A Public Affair

Douglas Haynes, Ali Muldrow, Carousel Bayrd, Allen Ruff, & Esty Dinur
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Listener Sponsored Community Radio in Madison, WI

  1. 1 day ago

    Life, Liberty, and Happiness at 250?

    As the United States of America is poised to celebrate its semiquincentennial, host Esty Dinur asks, what is the status of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” in our nation? Our guest, historian Thomas Richards Jr., says that if people from 1776 were transported to our world, they would be stunned by what they see. On the one hand, the diversity of the US and the fact that every citizen can vote would surprise the founders as sure successes of our democracy. On the other hand, if they looked at Trump or the state of the Constitution, they would find our democracy in real trouble.  They discuss Richards’ latest book, The Unfinished Business of 1776: Why the American Revolution Never Ended. In it he breaks down the American Revolution into three acts. In the first Act, Americans were starting to talk about their rights and feeling revolutionary fervor. This was the time when Thomas Paine published Common Sense, and it’s the period our country celebrates. Act II is the Revolutionary War itself, which Richards calls “six years of brutality.” Act III is the story of the 1780s, when the country struggled to put itself back together. Throughout the book, Richards finds grounds to celebrate and critique this part of our national history. Richards says that glorifying the Founding Fathers minimizes the contributions of regular Americans in the revolutionary struggle and minimizes the strife that existed in communities about how to build our government. They also talk about the politicization of history, the story of Judith Sargent Murray, how gerrymandering is an old story, Gabriel’s Rebellion, the Trail of Tears, and more. Thomas Richards Jr. teaches history at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia and holds a PhD in history from Temple University. The author of Breakaway Americas: The Unmanifest Future of the Jacksonian United States and The Unfinished Business of 1776 (The New Press), he lives in Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania, where George Washington once camped. Featured image of the cover of The Unfinished Business of 1776. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Life, Liberty, and Happiness at 250? appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    54 min

  2. 2 days ago

    Reflecting on American Radicalism for its Birthday

    On today’s show, host Bert Zipperer chats with John Nichols, Executive Editor of The Nation magazine, about the upcoming July 4 holiday and their new double issue, “250 Years in Search of a More Perfect Union.”  In his essay on Thomas Paine, Nichols  argues the pamphleteer’s insistence that America live up to its revolutionary vows still rings true 250 years later. He calls Paine the most radical politician of his time, the most important Founding Father, and the greatest wordsmith of the era whose writings are prescient in light of the Trump regime’s attacks on voting rights. As we approach the nation’s 250 anniversary, Nichols says that we have an opportunity to reflect on the anti-colonial instinct at our nation’s founding, how we serve our whole population, care for the environment, and so much more. It’s a crucial time to reflection a recent Supreme Court decision that gives the president more power than ever.  People are disenchanted with the direction of the country, and there’s a good reason: our government isn’t effectively addressing wealth inequality, healthcare, systemic racism, and so much more.. Nichols says that “money buys inaction” and “the biggest success of the wealthy and powerful is making sure the system that empowers them doesn’t change.” He also discusses how the Democratic Party can present a coherent alternative vision of the nation as we approach the Midterm election.  We also celebrate host Allen Ruff, who is shifting to monthly shows in the Fall, and honor the legacy of anti-war activist, Will Williams, who passed away this week. Featured image of the White House via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Reflecting on American Radicalism for its Birthday appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    55 min

  3. 3 days ago

    Belonging Is the Medicine Neurodiverse Children Need

    Kids who are misunderstood and marginalized have extraordinary potential waiting to be unleashed. On today’s show, host Ali Muldrow speaks with Dr. Niki Elliott about how to support kids who are neurodivergent, have a learning disability, or are trauma survivors so that they can grow, learn, and be full members of our communities. They discuss Dr. Elliott’s new book, Heart-Centered Connections: 7 Essential Skills for Helping Neurodiverse and Marginalized Children Thrive. Too often educators and adults are quick to identify “problem” behaviors in children; especially with children of color, adults discipline behaviors and take actions that route kids into the school-to-prison pipeline. Dr. Elliot says that instead of viewing children as “willfully misbehaving,” adults could be better at seeing kids as trying to communicate their unmet needs or responding to overwhelming sensory experiences. The book approaches these issues through an intersectional, thoroughly researched, and solutions-oriented lens. That means asking readers to self-assess their biases and neuro-capacity in relation to children. Becoming more aware of your own nervous system is the basis for forming more heart centered connections. Dr. Elliot describes how parenting her son shaped her research and writing and how the educators she works with have grown after taking her training. The book is relevant for any adult who interacts with children, and Dr. Elliot says that anyone can learn the nervous system profiles of neurodiverse children so that more of them can be fully included in mainstream environments. This work is more important than ever, as the federal government disinvests from special education and is trying to backtrack progress that has been made for people with disabilities. Dr. Niki Elliott is a clinical professor and director of the Center for Embodied Equity and Neurodiversity at the University of San Diego. A leading voice in neurodiversity and trauma-informed education, she has trained thousands of teachers, school counselors, and helping professionals worldwide to better support children with learning differences, mental health diagnoses, trauma histories, and behavioral challenges. Featured image of the cover of Heart-Centered Connections: 7 Essential Skills for Helping Neurodiverse and Marginalized Children Thrive. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Belonging Is the Medicine Neurodiverse Children Need appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    55 min

