Equal Time with Mary C. Curtis: Recent Episodes
CQ Roll Call
Award-winning journalist Mary C. Curtis tackles policies and politics through the lens of social justice, illuminating the issues that have been, and still are, dividing the country. After all, the world is not so black and white.
Known for his work in the courtroom and the classroom, Harvard Law School's Charles J. Ogletree Jr. is being memorialized by the many he mentored, including former President Barack and first lady Michelle Obama. One of his students, civil rights attorney Areva Martin, was particularly inspired by his work to restore the justice historically denied to so many, including the victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. Martin represents more than 700 survivors and descendants of Palm Springs Section 14 in their quest for reparations after their community was racially targeted, burned out and bulldozed by the city of Palm Springs in the 1950s and 60s. In this episode of "Equal Time," author, activist, attorney and media personality Areva Martin joins Mary C. Curtis in a conversation some Americans would rather avoid. Is resolving America's unpaid debt to many of its citizens necessary before the country can move forward?
Executive Order 9981. President Harry Truman signed it on July 26, 1948, creating the President’s Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services, mandating the desegregation of the U.S. military. As the Truman Library Institute in Washington hosts a commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the landmark decision with a civil rights symposium, there are questions, as well. Some of today’s elected officials have even derided the merit of diversity in the military and as an American value, making it a part of the so-called “culture war.” Yet the order changed the country – and lives. In a ground-breaking 35-year-career, Adm. Michelle Howard (Retired) was the first woman to become a four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy, the first Black woman to captain a U.S. naval ship and the first woman graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy to become an admiral. In this episode of “Equal Time,” she speaks with host Mary C. Curtis about not only history and her story, but also the importance of diversity in building today's military -- and the way forward.
When America started officially honoring Hispanic heritage in 1968, it was a one-week celebration. Though the country now marks National Hispanic Heritage Month, acknowledging how generations of Hispanic Americans have influenced and contributed to our nation doesn't have to end when that month is over. This episode of Equal Time reflects on the issues and challenges facing the community and the country now and into the future. Equal Time host Mary C. Curtis speaks with Larry Gonzalez, an experienced participant in policy-making at the federal and state levels, and a founder and principal of The Raben Group, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm, and Teresa Puente, an assistant professor who teaches journalism at California State University Long Beach, and has spent her career reporting on immigration and Latino issues in the U.S., with extensive reporting from Mexico.
Marking its 32nd anniversary this year, the Americans with Disabilities Act has inspired the world to see disability through the lens of equity, opening opportunities for persons with disabilities to contribute to our global progress. But, from creating more consistency for academic accommodations to providing additional employment opportunities, what needs to be done in the next 32 years and beyond? “Equal Time” host Mary C. Curtis talks with Nicole Patton, the Manager of State Government Relations at the National Down Syndrome Society, and Charlotte Woodward, the Education Program Associate for NDSS. Charlotte, who was born with Down syndrome, as well as a heart condition, is one of the few people born with Down syndrome to receive a life-saving heart transplant. She went on to graduate Summa Cum Laude from George Mason University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, with a concentration in inequality and social change.
The Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade raised many questions on the future of abortion rights in the United States. With search histories and health apps possibly used for tracking, how can data be protected and kept private? Will the health-care outcomes of African-American women, already three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women, worsen? In this month’s episode of Equal Time, to shed some light on life in a post-Roe world, host Mary C. Curtis talks with Amie Stepanovich, Vice President for U.S. Policy at the Future of Privacy Forum, and a nationally recognized expert in domestic surveillance, cybersecurity and privacy law, and Kwajelyn Jackson, Executive Director at Feminist Women's Health Center in Atlanta, Georgia, an independent, non-profit, multi-generational, multi-racial reproductive health, rights, and justice organization.
