Our show this Tuesday, June 27th, will focus on two national health crises of tremendous importance. As the nation is deeply transfixed on the Affordable Care Act and the threatened loss of healthcare insurance for millions of Americans, the killing of black people, both men and women, continues at an alarmingly high rate. At the same time, another public health crisis has developed: the nationwide opioid addiction. Both crises are related to the health and well-being of people in this country.
Our guests will include Rev. Rodney Sadler, Transformative Justice Coalition Board Member Board Member and NC civil rights leader, along with Jasmine McGhee, Special Deputy Attorney General and Director of the Public Protection Section in the N.C. Attorney General’s office.
See full bios and pictures at www.BarbaraArnwine.com.The killing of black people, both men and women continues at a high rate. From Michael Brown in Ferguson to Alton Sterling in Louisiana to Sandra Bland in Texas to Keith Scott in Charlotte, all died at the hands of police or while wrongfully in police custody. The protests of the killings of Eric Garner, Michael Brown and Alton Sterling brought national awareness of police brutality of innocent people. Police officers were either not charged of any crime or acquitted. Most recently, the police officer was acquitted in the killing of Philando Castile.
We will explore questions dealing with police misconduct and brutality leading to death of black people. After three years of #BlackLivesMatter, what have we learned? What can be done? How can we hold police officers accountable? How can we, as Black people, feel safe? Are the killings reminiscent of lynching?
In another national crisis, North Carolina, along with many states around the country, is focused on fixing the problem of opioid addiction. The largest cause of accidental death in the United States is now drug overdoses. More people die in this country of an accidental drug overdose – usually an opioid – than any other cause of accidental death. The solutions require the inclusion of a variety of stakeholders, including the medical community, schools, substance misuse treatment providers, and law enforcement.
Is it an epidemic? How did we get here and where do we go from here? What does it mean that policymakers are now focused on an drug epidemic that seems to affect white and affluent families, instead of brown and black people in our inner-cities, as the crack-cocaine epidemic did? Can the groundswell of support for handling this epidemic lead to a more fair criminal justice system?
Be sure to listen live in the DC Metro Region at WOL 1450 AM and on the Internet at www.BarbaraArnwine.com. A podcast of the show will be available on Tuesday evening after 8:00 PM.
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Rev. Dr. Rodney Sadler
Rodney S. Sadler, Jr. is a graduate of Howard University (1989, B.S. Psychology/Philosophy), Howard University School of Divinity (1992, M.Div.), and Duke University (2001, Ph.D. […]
Brenda Harding
5 commentsBrenda Ford Harding is an attorney and consultant in Durham, N.C. She works extensively in the voting rights area, specifically using different strategies to ensure […]
