What Is Patriotism?

It's a question that we seem to find ourselves pondering these days. Not because we just celebrated Independence Day, but it's an election year -- an election year where a man with a compelling biography represents the promise of America to many, while contending with a man who represents the best of America's enduring values.

Both men stand for sacrifice and putting others before themselves. Both men stand for standing apart from orthodoxy.

Does patriotism need to be ranked? Is it competitive? Can you score it?

We ask this because a Denver jazz artist named Rene Marie has caused quite a stir with her decision to sing the melody of "The Star-Spangled Banner" with the lyrics of "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" -- the so-called Negro (or Black) National Anthem -- at a city event. (She was not paid for it by the way.) From a performance perspective, this was not an easy feat, but the reaction was quite stunning (maybe should not have been surprised).

Marie has gotten more than 1,000 letters and e-mails, much of it deeply hostile. We asked her to tell us what the thinking was behind her decision and she did so this morning.

Whatever you think of her decision, she clearly thought it through. She posted a lengthy statement on her Web site, which you can read here.

I also thought it would be helpful for those of you who are not familiar with the lyrics to "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" to have them.

As she mentioned, the piece was a poem by James Weldon Johnson, written in 1899 and set to music in 1900. Civic organizations, African American churches and HBCU's often closed public meetings with it.

... and I assume you know "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Also, I'm interested to know what you think:

Were you intrigued by the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell? Caldwell is a close friend of President George W. Bush. He offered the benediction at both inaugurations and he officiated the summer wedding of the President's daughter, Jenna Bush. Yet, he is endorsing and supporting Barack Obama to the point that he has posted a Web site to refute Dr. James Dobson's attacks on Obama.

I want to know your take on the role of religion in the public sphere. We are thinking of this topic for a Faith Matters conversation on Friday. ... So if enough of you want to participate in this conversation, we may organize the whole piece around your comments, questions and interests.

If not (you're still too stuffed with holiday barbecue to think), we understand.

Also, read more of Craim Timberg's important piece on Zimbabwe.

Michel Martin

4:02 PM ET | 07- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (11) | e-mail post

 

Freedom and Perceptions that Cross Borders

I am going to act like this is The New Yorker magazine and offer a "combined" blog posting. We will be on the air tomorrow, as per usual, but we are going to disappear for the holiday shortly thereafter.

Our New York team was en route (at least I was) from New York City yesterday when we realized that some of the longest held the hostages in Colombia -- including three Americans, and former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt -- had been freed. I saw a breaking news bulletin on my BlackBerry. Thankfully, our folks here in D.C. were already on the case.

Will you allow me to brag a bit about how one of our staffers, Jasmine Garsd (a native Spanish speaker, from Argentina), jumped in to assist the network's coverage? I heard about this through the grapevine. Apparently, some people were chatting a bit too loudly right near her desk at TMM and she says:

Guys, do you think you could keep it down. I'm talking to the Ambassador.

Take a bow Jaz!

But then, of course, we had to decide what our take on this story would be. We decided we needed to answer some of the key questions folks might have -- being reminded that some folks use our program as their morning news show -- but then we decided to also answer a question we were already thinking about...

By coincidence Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain was in Colombia at the time of the rescue. We wondered, why exactly is he there? To call attention to his differences with rival Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama on trade, obviously.

But how do you decide exactly where to travel when you are campaigning for president?

What's the message? ... The audience?

To talk about that we had Stephen Hess, of the Brookings Institution, who has spent decades thinking about how presidential campaigns are run and how presidents operate. Hess was joined by Jesus Esquivel, of Mexico's Proceso magazine.

John McCain spent the second part of his three-day Latin America tour in Mexico. And Barack Obama announced plans to travel there later this fall. Today, of course, Obama talked about his plans to go to Iraq at some point.

So having said all that, what about when even Hollywood decides to "go" overseas? Our film critic Shawn Edwards does not like too much of what he sees when that happens.