As Pride Month ends, celebration is tempered by setbacks across the country, from laws that ban transgender athletes from competing in school sports to efforts to remove books on the LGBTQ experience from library shelves. And with a Supreme Court willing to overturn precedent, many wonder if LGBTQ rights will be next. What is needed, culturally and legally, to insure forward movement on the path to equality for all Americans? What can organizations and corporations do to be more intentional in supporting the LGBTQ community? Equal Time host Mary C. Curtis explores what comes next with guests Sasha Buchert, a Senior Attorney in the Washington D.C. office of Lambda Legal, and Kendra R. Johnson, Executive Director at Equality North Carolina.
May, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, has special significance in 2022, as both acknowledgment of contributions and reminder of a resurgence of xenophobic rhetoric and violence. Civil rights groups, academia and businesses have responded with action, education and activism, part of a “Stop AAPI Hate” coalition. Mary C. Curtis speaks about the past, the present and future solutions with Anne Lee Benedict, active with MCCA, a national organization dedicated to advancing diversity, inclusion and equity in the legal profession, and Dr. Joanne L. Rondilla, an assistant professor in Sociology and Interdisciplinary Studies and Asian American Studies at San José State University.
Black history is often celebrated as though it were not American history. So many presidents have held up proclamations on behalf of Black history month while their policies betray Black Americans. Mary C. Curtis talks with Boston Globe opinion writer Renee Graham about the need to expose hypocrisy and view Black history in a way that honors Black Americans as equals.
Emails made public by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School recently showed that officials under President Donald Trump tried whatever they could to rig the system for redistricting purposes. It and other government documents detailed clashes between the administration and the bureau’s experts in areas that had the potential of affecting the count and who gets elected. Mary C. Curtis sits down with Kelly Percival, with the Brennan Center’s Democracy to discuss what this all means.
On the one-year anniversary of President Joe Biden's inauguration, the administration woke up to it's fifth defeat in six months in passing legislation to ensure voting rights for all. Biden had promised to put voting rights at the top of his agenda, but the path appears more fraught than ever. Mary C. Curtis speaks with White House senior advisor Cedric Richmond on what comes next.
There is a double standard when it comes to the treatment of children of color. They are punished in schools more frequently. They are arrested more frequently. Why is this happening and why are so many Black and Brown children robbed of their childhoods? Kristin Henning, author of “The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth,” uses her experiences, data and research to paint an alarming picture. Henning sits down with Mary C. Curtis to discuss the problem and potential policy solutions.
In this wide-ranging, year-end conversation, Mary C. Curtis speaks with New York Times columnist Charles Blow about what he considers the dramatic rollback of the nation's civil rights, inequity and whether President Joe Biden has been proactive enough to help stem inequity.
Equity is top of mind this week. First, the omicron variant is now the topic of global conversation. How the story unfolded in the U.S. illuminates how disparity and racism are intrinsic to keeping the virus evolving. Harvard University public health expert Dr. Ingrid Katz speaks with Mary C. Curtis about how global vaccine equity is the only way through this pandemic and the only path to preparing for the next. Then we feature a conversation with Housing Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge about housing, infrastructure and reconciliation.
Civil rights leader and National Urban League president and CEO Marc Morial says he is "damn worried" about the state of American democracy. Mary C. Curtis sits down with Morial to talk about voting rights, Infrastructure, the filibuster and so much more.
Many in the nation were shocked when horrifying photographs appeared of immigration officers on horseback rounding up Haitian asylum seekers at the border last month. To unpack this difficult subject, Mary C. Curtis turned to Patrice Lawrence of UndocuBlack to talk about whether policies differ for white, brown and Black migrants and the overall human toll.
As Congress deliberates this week on what should be included in the reconciliation bill, child care and specifically universal pre-K is being debated. Educators, parents and doctors have long advocated for pre-K. Another group has added its voice to the chorus: law enforcement. Mary C. Curtis sits down with Sheriff Vernon Stanforth, the president of the National Sheriffs’ Association, to discuss how early education helps develop life skills.
