On this week’s 51%, we check in on the progress of women in the military, hear from a woman behind an initiative called BlackStoriesMatter and meet a Tony winner come cartoon laureate. I’m Allison Dunne and this is 51%.
Members of Congress have been asking the Pentagon for more details on how it's responding to the Marine Corps photo scandal. The military is conducting a criminal investigation after hundreds of current and former Marines allegedly shared inappropriate photos of their female colleagues. The scandal has disappointed some veterans who helped break down barriers for women in the military, but they say it shouldn't overshadow the progress of female troops. Bobbie O'Brien reports.
This story was produced by the American Homefront Project -- a collaboration of North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC, KPCC-Los Angeles, and WUSF-Tampa, with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Bob Woodruff Foundation.
A Kingston, New York-based non-profit group TMI Project recently debuted #BlackStoriesMatter--Live!, a performance that featured true stories from 11 participants about the experience of being black in America. It was the first time TMI Project live-streamed a performance and kicked off a national digital campaign, a campaign that is ongoing and welcomes contributions. I spoke with TMI Project co-founder and executive director Eva Tenuto about the effort, starting with how it came about.
Eva Tenuto is co-founder and executive director of TMI Project is a non-profit organization offering transformative memoir workshops and performances, inviting storytellers and audience members to explore new perspectives.
The Vermont House recently passed a resolution designating the state's third cartoonist laureate. The laurels were presented to Tony winner Alison Bechdel. 51%’s Pat Bradley reports.
Sarah Steinman is far from the only Minnesotan of Swedish descent. But so far, she's the only Minnesotan to become a reality television star in Sweden. KFAI's Mason Butler tells us the unlikely story of how that happened.
We now bring you an essay from writer Dr. Jeri Burns.
Dr. Jeri Burns is a storyteller, writer, and educator living in New York's Hudson Valley. You can find her at www.storycrafters.com. She also is an adjunct professor in the Department of Communication at the State University of New York at New Paltz.
And that's our show this week. Thanks to Patrick Garrett for production assistance. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock. Our theme music is Glow in the Dark by Kevin Bartlett. This show is a national production of Northeast Public Radio. If you’d like to hear this show again, sign up for our podcast, or visit the 51% archives on our web site at wamc.org. And follow us on Twitter @51PercentRadio