And then, I hope a treat, what happens when technomeets norteno music? The answer: Nortec. It's a group out of Tijuana, Mexico and, well, you just have to listen.

After interviewing Nortec, which I interviewed weeks ago, I worried that I had not pressed hard enough on the issue of the violence along the border, especially that which is associated with the drug trade. Just a day or so after the Nortec interview, there was a story about how the doctors were going on strike to protest the lack of security at the hospital and for them personally. Oddly enough, one of the musicians involved with Nortec is also a doctor.

But then I was reminded of something that award-winning playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda said (he spoke with us earlier this week) in response to critics of his musical In the Heights, about the Washington Heights neighborhood in New York. Miranda points out how some critics find it hard to imagine that there could be two days in which nobody gets shot or stabbed.

Mexico has a proud artistic tradition, in both the so-called fine and folk arts. Could we have one conversation about Mexico were we don't talk about the drug trade?

Still, did I do the right thing by not pressing the issue?

Happy Fourth. Hope you enjoy visiting with Jimmy Smits, as part of our July 4th program, as much as I did.

Michel Martin

6:38 PM ET | 07- 3-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

 

From NYC: A Morning with 'The Elders'

Michel, here.

Thanks to Marie for writing the blog yesterday.

(HA! Actually, I am not that grateful because, to be honest with you, she owes me since she tried to kill me yesterday. I don't want to, you know, tell all, but I had SIX interviews yesterday. I thought my head might explode off my neck. And, of course, she tells me it's for my own good. Meh!)

I'm going to have to hand off again after a remarkable morning, in which I spoke with both Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the former president of Ireland Mary Robinson, about their work as part of The Elders to call attention to the situation in Zimbabwe. I am off to meet Judith Jamison of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for an interview for tomorrow's program. And then it's off to Yankee Stadium, which is about to be torn down.

What an amazing day.

Michel Martin

1:05 PM ET | 07- 1-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

Zimbabwe's Political Crisis: What Now?

Today, more of our continuing coverage of the crisis in Zimbabwe with Ambassador Jendayi Frazer, the U.S.'s top envoy in Africa. She is on her way to the Africa Union summit in Egypt.

What role do you think the U.S. can constructively play in a crisis like this? You cannot look at pictures of children -- yes children -- and women being herded onto police trucks for the crime of seeking sanctuary at an opposition meetinghouse and NOT be moved to anger or frustration.

But then what?

What should the U.S. do?

Do you think the lack of democratic process in Zimbabwe should be a concern of the U.S.? ... Of the UN?

Remember the conversation we had about Myanmar and the debate over whether the misgovernance in the regime's refusal to permit outside aid was so egregious as to require outside intervention? What is the standard?

And, the so-called teen pregnancy pact in Gloucester, Mass. ...

Seventeen girls at Gloucester High School are pregnant -- more than four times the number in the previous school year in the school of 1,200 students.

The principal of the school says he discovered that at least some of the girls decided it would be great to all get pregnant together; now one teen has come forward to say there was no pact, but the reporter says she heard what she heard. And the principal isn't talking anymore.

But the question remains: why are 17 girls, none older than 16, all pregnant in a world in which a pack of condoms costs, what, a few dollars? And can often be had for free.

What's up with that? Does anybody buy the Zoey 101 theory? Celebs make it look easy.

And, finally, the what NOT to say series we are running with DiversityInc Magazine. This month's segment: what not to say to LGBT co-workers. DiversityInc has this hilarious (to me) column on the most offensive compliments. (I can't even bring myself to pick a favorite -- "You don't look gay" or "You speak so well. No one would even know you're black" are up there though)

And no, we're not trying to be grievance merchants, but I would like to know what's the most offensive thing ever said to you in the guise of a compliment?

No matter what your demographic.

Michel Martin

3:21 PM ET | 06-24-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

 

People on a Mission

Hi, Cheryl Corley joining you here. Michel Martin will be back tomorrow.

