Nashville Sounding Board Benjamin Eagles

On the one-year anniversary of the Let's Move Nashville referendum, Zak Accuardi and John Buntin look back and discuss lessons learned. Call it "Talking Transit Part 6."

Zak is a transit and transportation expert who has conducted over 40 interviews as part of a forthcoming case study on the Let's Move Nashville transit referendum.

Hosted by Governing Magazine writer John Buntin.

Nashville Sounding Board is a podcast dedicated to discussing social and political issues affecting Middle Tennessee.
www.nashvillesoundingboard.com
www.facebook.com/NashvilleSoundingBoard
www.twitter.com/NashSoundBoard

NSB is produced by Benjamin Eagles.

Music by Craig Turner and Joe Halberstadt

In February 1994, Cyrus Wilson was convicted for the 1992 murder of Christopher Luckett. Wilson maintained his innocence at the time and has ever since. Cyrus Wilson is scheduled for a parole hearing on April 17th at 8:00 a.m. at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution.

Guests on this episode:
Casey Wilson and daughter Kassidy
Rahim Buford - Unheard Voices Outreach
Dawn Deaner - Choosing Justice Initiative

Petition: https://www.change.org/p/free-cyrus-wilson

Two excellent articles by Steven Hale:
(April 2019) - https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/cover-story/article/21062386/the-trials-of-cyrus-wilson
(Oct. 2017) - https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/cover-story/article/20980285/how-the-murder-case-against-cyrus-wilson-has-fallen-apart

Nashville Sounding Board is a podcast dedicated to discussing social and political issues affecting Middle Tennessee.
www.nashvillesoundingboard.com
www.facebook.com/NashvilleSoundingBoard
www.twitter.com/NashSoundBoard

NSB is produced by Benjamin Eagles. Views expressed by Benjamin Eagles in this podcast and on social media are his alone and do not reflect the views of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.

Interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Music by Craig Turner and Joe Halberstadt

For those of you who don't know anything about Will Pinkston, here is his twitter bio: @WillPinkston: Served on the Nashville School Board from 2012-19. Blocks cranks and nitwits. Author of “Race to the Bottom: How Bad Actors Tried to Destroy Public Education" www.RacetotheBottom.us

This interview includes questions about:
- His support for MNPS Superintendent Dr. Joseph
- His opposition to charter schools after once founding one
- Social media antics
- Attendance at MNPS Board meetings
- Motivations for resigning
- MNPS Budget and teacher raises

Nashville Sounding Board is a podcast dedicated to discussing social and political issues affecting Middle Tennessee.
www.nashvillesoundingboard.com
www.facebook.com/NashvilleSoundingBoard
www.twitter.com/NashSoundBoard

NSB is produced by Benjamin Eagles. Views expressed by Benjamin Eagles in this podcast and on social media are his alone and do not reflect the views of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.

Interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Music by Craig Turner and Joe Halberstadt

Bishop Marcus Campbell has a powerful personal story and his group Gentlemen And Not Gangsters does some of the most important work in Nashville. GANG is a youth diversion program that combats youth violence by changing lives.

You're going to want to listen to what Bishop Campbell has to say. After you listen, please join me in supporting his work.

https://gentlemenandnotgangsters.com/donate
Contact: mt.carmelmbcnashville@gmail.com or 615-636-0012

Topics by minute:
2:20 - Bishop Marcus Campbell's personal background
5:46 - Experience in a gang
7:10 - Transformative experience
12:30 - His mentors
13:33 - Starting GANG and the work they do
16:55 - Role of parental involvement
21:10 - What is the weekly program like?
24:32 - College tours
25:40 - How many kids have gone through the program?
27:15 - What factors make rehabilitation more possible?
29:00 - Rearrest rate of GANG graduates
30:50 - Success stories (and summer camp story)
34:20 - Story of kids who slipped through the cracks
37:00 - How have you seen the scale of the youth violence problem change?
41:50 - Have you applied for grant funding from the city?
44:45 - Documenting to become an "evidence-based" organization
48:20 - Reaction to the murder of Kyle Yorlets
51:36 - Visiting the detention center
54:25 - How can listeners support GANG?

Nashville Sounding Board is a podcast dedicated to discussing social and political issues affecting Middle Tennessee.
www.nashvillesoundingboard.com
www.facebook.com/NashvilleSoundingBoard
www.twitter.com/NashSoundBoard

NSB is produced by Benjamin Eagles. Views expressed by Benjamin Eagles in this podcast and on social media are his alone and do not reflect the views of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.

Interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Music by Craig Turner and Joe Halberstadt

My guest on this episode is Dr. BethAnn McLaughlin, a neuroscientist in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and a faculty member in the School of Medicine. Dr. McLaughlin is the founder of the #MeTooSTEM nonprofit group and was awarded the MIT Disobedience award for her advocacy for victims of sexual harassment and misconduct. We recorded this interview on February 28th, the same day that her employment at Vanderbilt was set to expire following an unusual tenure process.

