Marc Steiner Show

We're looking for a new intern to help with production work for The Marc Steiner Show.  Note that this position is unpaid.  For more info, contact Justin Levy at justin@steinershow.org.

With Martin Luther King Day around the corner, we've been thinking about how we can commemorate the day a little differently than usual.  Our friend and frequent collaborator, Director of Pride in Faith and Program Director of the Maryland Black Family Alliance Lea Gilmore, suggested we cover a civil rights tour that she is taking part in.  We decided this would be a great story to build a show around, which we'll host from 5-6pm on The Marc Steiner Show on WEAA 88.9 FM on Martin Luther King Day, January 19th.

The trip began in Atlanta yesterday, and will be on the road through this Sunday.  Here's a dispatch from trip participant Charlie Collyer, professor of psychology at the University of Rhode Island, where he also works with the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies.

Lawrence Carter speaking

part of the group at the King Center

Here's a brief summary of Thursday on the tour.

Our group gathered at the Atlanta airport this morning.  The group comes from all over - Carroll County MD, Baltimore, Rhode Island, California, Seattle, Texas, and a few other places.  A happy, upbeat mood took hold, as friends introduced friends and strangers introduced themselves, becoming friends quickly.

We boarded a tour bus and drove to the King Center complex.  We had an hour or so to explore the museum (a National Parks Service site) and visit the King Center itself.  The King Center bookstore is the best place for teachers to find good source material on civil rights history.

There is never enough time at any of the stops on a civil rights tour.  We were rounded up and rode the bus again to Morehouse College, where Dr. King once studied as an undergraduate.  There, by chance, we met Lawrence Carter, for 30 years the Dean of Morehouse's Chapel.  Lawrence gave us a riveting hour off the cuff - the story of Morehouse and its distinguished place in American history, its traditions and famous alumni.  Morehouse was the place where the Gandhian tradition of nonviolence connects to the King tradition: Gandhi to Howard Thurman (from Morehouse, on a visit to India in the 30s) to Mordecai Johnson (at Morehouse, lecturing on Gandhi just after his death) to King (at Morehouse, listening to Johnson and then buying a handful of books on Gandhi).

More connections today: Lawrence Carter did not have us on his schedule, but came down to meet the group upon hearing that his old colleage Dr. Bernard LaFayette was leading the tour.  We go in to the locked Chapel thanks to Thomas Coverson, Dr. LaFayette's nephew, who is a freshman at Morehouse.  And so it goes.  Tomorrow we are off to Alabama, with a first stop in Tuskegee.

- Charlie Collyer

Sookyung Shutoff thanking Lawrence Carter on behalf of the group

Yesterday I interviewed two educational leaders from different ends of the ideological spectrum who had written open letters to President-elect Barack Obama.

I always love interviewing Howard Gardner (listen to our interview by clicking here). He is one of the most important educational thinkers in the world. He is just so clear in his analysis, research and thinking. In the past, we have had discussions where we paired him with leaders of educational systems to talk about how to translate his ideas into practice in our city and county public schools. On this show, he came on to talk about his open letter to President-elect Obama, which you can read by clicking here.

It is clear that changing our culture through the bully pulpit of leadership to respect and embrace education, along with treating teaching as a real, respected and well paid profession is the only prescription for success. Within that, we can make all kind of rules and regulations, but without anything implemented, it becomes meaningless and redundant.

Now, my second guest yesterday, Charles Murray, wrote a book I intellectually loathed, The Bell Curve (listen to our interview by clicking here). I just wanted to disagree with his latest New York Times op-ed (read it by clicking here) but I couldn’t. I love it when I am so challenged that I have to change my thinking or admit that life is more complex than simple ideological answers.

My show over the years has taught me that truth lives in all corners of our life. While I might disagree over some of his assumptions, Charles Murray is right. College is highly overrated. Why should someone who wants to be a computer programmer, interior designer, actor, marketing executive, software designer or hundreds of other jobs I could mention, have to take physics, European literature or required gym courses to graduate? If we restructured our world of post-secondary education, it would save money, time and produce a creative population that will build a great nation.

Charles Murray, years back I took on one of your intellectual mentors at Hopkins over the Bell Curve, but your advice to President Obama is dead on.

January 14, 2009, 7-9:30 AM
Phillips Seafood Restaurant
12 Dock Street, Annapolis, MD 21401

Your chance to ask questions that matter to you!

Join Marc Steiner for a live two-hour broadcast on the opening day of the 2009 Maryland General Assembly Legislative Session. For the 6th year, Marc will interview Maryland's leaders covering pertinent topics such as the financial crisis hitting Maryland and the country, environmental issues, the death penalty legislation and BRAC.

A breakfast buffet begins at 7:00 AM, followed by Marc's interview with Senate President Miller and Speaker Michael Busch from 7:30-8:30. Governor Martin O’Malley will be interviewed from 8:30-9:30. In each hour, time will be set aside for audience members to ask questions. The show will air on WEAA FM 88.9, in Baltimore and WSCL 89.9 FM in Salisbury.

Advance tickets can be purchased for $15 via Paypal by clicking here.

If you'd like to pay by check, please send to:

Center for Emerging Media

Attn: Annapolis Summit

3000 Chestnut Ave Suite C

Baltimore, MD 21211

Tickets will also be available at the door for $20.  

For more information, call (443) 934-1111.

On Tuesday's show, we discussed the case of Troy Davis, who's on death row in Georgia after having been convicted of the murder of a police officer.  Today, the federal appeals court in Atlanta issued a stay of execution.  Read more about it here.

Here's the third in a 3 part video series created by Andrew Eppig announcing the new daily Marc Steiner Show schedule: 5-6pm Monday-Thursday on WEAA 88.9FM!

Here's the second in a 3 part video series created by Andrew Eppig announcing the new daily Marc Steiner Show schedule: 5-6pm Monday-Thursday on WEAA 88.9FM!

Here's the first in a 3 part video series created by Andrew Eppig announcing the new daily Marc Steiner Show schedule: 5-6pm Monday-Thursday on WEAA 88.9FM!

Another 100 layoffs with 60 from the newsroom. Our once vaunted paper is being decimated. Owner Zell already informed employees, the reporters and journalists that they were expendable and costly. He instituted a mathematical analysis of how many lines a reporter wrote to determine worth and wondered aloud why it takes 5 or 6 or 9 journalists to turn in one story on Iraq. It has all become bottom line and profit. Sure a business has to make money for reinvestment but news should not be entered into to make a financial killing. Maybe all papers should be non-profit, or maybe owners need to be satisfied with a smaller profit margin.

Who do we turn to understand, get stories and analysis from and of the daily news in our city, state, nation and world? Fox? Tabloids? Blogs? A democracy needs a free press that functions.

There was a time, when I was a kid, that the Sun was read every day in the White House. Now it is fast becoming fodder for the parakeet cage.

The writers and reporters at the Sun are some of the best in their world. I admire and feel their frustration at not being able to work their craft. We all deserve better.

Maybe there is an opportunity to create something new with all that talent now on the loose looking for work.

I heard from a number of people what occurred at the WYPR Board of Director’s meeting.