Obama Denounces Wright

What a day!

Last minute ... we shuffled the board and decided to top tomorrow's show with a conversation about Obama's denouncement of his former pastor Jeremiah Wright. Obama gave a speech today in which he passionately responded to Wright's recent comments (after week's of silence, Wright has been publicly defending his controversial sermons). Here's a quote from Obama's speech in Winston Salem, NC.

"His comments were not only divisive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate."

Obama also said he was offended by Wright's suggestion that he had distanced himself only for political gain.

Our booking team started working the phones right away and set up a great segment for tomorrow. Rev. Harry Jackson will join us, along with Rev. Renita Weems - two prominent African American religious leaders.

In the meantime, we want to know what you think... if you haven't already, take a listen to the conversation we had today. How do you feel about Rev. Wright's recent comments? And what about Obama's reaction? Did he make the right move by publicly criticizing him? Will this affect his campaign?

We're curious to know what's on your mind about this - I would say unexpected - turn of events.

And tomorrow, TMM turns ONE! Surprises are in store. Michel, don't ask me ... I don't know anything.

Thanks to everyone who's sent us birthday wishes. I always forward to the staff and I can feel their smiles even over the cubicle walls. It really makes a difference to all of us that the show is reaching so many people (actually, shameless plug, we'll be talking about the show's mission tomorrow - TMM is getting a report card ... on air!)

Douglas Hopper

5:46 PM ET | 04-29-2008 | permalink | comments (29) | e-mail post

Former President, AND a Muppet in Studio

Michel is in the studio interview interviewing former President Jimmy Carter. And already I can tell we'll be using a big space for this one - they're having a fascinating conversation. We'll have that interview later this week.

Meanwhile, I'm finishing up pre-production for an interview later today - with Rosita, a Sesame Street muppet. She's featured in a new DVD kit for military families. We'll have this one on the show soon.

I'll be back with more about today's show and what's coming up tomorrow ...

Douglas Hopper

12:14 PM ET | 04-29-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Happy Birthday TMM!

Happy Birthday to us. Now begins Birthday week. It's the week we celebrate our first anniversary.

I am a believer in Birthday week. Don't you think you deserve a whole week to celebrate yourself?

So for the last few weeks we've been collecting comments from you about what you are enjoying - and what you aren't (we can take it) and we will play them as the week goes forward.
Meanwhile we'll be visiting with some of the people who we met over the course of the year. We started today with Holly Adams Sherman. She is the mother of Leslie Sherman, one of the 32 people killed by a fellow student at Virginia Tech last April. We wanted to know how she is doing and she was kind enough to tell us. Rock on Holly. what she has decided to do might really surprise you.

And we are following the news ... because that's what we do. The Sean Bell case - the verdict came in on Friday in the case of the three New York City detectives who were charged collectively with eight crimes in connection with the shooting of an unarmed Bell and two companions on the eve of Bell's wedding ... including first and second degree manslaughter, felony assault and reckless endangerment. We had several interviews on this story. Check it out.

Michel Martin

4:00 PM ET | 04-28-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Sean Bell Acquittal Rocks the Show

A lot going on today so I'm going to kick it to Douglas in a few. We HOPE we'll be back in our studio this afternoon and if not by Monday. Not to be melodramatic but the whole experience, minor and annoying as it has been, has caused me to try to think, again, about the experiences of those who are really displaced. I have covered many many floods and other natural disasters in my career (including Katrina) but I never lived in a flood zone or tornado or hurricane zone myself. And so the experience of having to pack, to leave, to wonder if you'll ever be back home ... I want to know more ... and I'm off.

Douglas here ...

Right around the time Michel sat down to record the top of the show, we saw on the wires that a New York judge had acquitted the officers in the Sean Bell case. It's a story we've been following and so we jumped on it. We got Robert Smith - one of NPR's New York reporters - on the phone and talked to him about the reaction at the courthouse. Robert was actually outside the courthouse and said the scene was dramatic and emotional. Apparently one of Sean Bell's companions - who was also fired at by the officers - came running out of the courtroom and knocked down a barricade. Here, take a listen.

If you hear the show at 9am EST, you may not have heard the interview, but we have it folded into the show now.

And you may have missed our weekly segment Backtalk. We had to bump it off the broadcast, but of course we kept it on the site.

Also on the show today, a conversation with two friends who've had to reconcile their religious outlooks on life. Stan Guthrie is an evangelical Christian; his friend Yehiel Poupko is a rabbi and Jewish scholar. As you may imagine, they had a lot to discuss. And here's the email exchange we mentioned.

Alright ... I have to run out to meet some folks who'll hopefully be on Monday's show.

UPDATE: Our studio 4B is all dried out and running again! Our stint as nomadic broadcasters has come to an end (for now). We're back home. Good News!

Douglas Hopper

11:45 AM ET | 04-25-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

A Visit with Sen. Dodd

The D.B.'s (Displaced Broadcasters) are still ... well ... displaced.

WHEN WILL IT END? WHEN? WHEN WHEN?

Our studio is still drying out from water damage sustained last weekend. We THINK we'll be back in our studio next week. We hope ... we so dearly hope.

Until then ... technical problems continue to bedevil us. We had to curtail our interview with Dr. Christopher Murray this morning. He led the study that showed that life expectancy among some women has actually DECLINED since the 1980's. We were not able to talk to him as long as we wanted to because the line we were using to talk to him was making some very unpleasant noise and it was too distracting to hear what he was saying. We tried to dial him back, but it took too long to give him much more time. Here's a link to the study.