It has been more than a year since the killing of George Floyd sparked cries for police reform and even defunding. But it has all but stalled on the national level with congressional talks falling apart last month. The timing coincides with the FBI reporting a historic rise in murder rates. Mary C. Curtis speaks with author and professor David Kennedy, director of the National Network for Safe Communities, to understand why and what the next steps should be. Also, 'Equal Time' checks in on COVID-19 vaccine equity with Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, who leads President Biden's health equity task force.
Climate change — a major concern of this week’s United Nations General Assembly — affects people across the globe through immigration, food production and the economy, to name a few. But as Ashley K. Shelton tells Mary C. Curtis, climate change is also spurring voter suppression. Shelton, who leads the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice and is a founding member of the Black Southern Women’s Collective, is turning her attention to policies that need to be in place to ensure that Americans disproportionately affected by devastating weather events can fully participate in democracy.
President Biden has made clear from his first day in office that social justice issues are at the top of his agenda. A sweeping infrastructure bill sits with Congress now that would increase funding for climate, education, the environment and the social safety net. But to get this passed, Democrats have embraced the reconciliation process. Mary C. Curtis speaks first to Norman Ornstein, emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, to unpack the reconciliation process. But there is also friction within the party about doing too much and not enough. Mary C. Curtis turns to DNC Chair Jaime Harrison to talk about what's at stake for the Democratic Party.
Martin Luther King III joins Equal Time to talk with Mary C. Curtis about his father’s “I have a dream" speech, voting rights today and personal memories of his father. Fifty-eight years after his father's iconic words, MLK III joins John Lewis' family and others to galvanize the nation to, once again, ensure voting rights for all Americans
Voter nullification, authoritarianism, and the end of democracy, that’s what Rep. James E. Clyburn says are the very real consequences of not passing legislation to protect voting rights. The South Carolina Democrat emphasized that voter suppression is not just an issue of access to the ballot box, it includes who gets to overturn elections.
“I want you to call it what it is, use the word. Nullification.” said Clyburn, “It is voter nullification.”
There are currently two bills, the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, in front of Congress. Senate Democrats are meeting to hash out a revised bill that could be released next week.
Mary C. Curtis sits down with the House Majority Whip to discuss voting rights, and to understand what are the very high stakes and what can be done with dwindling time on the clock.
Six years ago, Malcolm Graham lost his big sister, Cynthia Graham Hurd, in the Charleston shooting that took nine Black churchgoers' lives. Now a city councilman in Charlotte, N.C., Graham reflects on the work he did to remove the Confederate flag from its prominent place on the South Carolina statehouse grounds, the future of racial matters in our country and his sister's legacy.
Slavery, Jim Crow laws and COVID-19 all have contributed to a yawning gap between white public school students and students of color. While the 1950s Supreme Court decision known as Brown v. Board of Education was supposed to correct "separate but equal," there is still a long way to go before public schools can talk about equity. Mary C. Curtis talks with Terra Wallin of the Education Trust to understand how we arrived at this moment and how the nation's public schools can do better.
The country’s history of redlining, racially restrictive covenants, zoning regulations and more has embedded racism in its housing policies. Simply put, Black communities have been devalued through these policies. Untangling that legacy has proven difficult, especially when some politicians have resisted progress. Mary C. Curtis sits down with Andre M. Perry, author of “Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America's Black Cities," to discuss how we got here, what the Biden administration is trying to change and what can be done to dismantle housing discrimination.
Even as the U.S. will likely have a federal holiday to mark June 19th or Juneteenth — an important date not a part of many history books — battles over teaching race continue. After the murder of George Floyd, many sought to learn lessons that were absent in the traditional white-washed version of American history taught for generations. But educating students about race — what some call critical race theory — has become another flashpoint in the culture wars pitting red against blue. Mary C. Curtis talks with education policy expert Jazmyne Owens of New America about why some states are trying to ban the teaching of systemic racism and what it will mean if they succeed.
