Singing the Truth of Black Men in AmericaTop of Mind with Julie Rose • Season 1, Episode 782, Segment 5
Apr 3, 2018 • 21m
Guest: Lawrence Brownlee, Opera Tenor, Artistic Advisor at Opera Philadelphia Protests continue in Sacramento over the fatal police shooting of Stephon Clark. Officers were responding to a complaint of someone breaking into vehicles when they encountered Clark – a 22-year-old black man – in his grandmother’s back yard. An independent autopsy requested by Clark’s family found the he was shot eight times, with most of the bullets hitting him in the back. This is the environment into which acclaimed operatic tenor Lawrence Brownlee begins a national tour of a songs about what it means to be a black man in America. The music is inspired by those who’ve come before Stephon Clark: Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Alton Sterling.

Conflicts in Syria Take a TurnApr 3, 201818mGuest: Amy Austin Holmes, PhD, Associate Professor of Sociology, American University in Cairo; Fellow in Middle East Program at Woodrow Wilson Center President Trump recently said the US will be bringing its forces home from Syria. But that does not mean conflict there is over. Rather, some conflict has opened on new fronts: Turkey is invading cities controlled by Kurdish forces in Northern Syria. And in the suburbs of Damascus, the military of Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad has killed more than a thousand people in a campaign to clear opposition forces from cities. You’ve likely heard the names Eastern Ghouta and Douma. What does all of this mean for a civil war that’s now seven years old and has forced millions of Syrians from their homes?
Guest: Amy Austin Holmes, PhD, Associate Professor of Sociology, American University in Cairo; Fellow in Middle East Program at Woodrow Wilson Center President Trump recently said the US will be bringing its forces home from Syria. But that does not mean conflict there is over. Rather, some conflict has opened on new fronts: Turkey is invading cities controlled by Kurdish forces in Northern Syria. And in the suburbs of Damascus, the military of Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad has killed more than a thousand people in a campaign to clear opposition forces from cities. You’ve likely heard the names Eastern Ghouta and Douma. What does all of this mean for a civil war that’s now seven years old and has forced millions of Syrians from their homes?