Disrupted will be back with new episodes in September. In the meantime, as we prepare for the election, we are bringing you some highlights from the New Hampshire Public Radio series 'Civics 101.'

Are We A Democracy Or A Republic?

Civics 101 has a tagline: we’re a show about the basics of how our democracy works. And there’s a complaint we get pretty often around here, that our tagline contains the word "democracy," but the United States is actually a republic. So...do we need to make a change? We dig into that question, and talk about how our two-party system compares to other countries.

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This week on Disrupted, we dive deep into one of the wildest election cycles in recent history. Journalist and editorial director for Mother Jones, Jamilah King, offers her take on some of the latest political developments.

We also discuss Vice President Kamala Harris’s candidacy with Higher Heights for America, an organization that supports Black women in politics.

You can also watch Disrupted host Khalilah Brown-Dean's interview with C-Span's Washington Journal about the role of black sororities and fraternities and why they could play a huge role in the election.

Guests:

• Jamilah King: Editorial Director at Mother Jones

• Glynda C. Carr: President and CEO of Higher Heights for America

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This hour, we listen back to conversations with people who think a lot about religion— both their own experiences and how it impacts society.

NPR National Political Correspondent Sarah McCammon grew up in Kansas City as an Evangelical. Her book, The Exvangelicals - Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church tells her story and the story of others who felt disenchanted by the movement and walked away.

Three Gen Z-ers talk about their relationship with religion and spirituality.

Later in the show, we’ll hear from Myokei Caine-Barrett, Shonin. She’s the first person of African-American and Japanese descent—and the only American woman—to be fully ordained as a Buddhist priest in the Nichiren lineage.

GUESTS:

• Sarah McCammon: NPR National Political Correspondent and author of The Exvangelicals - Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church

• Myokei Caine Barrett, Shonin: Resident Priest of Myoken-Ji Temple in Houston

This episode originally aired on April 3, 2024.

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This hour, we explore Connecticut music. Violinist Kersten Stevens recently released a jazz album that she worked on with eight-time Grammy winner Christian McBride. She talks to us about facing imposter syndrome and how her unique sound came out of her experience playing a wide range of genres while growing up in Connecticut. Qiana Coachman-Strickland, also known as "DJ Q-Boogie," discusses her work supporting women DJs as the Owner and Founder of the Female DJ Association. And filmmakers Andy Billman and Joe Franco tell us about their upcoming documentary on music venue Toad's Place in New Haven.

GUESTS:

• Kersten Stevens: violinist with the nickname “Queen of the Violin.” She’s won Amateur Night and Showtime at the Apollo a total of six times. She plays in a range of styles, but her latest album, Queen Rising, is jazz.

• Qiana Coachman-Strickland a.k.a DJ Q-Boogie: professional DJ, Female DJ Coach and Owner and Founder of Female DJ Association. Qiana is based in Connecticut.

• Andy Billman: director of the upcoming documentary on New Haven music venue Toad’s Place. He has worked on a number of projects for ESPN, including the award-winning series 30 for 30.

• Joe Franco: one of the producers of the upcoming documentary on New Haven music venue Toad’s Place. He worked at ESPN from the very first year it launched and spent over 30 years there doing everything from covering sporting events to working in HR.

Special thanks to Meg Fitzgerald.

This episode originally aired on January 17, 2024.

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In its early stages, Miss America was mostly about physical beauty. Today, pageants have placed more emphasis on interviewing skills, social platform and inclusiveness.

Shavana Clarke is the first openly queer and lesbian woman to win Miss Connecticut USA. She shares her pageant journey and her mental health experience through her personal blog.

We also hear from Sally-Ann Fawcett, one of the judges in the first ever Miss AI Beauty Pageant. It’s a competition where teams from around the world digitally create the contestants.

GUESTS:

• Shavana Clarke: 2024 Miss Connecticut USA.

• Sally-Ann Fawcett: Miss AI Pageant judge. Head judge, Miss Great Britain.

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This hour, we prepare for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic games. We'll hear from competitors, including a Connecticut native who lost part of her leg in a shark attack one year ago. She will now swim for Team USA in the Paralympics. We'll also check in on the geopolitical implications of this year's Olympics and talk to Logan "Logistx" Edra, who is competing in breaking— a style of dance rooted in hip-hop culture. It is the first time that breaking will be an Olympic sport.

GUESTS:

• Ali Truwit: swimmer from Connecticut who will be competing in the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games

• Les Carpenter: Olympics writer for The Washington Post

• Logan Edra aka "Logistx": one of the four breakers competing for Team USA in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games

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It's time for our second annual summer movie panel! This time we are talking about the possible end of the summer blockbuster (as we know it) and the end of the world in film. The panelists discuss the lack of hype around any specific movie(s) this year as compared to what we saw with last year's Barbie/Oppenheimer pairing and the trend in post-apocalyptic imagery in films like Dune: Part Two and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. We also hear about movies for kids like Inside Out 2 and talk about what made Challengers so successful.

GUESTS:

• Alissa Wilkinson: Movie Critic at the New York Times. She is also an author who co-wrote the book 'How to Survive the Apocalypse: Zombies, Cylons, Faith, and Politics at the End of the World.'

• Nadira Goffe: Associate Culture Writer at Slate

• James Hanley: one of the founders of Cinestudio in Hartford

A few of the films discussed in this episode:

• 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' (2024)

• 'Inside Out 2' (2024)

• 'Dune: Part Two' (2024)

• 'Challengers' (2024)

• 'Anyone but You' (2023)

• 'Poor Things' (2023)

• 'This is Cinerama' (1952)

• 'Evil Does Not Exist' (2023)

• 'The Idea of You' (2024)

• 'Exhuma' (2024)

You can listen to last year's Disrupted summer movie panel on our website.

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This hour, we’ll hear some of our favorite segments from our archive that teach us about the past and present of LGBTQ+ rights. Historian Marc Stein describes LGBTQ+ history beyond the Stonewall Uprising, including protests that occurred in Bridgeport. In a segment from Where We Live, Orion Rummler of The 19th News updates us on anti-trans bills that are being passed at the state level. And Dawn Ennis talks about finding joy during a time of discrimination.

GUESTS:

• Marc Stein: Jamie and Phyllis Pasker Professor of History at San Francisco State University; director of the OutHistory; coeditor of Queer Pasts, a digital history project.

• Orion Rummler: LGBTQ+ reporter for The 19th News

• Dawn Ennis: journalist, professor at the University of Hartford, author of "What Makes Trans Joy Such a Powerful Antidote to Transphobia" and "Finding Trans Joy: It's Out There"

You can find the original episodes that the segments and clips used in this episode were featured in on our website:

• 'Disrupted' covering the history of LGBTQ+ Pride

• 'Seasoned' covering commuity dinners at the New Haven Pride Center

• 'Where We Live' covering Pride Centers

• 'Disrupted' covering transgender discrimination and joy, which includes an interview with Orion Rummler

The first interview in this episode originally aired on June 28, 2023. The second interview in this episode originally aired on Where We Live on June 13, 2024. The third interview in this episode originally aired on May 10, 2023.

Special thanks to Katie Pellico.

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