Us & Them

Trey Kay and WVPB
  • 4.6 (394)
  • SOCIEDAD Y CULTURA
  • CADA MES

We tell stories from the fault lines that separate Americans. Peabody Award-winning public radio producer Trey Kay listens to people on both sides of the divide.

  1. Us & Them Encore: A Band On The Right Side Of History

    HACE 2 DÍAS

    Us & Them Encore: A Band On The Right Side Of History

    The U.S. continues to struggle with racial discrimination and this episode of Us & Them looks back at a moment in the 1960s when music and race intersected. America’s popular music scene is a racially integrated space and there are times when it provides a place to heal the nation’s divides. Host Trey Kay shares a story about a band that took a stand against racism and the musicians who suffered the consequences. Kay heads to the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame to talk with West Virginia musicians of different generations as they talk about their experiences past and present in the local music scene and the way it reflects our divisions and unity.

    35 min
  2. Us & Them Encore: Re-Entry

    22 ENE

    Us & Them Encore: Re-Entry

    For this encore episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay hears about the challenges to America’s incarcerated population as they re-enter society. At least 95% of all state prisoners are released after serving their sentence, more than 600,000 people each year. The re-entry process requires essential tasks; accessing identification materials, birth certificates and sometimes social security materials. How well do programs designed to help formerly incarcerated people succeed? Some people suggest recognizing past traumas may be a powerful step to help people make a new life after they serve their time. This encore episode of Us & Them received a best documentary award from the Public Media Journalists Association in 2023 and was acknowledged with a public service through journalism award from Virginia’s AP broadcasters.

    53 min
  3. Us & Them Encore: Amazing Grace

    8 ENE

    Us & Them Encore: Amazing Grace

    In this encore episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay shares the story of a simple song written more than 250 years ago that now has a profound and universal legacy. John Newton wrote the hymn Amazing Grace to connect with Christians and over decades it’s been sung to a number of melodies. However, addition to its religious origins, it is now a popular folk song and an anthem for civil rights which transcends divisions and speaks to people across time and faiths about shared pain, hope and forgiveness. Newton’s creation may have been inspired by his past as a slave and captain of a slave ship. But today, Amazing Grace is a comforting song of redemption that helps many recover from dark times and see ahead to the light.

    27 min
  4. Us & Them: America’s Civil Rights Champion

    18/12/2025

    Us & Them: America’s Civil Rights Champion

    Many people know Thurgood Marshall as the first African American U.S. Supreme Court justice, however, first he had a long and distinguished career with the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. On this episode of Us & Them, Trey Kay hosts a community conversation highlighting Thurgood Marshall’s legacy and sharing excerpts from a new Maryland Public Television documentary “Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect.” Marshall was the lead attorney for the plaintiffs in the 1954 Brown vs Board of Education case which declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. His work used the law as a tool for social change while dismantling institutional racism and inspiring social reforms.

    52 min
  5. Us & Them: 2025 — Changing Definitions, Upending Institutions

    11/12/2025

    Us & Them: 2025 — Changing Definitions, Upending Institutions

    As we count down to the end of 2025, Us & Them host Trey Kay looks back at the year’s whirlwind of actions and reactions. Each week presented fresh moves in the agenda President Donald Trump outlined during his campaign. First it was a reshaping of the federal government from Elon Musk’s efficiency department, which slashed budgets and agencies and workers. At the same time, additional resources for the Department of Homeland Security means a significant increase in the number of immigration arrests and detentions by federal agents. The use of National Guard troops in U.S. cities tests the limits of the president’s authority while those in the Mountain State mourn the death of a soldier shot in the nation’s capitol. We look at how one-time culture war talking points are reengineering America's defining institutions.

    20 min
  6. Us & Them Encore: Who’s Going To Take Care Of Maw Maw?

    24/11/2025

    Us & Them Encore: Who’s Going To Take Care Of Maw Maw?

    We’re an aging nation. Today 16% of Americans are over 65. In the next few decades that will double as the youngest Baby Boomers move into old age. But in West Virginia, that future is now. It’s the third oldest state in the nation and more than 20% of its residents are over 65. At the same time, West Virginia’s birth rate is low because young people are leaving. That generational imbalance will increase in coming years. The numbers show a growing crisis. Senior care has shifted from a nursing home model to one focused on aging in place. The cost of care is lower the longer people stay in their homes. That’s led to an explosion in home-based support and care services. But now, those companies can’t find the workers they need to provide services for the growing elderly population.

    52 min
  7. Us & Them: The Mythology Of Crime Stats

    13/11/2025

    Us & Them: The Mythology Of Crime Stats

    America’s crime rates have prompted President Donald Trump to deploy federal agents and National Guard troops in a handful of major cities. On this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at what data and statistics can really tell us about the level of violence in our country. Crime continues to be one of the defining issues for the Trump administration, and the president refers to “out of control” crime numbers to deploy soldiers on city streets and support his actions while using federal agents to sweep up undocumented immigrants. However crime rates are inconsistently reported and the analysis is challenging. The administration points to its own actions as a reason for a recent drop in crime, but FBI data show major crime categories have been on the decline for the past two years. In fact a recent poll suggests Americans are less anxious about street crime and more fearful of online scams and school shootings.

    42 min
  8. Us & Them Encore: The Housing Struggle

    23/10/2025

    Us & Them Encore: The Housing Struggle

    America’s housing shortage continues to put affordable homes out of reach for people across the country — from small towns to big cities. While West Virginia has the nation’s highest level of homeownership overall, many residents still struggle to find something that works for their budget. In fact, nearly 140,000 West Virginians spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs. In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at the squeeze in two places—Philadelphia and southern West Virginia—finding that while inventory has improved, costs remain well above pre-pandemic levels and even manufactured homes, once an entry point for many, are slipping out of reach.

    52 min
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We tell stories from the fault lines that separate Americans. Peabody Award-winning public radio producer Trey Kay listens to people on both sides of the divide.

Información

  • Creador
    Trey Kay and WVPB
  • Años de actividad
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodios
    268
  • Clasificación
    Apto
  • Mostrar sitio web
    Us & Them

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