Episodes
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Roxbury International Film Festival celebrates 25 years of highlighting Black artists
The Roxbury International Film Festival is back for its 25th year. Rox Fest, as it's commonly known, is the largest New England Film Festival that highlights films by, for, and about people of color. This year's program includes 84 films -- features and documentaries -- with topics ranging from unsung heroes to Boston’s Black Queer representation. Bianca Isaac, director of one of the festival's opening films, The Honeymoon, says she wanted to portray three women of color as main characters that are not dying, or being abused: "Take away rape, take away abuse. We are still three normal human beings, we're three women. And the things that I go through are the same things a person who's not of color goes through. And so, it was important to show the world that Africans aren't different. We're not just bleeding hearts; please save me from a mountain. You know, these things happen in our lives. And I want that to come through." The festival runs from June 20th to July 2nd with both in-person and online events scheduled throughout Boston. "It all starts with the films. It all starts with the filmmakers who are telling these stories and telling them so beautifully," said Lisa Simmons, artistic and executive director of the Festival. "It's these deep, powerful stories. And that's one of the things about our festival that I think people like, as well as the filmmakers and the audiences. It is about those deeper stories that we like to get into that we would like to have conversations about. And in a couple of them we're putting a deeper conversation and a panel discussion around them because we think that that's important." GUESTS Lisa Simmons, artistic and executive director of the Roxbury International Film Festival Bianca Isaac, producer, writer and director of The Honeymoon -
Advocates believe Massachusetts may finally set sex education standards
For 12 years, sex education advocates in Massachusetts have been pushing for a comprehensive bill to become law. But for 12 years, that proposal has floundered. The Healthy Youth Act would standardize sex education in schools that choose to participate. Right now, sex education is “completely unregulated” in Massachusetts, said Jaclyn Friedman, chair of the Healthy Youth Act Coalition. “In some school districts, they have policy on the books. Worcester and Boston provide, for example, great sex education that actually will be perfectly in line with the Healthy Youth Act when it passes,” Friedman told Under the Radar. “But in many communities, there is nothing on the books at all. And so, you might get no sex and relationships education. You might get really harmful propaganda that teaches shame about girls and sexuality, LGBTQ students and sexuality. You might get misinformation, or you might get good sex education. It's completely the luck of the draw.” But now supporters think the bill could pass in coming months — especially with Gov. Maura Healey in office. “We have a strong supporter in Healey's administration,” said Jennifer Hart, vice president of education, learning and engagement at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts. “Massachusetts is a trailblazer in all of these areas and now in a post-Roe landscape, we really need to double down on making sure that our young people have all the information that they need to be able to delay sex, to decrease unintended pregnancy, to improve their own health overall.” Hart said all the pieces of the puzzle are coming together, and that she is optimistic Massachusetts will soon implement sex ed standards. Even if the bill stalls, change may be on the horizon. Healey has recently proposed new updates to Massachusetts’ health education framework that could bypass the state Legislature. The draft framework will be reviewed by the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on June 27. If the draft is approved to be sent out for comment, the public will have 60 days to weigh in. GUESTS Jennifer Hart, vice president of education, learning and engagement at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts Jaclyn Friedman, chair of the Healthy Youth Act Coalition and executive director of Educate Us, a sex education advocacy organization -
How fatherhood has evolved and what it means to be a dad in 2023
Indifferent. Working. Absent. Stereotypes of fathers as disengaged and unloving are common, and generally underscored with longstanding cultural images of dads as incompetent in the role as parent. But a cultural shift in how modern-day fathers interact with their kids is changing the image and role of fatherhood. "What we're seeing today is that these dads are saying, ya know, I'm not perfect but I'm giving myself another shot to be great and I'm going to continue do my job as a father," Dr. Charles Daniels Jr. told Under the Radar. "Grace, I would say, is what's required for fathers to be great parents." "Women still, of course, carry the brunt of the time for childcare and home chores," says Dr. Harvey Karp, CEO of Happiest Baby. Still, he says modern day fatherhood means "more and more we're seeing fathers wanting to be engaged, having the empathic capabilities of being engaged, and we see them increasing, really over the last 50 years, doubling or tripling the amount of time they spend in childcare and in household chores." Alberto Malacarne is the father of a two-year-old and expecting a second child in August. He told Under the Radar responsibilities are shared in his family's household: "I think me and my wife would be really 50/50 in everything, you know, 50/50 in providing both financially in the sense that, you know, we both have a good and stable job and both 50/50 providing care for our child." Research shows younger dads are more involved in