Episodes
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New Book Uncovers the History of Black Homeownership on Martha’s Vineyard
They came as housekeepers, whalers and indentured servants in the 19th century: Black families who settled permanently on Martha’s Vineyard. Their hidden history is uncovered in a new book, “Black Homeownership on Martha’s Vineyard: A History,” by authors Thomas Dresser and Richard Taylor. We speak with Dresser and Taylor about tracing the existence of Black people on the Vineyard to before the Revolutionary War, unearthing centuries-old stories and why Martha’s Vineyard has been a haven for Black families for generations. -
The Enduring Legacy of Miles Davis’ Iconic Album, “Kind of Blue”
Seven musicians, two recordings, five songs: musical magic. This week marks the 65th anniversary of “Kind of Blue,” the iconic album recorded and performed by a young group of talented rising stars – John Coltrane, Julian “Cannonball” Adderly, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb and Wynton Kelly – before they were jazz legends, all under the leadership of the visionary trumpeter Miles Davis. “Kind of Blue” remains a treasured classic recording and is still selling copies, still taught in music classrooms, still covered by jazz musicians and still deconstructed by cultural critics. So why has Kind of Blue endured as the top classic jazz album for 65 years? We speak with three jazz experts to learn more about the revolutionary album. -
Not Just Kamala Harris: How Indian and South Asian American Women Are Shaping Local, State and National Politics
Two high-profile Indian American women – Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Usha Vance, wife of Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance, are shining a spotlight on South Asian women in politics. They’re just two of the 4.4 million Indian Americans in this country – the largest Asian demographic identifying solely from one country, and an increasingly powerful voting bloc. As Vice President Kamala Harris officially accepts the Democratic nomination this week, will South Asian women mobilize for her campaign? And how are they shaping the 2024 elections in their communities and states, both as active voters and as candidates? -
Local Musicians and DJs Shine on City of Boston’s “Dear Summer: Volume 2” Mixtape
Boston released “Dear Summer: Volume 1” last year – its first official summer mixtape and the country's only city-sponsored one. From hip-hop to rock to jazz, the new platform showcased the talents of local musicians and Boston’s rich musical heritage and legacy. Now “Dear Summer: Volume 2” is live featuring a new set of artists: six DJs and 17 artists (6-1-7, get it?) from the Greater Boston area for a 2-hour-long soundscape. This second annual collaboration has two aims: to “connect residents across neighborhoods through music, and to celebrate summer.” We speak with the mixtape’s co-producers to learn about this year’s edition. -
Local News: Jon Santiago, A Safer Solution For Morton-Gallivan and Sen. Warren on Marijuana
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley — marginalized voters gave rising star Jon Santiago the victory, plans to make a notoriously dangerous intersection safer are in the works, and Senator Warren finally goes public with her support for legalized marijuana in Massachusetts. It’s those stories and more on our local news roundtable!Guests:Jennifer Smith - News editor of the Dorchester Reporter.Gin Dumcius - Boston-based reporter for MassLive.com.Seth Daniel - Senior reporter with the Independent News Group, which includes the Chelsea Record and Revere Journal.Later in the show...Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock it’s no news “Crazy Rich Asians” has been a crazy box office success, grossing nationally at nearly $140 million to date. It was one of several films featuring prominent Asian casts to captivate audiences world-wide in the last month, proving once again that diversity does sell. The phenomenon isn’t limited to the silver screen either, social media is singing praises for Netflix’s new teen romance, “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.” And earlier in the summer, Sandra Oh became the first Asian woman to be nominated for best leading actress at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards, taking place September 17th, for her performance in the BBC America drama series, “Killing Eve.”The enthusiastic response to these films and their casts has inspired wide-spread discussion among the Asian American and film communities about the importance of diversity and representation in Hollywood. Joining us on Under the Radar this week to discuss this cultural moment are:Elena Creef - Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at Wellesley College. She specializes in Asian American visual history in photography, film and popular culture. Follow Elena on Twitter.Jenny Korn - Fellow and the Founding Coordinator of the Race and Media Working Group at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Follow Jenny on Twitter.Michael Tow - Brookline-based professional actor, director and producer. His acting credits include “Unfinished Business,” “Master of None” and the upcoming “Slenderman” movie. Follow Michael on Twitter. -
New play 'Toni Stone' tells the story of one of America's forgotten baseball stars
In the days when professional baseball was segregated into white and Black teams, a Black woman named Toni Stone made history. Stone was a sports phenom, and she rose through the ranks to become the first woman to play regularly in the Negro leagues, a series of men's professional baseball leagues. The teams attracted talented players including Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron. But Stone proved to be of the same caliber — when Aaron was picked up by Major League Milwaukee Braves, Stone took his position at second base with the all-male Indianapolis Clowns in 1953.“I had not heard of Toni Stone, and I was shocked and dismayed and then really not surprised at all, because that's what history does to black women,” said Lydia Diamond, author of the play, “Toni Stone.” “That's what history does to Black people. That's what history does to women of all colors. But then it angered me, and I felt like I had to take it on, and that it was my honor to take it on.”Until recently, Stone’s remarkable story had been largely forgotten. Award-winning playwright, Lydia Diamond, takes on Stone's story in a new play featured at The Huntington Theatre.GUESTLydia Diamond, award-winning playwright whose works include “The Gift Horse,” “Smart People,” “Stick Fly” (Broadway) and “The Bluest Eye,” she is an associate professor of playwriting at the University of Illinois in Chicago, and her new play, “Toni Stone,” is running at the Huntington Theatre -
