The Social Impact of Story with Danny Strong
Rebroadcast Dates: April 20-26, 2020 Air Dates: July 29-August 4, 2019 “Story in the Public Square” began as an annual, academic conference at Salve Regina University. When we honored Danny Strong with the 2014 Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square, his acceptance speech was so moving, so incisive, and so eloquent about the power of story that a public television executive in the audience asked if she could broadcast … Read More
Russian Disinformation in the Age of Coronavirus
Just because there’s a global pandemic doesn’t mean that the great game of international politics takes a break. In fact, just like the rest of society, international powers are adapting to—and in some cases exploiting—the Coronavirus. The two most aggressive players are Russia and China, and while they have different international objectives, they are both aggressively pursuing their goals. In Russia’s case, the government of President Vladimir Putin continues to … Read More
Dead Man Walking: Life, Death and Justice with Sister Helen Prejean
Rebroadcast Dates: April 13-19, 2020 Original Air Dates: April 21-27, 2018 Since 1976, nearly 1,500 Americans have been executed in the name of justice. Sister Helen Prejean though, cautions about the human cost of the death penalty and the innocent victims wrongfully put to death. Sister Helen Prejean joined the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille in 1957, now known as the Congregation of St. Joseph, and received a B.A. … Read More
An Ode to Government Inefficiency in the age of COVID-19
When is it okay to start thinking about life after the virus? It’s hard to ask that question because the news is still bad in so many places. The crest of the pandemic hasn’t arrived anywhere in the United States and we’re looking at more days of sickness, and isolation, and, tragically, death. Yet, there are questions we will need to grapple with as we begin to rebuild. Perhaps no … Read More
Rising: A Live, Social-Distancing Conversation with Elizabeth Rush
Newport RI—On April 2, 2020, the Pell Center’s Facebook page become a virtual lecture hall, welcoming hundreds of viewers for a live conversation with Elizabeth Rush, co-hosted by the Pell Center and the Rhode Island Center for the Book. Rush is the author of “Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore,” this year’s Reading Across Rhode Island state-wide read, a Rhode Island Center for the Book program. Pell Center executive … Read More
Pell Center Announces Virtual Programming Amidst COVID-19 Emergency
Newport RI—As we all do our part to heed the warnings of public health officials, practice social-distancing, and hope to flatten-the-curve, the Pell Center will continue its mission of bringing people together to discuss common solutions to common problems. Accordingly, the Pell Center is pleased to announce a series of virtual events in the coming weeks that will both explore the current crisis and also give us a chance to … Read More
Celebrating the Centennial of Women’s Suffrage with Susan Ware
Air Dates: April 6-12, 2020 The history of the American women’s suffrage movement is the history of determined community organizing, fierce protest, and the power of ideals. Susan Ware, however, tells us the history we know fails to reflect the diversity of the movement that won women the right to vote 100 years ago. A pioneer in the field of women’s history and a leading feminist biographer, Ware is the … Read More
Advocacy in Crisis with Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha
Rebroadcast Dates: March 30-April 3, 2020 In April 2014, officials in Flint, Michigan, switched the source of the city’s water from the Detroit water supply to the Flint, River. It was a cost-saving move, but it touched the lives of citizens across that city. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha helped blow the story open. With science and determination, she proved the decision was poisoning the children of Flint. Dr. Hanna-Attisha is an … Read More
Inspiring the Next Generation Through Story with Chelsea Clinton
This episode was made possible through our partnership with the Rhode Island Center for the Book. Air Dates: March 23-29, 2020 President John F. Kennedy once said, “[one person] can make a difference. And everyone should try.” Chelsea Clinton is the author of a series of books for young readers inspired by that same sense of idealism. Chelsea Clinton is the Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation and works alongside … Read More
Defense and Climate Change: Adapting to a Changing Physical Landscape with Michael Klare
Air Dates: March 16-22, 2020 The partisan split on climate change is unmistakable. Democrats view the climate as one of their top-two national issues. Republicans tend to worry more about the economic disruption that may result from efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Dr. Michael Klare argues that for the a-political men and women who lead the U.S. military, the challenge of defending the nation and its interests in an age … Read More