  4. 4 days ago

    Local Music Is a Harbinger of Community

    On today’s show, guest host Enjoyiana Nururdin speaks with Nick Pjevach about the local music scene–from the best concerts and summer festivals to how the city could better address equity in arts and entertainment. Pjevach says that Madison has a “vibrant and lively” music scene. From neighborhood festivals and the upcoming “United in Sound” Concert on the Square, folks can find a musical happening almost every day of the week, especially if they consult Isthmus’s comprehensive music calendar. As Madison continues to grow, there’s a real opportunity to make sure the city’s entertainment options reach everyone and aren’t driven by private companies, says Pjevach.  In 2017, the City of Madison launched the Percent for Art program that allocates 1% of funds from large capital projects to arts and culture. That’s why visitors can experience murals and the Madison Public Market or see the mosaic at the new Bartillon shelter. In 2017, the city also published the Task Force on Equity in Music and Entertainment, which found real disparities in arts access.  Pjevach says that talking about music and entertainment means we’re also talking about public transportation, education and affordability. They also discuss Dane County’s plans for the Veteran Memorial Coliseum, the latest issues facing Cielo, the First Wave Program, CueThe608, and how to get younger generations in decision making roles in the local music scene. Nick Pjevach has served as chair of the Madison Arts Commission since April 2023. He graduated with his MBA specializing in arts administration in 2019. He was the Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Music Committee Director during the 2012-2013 school year, when 411 artists performed in 241 concerts on campus. Ask him how happy he is that folks have mostly stopped referring to Madison as the “Austin of the Midwest.” Featured image of the Veteran Memorial Coliseum. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Local Music Is a Harbinger of Community appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    53 min

  5. 5 days ago

    Resistance to AI Snowballs Around the World

    You’ve probably heard that the AI boom is “inevitable,” but a global network of researchers, journalists, and scholars is fighting that narrative with the newly launched AI Resist List. It’s a publicly accessible, collaboratively built website that champions projects that are fighting Big Tech’s vision of AI. On today’s show, host Douglas Haynes speaks with climate communicator Heidi Lim about grassroots resistance and alternative AI futures. Big Tech companies are imposing their priorities on people and landscapes, but how people build and use AI is still very much a choice. Lim describes two of the projects that are working against the empires of AI: Media Capture Watch, which tracks Big Tech’s investment in news media, and Friends of the Congo, which brings awareness to the human costs of mining cobalt, gold, copper, and coltan to fuel the greed of the AI industry. And there are local examples of AI resistance, from the Wisconsin chapter of the Sierra Club’s AI resistance toolkit to Janesville’s recent vote against a hyperscale data center. Lim says that we should be cautious about promises that AI can solve climate change and cure cancer as current systems aren’t being used to these ends. AI companies are cozying up to the US military, promoting chatbots as alternatives to therapy, and creating “deep fakes” for which there are no regulations. Instead, groups like Climate Change AI argue that small, targeted applications of machine learning technologies are possible and wouldn’t require hyperscale data centers or generative AI.  Lim points listeners to the Possible Futures section of the AI Resist List, where folks can learn about Slow AI and Te Hiku Media, which is working to restore Māori language and is managed by the Māori community. Heidi Lim (she/they) is a Bay Area-based climate communicator focused on increasing climate literacy and rooted in environmental justice. Their work on the internet puts a climate lens on topics like technology, justice, and democracy, and ultimately led her to work on resisting the AI machine, including helping to create the AI Resist List. In 2025, she published an hour-long video essay comprehensively detailing the climate risks of Big Tech AI, far beyond direct water and energy use. She holds an environmental engineering degree from Harvard University and has worked for almost a decade in clean tech and software startups. You can find her content on Tik Tok, Instagram, and Youtube.  Featured image of a Google data center via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Resistance to AI Snowballs Around the World appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    54 min