And here's some more information connected to some of the issues I talked about in my conversation with Chris Dodd (D-Conn.): The Family and Medical Leave Act and the so-called "Ledbetter Bill" that bill would make it easier for women and others alleging discrimination to make it easier to sue their employers. Last May the Supreme Court severely curtailed the time in which one can file a complaint.

Finally, a lot of reaction to yesterday's segment on whether and how much "Race Matters" in our coverage of the Presidential campaign. Here's an essay from a TMM alumna Amy Alexander in the Nation.

She told me that many of our colleagues take issue with her premise. See what you think.

Michel Martin

3:03 PM ET | 04-24-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Who Dealt the Race Card?

DAY three as DISPLACED Broadcasters. Still out of our soggy studio, which sustained damage from a leaky roof this weekend, still roaming the halls looking for spare studio space.

It's so sad ... If I could sing I'd have a benefit for myself.

We HOPE to be back into our spot in time for our first anniversary next week. Until then we migrate from studio to studio. But Ivan (technical director) figured out that I should carry the mic from my studio with me. It's kind of embarrassing, like kids carrying their own pillow on the plane. But whatever. I want to sound like I sound

So...

Does race matter?

There are times when - as much as the idea makes us cringe (because we all like our privacy) - we wish we could record our editorial meetings and play them for you. Because today's show really arose from a conversation we had at the conference table earlier in the week that went something like this:

What does it say that the media narrative about this race is: Can Obama get white working class voters to vote for him? Isn't that tired for a person who has won: Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming, Virginia, and so on? So yes there's racism in society ... but are those out and out racists going to vote anyway? Or do they just like to mouth off and stay home (yeah I said it)?

But if race is not a factor, why does President Bill Clinton keep raising it?

Is there a race card and who is playing it? Is race over reported as an issue. Or underreported?

We wanted to focus on the agents of the conversation - media figures. Let's see where we go next.

Michel Martin

3:49 PM ET | 04-23-2008 | permalink | comments (11) | e-mail post

Our New Studio: My Kitchen

It's DAY TWO of our status as an internally displaced broadcast - we're in a borrowed studio because ours was flooded over the weekend.

Studio 4B after the storm.

Douglas Hopper

Not exactly flooded - that's too dramatic - the roof or something leaked and water leaked into our control panel. We didn't think it would be cute if our engineer or director got electrocuted during the broadcast, not to mention if the board went out altogether. So we're hanging out in the Talk of the Nation studio and other venues until we can get back in our house.

Michel Martin and her daugher Aminah eating some of Chef Stella's creations.

Monika Evstatieva

And speaking of our house. We actually recorded a part of today's program in mine. We needed a kitchen ... and I have one. So the Mochas and chef George Stella talked about cutting down on the refined sugars and fats and getting our families and ourselves on the path to eating right. It might have been obvious that the kids were all coming home from school while we were recording the segment. Aminah was in my lap, and William was racing up stairs to do who knows what (he needs his space) and Cheli brought her little girl Caroline. It was a family affair. Once we coaxed him back down, William TORE up the turkey burgers AND the lettuce and tomato garnish. What a strange kid. Have you ever met a toddler who liked salad? Aminah couldn't be bothered. And Caroline was more interested in playing princess with Aminah (who could blame her).

Chef George Stella lost nearly 250 pounds after discovering low-carb healthy cooking.

Photo courtesy George Stella

Speaking of families, I was AMAZED to see George Stella's before and after pictures, his story of how he and his family got obese and how they got fit as a family was nothing short of inspiring. Now let me say up front I do recognize that any story like this - collapsed as it is in 15 minutes or so minutes - is going to make it sound easier than it really is. Stella weighed 467 pounds at one point, his son weighed 305 at 15 years old. The whole family was obese, and ill. At one point, Stella's weight made it impossible to work in his chosen profession. How often do you learn that a man who once cooked at Tavern on the Green (a KEY celeb spot in New York's Central Park's - scene of celeb weddings and business lunches and who knows what else) had to go on food stamps and disability because he couldn't stand up long enough to work the full day. And then ... he turned it around. Now I recognize that a lot of hard hard work went into that and that everybody's circumstances are going to be different. Many people live far from good grocery stores, they lack transportation, they don't have a good grasp of nutrition. All that can be true. But what we can tell you is that it can be done and he is proof.

But it would be ethically as well as journalistically irresponsible not to tell the other side of the food story - the story of too little, as well as too much. Food prices are skyrocketing around the world and that means that some people are not eating, and they are angry, and that anger has implications for the rest of the world. Why is this happening, who is most affected, what can be done about it? That was the subject of the rest of the program.

And if the price hike is affecting your wallet - and surely it is - some tips for using coupons to cut costs.

We'll await the results of the Pennsylvania Democratic primary - that's today. So no coverage of (domestic) politics today while the voters are still going to the polls.

Happy Earth Day.

Michel Martin

1:53 PM ET | 04-22-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

After the Storm

So we come in this morning and we're doing our usual Monday morning thing (excited about the show; hating life for having to get up so early - who are we kidding?) and Ivan Burketh, our technical director is standing at my door. And he does not look happy. The look he has on his face is not the "I'm going to Starbucks do you want anything look" or the "My wife made coffee cake do you want some" look. Or even the lights/air-conditioning/et al do not work in the studio look. No, this is the "there's water in the control room look and it has flooded the board" look.