Sometimes it's easy to take our legal system for granted or to find its flaws, but the framework of "presumption of innocence," or having attorneys argue before an open court, is often a model for other countries. Mexico is the latest example. Over the next few years, it will overhaul its ENTIRE judicial system. President Felipe Calderon says the reforms will be a cornerstone of his government's war against organized crime. Mexico City law professor, John Mill Rose Ackerman, joined us to talk about what's in store.

In about a week, we'll know whether the escalating violence in Zimbabwe will hamper the presidential run-off between longtime leader Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. NPR's Ofeiba Quist Arcton says the election may really be in jeopardy.

But there was some hopeful news about Africa on today's show when a couple of youth ambassadors joined us to talk about their plans to travel to the continent.

Let us know how you give, Do you travel abroad to help people in other countries, or contribute to your church, synagogue, mosque?

Giving, of course, is one of the core missions of CARE, the humanitarian organization that fights global poverty. A year ago we talked to Care's president, Dr. Helene Gayle, and Sheila Johnson, owner of WNBA team the Washington Mystics. Johnson, also co-founder of BET, is a major backer of CARE's "I Am Powerful" campaign. Today, they joined us to give us a one-year update. And we also got a chance to learn a bit more about Johnson's documentary, "A Powerful Noise." Take a look at the trailer. The film documents the lives and struggles and victories of some of the women they've met in their travels around the world.

Plus, a conversation today with film director Sarah Gavron and actress Tannishtha Jatterjee. They take listeners inside about their beautiful film, Brick Lane, which is about the life of a Bangladeshi immigrant living in London.

There's, of course, much more to talk about. Michel will be back tomorrow to lead that conversation.

It was great hanging out with you.

-- Cheryl Corley

Michel Martin

3:35 PM ET | 06-19-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

Telling You More

Hi all. It's Cheryl Corley, sitting in Michel while she takes some time off.

I'm always amazed about the amount of information that gets disseminated everyday and the stories that we don't hear much about.

Two conversations today fit the "don't hear much about" category, and that's why Tell Me More wanted to make sure we had these folks on the air, and more about their work on our Web site.

First, Elouise Cobell, a leader of the Blackfoot Indian tribe in Montana brought us up to date on the lawsuit she filed more than a decade ago. Cobell claims the federal government mismanaged the land leases of more than a half million Indians across the country. She estimates that the government owes Native Americans at least 58 billion dollars. The case is at a critical juncture now in federal court in Washington with a federal judge to soon decide the liability of the U.S.

Second, Fergus Bordewich, the author of Washington: the Making of the American Capital told us all about the wheeling and dealing that went behind the building of Washington, D.C. It's not exactly a secret that slaves actually built the city. But Bordewich unveils the intricacies behind the effort to knock Philadelphia out of the race to become the permanent home of the nation's capitol, while the country's founding fathers worked to protect the institution of slavery.

Also on the show today, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan joined us to talk about his effort to get western countries to stay true to their promise to turn over billions of dollars they've earmarked for aid to Africa. These days, Annan is the chairman of the African Progress Panel and the organization released its first report today.

And, we learned about a photo display called Access to Life profiles the daily life of AIDS victims in Africa and other places around the world. It's a before-and-after photo exhibit -- a display of the hope that comes with the use of antiretroviral drugs.

Finally, what a way to round off a Monday. Check out a bit of the velvet voice of singer Lizz Wright. She talks about the music that get's her going.

That's all for now. Talk to you tomorrow.

-- Cheryl Corley

Michel Martin

1:19 PM ET | 06-16-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

 

Mo Ibrahim ... and Memories of a Fallen King

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

 

Hello Monday

Goodbye to March. Goodbye, for now, to Women's History Month (although we won't stop following women who make history, we promise ... even if it happens in May). Goodbye to winter, hello to spring. Goodbye (almost) to basketball, hello baseball.