The United States has the highest -- yes the highest -- maternal mortality rates in the developed world. Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related issues than white women. That is in keeping with other sobering statistics of racial health inequities revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mary C. Curtis sits down with Marcella Nunez Smith, President Biden's pick to lead the task force on health equity. They discuss why Black people suffer disproportionately and what is being done to change the equation.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack sits down with Mary C. Curtis to discuss Black farmers and the USDA plan to provide debt relief to socially disadvantaged borrowers through the March COVID-19 relief law. That means Black farmers who have lost 90 percent of their land in the last century, in large part because of USDA policies, may receive compensation. The administration says equity is overdue and this is just the beginning. But many white farmers and banks have objections.
In a fiery and no-holds-barred conversation, Mary C. Curtis speaks with former RNC chair Michael Steele on the future of the GOP, why he cannot defend the current Republican party to Black voters and why he believes the country can and should do better.
Cecilia Rouse is the first Black woman to chair the Council of Economic Advisers, a White House think tank, of sorts, on economic policy. Yes, she has an impressive background — dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and a member of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers. But her mandate seems near impossible. She's been charged by President Biden to steer the nation out of the economic wreckage from the pandemic with equitable policies for all races — all at a time when the Black community has been hit harder than most. Mary C. Curtis speaks one-on-one with Cecilia Rouse.
What do paying taxes and racial equity have to do with one another? As it turns out, quite a lot since American tax policy is written in a way that keeps Black Americans impoverished, according to Professor Dorothy Brown, author of “The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans — And How We Can Fix It." Brown, who has been trying to make this point for decades is finally being heard. This week, we delve into the world of taxes and racism and listen to the compelling research, data and narrative that Dorothy Brown has put together.
Jaime Harrison gained national attention last year when he broke fundraising records running against South Carolina incumbent Senator Lindsey Graham. While Harrison didn't win the election, his candidacy gave notice that the Old South is now the New South. Mary C. Curtis sits down with the DNC Chair and talks race, his grandfather's life lesson and what 2022 -- yes 2022 -- may hold.
It’s been 30 years since the world saw Rodney King on video being beaten by Los Angeles police officers. Since then, the list of Black people killed at the hands of police has grown -- Eric Garner, Daunte Wright and Ma’Khia Bryant, the 16-year old Black girl shot hours before Chauvin was pronounced guilty of murdering George Floyd. Mary C. Curtis speaks to activist and podcast host DeRay McKesson on how to challenge the power of the police and how policies can be changed for the better.
After a heated and contentious presidential election in 2020, voting rights are under attack. Georgia just passed a law that makes it harder for those who may be disenfranchised to cast their ballots. Other states are following suit. Mary C. Curtis speaks to Rashad Robinson, president of the social justice organization Color of Change, on what is at stake and what is being done to curtail the rollback of eligible voters to make their voices heard.
The Equal Rights Amendment known as ERA — yes that ERA — is back. The House passed a bill last week that would extend the deadline to ratify the amendment to the Constitution prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex. But is this five-decade-old amendment up to this moment? A moment that includes #MeToo, rising hate crimes against women of color and a pandemic that has battered women more than men? We turn to professor Julie Suk, who published “We the Women: The Unstoppable Mothers of the Equal Rights Amendment,” to discuss.
It's been one year since the global pandemic hit. Most Americans had no idea what was in store. The numbers of those impacted by COVID-19 are staggering. More than half a million American lives have been lost to the virus. And for people of color, the negative impact on their lives has been disproportionate — lost jobs, homes, health and lives. Reflecting back, the pandemic has shined a light on just how deep the incisions are from structural, racial inequities. We turn to to Shawn Fremstad of Center for Economic and Policy Research to discuss the whys, the whats and how Biden administration policies are an attempt to right some of the wrongs and level the field.
When Virgin Islands Del. Stacey Plaskett took center stage last month as a House manager in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, America took note. A star was born. In the latest episode of Equal Time, Mary C. Curtis talks with Plaskett about the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, her work on the House Ways and Means Committee, inequities in infrastructure and education, and even hip-hop.
