It takes the average Latina, 12 extra months to earn what the average White, non-Hispanic man earns. That is because Latinas are only paid .55 cents to the dollar of […]

The post Yo Quiero Dinero! Storytelling with Midwest Mujeres appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today’s show, host Ali Muldrow speaks with the new Co-CEO and Chief People Officer for the Overture Center, Victor Patterson. They discuss the role of the arts in shaping Madison’s culture, how Patterson developed his philosophy of leadership, and the jazz music and gospel plays that shaped him.

Patterson describes how his upbringing in Chicagoland set him on a path to community building. Supported by his loving extended family and inspired by music and sports, Patterson says that he now makes decisions in order to build a strong legacy.

Moving to Madison after decades working in corporate America, Patterson says that he stopped looking for bigger and bigger roles and instead chose Madison for the community. He says he’s ready to make a splash in this smaller pond and focus on creating seats at the table in Madison’s arts scene.

Inclusivity and diversity are authentic realities for Patterson who wants the Overture Center to be the “social heartbeat” for communities of color in Madison and see the venue become a regional player in the arts. They also discuss how leaders build strong teams, remain open to feedback, and refuse to see harm in failure.

Victor Patterson previously held senior human resources leadership roles with Lowe’s, H.B. Fuller and The Home Depot, where he led workforce planning, succession strategy, leadership development and organizational effectiveness efforts across regional and global teams. At Overture, Patterson oversees the People & Culture function, influencing business strategy and driving inclusion, access and belonging initiatives as well as overall organizational culture.

Featured image of Ali Muldrow and Victor Patterson courtesy of Sara Gabler/WORT.

The post New Co-CEO hopes Overture becomes Madison’s “Social Heartbeat” appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

This week a Supreme Court decision has, in the dissenting words of Justice Ketanj Brown Jackson, contributed to “pre-election chaos” ahead of the Midterms. The decision upholds a March executive order that sought to limit mail-in voting and stoke fears about immigrants. However, Wisconsin election officials are moving ahead with their regular plan for administering the election. To make sense of the decision in historical context and how it could impact voters, host Bert Zipperer is joined by two local experts, TR Edwards and Kristin Hansen.

Edwards describes the context of the recent SCOTUS decision, going as far back as the 1965 Voting Rights Act that enshrined the ideal of a pluralistic democracy. In the last ~20 years, Edwards says that we’ve seen an increasing lack of confidence in elections and a backsliding of the Voting Rights Act, culminating in the Louisiana v. Callais case.

Hansen says that voting early, voting by mail, and using drop boxes are more popular than ever. But conservatives are hard at work finding novel ways to disenfranchise voters, like using technology to gerrymander districts. In Wisconsin, elections are run at the municipal level, ensuring that they are secure and transparent. The rise of election denialism and outright conspiracies is nevertheless alarming, and at some point sowing chaos can turn into a form of voter suppression.

They also discuss the issue of Wisconsin’s Congressional maps and anti-competitive gerrymandering, the need for limits to direct campaign contributions, and more.

You can still order an absentee ballot in Wisconsin at myvote.wi.gov. Nothing has changed about Wisconsin election administration at this time and the state has joined 25 other states in challenging this week’s SCOTUS ruling.

TR Edwards is Staff Counsel at Law Forward, Wisconsin’s only nonprofit, nonpartisan impact litigation firm focused on protecting democracy. A Milwaukee native and graduate of Marquette University Law School, TR began his career as a union organizer before becoming an attorney. He is also the proud father of three current college students. A former collegiate athlete, TR remains passionate about sports and competition, a competitive spirit he brings to his advocacy in and out of the courtroom.

Kristin Hansen is a professional voting rights advocate and a member of the board for Common Cause Wisconsin. She lives in Waukesha.

Featured image of a voter dropping a mail-in ballot into a drop box via Flickr (CC BY 2.0).

The post Wisconsin Leads in Election Security as SCOTUS Backslides appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today’s show, host Esty Dinur is joined by Amy Goodman and Tia Lessin to highlight their new documentary, Steal This Story, Please!. The film will screen at The Barrymore Theatre on Saturday, September 5 at 7:30 pm.

The film presents Goodman’s career in journalism alongside touchpoints from Democracy Now!’s broadcast repertoire, like their early coverage of brutality in East Timor. The title Steal This Story, Please! comes from Goodman’s desire for Democracy Now!’s reporting to travel far and wide. Lessin calls it a “plucky” title that also describes the public’s right to truth and accountability. Over the years, the Democracy Now! team has seen their reporting lead to positive change, yet there have been times when it couldn’t do so.

They share memories of Dolly Parton and other musicians who have played on Democracy Now! over the years and how their family histories shape their work and values. Mainly, they discuss the importance of independent media. For Goodman and Lessin, amplifying voices, bearing witness, and mentoring other journalists make this work a moral practice. Goodman says that the media like Democracy Now! And WORT gives voice to the “silenced majority.”

