Two Young Activists, Two Visions for Dismantling Racism
Joshua Slack and the Fresno State NAACP helped organize a recent rally in Fresno that drew several thousand people to protest the killing of George Floyd. Joshua grew up in the nearby military town of Lemoore, where he was one of the few Black kids at his school. He says the stakes are high when you’re organizing in a conservative part of the state, where topics like racial injustice are pushed to the sideline. Seventeen-year-old Simone Jacques organized last week’s protest in San Francisco through Instagram. She’s the daughter of immigrants – her mother was born in Mexico, and her father is from Haiti. Although her family members are community activists too, Simone says the ideas she’s pushing for are “a lot more radical,” including defunding the police department.
The Book Club That’s Challenging What it Means to Be ‘Latinx’
The Yosi Book Club highlights new Latinx writers and sparks discussions about the life experiences that shaped their stories. Writer Yosimar Reyes hosts the virtual book club from Los Angeles. KQED reporter Marisol Medina-Cadena is one of thousands who tune in, and she tells us how the book club is helping people – particularly Latinx millennials – have conversations about colorism and anti-Black racism within their own families and communities.
Diversity Among Disease Detectives Key to Containing the Coronavirus
As people are protesting white supremacy and racism, we can’t forget that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over. And it continues to disproportionately affect communities of color. As California develops strategies to contain the virus, like contact tracing, the state is focusing on recruiting people who speak multiple languages to reach some of those communities that have been hard-hit. Those are sensitive conversations, but as our health correspondent April Dembosky tells us, tracers who can talk to people in their native language are more likely to break through.
Audio Diary from the COVID Floor
We hear from a doctor who has spent the last few months treating patients with COVID-19. Dr. Sajan Patel grew up in Orange County, and now treats patients who have been hospitalized at UCSF Medical Center. He started keeping an audio diary in early April. He talks about the challenges of keeping up with almost daily changes to guidelines and practices, and connecting with patients behind a mask and PPE.