Wha--what? There's...water....where? See, this is not a good thing. You do not want to put your hand on your mouse or touch the console and get water in a room full of electronic equipment. And this would not be a blow-dryer, this would be the very equipment we need to get on the air.
So, here I was, all weekend, with heavy rains ... and my biggest issue was how to persuade my kids not to be afraid of the thunder and lightening. In other words, to sleep in their own beds ... and all the while I should have been running down here with a bucket or a tarp. Sigh.

If I sound different on today's show it's that we broadcast out of 3A, which is home to Talk of the Nation, which thankfully does not go on the air until after we are clear. Different mike, different studio. Really does sound different, at least to me. Ah me.

But I am not complaining. I am not complaining in part because I saw Chris Rock's show over the weekend and he had a long riff about how if you have a career you like, keep your mouth shut, especially if you are talking to people who may have jobs they hate. Or no job. Because if you are, then there is not a damn thing you have to say about your career that they want to hear. Needless to say he was funnier about it than I can be (the extended riff involved scraping shrimp shells into a bucket, nannies and phone sex. But, well, you really did have to be there.)

But otherwise I thought it was a very fun show (his and ours - but I was talking about ours). First, a very fun look at the very serious fight for the Democratic nomination, which has now hit Pennsylvania. We talked to two fine political reporters. And more to the point - on Friday we had two senior practitioners; today we visited with two rising stars. And then back to our Pennsylvania voters whom we met with a month ago - white voters, all of them, because it's been pretty clear that the African-American vote is consolidating behind Obama. (And remember I said consolidating. Let's not have to go through the revisionist history about how this was preordained. Because it was not. Black voters favored Clinton at the beginning of the process. Don't get it twisted.)
Also, a very ODD couple. So cute! And the drive to save August Wilson's house.

Douglas here... with breaking news about bugs ...

Every so often, we get an email from a listener that's completely unexpected. Today I was sorting through our mailbag and found this request:

Could one of your programs tell us what those little bugs are that look like ladybugs. They infest our home ... at this time each year clinging to the windows on the sunny side of the house. How long do they last? How to get rid of them?

I sent the listener's email around to the Tell Me More staff (I'll admit it, I thought it was hilarious)... And while I don't think we'll be doing a segment on ladybugs, Michel did have some advice...

Amazingly enough, I can tell you. They are BOX ELDER BUGS. They swarm on areas that are both sunny and have a certain scent that they like. You can call terminix but throwing hot soapy water works just as well. They are harmless and non-toxic but unsightly. They give off a faint odor of citronella.

And one of our editors Beneva Schulte also replied ...

Box Elder Bugs. They're attracted to certain trees ... box elders in fact and they will always be on the sunny side of the house, even if the box elder is in the back of the house.

Beneva also included this helpful link about box elder bugs.

Who knew our staff knew so much about ladybugs ... um, I mean ... Box Elder Bugs!

Michel Martin

1:30 PM ET | 04-21-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Time to Buy the Chametz

So it worked out after all ... producer/director Monica Evstatieva DID manage to make it to the Papal mass after all. Yeah! She brought back some wonderful sound (and you can see photos below). I didn't get to go (see yesterday). But that's the wonder of broadcasting. I feel I got to experience it ... but there's nothing like being there yourself.

Anyway ... I am going to turn the rest of the blog over to Douglas because I have a number of duties this morning. After the show I am going to go sign a contract to buy my neighbors' chametz. You can read about it here. The rabbi of one of our local synagogues - whom you have actually met on our program a couple of times talking about such matters as faith nights in baseball, intermarriage and dating services for the observant - is acting as agent for members of his congregation as well as others who need to dispose themselves of their leavened bread and so on for Passover. This is actually a fairly lengthy transaction as it may involve a pretty substantial sum. At the end of the Passover, I'll sell it back (give or take a cornflake or two).

And then I'm headed to a local college to speak to a writing class. We missed Jimi Izrael in the Barbershop (ok - some of us did :)). He was in Philadelphia to cover the debate but couldn't seem to get a flight to allow him to be with us. But check this out ... he seems to be in ... er, good hands. That's the OBAMA girl, in case you didn't recognize her. No comment.

Jimi Izrael and Obama Girl

 

Have a good weekend.

Douglas here... Monika and I were just chatting about her experience covering the pope's mass here in Washington. She told me something interesting - that the pope himself seemed to be very moved by the experience. Hadn't thought too much about what it was like for him, but I guess it would be momentous to have 46,000 people welcome you during your first visit as pope! Here are some of Monika's photos. You can see just how HUGE the event was.

Nationals Stadium in Washington, D.C., was transformed from a sports venue into a place of worship.

Monika Evstatieva

 

Some 46,000 people attended the mass.

Monika Evstatieva

 

This was Pope Benedict's first visit to the U.S. as pontiff.

Monika Evstatieva

 

Attendees of the mass received communion.

Monika Evstatieva

 

Michel Martin

1:24 PM ET | 04-18-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Is Anyone Safe?

Sad to say we were not able to attend the Papal Mass this morning ... snafu with credentials (don't get me started). And then we couldn't get through to Zimbabwe in time for me to nail down the interview with Ofeibia and then get out of here to make my way over there. It was always going to be tough to do the show and get to the Mass - which is on the other side of town - but the security in place for this visit just adds a whole other layer, the credentialing process, the police presence. It's all a bit surreal. On my way home last night there were police cars stationed at every corner on what I assume was the Pope's route home from the prayer service with the Bishops and Cardinals held at the Basilica of the National Shrine.

This is the kind of thing that reminds me of how the world is right now - or at least how law enforcement thinks the world is (which is their job, after all, not questioning it).