  6. 26 June

    Colonizers and Company Men Are Ruining Higher Education

    The Trump regime’s attacks on public education at the federal level are filtering down to the states, like in Texas where the flagship university, the University of Texas, recently consolidated African and African Diaspora Studies, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, American Studies, and Mexican American and Latino Studies into a single unit. On today’s show, host Esty Dinur is in conversation with scholar and friend of the program, Karma Chávez about what’s happening in Texas and around the country.  Chávez says that we’re seeing a “manufactured backlash” on public education that conservatives initiated after the summer of rebellions and racial reckoning of 2020. She points to three pieces of legislation in Texas from 2023 that changed the landscape of academic freedom and paved the way for the more recent attacks on fields like ethnic studies–fields that were born from student activism–and what conservative administrators consider “unnecessary controversial subjects.” Now, as ethnic and gender studies programs have been restructured, students are registering for courses that may not exist in the Fall. The recently consolidated departments at UT will now be called “Social and Cultural Analysis.” Chávez says this is reflective of a larger shift toward the language of “civics” that has gained popularity with conservative politicians and is championed by far-right think tanks like the Heritage Foundation. Though the attacks on higher education and DEI are most apparent in Southern schools like the University of Texas, Chávez cautions that what’s happening there is possible anywhere.  Karma R. Chávez is Chair and Bobby and Sherri Patton Professor in the Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at the University of Texas – Austin. She is author of Queer Migration Politics: Activist Rhetoric and Coalitional Possibilities (University of Illinois Press, 2013); Palestine on the Air (University of Illinois Press, 2019); and The Borders of AIDS: Race, Quarantine, and Resistance (University of Washington Press, 2021). She is a co-founder of her university’s Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine and president of the American Association of University Professors Chapter at UT Austin.  Featured image of the University of Texas at Austin via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Colonizers and Company Men Are Ruining Higher Education appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    54 min

  7. 23 June

    Dying in Custody Has Become the New Capital Punishment

    Last week, Madison’s Office of the Independent Police Monitor released a new finding: that police violence played a role in the death of a man in custody in 2024, contrary to the county’s medical examiner’s autopsy report. To talk about the place of medical examiners in the criminal justice system, host Dana Pellebon is joined by scholar, Terence Keel, author of The Coroner’s Silence: Death Records and the Hidden Victims of Police Violence. Keel researches the relationships between medicine, science, race, and religion, with a focus on how the science of medicine in the US has been used to perpetuate racial injustice and inequity, especially when it comes to state monitoring and surveillance. He says that coroners are an overlooked piece in the criminal justice puzzle and that death investigation systems provide cover for violent state systems.  In 2013, the Death in Custody Reporting Act made it possible for Keel to look at the numbers. He found that in the twenty-year period after the Act, over 32,000 people were killed in police custody, leading him to argue that dying in custody has become the new capital punishment. They also talk about the history of the coroner role, one that dates back to the Colonial era, the rise of civilian oversight commissions, and the impact of coroner’s reports on Black and Brown communities. Terence Keel is a professor of human biology, society and African American studies at UCLA. His latest book is The Coroner’s Silence: Death Records and the Hidden Victims of Police Violence. Featured image of the cover of The Coroner’s Silence: Death Records and the Hidden Victims of Police Violence. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Dying in Custody Has Become the New Capital Punishment appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    53 min

  8. 22 June

    You Can Make History with Make History Madison

    A group of local historians are hard at work unearthing and preserving the rich histories of Madison’s neighborhoods. Using maps and oral histories, Make History Madison is a crowd-sourced, place-based public history initiative that encourages people of all ages to contribute photos, research, testimonials, and observations about the places in Madison that matter to them. On today’s show, host Douglas Haynes speaks with four guests involved in the project, Martín Alvarado, James Levy, Angela Richardson, and John Wedge. As much as their work involves celebrating Madison’s vibrant history, they also tell the painful histories of dispossession and displacement that are part of our shared past. Alvarado discusses the displacement of African Americans from the Greenbush neighborhood to Madison’s South Side, and Richardson describes the experience of learning about the Shenk-Atwood neighborhood as a layer cake. You can learn about your building or block using archival tools at the Madison Public Library and their Living History collections. Alvarado says that small newspapers are a treasure trove of our ancestors’ oversharing. Richardson describes the process as “collective remembering” and this work is an “antidote” to the Trump Administration’s “airbrushed history,” says Wedge. As the contributions of Black, LGBTQ, and Indigenous peoples have been scrubbed from federal websites, the work of local historians to preserve the past is more important than ever. Ultimately, Make History Madison isn’t just about documenting the past, but about using the past to engage with the present and the future, says Levy.  On Tuesday, June 23, 2026, Make History Madison presents Music Venues We Have Loved at The High Noon Saloon in association with WORT 89.9 FM and Madison Public Library. Martín Alvarado is a Community Engagement Librarian at the Madison Public Library and host of Global Revolutions on WORT 89.9 FM. James Levy is the founder and Executive Director of the Race and Place Coalition and the Whose Land? public history project. A scholar trained in African American history and former Associate Professor of History at UW-Whitewater, his projects employ oral history and collaborative community research to foster public dialogue about the connections between race and geography. Dr. Levy’s current book project, forthcoming from the University of Wisconsin Press, is titled The Color of Farming in the Heartland: A History of Land and Race in Wisconsin since 1800. Angela Richardson is an artist, educator, and passionate “hyperlocal historian.” Her primary research focuses on the Schenk-Atwood neighborhood and Madison’s near east side. John Wedge is a historian, labor advocate, and public arts organizer. Originally from London, he has a Ph.D. in American History from the University of Illinois. He is Executive Director for WEAC Region 6, and singer, guitarist, and co-founder of northern soul/rock band The Periodicals. Prior to Whoseland.org and Make History Madison, he co-produced The Greatest War: World War I, Wisconsin, and Why it Still Matters. Featured image of the Make History Madison logo. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post You Can Make History with Make History Madison appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    54 min