their children's lives than ever before. Dr. Raymond Levy, director of The Fatherhood Project, believes this a trend that will only continue to grow: "I'm very optimistic in this way. I'm excited about young fathers who want to be very engaged now. … I think that will continue. I'm excited about the fact that more men and more fathers buy into the idea that self-awareness, psychological sophistication, awareness of parenting, principles of development, and personal capacity for empathy and nurturance. I see all that increasing over time." GUESTS: Alberto Malacarne, father of a 2-year old daughter, expecting a second child in August Dr. Raymond Levy, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, founder and director of The Fatherhood Project Dr. Charles Daniels, Jr., co-founder and CEO of Fathers’ Uplift Dr. Harvey Karp, pediatrician, founder and CEO of Happiest Baby, and author of “The Happiest Baby on the Block" Additional music provided by: Title: Go Tell It On The Molehill Author/Source: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Doctor_Turtle/ License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ -
Juneteenth is shared with a new generation through these children's book authors
June 19th, 1865, marked the first Juneteenth celebrations. Formerly enslaved Americans living in Texas got the official word that they were free men and women that day -- more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Parades, and festivals will mark this year's federal holiday with community observances nationwide sharing the story of Juneteenth. But until relatively recently for many Americans, the holiday was unheard of, including for Kim Taylor author of A Flag for Juneteenth, "In 2014 I went to a party with a friend to celebrate Juneteenth, and at that time I hadn't heard of Juneteenth. My parents didn't know about it, they didn't teach it, and it wasn't a part of my school curriculum." Many schools didn't teach about the holiday, and it's a story that is not necessarily easy to explain to children. But some children’s book authors have managed to talk about the joyful celebration while tackling the uncomfortable reality of the history. "I wanted to sure that people saw themselves. That there was a little girl like me who wanted to know more about Juneteenth, she saw herself in that story," said Dr. Arlisha Norwood, talking about her book, The History of Juneteenth: A History Book for New Readers. "It's soldiers and freedom and slavery; all really complicated issues for children. And so, my approach to writing it was, I was writing for myself, the six-year-old Arlisha Norwood who wanted to know more about Juneteenth." Carole Boston Weatherford, author of Juneteenth Jamboree, told Under the Radar, "What I try to do is just give them details that will paint a picture, but won't provide necessarily the scary parts, or the parts they're not ready to process. In this book, I don't talk at all about what slavery was like, I talk about what finding freedom was like. I have other books that get into more details about slavery. But I think with any children's book you figure out which details you want to include for the story you want to tell and the audience you want to share the story with." GUESTS Kim Taylor, speech-language pathologist at the Lexington School for the Deaf in New York City, textile artist and author of ‘A Flag for Juneteenth’ Dr. Arlisha Norwood, assistant professor at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and author of “The History of Juneteenth: A History Book for New Readers” Carole Boston Weatherford, professor of English at Fayetteville State University, author of “Juneteenth Jamboree,” and 70+ books -
How we can make the language of fine wine more palatable
Is it acidic and astringent? Or bright and brilliant? For many Americans, the world of fine wine can feel exclusionary because of the way we talk about wine. That's why some in the wine business are moving away from describing "earthiness" and whether a wine "has seen wood." "This kind of [language] is not just to alienate normal people. This kind of conversation is really very technical, like the way car lovers would talk about the technical elements of a car," said Jonathon Alsop, founder and executive director of the Boston Wine School. "But one of the things that we in the wine business need to change is that communicating is not just talking. Some part of communicating is also the listening part, and letting the other person talk every now and then. And this is something that we're starting to learn in the wine world." Alsop also said there's potential for confusion when someone says a wine "has a lot of grapefruit in it," for example, when there's not actually any grapefruit in the blend. So what should you drink this summer? Alsop recommended vinho verde from Portugal. It's a bargain white wine at about $10 a bottle, and the wine itself is a little bit bubbly and has an interesting flavor because it's a blend of three to five different grapes. And Alsop said it's not a wine you have to spend a lot of time appreciating — just open it and drink. To pair with your wine this summer, Amy Traverso, senior food editor at Yankee Magazine, recommended a few items for the grill: "clambake" grill packets, pull-apart garlic bread, blueberry-gingersnap crumble and s'mores dip. Plus, old-fashioned cottage cheese is making a comeback. "Cottage cheese is the Greek yogurt of cottage cheese," Traverso said. "The flavor is more neutral, it doesn't have the acidity, and it's easier to go in either a savory or a sweet direction with cottage cheese. It's high in protein for people who care about that, it's low in fat for people who care about that. ... If you look on TikTok there are 250 million views for hashtag 'cottage cheese.'" Our food and wine contributors are sipping and savoring those stories and more on our Food and Wine Roundtable. GUESTS Jonathon Alsop, founder and executive director of the Boston Wine School, author of “The Wine Lover’s Devotional” Amy Traverso, senior food editor at Yankee Magazine, cohost of GBH’sWeekends with Yankee and author of “The Apple Lover’s Cookbook” -