I can remember going overseas as a college student and being shocked at the sight of soldiers with machine guns patrolling the airport in some in some European city I visited. I wouldn't be shocked now if I saw that here, but big events like this - where there are elaborate plans to keep dignitaries and their events "safe" - make me think about who is really "safe."

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting where more than 30 people were killed. It was a horribly traumatic experience. All who were affected (and even some who weren't) can still attest to that fact. And yet in Philadelphia, where last night's Democratic presidential debate was held, on the police department's web site there's a homicide counter showing that as of March 20 there were ONLY 61 killings in the city, which is being seen as a GOOD thing since that represents a drop of about 27 percent from the same period a year before. And today, in Bagdad, some 50 people were killed in a bombing. Five years into the war and the people are not "safe." We talked to the UN's representative to the Democratic Republic of the Congo about the UN's efforts to support the peace there. Five years after the civil war "ended," the people - especially women - are not "safe." Rape is still a widely used weapon against women and the brutality of the attacks are truly beyond words. I refer you to an interview my colleague, ATC host Robert Siegel did with a filmmaker who reported not only the stories of the victims of rape in the Congo but also the stories of the rapists.

Who is safe? What makes us safe? There's a bumper sticker that says if you want peace work for justice ... but is your justice my justice? The Supreme Court is asking that question in regard to the desire of six states to reimpose the death penalty in cases of child rape. What is just? To punish men who commit these awful acts, to express our abhorrence, to ensure they'll never do it again? OR to ensure that the state, which the facts and history show has often wielded its power in a remarkably racist way, can not repeat its errors? That was our lede story today - a look at how the Supreme Court is addressing death penalty issues.

That brings me back to the Pope's visit. Observers of every quarter have been wondering what the Pope's message will be. His spokesmen have told us it will be a message of hope and healing. We could probably use one right now.

Michel Martin

3:56 PM ET | 04-17-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Your Health: Is it All Up to You?

I am wondering what people are experiencing looking at all the preparations for the pope's visit from the outside in? Are you jealous, like a kid whose older brother is having a big birthday party and you have to watch but you know it's not for you? Are you intrigued by the spectacle? Wondering what all the hoopla is about? Moved by the reactions of Catholic friends and neighbors who are so happy to be visited by a person they've never met and will likely never see again?

Also ... Unnatural Causes ... I believe this is one of those films that will utterly make sense or infuriate you. The series of films, which has began airing last month on PBS (you'll want to check listings) makes the provocative argument that race and class have to do with how healthy you are in this country. Not just race, mind you but RACISM, not just whether you smoke or are overweight but whether you are GOING to smoke or BE overweight. In other words, it ain't all about you. If you are a person of color, especially a black or brown person, or a person who's been laid off or has a crappy job and you feel you have experienced some of the things they are talking about, this film might come as a great relief. But what if you are of the school of, no excuses, people need to take responsibility for their own stuff, this interview and film might push your buttons. Here's what I want to know ... Is the argument persuasive? Is the data persuasive? Or do you think it's all hooey? What makes sense, what does not?

Today is the anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings. We did NOT acknowledge them on the program. We have done quite a bit to cover the event over the course of the year and frankly did not feel we had any more to add to the conversation. Here's an interview we did earlier this year with the mother of a Virginia Tech victim. What more can we say? Our hearts go out to the families, to the survivors, to the students who live with physical pain and those who have faced the loss of their innocence. We hope that time has brought some comfort.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a conversation about two cases in front of the Supreme Court - both having to do with the death penalty, when it should be sentenced and how it should be administered. We'll also have updates on Congo and Zimbabwe. And we'll talk with the director and cast members of the new film The Visitor.

As always, Keep In Touch.

Michel Martin

4:07 PM ET | 04-16-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

Two Sides to Every Coin

I was tempted to say death and taxes are the two constants in life. But, how do you go from there to a conversation about kids and police? Too macabre for my taste...

Today, we're bringing you a conversation we'd planned to have last week (technical problems -- don't get me started) about how to talk to your kids about the police. Let me say up front I am perfectly aware this conversation is going to push some people's buttons.

On the one hand, some are going to wonder why we are talking to parents about schooling their kids about keeping their cool. Why aren't we talking about how to reign in the police? If the police are wrong, they should be accountable, right?

Some will ask why we aren't talking to parents about keeping their kids out of trouble and teaching them to comport themselves in such a way as to not arouse suspicion? If kids are wrong they should be held accountable right?

Absolutely right on both counts. But then what?

Let me say I have a foot in both worlds, as do most of my guests. I have six police officers in my family; and I am of color; and I am a parent. My husband is a former state and federal prosecutor. Jolene Ivey, our Mochas regular, is a state lawmaker and her husband is a state's attorney (which means he IS a law enforcement officer). He not only deals with the police every day, but he also has the occasion to prosecute the police for wrong doing should the circumstances warrant. Sergeant Rosa Quintana is of course a police officer and a parent. And Kenneth Meeks is a magazine professional and a dad who has written a well-regarded book called, "Driving While Black." Millie's job is not just to be an advocate, but to help the kids she works with learn life skills, including dealing appropriately with authority figures.

The fact is I have yet to meet a minority parent or the parent of a minority child who does not have to deal with this question. There might be some, but I have not met any. I have yet to meet someone of color who has not at some point had to face the issue of being followed around in a store, stopped by the police, and addressed in a manner that he or she found disrespectful ... And let me tell you, that INCLUDES most of the cops in my family who have also been treated in a manner they felt was not consistent with how similarly situated others would be treated.0

I can also tell you that the level of violence and the potential for violence make the need for caution a reality for officers. I think Sergeant Quintana will attest to that.