Amy Goodman is the host and executive producer of Democracy Now!, a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program airing on over 1,400 public television and radio stations worldwide.

Tia Lessin is an Academy Award nominated filmmaker. Along with Carl Deal, she founded Elsewhere Films in 2007 to create documentary films of cultural relevance, social purpose and artistic integrity.

Featured image of the documentary, Steal This Story, Please!.

The post Independent Media Gives Voice to the Silenced Majority appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today’s show, host Douglas Haynes speaks with Sasha Waters about her new documentary, Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World, that premiered last week on PBS’s American Masters series. The film profiles the life and legacy of one of America’s greatest poets who passed away in 2019.

Waters says that the film has the structure of a musical, biographical insights interspersed with poetry readings by some of Oliver’s greatest fans, including Stephen Colbert and Jason Reynolds. Waters sourced readers, in part, by looking through TikTok videos of people with wild geese tattoos. The numerous readers create a dialog with Oliver’s vast catalog of poetry, both well-known and new.

Making a documentary about Mary Oliver was a difficult task because Oliver was very private for much of her life. But in her later life, Oliver became more outspoken, making comments about climate change and revealing her childhood sexual abuse. They also discuss Oliver’s attunement to vulnerability and politics of hope.

You can view the documentary on PBS Wisconsin.

Sasha Waters has produced and directed nearly two dozen documentary, experimental, and short essay films, many of which originate in 16mm. She is also a Professor of Film at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts in Richmond, Virginia.

Featured image of flying geese by Enoch Leung on Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The post New Documentary Pays Tribute to Poet Mary Oliver appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Over 23,000 people are incarcerated in Wisconsin’s prisons, a record number reports Wisconsin Public Radio. For those who are in jail or prison, accessing necessary mental health services is too often out of reach. Three in five people do not receive the mental health treatment they need while they are in state and federal prisons, according to NAMI. To address the mental illness and the justice system, on today’s show, host Dana Pellebon speaks with Linda Ketcham.

Ketcham works at JustDane to support people who are newly released from jail and prison. JustDane offers peer support, traditional case management, employment and skills training, eviction prevention, and more. They also mentor kids whose parents are impacted by incarceration. No matter a person’s conviction, they still deserve the opportunity to heal and grow, says Ketcham. She adds that she has come to see that the criminal justice system isn’t broken, but operating exactly as it was intended.

They discuss the public discourse following the police killing of Corey Ruiz, namely how little empathy some people have toward people with histories of incarceration, especially knowing how difficult it is to come out of prison after years of incarceration;

If you are struggling, you can contact the 988 crisis line, 211 line run by the United Way of Dane County, or reach out to the Dane County Behavioral Resource Center.

Linda Ketcham is the Executive Director at JustDane. She is in recovery and has been working in human services for over 40 years. Linda has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in criminal justice and was a certified addiction counselor for 15 years in Illinois before moving to Wisconsin.

Featured image of a door with light shining behind it via Anton Winaryo.

The post When Mental Illness Intersects with the Justice System appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today’s show we welcome Allen Ruff back to the host seat for a special remembrance of September 11. Next Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Though a quarter century has passed, the endlessly played horrific events are etched in the popular memory of the nation. To reflect on the events of 9/11, Ruff speaks with Martín Espada, award winning poet and friend of WORT.

Espada reads from his 9/11 poem, “Alabanza: In Praise of Local 100,” that focuses on the food service workers who died that day, many of them undocumented immigrants. Espada says they were invisible in life and in death, inspiring him to write this poem. He analyzes the fallout from the attacks, saying that the ensuing “War on Terror” has trickled down to the present as seen in the rhetoric of Donald Trump and his MAGA crowd. The lesson he learned is that “you can’t trade freedom for security.”

Nevertheless, the War on Terror has given the political right a vocabulary and opened the door to a stronger executive branch, the consequences of which we’re seeing in full force now. Espada says that fighting an abstraction like “terror” has only compounded the reality of endless war.

They also discuss the rise of xenophobia in the US and the dehumanization of immigrants. Espada also reads from two new poems, “The Ballad of a Cuban Salsa Band” and “Shame.”

Martín Espada is the author of more than twenty books as a poet, editor, essayist, and translator. A former tenant lawyer in the Greater Boston area’s Latino community, he received a BA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1981 and a JD from Northeastern University in 1985. Espada previously appeared on A Public Affair to talk about his latest volume of poetry, Jailbreak of Sparrows.

Featured image of a light tribute to the Twin Towers from 2005 via Flickr (CC BY 2.0).

The post 25 Years After 9/11, You Still Can’t Trade Freedom For Security appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.