I mentioned on Friday that we are tracking the controversy over Fitna, the film by Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders that some are calling a provocative stance for free speech, and others a gratuitous insult to Islam and Muslims around the world. We followed reaction to the film over the weekend and found there to be very little. We're still following and debating.

We note that Morning Edition covered the controversy Friday morning with an interview with the Dutch Ambassador to the U.S.

... But, obviously, we would do this differently. We've been thinking about a journalists' conversation on whether to air, or not to air this film. But we're still not sure if it's all a tempest in a teapot -- deliberate provocation designed just to hurt or offend, and/or legitimate news. Still debating.

And, in our weekly visit to the pages of the Washington Post Magazine, we talked about travel. I am not going to use the word "exotic" to describe the travel highlights because anything's "exotic" if it's new to you, right?

Check it out for yourself.

And, just in time for our last day of Women's History Month, a new book in timeline form about some of the many women who had an impact on U.S. history -- everybody from diplomats to native American scholars, to confederate spies to formerly enslaved Africans who fought for freedom (their own and others'). Plus, learn about scientists and artists. The book is very readable and runs the gamut. Madeleine Albright wrote the forward to the book.

And special bonus: if you want to know how Albright gets her groove on, we can tell you.

Onward ...

Michel Martin

4:49 PM ET | 03-31-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

International Switcheroo

Normally, we like to focus on international news on Thursdays, but yesterday we shifted the top of the program's focus to the fallout from New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's alleged involvement in a prostitution ring.

Since Spitzer resigned on Wednesday, two days after the big story broke, we really felt we had to go there. We had on two big names from New York -- former New York City Mayor David Dinkins and the State Sen. Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, a Democrat -- to tell us about Spitzer's successor former Lt. Gov. David Paterson. He is, as you of course know by now, not only the first African American governor of the state, but also only the third African American governor in the U.S. since Reconstruction. Paterson is also legally blind, and part of one of New York's most prominent African American political families. He, apparently, has a wicked sense of humor, and unlike Spitzer, he's extremely well liked by his now former colleagues in the legislature. It's no small feat in the ongoing going barroom brawl that is state politics in New York.

Which of Paterson's attributes will help him? ... Which will hurt him?

Which will most shape the next three years?

Can't wait to see. It's a fascinating story.

Anyway, that's why today, instead of doing our regular Friday political chat, we brought you the conversation we originally planned for yesterday -- about the diplomatic crisis sparked by a cross border incursion by Columbia into Ecuador. Columbian forces located a FARC encampment (FARC being the anti-government rebels who've tried to topple a generation of Columbian governments ... the U.S. considers FARC a terrorist group).

So excited to have Juan Forero back with us. He covers the Andes for NPR and we haven't had him on our air since our podcast days (Remember when? Sniff!). And, a new voice for us Cynthia Arnson of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Thanks.

We were also excited about having two leading voices in evangelicalism to talk about faith and politics. It was a provocative conversation from the authors of two new books -- Personal Faith, Public Policy and The Great Awakening -- that aim to revisit the role evangelicals should play in politics

And the Barbershop guys, what can I say?

As for me, I am still rebelling against the fashionistas! As much as I loved Agnes Cammock of Essence and Najwa Moses of Styleaholics (from yesterday's spring fashion conversation), I woke up this morning with the adolescent need to rebel against their STRONG admonition against capris and the color peach.

In their honor, I am wearing both capris AND peach today (I am cold, but I think I am cute).

Fight the power!

Have a great weekend.

Michel Martin

4:58 PM ET | 03-14-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

 

A Look at Mauritania

Our foreign desk e-mailed a week or so ago to say there were some visitors coming to town. They asked if we would like to meet them. They had been working in Mauritania on political reconciliation efforts there. We did a little reporting and said, yes, we would.