Recently, we took a family trip to a wonderful aquarium in another city. We were all passed over with a "wand" metal detector, even the kids. Our babysitter, who was with us, found this offensive and asked the security guard why this was necessary. She was told that they had confiscated TEN WEAPONS -- including guns and knives -- that DAY. Was this true? I don't know, but who am I to say? So you can believe it if you want to or not, but this is a real issue. And we have to deal with it.

The Sean Bell case is a reminder that mistakes in some fields are unfortunate, but in law enforcement they can be tragic. As parents, our first duty is to keep our kids alive. And that's what this conversation is about.

And speaking of the police...

There is a very interesting issue of how local law enforcement is being tasked with helping to enforce immigration law. And, there's a case study right in our backyard. Prince William County, Va., recently became one of 47 local jurisdictions to participate in a federal program to deputize local officers to check immigration status. How is it going? Two views...

And, "Now What Do I Do?"

Our monthly visit with members of the O, The Oprah Magazine ethics panel on such crunchy issues as how to deal with a colleague who you think is cheating on expense reports ... a tidbit for you, the Rev. Rudy Rasmuss, a guest on the show who is part of the panel along with column editor Jancee Dunn, is the family pastor for Beyonce Knowles and her family. Were there recent nuptials? He was too ethical to tell me. Damn it!

Michel Martin

10:54 AM ET | 04-15-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Lessons from Detroit

We are back from Detroit where we were delighted to receive the Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity Award from Wayne State University (photos below). But I am equally happy just to have had a reason to get on up out of this office where I can see what's happening in somebody else's back yard. Nothing like getting out of town, even for a few hours, which is what this was, to give you a new perspective and some new ideas.

For example ... It's a relief to know that some people really are as obsessed by the presidential election as we are here in DC. So we are not alone, Thank God.

It's not fun when your city's leadership - Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick - is under fire for personal misconduct. It's embarrassing. It's more painful than you care to admit. Here in DC, been there, done that got the t-shirt. But it's striking how familiar the sensation was, seeing the story splashed across the front page of the local paper, some people dying to know what's next, some people impatient for it to be over, some people feeling both things on the same day. And meanwhile, people have to go about their business, because, what choice do they have? Stay home until the whole thing blows over? Hide? Pretend to be from Canada? There's a heaviness, I think, a sense of sadness that you can't ignore.

Meanwhile we are reminded how much leadership matters ... In Kenya the ruling and opposition parties seem to be cementing their power sharing arrangement - a 40-member cabinet, with a President AND a Prime Minister. We talked to Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai about her concerns, about the new arrangements as well as her decision not to carry the Olympic torch. You can read her official statement here:

Plus we talked to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Marvin Arrington about his controversial decision to ask all the white people to step out of his court so he could have a chat with his African American defendants. You can read his op ed where he defend what he did here.But whether you agree or not with what he did I think it's important to hear him talk about it, to hear his voice, as he describes the daily parade of distress passing through his courtroom..

And on Mondays we like to check in on the Washington Post Magazine and talk about interesting stories about the way we live now.This week's story was about how DC's performing arts high school decided to put on a production of the WIZ, with two casts ... crazy. You can read the piece here.We shouldn't have to say it ... but in case we do ... all kids have not lost their minds. If there was doubt, here's proof.

P.S. Here are some photos from our trip to Detroit to receive the Helen Thomas Award at Wayne State University. Photography student Juana Askew was on hand and shared some of her work.

Michel Martin accepts the Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity Award from Alicia Nails, director of the Journalism Institute for Media Diversity at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

Juana Askew

 

Michel Martin gives her acceptance speech after receiving the Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity Award at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

Juana Askew

 

Michel Martin with journalism students at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

Juana Askew

 

Michel Martin

12:19 PM ET | 04-14-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

It's Raining McCain... Hallelujah

Going to dash out of the door ... heading with Executive producer Marie Nelson to Detroit and Wayne State University, where we're receiving the Helen Thomas Award. They're honoring us for our work on the show ... we're excited! Do you think if we tell the airlines about the award they'll bump us up into first class? No?

Douglas will take it from here ...

See you Monday,
Michel

Alright, Michel. Congratulations to you and Marie and the staff for the award. I'm sure there will be many more! Try for first class. I bet you can make it happen!

Just a few notes about our show today. Our weekly political chat was spicy as usual. We invited two journalists to weigh in - one from Politco.com; the other from the Philadelphia Inquirer. With the latest Iraq War assessment and Obama and Clinton looking towards the Pennsylvania primary, there was plenty to chat about.

We also took some time to reflect on the Rwandan genocide, 14 years later. We heard from Jean Marie Kamatali from Notre Dame University. He was there during the genocide and shared his insights about what it all means now.

And, in case you haven't heard, the pope is planning a big visit to the U.S. next week. We'll be following the story. Washington Post religion reporter Hamil Harris gave us a peak into his plans to meet with a Catholic leader in New York. And we talked to Harris about the passing of Bishop "Daddy" Madison, long-time leader of the DC-based United House of Prayer for All People - and a big name here in the African American community.

And of course - The Barbershop. The guys talk about an alleged cover-up by ICE of a racist incident at a Halloween party last year (a party goer allegedly came in black-face). Also, a liquor ad that has people talking about the US-Mexico border ... and where it once was. McCain also made his way into the conversation ... "It's raining McCain... hallelujah." Here's the YouTube video the guys were talking about ...