  9. 19 June

    Celebrate Juneteenth, But Keep Working

    On today’s show, host Esty Dinur celebrates Juneteenth, “America’s second Independence Day,” with Dr. Timothy Golden. They talk about the symbolic importance of this federal holiday and how the US still struggles to make freedom meaningful for Black people. Juneteenth was made a federal holiday in 2021 after decades of campaigning by former teacher Opal Lee. Dr. Golden says that Juneteenth becomes “hollow” when we juxtapose the recognition of emancipation with Congress’s inability to pass meaningful police and voting rights reform. The spirit of celebration is “neutralized” by the treacherous and tragic reality that enslaved Black people in Texas were kept enslaved after emancipation and the bad faith of our federal institutions who will not pass legislation that would support symbolic celebrations like Juneteenth.  In the wake of emancipation, Dr. Golden says that we think of freedom too narrowly. He points to the work of Reconstruction that was ultimately undercut in the way that racial terror continued under state law. He says that full democratic participation continues to be deferred for Black Americans because of mass incarceration and voter suppression. They also discuss Dr. Golden’s experience as an actor, the “white gaze,” and the philosophy of Ida B. Wells.  Timothy J. Golden is Visiting Professor of Philosophy at Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA. His areas of philosophical specialization are Africana Philosophy (African American Social and Political Thought, Critical Race Theory, and Black Male Studies), Philosophy of Religion, and 19th and 20th Century European Philosophy. His books include Frederick Douglass and the Philosophy of Religion: An Interpretation of Narrative, Art, and the Political (Lexington Books, 2022), and Racism and Resistance: Essays on Derrick Bell’s Racial Realism (State University of New York Press, 2022). He is also a lawyer with more than 20 years experience concentrating in criminal defense, and he is an actor in local theater with solo performances in the stage plays Thurgood (portraying Thurgood Marshall) and How I Learned What I Learned (portraying August Wilson), and performances in  Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice (Shylock), The Winter’s Tale (Leontes, King of Sicily), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Peter Quince).  Tim earned his Juris Doctor from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University and his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Memphis.  Featured image of a Juneteenth parade in Denver, CO via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Celebrate Juneteenth, But Keep Working appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    54 min

  10. 18 June

    Honoring Dairy Month with a Farmer Roundtable

    June is a high milk production month called “the flush” by dairy farmers. On today’s pre-recorded show, hosts Bert Zipperer and Pete Hardin of The Milkweed highlight the Dairy Month. They break down cheese consumption trends, the history of the dairy industry in the state, and hear from two Wisconsin dairy farmers, Jan Shepel and Adam Faust.  Shepel and Faust say they wish more people understood how hard they work. They share stories of the highs and lows–the droughts and floods–that they’ve seen over the years and how they’ve given names to their cows. The Wisconsin dairy industry contributes $50-55 billion to the economy annually but sits at a historic low of 5,000 dairy farms in the state.           They also dive into the role of cooperative creameries, the trend of cross-breeding beef and dairy cows, consumer demand for dairy protein in the form of whey and cottage cheese, and the rise of cheese prices.  Featured image of dairy cows in Vernon County, Wisconsin via Flickr (CC BY 2.0). Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Honoring Dairy Month with a Farmer Roundtable appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    56 min
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About

Listener Sponsored Community Radio in Madison, WI

Information

  • Creator
    Douglas Haynes, Ali Muldrow, Carousel Bayrd, Allen Ruff, & Esty Dinur
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Back Porch Broadcasting, Inc.
  • Show Website
    A Public Affair

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