebony Magazine, Essence Magazine.

COVID-19 is still spreading globally and health researchers continue to work to find treatments for the virus. To discuss, we FEATURE Susan L. Parish, PhD, MSW. Dr. Parish is Dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Health Professions. She is currently co-director of the National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities, and a member of the board of the American Association on Health and Disability. She is a public health and social work researcher who investigates the health and financial well-being of children and adults with disabilities, and their caregiving families. Dr. Parish’s disability, health, and poverty policy expertise is widely sought. Media includes: The Washington Post, Psychology Today, The Huffington Post, PBS, NPR.

People are going back to work as stay-at-home orders begin to relax. In many companies the human resources team are responsible for ensuring the safety of their work force, including from COVID-19. To discuss contact tracing, social distancing, and PPE, we FEATURE Karen Gureghian. Gureghian has over 16 years of Human Resource management experience working for public and private organizations in the Twin Cities. In 2003, she launched her own consulting firm, which specializes in implementing the human resource function for small or start-up companies. In this role, Gureghian works directly with owners and presidents of companies and acts as a strategic HR business partner and implementation specialist in the areas of policy and procedure documentation, recruiting, benefits, and HR function set-up. Extensive media experience.

COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have surpassed 105,000 deaths, a number which does not include those deaths that have not yet been counted as COVID-19 related. To discuss, we FEATURE Lara Jacobson. Jacobson is a pediatrician and epidemiologist with experience in humanitarian emergencies. She completed her medical degree at Stanford Medical School, and has worked as an Attending Physician in high-acuity settings. During her work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Jacobson responded to humanitarian emergencies in Haiti, Kenya, Djibouti, Chad, India, and Nepal. She has additional training in disaster management from IFRC. Extensive media experience.

On Friday, the May jobs report will be released. To discuss, we FEATURE Heidi Shierholz. Shierholz leads EPI’s policy team, which monitors wage and employment policies coming out of Congress and the administration and advances a worker-first policy agenda. Throughout her career, Shierholz has educated policymakers, journalists, and the public about the effects of economic policies on low- and middle-income families. Her research and insights on labor and employment policy, the effects of automation on the labor market, wage stagnation, inequality, and many other topics routinely shape policy proposals and inform economic news coverage. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, HuffPost, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, NPR.

ProPublica have talked to over 200 survivors of sexual assault in Alaska, which has among the highest rates of sexual crimes in America, and is publishing a collection of their stories. To discuss the role of journalism in fighting the scourge of sexual violence, we FEATURE Dr. Carrie Baker. Baker is a Professor in the Program for the Study of Women and Gender at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and regular writer for Ms. magazine. She is an expert on women's rights law and policy, specializing in sexual harassment, sex trafficking, and reproductive rights and justice. Media experience: NPR, WGBY, Daily Hampshire Gazette, Ms. Magazine.

Federal officials are planning to meet on Monday to discuss interest rates. To discuss, we FEATURE Monique Morrissey. Morrissey joined the Economic Policy Institute in 2006. She previously worked at the AFL-CIO Office of Investment and the Financial Markets Center. Her areas of interest include retirement security, executive compensation, the Federal Reserve, and financial markets. Media includes: The New York Times, The Huffington Post, CNN.

Today, primaries are happening in nine states and Washington, D.C.. 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 conjunction with her leadership of She the People, Allison is President of Democracy in Color, dedicated to empowering the multiracial progressive electorate through media, public conversations, research, and analysis. She has led national efforts to build inclusive, multiracial coalitions, expand the electorate, and support leaders who advocate for a progressive future. Media includes: The New York Times, The Hill, ESSENCE Magazine.

Over the weekend, SpaceX launched a rocket into the air and became the first commercial company to launch humans into space with its own spacecraft. To discuss, we FEATURE Dr. Edythe E. Weeks. Weeks is a professor, space law scholar and author, and is working to raise pre-awareness and stimulate knowledge inclusion for a broad range of people throughout the global general public about outer space development. She has been developing and teaching space themed courses to social and behavioral sciences students and has been sharing her knowledge through public talks to the general public. Weeks teaches at Washington University, Webster University and Northern Arizona University on International Law and Politics of Outer Space; The New Space Rush; Introduction to International Relations; African Americans and the Law; and Diversity, Politics and Law. Media includes: PR Newswire, Arizona Daily Sun, WMC Live with Robin Morgan.

June is LGBTQIA Pride Month. To discuss, we FEATURE Kierra Johnson. Johnson is the Deputy Executive Director of the National LGBTQ Task Force. She has a wealth of experience in program development, youth leadership and reproductive justice. Johnson previously served on the National LGBTQ Task Force’s board of directors and on its National Action Council, and has keynoted at the organization’s annual Creating Change Conference. Media includes: The New York Times, Huffington Post, The Nation.

June is Immigrant Heritage Month. To discuss, we FEATURE Amanda Baran. Baran is an attorney who engages in policy analysis and advocacy for immigrant and women's rights. She worked at the Department of Homeland Security for almost ten years where she held a number of significant positions including Chief of Public Engagement at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and most recently, Principal Director of Immigration Policy for the Department's Office of Policy. Media includes: Los Angeles Times, The Hill, Rewire.News.