The recent extreme climate event in Texas slammed many cities and towns throughout the state, but, as is the case in most natural disasters, communities of color were most affected. This has been a trend in the country, with many of these communities still feeling the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey – as well as man-made disasters such as the Flint, Michigan, water crisis. What is the cause of the disproportionate impact, and what policies can reverse this pattern? Chrishelle Palay and Justin Onwenu join this episode of Equal Time. Palay runs the HOME coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for equitable recovery from natural disasters, while Onwenu is an environmental justice organizer for the Sierra Club and an appointee to the DNC’s Environment and Climate Crisis Council. With host Mary C. Curtis, each discusses the issue of environmental injustice not only in Texas, but across the country, and why long-standing inequities demand grassroots activism and change in local, state and federal policies.
Immigration policy is one of President Biden's top priorities. He has signed five executive orders and issued another four statements and proclamations — in less than two weeks — that include: upping the annual number of refugees allowed into the country nearly tenfold, seeking to reunify families that were separated at the border, stopping construction of the border wall, and looking at access to the legal system for immigrants. Mary C. Curtis speaks to former immigration advocate and senior director for Obama's White House Domestic Policy Council Cecilia Muñoz about the past, present and future.
Racial equity is front and center for the Biden administration. That said, how does the nation begin to dismantle centuries of ingrained policies? Mary C. Curtis talks to award-winning social change agent Dr. Gail C. Christopher in this episode. Christopher has some compelling ideas and is working with Congress to try to change policies that enable racism and inequity to flourish, and transform a belief system that values some lives over others.
In Carol Anderson's book “White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide,” she reframes the conversation about race, methodically chronicling the powerful forces that have historically impeded Black progress in America. She speaks with Mary C. Curtis about the insurrection at the Capitol, voter suppression, and where this country is headed.
The late evangelist Rev. Billy Graham, known as America's pastor, was as world famous as the presidents who sought face time with him. But after a friendship with Richard Nixon affected that image, Graham backed away from the political spotlight. His son has chosen a different path. Mary C. Curtis speaks with the Reverend Franklin Graham.
Former Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley has usually been the only U.S. African American, female diplomat in the room. It's a reflection, she tells Mary C. Curtis, of how few Black women — or women in general — are senior diplomats. Abercrombie-Winstanley makes the case for diversity in national security, talks about her role in creating the organization Leadership Council for Women in National Security and why she is hopeful that change is on the horizon.
Mary C. Curtis speaks with Democratic Rep. James E. Clyburn, the majority whip, about his role in President-elect Joe Biden's win, where the country is and where it needs to go.
North Carolina is a true political battleground and Charlotte has had challenges that echo those of many big American cities — protests and debates over police reform and equality for all citizens.. Mary C. Curtis speaks to Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles on the election and what comes next.
MacArthur “genius” grantee, founder of Repairers of the Breach, and organizer of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, Rev. William J Barber II has made eradicating poverty his life's work. He sits down with host Mary C. Curtis for a candid and surprising conversation.
It is not everyday that one person has a relationship to so many of the day's main news stories, but Angela Wright has touched history as the woman not called to support Anita Hill when she testified before the Senate Judiciary committee during Clarence Thomas' confirmation hearings almost 30 years ago. Wright confides in Mary C. Curtis about former Vice President Joseph Biden, #MeToo and the inner workings of a contentious Supreme Court battle.
In this inaugural episode of CQ Roll Call's Equal Time, Mary C. Curtis reflects on this moment of time, examining the complexity and history of issues dividing the country in 2020. Today's episode features Fatima Goss Graves, CEO of the National Women's Law Center with a discussion about Breonna Taylor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and what is at stake for the courts, our country and women -- especially those of color.
Award-winning journalist Mary C. Curtis tackles policies and politics through the lens of social justice, illuminating the issues that have been, and still are, dividing the country. After all, the world is not so black and white.