Coming up Monday ... we'll hear from Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai. She's decided to bow out of the Olympic torch relay. We'll talk to her about her decision and recent developments in Kenya. Then we'll hear from Atlanta judge Marvin Arrington. He's made headlines recently by requesting one-on-one conversations with African American defendants in his courtroom ... by asking everyone else to leave the courtroom, a move some have said is racially insensitive. Stay tuned.

Before we sign off - though of course we check and post comments 24/7 - we want to say goodbye to a member of our staff, our winter intern Tyrone Martin. Not only has he stuck close to Tell Me More and helped us with everything from booking to producing, he was also the host of NPR's most recent edition of Intern Edition. Congrats Tyrone and I know I speak for everyone when I say Thank You ... and Good Luck!! Don't forget about us.

I asked Tyrone to write a few words about his experience over the past three months. Here's what he had to say - and a shot of Tyrone with some of our staff.

"As I get ready to retire my red Sharpie, for a one-way flight to the Sunshine State, I find myself reminiscing on the great experiences and the excellent opportunities that this internship has afforded me. Words often lose their legitimacy when over used ... they become cliche ... but, I will forever be grateful of the wonderful people that I have been most fortunate to work with. So, I say Semper Fidelis to the entire crew at Tell Me More with Michel Martin. You do great work, quite close to perfection."

Argin Hutchins, Jasmine Garsd, Wendy Johnson, Tyrone Martin, Monika Evstatieva and Arwa Gunja

Teshima Walker

 

Keep in touch Tyrone.

Douglas Hopper

2:55 PM ET | 04-11-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Right or Wrong?

To engage or not to engage? Can human rights advocates accomplish more by engaging with China, supporting the Olympics, or shunning the country and the games?

To keep families together who cross the borders illegally, even if that means keeping them in a former prison? Let them go, even if they disappear?

What's the future of jazz? Should we do something to save it? Or does every boat have to float on its own bottom?

It strikes me that a good part of today's program was about balancing competing interests and competing values ... now sometimes it isn't like that. There are almost ALWAYS two sides to every story... or three ... or four. But sometimes there really isn't - in the sense that there's a right and a wrong. You can ask the question of why there was genocide in Rwanda but you can't defend it. You can't justify it.

But I think today's stories are different. You may disagree. And I'd love to hear from you.

But I sincerely believe that both arguments on China are compelling. We played a bite from President Bush explaining why he supports the games, we heard from a journalist covering the games and a radio host who's been mediating the conversations her listeners have been having. Is there really a clear answer about whether the best approach is to stay or go? There were long and emotional debates about how to address South Africa under apartheid - to isolate or to persuade. Eventually it does seem that isolation proved the key to breaking South Africa's will to oppress its black majority. But those were unique historical conditions. Do the same apply to a country of a billion people?

Is there an easy answer about what to do about families who cross illegally? One of our guests, an advocate for less restrictive immigration policies, acknowledged without hesitation that there are good reasons to keep track of people who come to check identities. How do we know that that woman with a baby is really the mother and not trying to sell the baby? How do we know that the man with two little girls in his care is not trying to traffic them, or is not himself a person who participated in acts of genocide or other crimes? But is what we're doing now the right way?

And finally jazz ... we always like to leave you with a smile. I hope we did, but even here there are some dilemmas to face and questions to be asked. Should we do more to preserve this vital American art form. Or, as I said before ... every boat on its own bottom?

Discuss ...

(NOTE from DOUGLAS: This post written by MICHEL - not me - I mistakenly posted under my name. Thanks for understanding.)

Douglas Hopper

3:58 PM ET | 04-10-2008 | permalink | comments (10) | e-mail post

Clyburn, Journalists Discuss Petraeus Testimony

Douglas here, in for Lee Hill. Actually, as it turns out, Lee is out for the next several weeks training to become our multimedia guru. So I'll be web producing for a while ... and blogging on the days when Michel is tied up in the studio.

One of things I LOVE most about being the web producer is that I get to keep up with listeners and readers of the blog. So ... bring it on! Hear something you thought was amazing... or a comment you think was bogus? Let us know. We read each and every comment, question, thought ...

Today on the show we heard from House Majority Whip James Clyburn, Democrat from South Carolina. Always great to hear from Clyburn ... who happens to be the highest ranking African American in Congress. But especially now, in light of Gen. Petraeus' recent assessment of the Iraq War. Clyburn lays it on the line, challenging the progress of the latest troop surge - and Gen. Petraeus' call for a temporary freeze on troop withdrawals. Patraeus and Ambassador Crocker are on the hill again today, testifying before House members. We'll be watching the story.

We're always anxious to hear from political leaders. But we know it's not the only perspective worth hearing. So after hearing from Clyburn, we turned to a couple journalists who cover Iraq to give us some insights about how people in the Middle East are reacting to the recent assessment of the war.

Also in the show - a conversation about the Second Chance Act, which will allocate funding to bolster reentry programs for ex-offenders. And a roundtable of teachers tell us what's forcing many of their colleagues out of the classroom. Budget shortfalls, discipline issues ... an alarming number of teachers are throwing in the towel. You'll want to hear this.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a conversation about protests over the upcoming Olympics in Bejing. And a story about what happens to families when they're held in immigration detention centers. We'll hear form a woman who was held for two years when her family arrived in the U.S. - and the director of an organization who helps families in detention.

Until next time ...

Douglas Hopper

2:45 PM ET | 04- 9-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Technical Gremlins

If you're a regular listener to the program you might be missing some of our Tuesday regulars. So are we. Alvin Hall, our Money guy, who helps us keep our finances straight, was ill. We hope he'll be back in the saddle soon. The Mocha Moms? There was a major technical failure yesterday and we lost the entire computer file on which the interview was recorded ... so we had to regroup. There was no way to get everyone back together in time for today's program. That's all I'm going to say about it. But we hope to be able to bring the conversation we planned soon. It's an important one. And as always ... we want to hear from you ... if you have questions for the Moms send them to our Mailbag.

