Eugene Bullard, Fire Fighters, Soledad Children

Boxer, Pilot, Night Club Impresario, Soldier, Spy: The Incredible Life of Eugene Bullard (0:31) Guests: Phil Keith and Tom Clavin, Co-Authors of “All Blood Runs Red: The Legendary Life of Eugene Bullard –Boxer, Pilot, Soldier, Spy” He was the first African American fighter pilot in history. He was also a boxer, a jazz drummer, a Paris nightclub owner. He hung out with Josephine Baker, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.  He fought in both world wars and spied for the French Resistance. One man did all of that–his name was Eugene Bullard. And while he was a national hero and a celebrity on the streets of France, he was a nobody in America. When he came back to the states after World War II, he ended up as an elevator operator at Rockefeller Square. Just a chatty, older African American with a slight French accent wearing a couple of military-looking medals on his jacket. That’s where a host for The Today Show discovered his story and Eugene Bullard finally got his fifteen minutes of fame in America on live TV. From start to finish, the life of Eugene Bullard seems like one long tall tale. (Originally aired 12/19/2019). Firefighter’s Are at Risk for Suicide, But There’s Help Available (35:13) Guest: Jeff Dill, CEO and Founder, Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance When others run from danger, first responders run towards it. Our firefighters, policemen, and EMT’s put their lives on the line every day. But while they’re watching out for us, who’s watching out for them? According to the Ruderman Family Foundation, first responders are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty. And for firefighters, the numbers are particularly staggering because the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance estimates that only 40% of firefighter suicides are actually reported. (Originally aired 10/29/2019). Landmark Cases That Changed Bilingual and Special Education in America (52:51) Guest: Marty Glick, Litigator, Arnold & Porter, Co-Author, “The Soledad Children: The Fight to End Discriminatory IQ Tests” A child’s race and income level are strong indicators of the quality of education that child will get in a US public school. Inequality often arises in education today because of how segregated our communities have become –with poor and minority students clustered in schools with fewer resources. In the 1950s, 60s and 70s, the reason poor and minority students got sub-par education was because of overt racism. This was the era of court-ordered desegregation and countless lawsuits brought by civil rights lawyers on behalf of black and brown students. In the late 1960s, a case involving children of Mexican farmworkers became a landmark case against the California State Board of Education that shaped the future of bilingual and special education in America. (Originally aired 11/21/2019). There’s Wisdom in Tradition: Some Soups Can Help Fight off Malaria (1:16:02) Guest: Jake Baum, Professor of Cell Biology and Infectious Diseases, Imperial College London There’s that saying about feeding a fever and starving a cold. Or maybe it’s the other way around? For some reason lots of cultures have some sort of hot brothy soup that’s fed to sick people. It was mainly just for comfort, I thought. But what if there is something medicinal in that traditional chicken noodle or miso or matzo ball or pho? (Originally aired 12/10/2019).  Woman vs Woman-Dress Psychology (1:31:43) Guest: Jaimie Krems, Professor of Psychology, Oklahoma State University I’m guessing these mass quarantine measures have a lot of people wearing pajamas or workout clothes all day –what’s the point of dressing up when you’re not leaving the house? Deciding what to wear can be exhausting –at least for women, it is. There’s the basic question of what’s appropriate attire for the occasion. But there’s also the fact that what a woman wears affects how both men and women treat her. (Originally aired 03/19/2020).