Change.org petition: https://www.change.org/p/vanderbilt-don-t-fire-prof-bethann-mclaughlin-for-standing-against-sexual-harassment

Topics by minute:
1:20 - Personal background and education
2:07 - What drew you to the field of neuroscience and what was your path to becoming a neuroscientist?
3:30 - Your post doc adviser was a man. What was that experience like and how did it contrast with that of other women?
5:00 - Do you think that sexual harassment is worse in STEM programs than in private industry and other parts of academe? If so, why might that be?
6:40 - What is your research specialty and what’s your record of obtaining grant funding?
8:07 - What was the nature of your own experience with harassment? When did you first become aware of the scale of the problem generally and specifically in STEM?
13:27 - Taking off the blinders and becoming an activist
14:34 - What are the specific shortcomings of the Title IX process?
15:52 - Being a Title IX witness against a colleague
20:25 - What was the nature of your activism or political involvement prior to #MeTooSTEM?
24:00 - Where did the idea of #MeTooSTEM come from? What has been the response both nationally and at Vanderbilt?
26:07 - You frequently use the term “harassholes”...was that your creation?
26:25 - Today (2/28/19) the National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins released a statement apologizing to victims of sexual harassment and highlighting what NIH is doing to change the culture of sexual harassment in science. Director Collins tweeted a special thank you to you and said your “leadership with the #MeTooSTEM movement has given a voice to victims of harassment. Her activism has been valuable in shaping #NIH’s discussion on how to strengthen our efforts.” Have you ever gotten that kind of support and acknowledgement from Vanderbilt administrators?
27:10 - Has your #MeTooSTEM work interfered with your research and grant ability?
30:35 - How do you think your tenure case relates to your activism? The timeline as I understand it is that you were initially recommended and approved for tenure but then that decision was reversed after Vanderbilt Med School CEO Jeffrey Balser asked for the committee to review the decision. Can you talk about your tenure process and the nature of your grievance?
30:45 - So we’re talking here on February 28th...what’s the current status of your case? Is your employment in the hands of Vanderbilt Chancellor Zeppos?
35:50 - You’ve said that you’ve lost 4.5 years of your career and there is no path back. What steps can be taken to lower the price of defiance?
39:45 - Anita Hill, now a professor at Brandeis, wrote you a letter of support. She called you a hero and wrote, “The impact on you and your career are not to be underestimated.” How did that feel??
41:17 - How can listeners support you?
46:25 - What are your plans for the future of #MeTooSTEM?

Nashville Sounding Board is a podcast dedicated to discussing social and political issues affecting Middle Tennessee.
www.nashvillesoundingboard.com
www.facebook.com/NashvilleSoundingBoard
www.twitter.com/NashSoundBoard

NSB is produced by Benjamin Eagles. Views expressed by Benjamin Eagles in this podcast and on social media are his alone and do not reflect the views of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.

Interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Music by Craig Turner and Joe Halberstadt

After a decade of reporting in Nashville, Joey Garrison is off to Boston! Joey covered Metro Nashville government and local politics for The Tennessean after covering local issues including education for the Nashville City Paper.

Topics by minute:
1:23 - When are you launching your sports podcast?
3:00 - Would you rather see a Preds Stanley Cup, Titans Super Bowl or Vandy Final Four?
4:30 - How did you get into journalism?
7:36 - What is one thing that people might not know about your background?
8:55 - How will your job in Boston compare to your beat in Nashville?
11:05 - City Paper or Tennessean, which one was your favorite experience?
12:12 - Experience covering education
14:15 - Reporting on Great Hearts Academy story
16:30 - Did you prefer covering education or Metro government?
19:00 - 2019 Mayoral election and John Cooper's decision
22:00 - Bill Freeman's chances
24:20 - What reporting that you did in Nashville are you most proud of?
25:30 - Reporting on the Megan Barry scandal
29:20 - What's the most frustrating part about local journalism?
32:15 - Layoffs and the future of local papers
34:20 - You win the lottery and become a publisher -- who do you hire?
36:00 - What's your best story idea that never ran?
37:25 - Who is the most interesting local politician who people may not know about?
38:17 - Would you ever consider working in an elected official's administration?
38:45 - Thoughts on working for a PR firm?
40:00 - Joey's thoughts on the direction of Nashville
42:25 - Joey's idea for reforming council meetings
45:35 - What advice would you have for a college student interested in a journalism career?
47:00 - What will you miss most about Nashville?
48:25 - Any plans to return to Nashville?
48:45 - Signing off with some closing thoughts