(My only connection to Mauritania had been a friend, a former Peace Corp volunteer, who brought back some of the loveliest brilliantly colored tie-dyed cloth. That, and the campaign of forced expulsions by former President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya, who had seized power in a coup in 1984 and ruled with a heavy fist for the next 20 years.)

This is a story we have seen many times throughout history -- a group decided, for whatever reason, to expel fellow citizens; those they consider the "other," or rivals, for power or resources. But unusually, in the case of Mauritania, a new regime has tried to reverse that trend.

Independent candidate Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was inaugurated in April 2007 as Mauritania's first freely and fairly elected president. One of the goals of his administration is to overcome the legacy of past ethnic divisions, including the forced banishment of tens of thousands of so-called Afro-Mauritanians and the continuation of the tradition of enslavement. This is a story I don't think we have heard a great deal about, and in the context of so many recent clashes over ethnic division, I think an important one.

There are a number of other international stories that caught our eye today.

And ...

Sorry, we can't help ourselves, FASHION. You know you want to know the latest styles. You know you do, ok? The great thing about radio: no one needs to see you listen. So it's okay to be interested in hearing a conversation about fashion.

Key tip for the day: boat shoes.

Ladies, we have you covered next week. I promise.

Michel Martin

5:21 PM ET | 03- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

Some Dream of Comfort, Some for Freedom

"What happens to a dream deferred?"

Do kids still memorize that poem?

I know I did. I know that I could recite it at the age of, I don't know, nine or so. We didn't have MLK day when I was growing up. Reciting poems was the kind of thing that your church or Girl Scouts might have you do. There might be an essay contest, or something. You might win a savings bond (remember those?) for the best essay on what it all meant.

As I think back on it, how could we have known what that poem meant? But in other ways, we knew all too well.

Speaking of Girl Scouts, I was at a Girl Scouts meeting (Brownie troop) the night the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., was killed. I remember that all the mothers swooped in to collect us from whatever we were doing that day -- macaroni art or some such. Our troop met at the community room in the apartment house across the boulevard from where we lived, and although the mothers came flying in with an urgency, that made it a bit frightening. I do remember that most stayed around for some time that night murmuring to each other in low, angry and tearful voices. We knew better than to ask what they were talking about (grown folks' business), but we all knew it was serious and we'd know soon enough.

The riots came soon. My father, a firefighter, did not come home for many days. I remember he told us to keep water jars filled in case the water pressure fell either from the water needed to fight the fires, or the electricity going in and out. We couldn't visit our friends. We stayed inside. I don't remember it happening to any schools, but I do remember a small supermarket near our house being burned. I don't remember who owned it or why it was burned, I do remember it was one that my mother hated to shop in because the food was of poor quality and overpriced. And she thought the people who worked there were rude.

That may be why "A Raisin in the Sun," the play that takes its name from the Langston Hughes poem I quoted above, still makes sense to me, even though it was written by Lorraine Hansberry in 1955, first staged in 1959 and made a movie in 1961. A new adaptation premieres tonight on ABC. It's a made-for-television version of the revised Broadway play that starred Sean Combs (entertainment mogul ... if you've been living on Mars and don't know ... aka Puff Daddy, Puffy, P. Diddy and Diddy), Audra McDonald, and Phylicia Rashad. Lorraine Hansberry was the first African American woman to have a play produced on Broadway; Phylicia Rashad continued the history when she became the first African American woman to win a Tony Award (Best Actress) for her role as Lena Younger, the matriarch of the family, whose insurance check is coming with hopes that it will change their lives.

Dreams. We all have them. Some of us dream of comfort, some for freedom, some for understanding.

We talked about dreams last week in our conversation about Kosovo independence. We featured three young Kosovar Albanians who talked about their happiness at Kosovo's declaration of Independence. We promised you additional perspectives. Today, we featured a roundtable of young Serbs studying and working in the U.S., who offered their perspective. Needless to say, it was a very different perspective. One of loss ... and resentment at being misunderstood. I should mention that Obrad Kesic, one of our guests, is a well-known policy analyst. You will probably hear from him again as this situation unfolds, but we also believe the student perspective is an important one and we hope to bring it to you whenever possible.

