Culture

New doc dissects the challenges, feats of pastors-turned-atheists

A new documentary called “Refusing My Religion” is diving into the issue of former pastors coming out as atheists. The film is nearing completion and features a number of the world’s leading authorities on atheism.

Host Jamila Bey spoke with documentary filmmakers Marc Levine and Michael Dorian to discuss the film.

Part 1:

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Part 2:

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Michelle Obama flexes muscles in gun control debate

Michelle Obama, known for the White House vegetable garden and her “Let’s Move!” program, is showing another side to the public during her participation in America’s gun control debate.

Voice of Russia’s Carmen Russell-Sluchansky and Jamila Bey with more:

 

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Bey and Russell-Sluchansky talk about the cultural push back the First Lady may receive for talking about gun violence as a black woman.

 

“Saturday Night Widows” tells story of woman taking grief into her own hands

Journalist Becky Aikman’s new book, “Saturday Night Widows”, chronicles her journey from young widow to a woman learning to heal and finding love again.

Voice of Russia’s Jamila Bey talks with author Becky Aikman about her new book:

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From getting kicked out of a grieving widow’s support group to rounding up a motley crew of friends who wanted to find joy again, the book explains her own journey in a culture which isn’t particularly good at dealing with helping people to cope with death.

 

Advocate: Women making tiny victories in workplace, but much progress remains

Next Tuesday marks Equal Pay Day, a day to draw attention to the disparity in pay between men and women and the disparities between the pay of Caucasian workers and those who are not.

Host Jamila Bey spoke with Linda Merica, national executive director of the women’s labor organization 9to5, to discuss where women of color and women in general stand in the fight for equal rights in the labor force.

 

 

Ohio dad went too far in punishing kids over ‘twerking’ video, poet says

A video of an Ohio father using a video cord to whip his 12- and 14-year-old daughters for posting a sexy dancing video online has gone viral and raised numerous questions on the issue of parenting and corporal punishment.

Host Jamila Bey spoke with poet Bomani Armah to talk about whether or not parents should be spanking their children.

 

 

Former “Quiverfull” adherents discuss marriage without birth control

On the eve of major decisions about gay marriage, Jamila Bey takes a look at a form of marriage that puts procreation before everything else.

Voice of Russia’s Jamila Bey talks with Vyckie Garrison, blogger at No Longer Quivering, Joe Sands from Incongruous Circumspection, andBruce Gerencser:

Part I:

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Part 2:

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Part 3:

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Bloggers and former adherents to the patriarchal “Quiverfull” movement talk about what it was like living as part of families that eschewed birth control, working wives, and even the consideration of their wives’ health in pursuit of the ideal Christian family.

 

Facebook exec’s new book fails to address African American women

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s book, “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead,” continues to be hotly debated across the country. While many people see lessons that can be taken and applied across the work spectrum, critics of Sandberg say that her book doesn’t adequately address a majority of working American women.

Host Jamila Bey spoke with journalist and commentator Mary C. Curtis and attorney-turned-political commentator and writer Jeneba Ghatt about how the concepts of “Lean In” can be applied to African American women.

 

How rampant plagiarism negatively affects American news consumption

Every so often news consumers and producers come across the headlines that for many journalists feel like a punch to the gut, “(Insert publication name here) suspends reporter Joe Schmoe (a fake name) for plagiarism.”

For some journalists, this punch stings not for any ill will about the fate of said reporter but for the potential damage across the board to the credibility of all journalists and all publications. In a digital age, it is becoming faster and easier to identify quotes and passages lifted without attribution, and yet, the problem persists.

To address this problem, the American Copy Editors Society will debut the National Summit on Plagiarism and Fabrication at its upcoming national conference on April 5.

Host Jamila Bey spoke with Teresa Schmedding, deputy managing editor/digital operations with the Daily Herald and president of ACES, to discuss how rampant plagiarism and fabrication negatively affect the news that Americans consume.

 

 

Experts: CPAC needs to focus on compassion, not numbers

This year’s CPAC focuses on changing the Republican message to reach out to women and African Americans.

Voice of Russia’s Jamila Bey and Carmen Russell-Sluchansky talk about their impressions of this year’s CPAC:

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In the edition, Russell-Sluchansky and Bey critique Republican outreach, which gives the impression that it’s driven by a need for higher voting numbers rather than actually caring about people.

Bey says that the Republican party wants to be “more inclusive”, with a message of “tolerance”. However, she, like many other black women, “does not want to be tolerated” in the face of support for things such as Stop and Frisk and decreased access to medical care.

 

In Ohio rape case, ‘never said no’ does not mean consent

The trial involving two teenagers accused of raping an intoxicated teenager has divided the small community of Steubenville, Ohio, as some rally behind the accused perpetrators, stars of the local football team, while others say the victim was too drunk to protest.

The issue has been further complicated by the fact that some 40 high schoolers looked on as the girl was carried from party to party, snapping cell phone photos and taking cell phone videos but never intervening, calling authorities or even putting an end to the abuse.

Host Jamila Bey spoke with Beth Presswood, host of the Godless Bitches podcast, to discuss the case.

 

Atheist group denied permission to march in Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade

After being denied permission to participate in Kansas City’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, the Kansas City Atheist Coalition will be holding an “Ask an Atheist” even on a street near the parade route.

Host Jamila Bey spoke with Coalition President Sarah Hargreaves and Vice President Josh Hyde to discuss the denial and their alternative parade activity.

 

 

NYPD shooting victim’s vigil turns violent in Brooklyn

 Protests and chaos have erupted in New York City this week after two plainclothes police officers shot and killed 16-year-old Kimani Gray, who police alleged was pointing a gun at them, on Saturday in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn.

Police have arrested more than 45 people through three nights of protests as the community continues to question the police account of what happened.

Host Jamila Bey spoke with Danny Gold, a Brooklyn-based freelance journalist who has been covering the protests, to talk about the impact they’re having on the city.