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Birmingham is about to host its first-ever regular season Major League game at Rickwood Field. The San Francisco Giants will play the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field as a tribute to the Negro Leagues. But that doesn’t come without its challenges.On this episode, host Roy Wood Jr. goes back to his hometown of Birmingham to explore some of the obstacles that prevent more Black youth from taking up America’s pastime. He talks to MLB executives, managers and a player about the importance of promoting this sport within Black communities across the country. Roy also speaks with Birmginham’s local baseball community — high school athletes, coaches, parents and even the current mayor — to learn how to reignite Black participation in baseball in the city that was once known for carrying the careers of Black baseball legends.This episode was hosted by Roy Wood Jr. and written & produced by Ben Dickstein and Cody D. Short of AL.com, our partner for this episode.Our executive producer is Alana Schreiber and our senior producer is Ben Dickstein. Our producers are Jonah Buchanan and AL.com's Cody D. Short. Mixing and sound design by Joaquin Cotler and story editing by Ryan Vasquez. Artwork by Xavier Murillo. Original music composition by Squeak E. Clean Studios. Voice tracking by Alt Mix Studio.Special thanks to Paul Maassen, The Friends of Rickwood Field, Birmingham Public Library archives, AL.com and WBHM.For more stories on Rickwood Field, check out AL.com.This podcast is produced by WWNO and WRKF. This episode is produced in partnership with AL.com. Distributed by The NPR network in association with Major League Baseball.

A new state police force has been patrolling New Orleans streets this summer. It’s called Troop NOLA. Members conduct traffic stops in crime hot spots around the city, and have so far made over 20 arrests. Gov. Jeff Landry created the unit earlier this year in an effort to crack down on crime in the Crescent City. To learn more about the new force’s activity, we’re joined by John Simerman, investigative reporter at the Times Picayune, who has been tracking the troop. The Tony Award winning musical thriller, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street opens the 57th season of shows for Summer Lyric Theatre at Tulane. It is directed by Ray Proctor, Tulane assistant professor of theatre and dance, who joins us now to preview the show. ___Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

New York’s Tribeca FIlm Festival saw the debut of The Solace of Sisterhood this past weekend. It’s a new documentary about an all-female motorcycle crew from New Orleans. The film shines a spotlight on the riders, known as the Caramel Curves, as they defy societal expectations, chase adventure and embrace personal freedom. For more on this film and the story behind this organization of riders, we spoke with one of the Caramel Curves co-founders, Shanika “Tru” Beatty and one of the film’s directors, Geneva Peschka.In New Orleans, art isn’t a hobby. It’s a lifestyle. Christian Davenport, better known by his stage name, Cubs the Poet, really embodies this idea. Cubs started out as a street poet, writing poems for passersby on his antique typewriter. Over the years, he’s worked with major brands like Hennessy, given TED Talks, and even had a special Port Orleans Brewing Company lager called “A Love Poem To… Black People” that raised money for Black artists in New Orleans. He also served as the first poet laureate of Baton Rouge.Now, he’s taking his show on the road, with a tour called “Free Therapy.” And he’ll perform a special Juneteenth show at the Fillmore New Orleans on June 19 to kick off the tour.Cubs sat down with the Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins to talk about his approach to poetry____Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time to recap the week in politics with Stephanie Grace, editorial director and columnist for the Times Picayune/The Advocate. She joins us to discuss a new poll showing that New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell continues to have low approval ratings.Since the Louisiana legislature changed voting laws to appease so-called “election deniers” back in 2021, the state has struggled to replace its long out-of-date voting machines. State Rep. Mike T. Johnson, a Republican from Pineville, attempted this year to mitigate the burdensome requirements passed in 2021. But far-right legislators killed the bill in session.Wesley Muller, reporter for the Louisiana Illuminator, joined us to discuss how that bill died and what this means for future elections in Louisiana.Two new studies published at Tulane University investigate the impacts of abortion restrictions and bans. One finds that anti-abortion laws increase rates of violence against women. Another shows people living in the poorest neighborhoods have the greatest difficulties overcoming state bans to travel for abortions. WWNO/WRKF’s Rosemary Westwood spoke with the studies’ authors, Tulane researchers Maeve Wallace and Syndey Sauter, about the implications of their research.Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell.You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:00 pm. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

In 1964, the Birmingham Barons become Alabama’s first integrated sports team. This is 17 years after Jackie Robinson integrated the Major Leagues. What took so long?Today, we hear how baseball helps desegregate America’s most segregated city. Roy Wood Jr. takes us back to 1960s Birmingham, when nonviolent protests for racial equality are met with bombings by the Ku Klux Klan. We learn about the business owner who decides to bring baseball back to Birmingham after a two-year hiatus, this time in an integrated environment. And we hear from some of the players on the city’s first integrated team about their experiences on field, in the community and on the buses traveling throughout the Deep South.This episode was written and produced by Alana Schreiber and hosted by Roy Wood Jr.Our executive producer is Alana Schreiber and our senior producer is Ben Dickstein.  Our producers are Jonah Buchanan and AL.com’s Cody D. Short. Mixing and sound design by Joaquin Cotler and story editing by Ryan Vasquez. Artwork by Xavier Murillo. Original music composition by Squeak E. Clean Studios. Voice tracking by Alt Mix Studio.Special thanks to Paul Maassen, The Friends of Rickwood Field, Birmingham Public Library archives, AL.com and WBHM. For more stories on Rickwood Field, check out https://www.al.com/rickwood-field/This podcast is produced by WWNO and WRKF. Distributed by the NPR network. Support from Major League Baseball, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Explore St. Louis.

Former State health director, past CEO of health services at LSU, and OB-GYN Dr. Rebekah Gee is now working to bridge the gap in healthcare for Louisiana’s underserved families. Her new start-up, Nest Health, focuses on bringing comprehensive healthcare directly to families with at-home and virtual visits.She joins us for more on this program and how she hopes to see it expand across the state.The Grammy-award winning Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is gearing up for its inaugural Juneteenth concert. The event will honor the holiday that celebrates the liberation from slavery with Black musical traditions.LPO Executive Director Anwar Nasir joins us for more on this concert, called Music of a Movement: A Symphony Anthology at the Mahalia Jackson Theater.The Gulf South is full of rich stories of resilience and survival. But in rural towns, these can be lost to time, especially for marginalized communities. The Gulf States Newsroom’s Maya Miller traveled to coastal Alabama to meet a family with centuries of history in the region. She explored the land with a man who’s spent more than 15 years uncovering his native and formerly-enslaved heritage. ___Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!