On Sunday, Daunte Wright was fatally shot by police officer Kim Potter in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Since then, Officer Potter and Police Chief Tim Gannon have resigned. To discuss, we SPOTLIGHT Charlene Carruthers. Carruthers is a Black, queer feminist community organizer and writer with over 15 years of experience in racial justice, feminist and youth leadership development movement work. As the founding national director of BYP100 (Black Youth Project 100), she has worked alongside hundreds of young Black activists to build a national base of activist member-led organization of Black 18-35 year olds dedicated to creating justice and freedom for all Black people. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Reader, The Nation, Ebony, Essence Magazines, MSNBC, CNN, BBC.
The trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer who killed George Floyd, continues. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. To discuss, we FEATURE Debbie Hines. Hines is a Washington, DC-based trial attorney, legal analyst, former Baltimore prosecutor and member of the Supreme Court bar. She is an expert in criminal law, high profile criminal cases, gun control and gun laws, police brutality, death penalty, domestic violence and Supreme Court cases. Hines often addresses legal/political issues at the intersection of gender, race and class. As a former felony prosecutor, she tried homicides, attempted murders, rapes, burglaries, robberies, narcotics and economic crimes. Media includes: The Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, The Hill, The Huffington Post, MSNBC, CNN, Fox News.
US Army officer 2nd Lt. Caron Nazario is suing two Virginia police officers after he was threatened and pepper sprayed during a traffic stop. Nazario is Black and Latino and the incident comes at a time when many are questioning excessive force by police officers. To discuss, we FEATURE Andrea M. Headley. Headley is an Assistant Professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. Her research focuses on policing to understand how organizational, managerial, and individual level factors affect policing services and outcomes, with a keen focus on inequities and disparities. Specific examples of her past work include assessing police-community relations, analyzing dispositional outcomes in citizen complaints, evaluating the effects of race during use of force encounters, as well as evaluating body-worn cameras. Media includes: The Conversation, NBC, PBS.
More than a hundred corporate executives met over the weekend to discuss ways to fight voting bills. Many states, including Georgia, are passing legislation that seeks to restrict voting access. To discuss, we FEATURE Melanie L. Campbell. Campbell is an expert and passionate advocate on issues impacting African Americans, women, immigrants and youth and the intersection of how politics, public policy, race, gender, class and age impacts quality life for all Americans. Campbell has a strong knowledge base in Black voter participation, civil rights, voting rights, women’s rights, election reform, Katrina-Rita Gulf Coast recovery and rebuilding, Census Count, youth leadership development, non-profit management and cross-cultural coalition building. Media includes: The Washington Post, Black Enterprise, The New York Times, Philadelphia Tribune, CNN, NPR.
As more Americans receive the vaccine and businesses and institutions begin to open up, discussion has turned to the possible creation of vaccine "passports." To discuss, we FEATURE Dr. Ranit Mishori. Dr. Mishori is a recognized expert and advocate for the health of the public in general, and of marginalized populations in particular. Her medical expertise covers a broad range: from women’s and migrant health, to evidence-based medicine, health disparities, prevention and primary care. She directs the Department of Family Medicine's Global Health Initiatives, Health & Media and Health Policy Fellowships. Media includes: USA Today, The Washington Post, New York Daily News, Vox, The Hill.
As businesses begin to open up, discussion about vaccine "passports" or credentials are rife. To discuss, we FEATURE Jennifer D. Oliva. Oliva is an Associate Professor at West Virginia University in the College of Law and School of Public Health. In the College of Law, she teaches evidence and public health law courses and directs the WVU Veterans Advocacy Clinic. Oliva is an expert on health care law & policy with specialities in public health law, public health policing, rural access to health care issues, substance abuse, behavioral health, and Medicaid. Extensive media experience.
A new study has found that the Pfizer vaccine may not protect against the South African variant of the coronavirus. Additionally, the FDA and CDC have recommended that the U.S pause distribution of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine because of a possible link to unusual blood clots. To discuss, we FEATURE Gloria Tavera. Tavera is a MD/PhD student at Case Western Reserve University and was an early member of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM), a global group of university students and academics organizing for public control over medicine and its pricing. Tavera's research focuses on infectious disease genetics and immunology, particularly H. pylori bacterial genes associated with development of stomach cancer. She graduated from the University of Florida in 2009 with degrees in neurobiology, political science and a minor in public health. Media includes: The Sound of Ideas, TVR2C.
President Biden has reached an agreement with Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala to deter migration to the U.S. To discuss, we FEATURE Margie McHugh. McHugh is the Director of the National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy at the Migration Policy Institute. The Center is a national hub for leaders in government, community affairs, business, and academia to obtain the knowledge and skills they need to respond to the challenges and opportunities that today's high rates of immigration pose for local communities across the United States. Media includes: The Washington Post, Voice of America, New York Daily News, Associated Press.
Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz faces a federal investigation following sex trafficking allegations. To discuss, we FEATURE Rochelle Keyhan, the Chief Executive Officer of Collective Liberty. As CEO at Collective Liberty, Keyhan develops and executes the organization's strategic direction and collaborations focused on disrupting specific types of human trafficking, including recruiting and maintaining robust collaborative networks of law enforcement, agency stakeholders, and service providers. She is called on as an expert on combatting human trafficking for government officials, financial institutions, and other for-profit and non-profit corporations across the United States. Media includes: The Washington Post, The Atlantic, New York Magazine, NBC, CBS, ABC.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. To discuss, we FEATURE Sarah Deer. Deer is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma and a professor at the University of Kansas, where she has a dual appointment in the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Department and the School of Public Affairs and Administration. Her scholarship focuses on the intersection of Federal Indian law and feminism, with a focus on violence against Native women. Her 2015 book, The Beginning and End of Rape, has received several awards, including the best first book award from the Native American Indigenous Studies Association. Media includes: Democracy Now, MSNBC, NPR.
WMC SheSource has a list of experts on topics related to sexual violence.
Iran has vowed revenge on Israel, blaming them for a blackout at an Iranian nuclear enrichment site. To discuss, we FEATURE Samantha Pitts-Kiefer. Pitts-Kiefer is the Director of the Global Nuclear Policy Program at the Nuclear Threat Initiative where she leads programming on nuclear weapons policy. She joined NTI in June 2012 and has led two major projects: the NTI Nuclear Security Index and the Global Dialogue on Nuclear Security Priorities. She helped lead NTI’s analysis related to the Nuclear Security Summit process and helped develop new projects on cybersecurity of nuclear facilities and nuclear command and control. She is an expert on nuclear security governance and international law. Media includes: Huffington Post, CCTV America.
Liz Theran