Boston's Pride celebrations aim to be more inclusive this year
From parades and parties to activism and protests, LGBTQ+ folks in Massachusetts and across the country are in the midst of celebrating Pride month. But Boston’s relationship with Pride has a complicated recent history. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the signature Pride parade and other events in 2020 and 2021. And in July 2021, Boston Pride, the group that organized the city’s parade for decades, was accused of racism and mismanagement. Boston Pride then dismantled. "I think it goes back to when there were certain trans leaders asking to lead the conversation, asking for more representation, we kept being told that we could get to that," Julia Golden, interim president of Trans Resistance MA, said about Boston Pride's dissolution. "I think that there has been harm done to the trans community by leaving us as an afterthought again. To really showcase Pride is to put those who are marginalized first." A new organization, Boston Pride For The People, has now emerged and is promising a more inclusive organization and celebrations. "I wouldn't have it any other way, having Trans Resistance and many other groups hold us accountable for the role that we are aiming to take, which is to organize our city's Pride parade and festival," said Adrianna Boulin, president of Boston Pride For The People. "We don't believe that — with the parade and festival that we've planned this year — that we've reached a point of perfection and have completely fixed everything or healed areas that need to be. We want to move humbly and are aiming to move humbly. We want to present what we feel or what we've aimed to be community informed and to have that continuous feedback loop of information of what we're aiming to do, what our actual outcomes are. ... We want to be able to follow that path and have it be a process that the community is actually a part of. And we've aimed to include community in our planning up to this point for the parade and festival, and that's not going to stop." GUESTS Adrianna Boulin, president of Boston Pride For The People Julia Golden, interim president of Trans Resistance MA -
Three local librarians share their top summer reading picks
Summer 2023 is upon us, and we're ready to bury our faces in a book we can’t wait to read. As bestselling author Stephen King notes, “books are a uniquely portable magic,” and they're often on the move during the summer months: jammed into jean pockets, lining beach towels, and stacked up on vacation bedside tables. For our annual summer reading special, three local librarians return with their curated lists from 2023’s best offerings — from thrillers to young adult novels, to romance and science fiction. “The book opens right here in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1910, where Agnes Carter, a wealthy donor to a university, which is presumably Harvard, hires a naturalist and glassblowing phenom from Bohemia to create a collection of glass botanical models,” said Susannah Borysthen-Tkacz, senior librarian at the Cambridge Public Library, about one of her summer reading favorites, Glassworks by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith. “Meanwhile, Agnes is struggling with her own suffocating marriage and becomes increasingly enmeshed in this glass artist's life. … And the common thread through all of it is glass. And it sort of is a metaphor for the delicate structure of the family. We see their families shatter and sort of rebuild itself over and over again.” Robin Brenner, teen librarian at the Public Library of Brookline, chose Malcolm Kid and the Perfect Song by Austin Paramore in part because it is written for younger teens: “It plays on the idea of making a deal with the Crossroads Devil, for music, which is something I've always enjoyed as a trope and certainly comes from true jazz mythology and jazz history. And in this case, it's a young man who is trying to prove that he wants to be a musician and, specifically, playing piano, but cannot afford his own keyboard and is kind of desperate to prove to his dad, who's very disapproving of the idea of this as a career. And he reconnects with an old friend from the neighborhood and ends up making a deal that he doesn't realize he's making with this very shady store owner who gives him a keyboard for free. Of course, there is a different price for it.” “There's a king, he has three sons, he sends them out on various, completely ridiculous quests," said Veronica Koven-Matasy, reader services librarian at the Boston Public Library, about one of her recommendations, White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link. “And the youngest son finds himself at the house of a white cat who mysteriously can talk. And all of her servants are cats, and they mysteriously produce all the things that he needs to succeed in his quest. … He is supposed to bring back a bride. And he says, ‘Oh, I don't really want to bring back a wife.’ And the white cat says, ‘Oh, you bring me.’ And he has to prove his faith in her by cutting off her head when she tells him to. And then immediately a beautiful woman springs out. And, you know, it’s the perfect woman. And obviously he's the superior son who brought back the superior bride. And he gets to be the king. … You enjoy being surprised by stories as well as well as just really enjoying the beautiful prose that's carrying you through. I really recommend [this], I was shocked many times.” GUESTS Susannah Borysthen-Tkacz, senior librarian at the Cambridge Public Library Robin Brenner, teen librarian at the Public Library of Brookline Veronica Koven-Matasy, reader services librarian at the Boston Public Library -