Finally, change is coming to Cuba ... or not ...

Continue reading "Some Dream of Comfort, Some for Freedom" »

Michel Martin

5:58 PM ET | 02-25-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

 

Living the Story ...

In keeping with our focus on international news on Thursdays -- but doing it TMM style -- we wanted to follow up on two major international stories today. But, we wanted to get away from the "experts." We believe in expertise, we believe in earned authority -- folks who've taken the time to master a subject and put careful thought and attention into it -- but we also believe that we are all experts on our own lives. And so, there are times when we just want to visit with people who are living the story, not studying it.

It's why we went back to Gralen Banks in New Orleans this week to ask him how he's dealing with the news that the FEMA-issued trailer he and his family have been living in might be making them all sick. And it's why, today, we went to two academics who live in Pakistan who were part of street protests against Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule ... and it's why we went to the three young Kosovar-Albanians who are studying here in the U.S. to get their take on Kosovo's move toward independence this week. Are they big names you'd know from The New York Times? No, they aren't. But they are experts on their own lives.

In this historic moment for both countries, we appreciate their take on what it feels like, looks like, smells like. We hope you agree, but we also hope if you have other perspectives, you'll share them with us.

We know, for example, that many (maybe most?) Serbs take a different view of Kosovo's move toward independence. We're interested in that perspective also. You can write to us at out blog or call our comment line (202-842-3522) if you want to be a part of that conversation.

And, just in time for the Oscars, it used to be that girls who got "knocked up" often went "away" to deal with their "situations." How did they deal with it? Well, that's exactly why they went away ... to keep from having that conversation.

But times have changed, and many more women who conceive outside of marriage are not hiding that fact, and are, in fact, deciding to keep their babies. ...

Continue reading "Living the Story ... " »

Michel Martin

5:27 PM ET | 02-21-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

Discussing Leaders Great and Small

So, 3 a.m. brings word that Fidel Castro is stepping down as the longest serving head of government in the world, for 50 years.

We thought, who can we wake-up this early to talk to us about this? ... Who will a) be great, b) tell us something interesting c) speak to us again in the future, after we have (as I mentioned) awakened them?

This is what's great about working at NPR -- not only is NPR correspondent Tom Gjelten GREAT anyway, he has just finished a book on modern Cuba and is thoroughly up to speed on the story. As an added bonus, he was AWAKE, COHERENT and willing to come to the studio (and not mad at us for calling him). HOORAY!

Thanks, Tom!

(So this just leads us to let the other guests know that we'll be asking them to standby for a few minutes.)

The other conversations today are updates on issues we've previously covered, like the stop and frisk story ... I know that this is an issue that just gets people's blood boiling. If you are one of those likely to be stopped (let's just say it, a young minority male), chances are, you say this practice is outrageous, intrusive and wrong.

If you are one of those who sees himself as a potential victim -- one of those who may have experienced a bad time in New York or other cities -- you are likely to feel that this is a minor intrusion on civil liberties, and a small price to pay for a safer city.

Who's right? Is there a "right" and "wrong" in this?

Check out the original story we did last December on Leonardo Blair.

Also, the FEMA situation. Tests performed by the CDC found potentially hazardous levels of toxic formaldehyde in FEMA-issued trailers. We decided to check-in on one of our regulars, Gralen Banks. He's living in a trailer next to his destroyed home in New Orleans. We check-in on him from time to time to see how he's doing. His attitude may surprise you...

And, finally, what's it like to be BANISHED?

This is the kind of thing we might play for laughs It sounds like a 1960's TV show or a reality show, but it's not. It's a tragic story of displacement and loss told through a new documentary by Marco Williams. Williams previously did a film called the Two Towns of Jasper. Now, this film tells the story of the African Americans who were literally forced off their land in counties across the country.