Worcester found a solution to the lifeguard shortage
This week on Under the Radar's Local News Roundtable — City Hall shifts, ballot questions, lifeguard news and more.Boston’s Environmental Chief is moving on. Rev. Mariama White-Hammond used her three-year cabinet tenure to amplify equity in the city’s environmental policies from expanding the city’s green jobs to reducing heat islands in neighborhoods. She left the position to focus on her role as a pastor at Dorchester’s New Roots AME Church.Plus, advocates for rideshare companies are hyping up their public campaign for a potential November ballot question that would decide whether their drivers would be classified as employees rather than independent contractors.And the city of Worcester’s new partnership with the YMCA of Central Massachusetts could solve their lifeguard shortage — an ongoing problem in the summer for many Bay State communities.Dip your toes in those stories and more on Under the Radar's Local News Roundtable. GUESTSGin Dumcius, reporter at CommonWealth BeaconMike Deehan, reporter at Axios BostonKatie Lannan, State House reporter at GBH News -
'I'm the mother, that's why': Reflecting on the quirkiness and wisdom of motherhood
Mother expressions run the gamut of familiar advice.”If everybody jumps off the bridge, will you do it, too?” “I’m the mother; that’s why.” “We have food at home.”These and other motherly quips have lasting resonance — not always positive.“If you came to my mom and told her you were bored, you got assigned a cleaning task. Can't be bored washing the windows, you know?” Carissa Burk, author of “The Little Green Book of Mothers’ Wisdom” told Under the Radar.This Mother’s Day we reflect on the sayings, quotes and expressions that both nurture and challenge our relationship with mom. Rachel Marie Martin, author of “Mom Enough: Inspiring Letters for the Wonderfully Exhausting but Totally Normal Days of Motherhood,” says that ultimately, motherhood is about doing your best. She said you can find value even in your mistakes.“Learning from it [a mistake] and really learning to embrace the other women that get to walk this journey with you — and walking hand in hand without the judging, but with the loving and knowing that they too are really trying to do their best,” she said.GUESTSCarissa Burk, CEO of Creative Green Living Media Group, author of “The Little Green Book of Mothers' Wisdom”Rachel Marie Martin, founder of findingjoy.net and author of “Mom Enough: Inspiring Letters for the Wonderfully Exhausting but Totally Normal Days of Motherhood” -
70 years after Brown v. Board of Education, work remains to integrate schools
On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court overturned legal segregation in America’s public schools in the landmark ruling, Brown v. Board of Education. The decision dissolved the “separate but equal” doctrine, effectively ending legal segregation in American education.The ruling 70 years ago was a defining moment for the country’s racial progress — it also marked the beginning of what turned out to be a slow and arduous process of integrating Black students into majority white schools. In 1974, Boston drew national headlines for the violent response to the busing of Black students. And it wasn’t until 1988, more than 30 years after the Brown decision, before close to half of Black students were in desegregated schools. Since then the numbers have significantly decreased.On this 70th anniversary, Under the Radar considers the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education in Boston and nationwide.GUESTSTomiko Brown-Nagin, dean of the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School and professor of history at Harvard UniversityMichaele N. Turnage Young, senior counsel and co-manager of the Equal Protection Initiative at the Legal Defense FundAlisa R. Drayton, executive director of the Yawkey Club of Roxbury -
'One Last Word' finds the comedy in what happens when you tell someone how you really feel
Author Suzanne Park's new rom-com, “One Last Word,” is a novel centered around a Korean tech entrepreneur — and what happens when her new app accidentally sends intimate messages to all the important people in her life.“Her goal is just to get from point A to point B. I've been conditioned to work hard and get good grades and work hard at work, and I'll get promoted, and my life will go in this trajectory that's predictable,” said Park. “And then when all of this falls apart and, crumbles around her, she sees that what she had thought in her life, as her life plan, isn't actually turning out the way she thought it was.”The fictional main character Sarah Chae is jobless, estranged from her best friend, and still carrying a torch for a high school buddy who has no idea how she feels. She puts her life on hold to create a new app about death — but then it all blows up.Park said her main character's story is not just figuring out her career and romantic life. “She also has to figure out, is her life outlook even aligned to where it should be? Because she had believed all these things before and now she's seeing that what she had believed is actually not necessarily true,” said Park.The new romantic comedy serves up a life-altering pivot for Sarah that leads to an even sweeter happy ending. “One Last Word” is Park's latest novel and the May selection for “Bookmarked: The Under the Radar Book Club.” Listen to the full interview above.GUESTSuzanne Park, author of four romance novels, including her latest, ”One Last Word”