Why 37,369 flags will wave in the Boston Common this Memorial Day
For over a decade, hundreds of volunteers have convened on the Boston Common to plant tens of thousands of flags in the leadup to Memorial Day. This year, 37,369 have been placed in the park, each one representing a service member from Massachusetts who gave their life since the Revolutionary War. The Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund created the event in 2010. The group "got together to say, what can we do to have this living memorial where we can demonstrate a very outward facing response to recognizing the service and sacrifice of our fallen heroes," Brig. Gen. Jack Hammond told Under the Radar. "And so this is one of the best ways to do it on Memorial Day weekend ... hundreds of thousands of people will walk through there over the next few days and really see that visual support that we're providing in that commitment to our military families." For surviving family members, the flag-planting is much more than just a symbolic act, it's also a moment of remembrance and celebration. "My husband Brett loved a good ceremony," said Rhonda Garvin Conaway, spouse of a fallen Massachusetts service member. "And now here I am today, saying my husband's name. ... Thinking about that is very powerful and helped me put my pain somewhere to remember that I'm not alone. And for all the pain that I may have, another family also shares in that. And that unites us and bonds us in a way that reminds us of our humanity." GUESTS Jack Hammond, retired Brigadier General and executive director of Home Base, a nonprofit dedicated to veteran care, co-organizer of the Memorial Day Boston Common Flag Garden Rhonda Garvin Conaway, spouse of a fallen Massachusetts service member -
Retirement? As if! Why some aren't saving because of an uncertain future
Why bother saving for retirement when the world is ending? The climate change crisis, sky-high inflation and political turmoil are driving some young people to spend for today instead of saving up for an uncertain future. A recent survey found that nearly 75% of Gen Zers prefer higher quality of life than extra money in savings. Another revealed that 55% of people ages 18-35 have put saving for retirement on the back burner. Gen Z is also amassing credit card debt faster than any other age group. "The younger we are, the more likely we are to be present-focused, versus future-focused, and the more likely we are to have, quite frankly, destructive beliefs around money," Brad Klontz, a financial psychologist, told Under the Radar. Tremendous debt also helps explain this trend, according to local financial consultant, Kimberly Zimmerman Rand. "Here in the Boston area where we have high housing costs and many people are entering the workforce with high student loans, there's more of an orientation towards today and less of an orientation towards tomorrow," she said. Concern over climate change may also be fueling a more carefree relationship with money, and dire reports can validate those fears. Are young people simply responding rationally to turbulent times? Klontz says this apocalyptic anxiety is common through the generations. "I can only imagine what it must have been like to be living through World War II or the Great Depression, World War I, back when the Spanish flu pandemic was happening," he said. "I mean, I feel like there's just been a long history of feeling like the world is going to end during my life. ... You can enjoy today — and you should — but you should also be planning and saving for the future." GUESTS Brad Klontz, financial psychologist and Managing Principal of Your Mental Wealth Advisors Kimberly Zimmerman Rand, principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions LLC -
'Join or Die' argues the fate of America depends on joining a club
“Join or Die.” It’s the urgent title of a new documentary about “America’s civic unraveling,” as the filmmakers describe it, arguing that the country’s long decline in community connections is undermining America's democracy. The film centers around the research of Robert Putnam, the retired Harvard social scientist, whose book “Bowling Alone: the Collapse and Revival of American Communities,” arguably changed America's understanding of the importance of community. "There are two different kinds of consequences of our social connections, or of the absence of social connections. One set has to do with how being a loner affects us personally," said Robert Putnam. "The title of the film 'Join or Die,' refers to that set of consequences, because it's quite clear. And I made this [point] originally in Bowling Alone while I was writing it 25 years ago. But it's now become even clearer. Your chances of dying over the next year are cut in half by joining one group, cut in three quarters by joining two groups. In other words, there are major physical and many other effects on you personally, if you become isolated." Now, decades since "Bowling Alone" was published filmmakers take another look at the decline in social connections and how a loneliness epidemic has contributed to the decline. "It was an opportunity to zoom out a little bit, and not just cover the symptoms, but really look at what are these root causes," said Rebecca Davis, co-director and co-producer of Join or Die."I also felt in the news we were doing a lot of stories about 'this is bad, this is bad,' but not nearly enough about what can we do and where we can look for hope." GUESTS Robert D. Putnam, former Malkin Research Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, author of 15 books including Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, and The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again Rebecca Davis, co-director and co-producer of Join or Die