It's interesting that the film premieres today. Today is also the "Day of Remembrance," which marks when President Franklin Roosevelt signed the executive order establishing internment camps into which Japanese citizens and non-citizens alike were imprisoned along the coast.

Hidden history but, in a free society, not hidden for long ...

Michel Martin

3:39 PM ET | 02-19-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

Tomorrow on TMM: Global Conflict

Lee, here...

A crazy morning today. Michel Martin was already on the air when we received word that John Edwards would likely bow out of the Democratic race for President. We had to do some fast hustling, thanks to fellow producer Douglas Hopper, to get a reliable source (which turned out to be an advisor to the campaign) on the line to do two things: confirm Edwards' withdrawal and talk to us over on-air about the late breaking decision.

In addition to our coverage of the GOP results from last night's Florida presidential primary, we hope you enjoyed today's political coverage. Talk about running and screaming all over this place. ... But we're glad things worked out.

Tomorrow is Thursday, which is also our day for international news. I can tell you of two stories that we plan to visit tomorrow: the increasingly violent situation in Kenya and the breach of a 7-mile wall dividing the Gaza Strip and Egypt (see map).

Thousands crossed into Egypt in search of food and other supplies after Palestinian gunmen shot through barriers set up after Hamas overtook the Gaza territory in June. We'll touch on this more tomorrow, and tell you about a recent gathering that addressed the role of women in managing global conflict.

More to come...

Lee Hill

4:51 PM ET | 01-30-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

New: TMM Blog Delivered to Your Inbox!

Lee, here ... New year, new features.

If you take a look at the margin to the right of this blog entry, you'll notice something new -- subscriptions (free, of course) to the Tell Me More blog! The new feature sends an e-mail to subscribers with the latest TMM blog entry posted to the program's Web site.

It's quick and painless. Here's how to sign-up:

1. Enter a valid e-mail address in the text box to the right labeled, "Subscribe to the 'Tell Me More' Blog via E-mail"
2. Click the "Subscribe" button
3. Within moments, you should receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your free subscription

There. You're done!

Also...

Share your thoughts from today's program.

Yesterday, we mentioned that we are following the political clashes in Kenya. One of our conversations today offered analysis on the bloody aftermath of the presidential elections there. The incumbent, Mwai Kibaki, won the presidency. But his victory has been largely overshadowed by the surge of killings in the days since. Of course, we're monitoring any updates.

On a much lighter note, you must listen to Michel Martin debut the coaching she received from auctioneering pro Denise Shearin. She didn't do too bad...

Lee Hill

4:32 PM ET | 01- 3-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

Debating What to Cover, How to Cover it

So here I was, last night, getting ready to leave, all happy with today's show because we were FINALLY going to talk about some things that have been percolating for a while -- the Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan, the teddy bear story out of Sudan, the story of the rape victim in Saudi Arabia and important new leadership at the World Bank (most Americans only think about the Bank once a year when demonstrators descend to hurl abuse at their annual meeting, but this is an incredibly important institution in the developing world). Plus, more diverting stories ... Edward Ball, who wrote about his discovery of his family's slave-owning past, has a new book. He discovered some locks of his family members' hair and had them tested ... and more on genetic testing with a man who specializes in those of African ancestry.

And what the heck happens? Some guy shoots up a shopping mall in Omaha. YIKES. Of course, my first thought is: how awful. How terrible for the families. Then my second thought is ... what do WE do?

By WE, of course I mean Tell Me More. Do we switch around the show? What do we dump? ... What do we keep? Who can we get/what can we add?

I have to tell you that our first instinct is almost always ... change the show. But then we ask ourselves a second question, what can we uniquely offer? What can we share with you that you will not have heard elsewhere, even in our own newscasts. That is often why you will not find breaking news on the program, other than in the newscasts that begin each program. Our principal is: what can we tell you that you didn't just hear?

