Stay Connected***No longer adding new episodes*** On The Record was co-hosted by Sheilah Kast and Ashley Sterner. Sheilah and shared conversations with audacious artists, intrepid scientists, community leaders and more. And of course, tales from the beloved Stoop Storytelling Series.
On The Record was produced by Melissa Gerr. Jon Ehrens created the theme music. Louis Umerlik designed the logo.
Copyright: © 2024 WYPR Baltimore
We talk with NPR Sunday host Ayesha Rascoe about why she collected essays from another dozen-and-a-half alumni for her new book: "HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience."
(Original airdate: January 24, 2024)
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
The Chesapeake Bay’s watermen have long put food on the plates of restaurants and family dinners across the region.
An often overlooked but crucial part of the Chesapeake Bay’s history are the stories of Black watermen. Now there is discussion among these watermen and their advocates about a memorial and cultural center dedicated to their history.
We speak with Vincent Leggett, the founder and president of the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation. The nonprofit seeks to preserve and document the maritime history of African Americans on the Chesapeake Bay.
We also speak to Clayton Mitchell Sr., who lives on the Eastern Shore and contributes commentary to news site Maryland Matters.
(Original airdate: February 6, 2024)
Photo by Will Parson, Chesapeake Bay Program. CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
The Chesapeake Bay’s oyster population plummeted in the later half of the 20th century, but there are recent hopeful signs the bay’s oysters are making a comeback.
Here to talk about all things oysters is Imani Black, an oyster farmer who is pursuing a Master's degree at University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science at Horn Point Laboratory. She is also the CEO and founder of Minorities in Aquaculture—an advocacy group dedicated to increasing diversity in the cultivation and study of marine life.
We ask Imani about recent good news for the region's oysters, diversity within her industry and her connection to the bay's waters.
(Original airdate: February 6, 2024)
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
Tracy Akinade shares a Stoop Story about standing up for herself and her coworkers.
The next Stoop Storytelling event today, March 15, 2024. “See Beyond: Stories about dismantling the disability narrative” is set to kickoff at 7pm at the Maryland School of the Blind in northeast Baltimore. Join them for stories bucking the stereotypes about life with a disability.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
Photography can capture the perspective of the person behind the lens.
An exhibit at the Walters Art Museum, Through Our Eyes, showcases the work of teenage photographers new to the craft. Their work reveals a new perspective of Baltimore, and of a refreshing approach to creative pursuits.
Baltimore-native SHAN Wallace is an artist, archivist, and photographer who instructed the teenagers involved with Through Our Eyes.
Wallace’s own work has been exhibited internationally and nationally, including at the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, the Contemporary and the African-American Museum and Cultural Center in Prince George’s County.
We ask her about the surprising lessons we can learn these young artists.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
Last month, scientists created a new, more detailed map of that low background rumble of radiation in our universe. The U.S. National Science Foundation's Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor—or CLASS—a collaboration led by Johns Hopkins University astrophysicists, created the maps.
Joseph Eimer is a senior scientist on the CLASS project and the lead author of the study published in The Astrophysical Journal.
Links:
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
Maryland’s legislature will wrap up its work this year in three-and-a-half weeks. What will it have done, and how will it affect residents of the Free State?
The most fundamental task of any legislative session--even if it doesn’t claim the most headlines--is to pass a budget that’s balanced: which means expected tax revenues high enough to pay for what the state plans to spend. There’s a tug-of-war right now between the House and Senate about taxes.
We’re talking about that and other important legislation this morning with WYPR News Director Matt Bush.
Links:
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
How can poetry be a path to healing after abuse?
Vanita Leatherwood is director of community engagement at HopeWorks of Howard County, a nonprofit that serves victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. In addition to shelter, legal services, and therapy, HopeWorks of Howard County also provides workshops focused on self-care and art. We hear about the power of self-expression.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
Extreme Risk Protection Orders temporarily remove firearms from someone at risk of harming themselves or others. How can they be a tool to prevent domestic violence? How are 'red flag' laws working in Maryland?
Lisa Geller and Spencer Cantrell are senior advisors at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions. They will speak at a virtual seminar about Extreme Risk Protection Orders and Intimate Partner Violence on March 20th. The event is hosted by the Maryland Health Care Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
The novel American Ending by Mary Kay Zuravleff received praise from a number of critics.
Oprah selected it for her Best Books for Spring reading list. Kirkus Reviews gushed that the voice of the young narrator, Yelena, is so vivid, “it feels like Zuravleff is channeling a real person.”
What brings readers to connect with Yelena and her family? These characters, most of them immigrants, lived more than a century ago in a mining town at the southwestern edge of Pennsylvania. What do they have in common with us?
The book's narrative is intertwined with real historical events. The Mariana Mine is featured in the plot of American Ending. The mine was built to be safe, but 152 miners died in an explosion there. The disaster is the tenth deadliest explosion in American mining history.
Another significant historical event featured in Zuravleff's novel is the Expatriation Act. Learn more on NPR’s “Code Switch” and at the National Archives.
(Original airdate: June 20, 2023)
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
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