I may have mentioned that we pre-record some of our segments (fewer and fewer actually!). We actually prefer to go live, but sometimes it just cannot be helped. As some of you know, we air the first "feed" of the program in the morning and that would just preclude participation from some guests, especially on the west coast. That's how we're able to catch up to people like Brutus Baez, AKA Bigg B. He's a DJ and MC and a rapper and he comes to us from Portland, Oregon - he's the music director at a station out there. Bigg B is giving us the lowdown on Native American hip hop, but he's on the air the same time we are!. The only way to catch him is to pre-record ... so that's what we did ... and we hope to hear from him again soon, and at the very least during the NAMA awards.

As always, it's a delight to catch up to Charlayne Hunter Gault in South Africa or wherever she is. And Susan Page from the National Democratic Institute.

And what can I say about Jhumpa Lahiri. I can honestly report that I have read every single word she has published. So what a treat to be among the first to experience her new collection Unaccustomed Earth. It was just published. You can read the New York Times review here.

Back tomorrow ... hoping the technical Gremlins have been vanquished by then.

Michel Martin

2:35 PM ET | 04- 8-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Forty Years Later, Remembering the Riots

Back from Atlanta. Thanks to those of you who responded to my blog about Thursday's program. I really appreciate your understanding about that emotional moment at the end of the show. And thanks again to Cheryl Corley for sitting in on Friday for what I believe was an amazing program commemorating the death of Martin Luther King Jr. It was rich from beginning to end and I'm just glad I had a tiny part in it.

If you have not heard it, I commend it to you! (I can do that - since I did not host I am free to brag, yes?)

Today we continue our conversation about Dr. King's death with a look at what the murder of Dr. King wrought - cities across the country burned. I don't know about you but I often cannot take in the whole pie; better to take a slice and digest it fully. That's what we chose to do today, focusing on Baltimore. It's just up the road from DC, about 40 miles away, yet a world away in some ways. If you've ever been to Baltimore you know what I mean. Great restaurants, great shopping (believe me I know), delightful architecture new and old, world class educational institutions. And yet some of the most blighted urban terrain you ever want to see - or don't want to see - it's all there.

Our guides are many and diverse: an urban history professor who took us on a tour of the neighborhoods to show us the effects of the riots so many years later, two former mayors - one white,one black - voices from the folk who got caught up in the mess, and two voices of the future - two young debate champions who went to Baltimore Public schools and recently swept a national championship.

Also - while we were in Baltimore, our producers went out to gather some stories of residents who lived through the riots. You can hear - and see - their memories in our audio slideshow.

Tomorrow, listen in for a story about Native American Hip Hip. You won't want to miss this one.

As always, keep in touch.

Michel Martin

3:33 PM ET | 04- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Pausing to Remember a Fallen King

Hello everyone, it's Cheryl Corley, sitting in for Michel Martin today.

Today's show commemorating the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, assassination and the legacy of his life was a travel through so many moods and emotions -- from the startling revelation from Martin Luther King, III, that he and his siblings learned their father had been shot while they watched the evening news on television to the continuing dispute over who was involved in King's slaying, to an examination of the civil rights leader's speaking styles.

The Rev. Martin Luther King's death shook this nation in so many ways, but as his son reminded us, the assassination was the most "tragic and traumatic" time of the King family's lives. Martin Luther King, III, continues the push for civil rights and runs an organization called Realizing the Dream, Inc. This week, he wrote an op-ed piece calling for the next president to appoint a cabinet level position to confront poverty head-on.

Former Congressman Louis Stokes joined us and recounted the findings of the House Select Committee on Assassinations which investigated both King's death and the assassination of President John Kennedy. The committee concluded that James Earl Ray was indeed the person who killed King but it also found there may have been a conspiracy. The congressman says the committee investigation, conducted in the late 1970s, came too late to identify any co-conspirators. Don't say that to William Pepper and Judge Joe Brown, though. They remain irate over the congressional results and have performed deep investigations of their own. Pepper was an attorney for Ray -- who recanted his guilty plea almost immediately -- and represented Ray as he sought a new trial. Judge Brown listened to those proceedings and testified himself during a civil trial, saying that the bullet that struck Dr. King did not match the gun Ray reportedly used.

We listened to just a bit of the Barbershop guys today on the show as they talked about Dr. King's legacy but their entire conversation is here on the web. Our last piece was a wonderful discussion Michel had with author Jonathan Rieder, which was more about the man than the myth of Dr. King. It was a chance to get a little behind the scenes peek at a King who was not on the stage but who still had "fire in his bones." The bonus: clips from a few speeches we don't often hear.

That's it for this week. Until the next time ... peace. Michel is back next week.

-- Cheryl Corley

Michel Martin

6:39 PM ET | 04- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Mourning King, and the Vision

For those of you who heard the first ''feed'' of our broadcast today you might have heard something in my voice at the end of it and wondered what was going on ... I'm not too proud (but slightly embarrassed) to admit I had trouble getting through my final copy.

We had just played an excerpt from Dr. King's final public address in Memphis, Tennessee, the night before he was killed ... and my only job was to remind people of what they'd just heard and say goodbye.

I have heard that speech so many times before, I've seen the grainy footage, I've heard him say "I may not get there with you... "

And yet ... I cried ...