Today, though, tested that resolve ... so many great stories -- the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran (the intelligence agencies, as a group, say IRAN is NOT building a nuclear weapon, after all ... a total change from just two years ago), the news from Omaha, a terrible, yet remarkable story out of Detroit (a very young girl is shot six times while trying to shield her mother from a gunman, yet both manage to survive).

What do we change, what do we add?

We decided this morning to take the long view, that the stories we covered are stories with lasting meaning and long-term consequence -- often pushed to the back precisely when more dramatic stories grab the headlines.

We hope we made the right decision. Let us know if you agree...

Michel Martin

6:22 PM ET | 12- 6-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

Another World-Class Thursday

Kind of slammed today, so this is going to be quick.

Maybe you've noticed this, maybe you haven't ... We program this show a little differently than many of the other daily NPR news programs. We have a number of ongoing regular segments, rather than "just" those that follow the headlines.

I put "just" in quotes because, let me be clear, keeping up on the news is serious business, and we try to do our part to stay on top of breaking news. But since much of what we're trying to do is give you stories and ideas that other people are NOT focusing on, many of our segments are organized around ongoing themes and ideas. It gives us a vehicle to present you with stories that you may NOT already be thinking about and talking about, along with the ones you already are.

That's a long way of saying that you may have noticed that we try to focus on international news on Thursdays.

Why Thursdays?

No particular reason, but lots of reasons. Not sure it matters, but this Thursday is no different. As it happens, there are all sorts of stories breaking out there that we didn't have time to get to -- Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf taking off the uniform, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez's decision to break off ties with Colombia -- all important stuff. But again, we're trying to focus on some things that might NOT be grabbing the top headlines.

...So, the Paris riots. There were serious civil disturbances just two years ago. So why now? ... And why again?

And, the worldwide AIDS epidemic ... Where is progress being made? Where isn' it? Also, a view from a hard hit region that does NOT get the headlines, the Carribbean, right on our doorstep.

Violence in sports. Do you ever look at those soccer riots and go, what the...??? I know I do.

Plus, some music from Coltrane and Monk, on the occasion of a big anniversary.

More later...

Michel Martin

1:30 PM ET | 11-29-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

Spanning the World in an Hour

So, today ... to Pakistan ... to China ... to India, all through the magic of radio.

We started the program in Pakistan. If you follow international news, you certainly will have heard about Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf's imposition of martial law. The government has suspended the judiciary, locked up thousands of lawyers, university professors and other civil leaders. President Bush has urged Musharraf to step down from his position as leader of the army and the civil government, and to hold elections as scheduled; so far, Musharraf has ignored his international and domestic critics, but has said he will hold elections early next year.

Other NPR programs have offered interviews with the Musharraf government and analysts, but we wanted to know what it is like to be in the middle of the maelstrom. What is it like to be a lawyer, a university professor, a believer in civil society, and to see everything you believe in suspended in the name of civil order? And, how do you choose who to be a part of that story? We did not get into the politics of political parties -- Musharraf vs. Bhutto. We felt that's another story for another time. We will get there...

And, consumer products. When I saw Loretta Tofani's series on the conditions facing Chinese workers I could not stop reading it (pdf).

Loretta is an old friend and colleague from our days at the Washington Post. Her Pulitzer is from a series she wrote chronicling conditions at a local county jail where sexual assaults were routine. Her reputation for detail remains, as you'll see when you read the mountain of statistics and public records she was able to amass even in a country where information is so tightly controlled.

It's another angle on the story about the safety of the products we consume. Plus, hear an update from Wall Street Journal reporter Christopher Conkey on how this issue is playing out domestically.

And to India, (via New York). The incredible filmmaker Mira Nair (rhymes with fire) sat for a talk about the film festival she's involved with there.

To end the show, get your groove on with a preview of the Latin Grammys.

More tomorrow...

Michel Martin

5:25 PM ET | 11- 8-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post