Who knows what makes people cry? What was on my mind? I'm not sure ... I think I cried because although my faith tells me that a powerful hand steers each of our destinies, I still grieve. I grieve for his children, who lost their father when the youngest was too young to remember her father's touch or smell. I grieve for all of the children who lost a man who helped this nation be better. I grieve because being shot by a man you can't see while you watch the stars is a terrible way to die. I grieve because too many young people have shared that fate even this week ... shot down while watching the stars or going to school or washing their cars or watching a pickup basketball game ... it is all so senseless ...

I mourn this loss today ...

We've asked you to share your memories about how you learned about his death; I'll share mine if you don't mind. I was at a Girl Scouts' meeting; I think we were making macaroni art or something and all the mothers came busting in ... they were early ... and we couldn't figure out why they were there because nobody told us ... but the next thing I remember was standing with my mother and a knot of other mothers and kids, the mothers talking in low, urgent voices, the kind parents use around their kids when they don't want the kids to be in the conversation. I remember being apprehensive but not really scared but I remember something like anger in the mothers' voices, and that was curious to me ... what were they angry about?

All I remember after that, and this had to have been sometime later but I don't remember exactly, is my father, a firefighter, calling to tell us he wouldn't be home for many days ... he didn't know when ... I remember him telling my mother to stock up on food if she could, to keep us inside, and to fill every available container with water. And then riots started ... and that's another story ...

We'll pick up that story on Monday ...

And now ... some announcements ... Cheryl Corley will be sitting in tomorrow ... I'll be attending in Atlanta where someone important to me is being honored ...

It's in keeping with the spirit of the day I think? I think tomorrow can be a day where we do more than mourn a death - but celebrate a life, a legacy, and a vision ...

Thanks to Cheryl for disrupting her life again so I can live mine ...

And we say goodbye ... for now ... to our web producer Lee Hill. He's leaving us to head off for some specialized training in digital media ... we'll miss him (but we plan to call him often and annoy him so feel free to leave ideas for obnoxious messages for us to pass on). In his absence Arwa Gunja and Douglas Hopper will take over the blog and website production ...

As Garrison Keillor says at the end of his daily Writer's Almanac ... Be well. Do good work. Stay in touch.

And I'll see you next week ...

Michel Martin

7:40 PM ET | 04- 3-2008 | permalink | comments (8) | e-mail post

Mo Ibrahim ... and Memories of a Fallen King

Mo Ibrahim

Getty Images

Lee, here ...

Michel Martin's out in Baltimore on a remote for Monday's show.

In case you didn't hear the interview that aired today with the African-born billionaire Mo Ibrahim, you can still have a listen.

I must say that Ibrahim's likeness, including such a strongly voiced affinity for uncompromised leadership, is not one we come across too often in this business. Unfortunately, we often find ourselves reporting on those whose lives reflect quite the contrary of what Ibrahim is devoted to honoring.

Tomorrow, we'll air the second part of our conversation with the philanthropist. We'll talk more about his foundation, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

Finally, as you know, Friday, April 4th, marks 40 years since the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, if you listened to our radio broadcast, you heard the sounds of a young Dan Rather reading a news bulletin for CBS News announcing King's death. You might have also heard the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy making the announcement to a shocked crowd in Indianapolis, and legendary CNN journalist Bernard Shaw recalling his emotional reaction to the news.

Now, we're asking you to tell us ... where were you when you first learned of the King assassination? Or, how do you remember first being taught (if you weren't alive in 1968 ... like me) about Dr. King and his legacy?

Here's a note we already received from one listener, Janie, recalling how she learned of the assassination in 1968 at the age of 7:

... After I got home from school, I walked by the television and saw the ticker tape moving across the screen. I stopped, so excited because I realized that I had learned enough in school to read it. I sounded out each word and then put it all together. Like frigid water in the face, the collective words took my breath away -- I didn't feel that kind of shock again until the year 2001. ...

So tell us your story. We've already heard from folks who were overseas ... in Iran, and Jerusalem even.

Lee Hill

4:39 PM ET | 04- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (11) | e-mail post

Talk About Drama

A morning from hell.

A guest did not show up. We had no idea where he was, or what happened. We talked to him last night.

(Do men think like this? As a female, your first thought is, like, does he hate me? Why is he doing this to me? ... And then you get a grip.)

Our second guest had to carry the conversation for many minutes. Although she was not expecting to, she was a trooper. We redid the conversation for the second feed (for our afternoon stations), only to be beset by technical problems the entire way through. Again, the guests were total troopers.

Also, a film I have been trying to watch for days, in preparation for an interview, was so corrupted I could not see any of it (and, no, I did not buy it from a guy selling incense at the Metro station ... the nerve).

And, NPR.org, our Web site, crashed earlier.

The good news: the coffee was good this morning.

Sigh.

We decided we will, barring breaking news, do a conversation about the controversial short film from Denmark that some consider a deliberate provocation. We decided it's a media conversation. In other words, what's our job in this?

Also, we're still following events in Zimbabwe. ... And, might it not be time to check in on Kenya after all the post election drama there?

And Chad, which put down a coup attempt earlier this year?

There's some extra support from our Money Coach Alvin Hall today; he's got a special Q and A to try to answer your questions about the credit crisis. If you have any questions for him ... for the Mocha Moms, or questions for any of us, for that matter, send them our way. We might not get to them right away, but we will read them.

I'm dashing off to try to finish two books in preparation for conversations this afternoon.

... And, see if I can get some more of that coffee.

Michel Martin

4:30 PM ET | 04- 1-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post