WITF Smart Talk Podcast

This interview is an encore broadcast that originally aired in March 2020

Millions of Americans learned about The Negro Motorist Green Book when the motion picture Green Book played in theaters and went on to win the Best Picture Oscar last year. What the film depicted and what many white audiences saw for the first time is how African-Americans were discriminated against, segregated and treated poorly — sometimes violently — while traveling in Jim Crow America.

In her new book Driving While Black — African-American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights, author Gretchen Sorin writes about how automobiles gave blacks more freedom to travel than ever before and even provided them with more physical protection when they were traveling. African-Americans who often traveled on segregated trains and buses were able to go places in their cars in the mid-20th Century.

However, black travelers often were turned away at hotels, restaurants and gas stations, were not allowed in so-called “sundown” towns after dark and even were prohibited from using public rest rooms.

The Green Book provided information to African-American travelers on businesses that were open to black motorists.

Gretchen Sorin covers all this history in her book. She appeared earlier this year at Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg and we hear that conversation on Smart Talk.

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Airdate: 12/10/20


While a virus-weary world waits expectantly for a coronavirus vaccine, military and industry planners begin launching the largest-scaled vaccine distribution plan ever conducted.

The White House announced Operation Warp Speed on May 15, with a mission to “accelerate the development, production, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines” with a target of January 2021 for the initial doses. In the six months since that announcement, several vaccine candidates have been developed and a distribution plan made ready. The FDA is expected to make a decision on an emergency-use vaccine authorization very soon, triggering OWS’s plan.

Operation Warp Speed is comprised of experts from across the federal government and private industry, including a Pennsylvania native. Army Lt. Col. Matthew Yiengst is the Chief of Plans for Operation Warp Speed and he joins Smart Talk to share details of his involvement and how the plan will proceed.

COVID-19 has revealed the uneasy truth about obesity

More than 40% of Americans are considered obese, as defined by a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or greater.

Medical studies have documented the serious health risks of obesity, to include coronary heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Now it seems the COVID-19 pandemic is highlighting another pressing health concern — obesity not only increases complications from a coronavirus infection, but it may also increase the risk of infection in the first place.

Dr. Catherine Varney, DO., is a family medicine and obesity specialist with the University of Virginia and she joins Smart Talk to discuss the risks posed by obesity.

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The Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus recently released a COVID-19 relief funding plan that would allocate $4 billion to help Pennsylvanians and, they say, shore up the Commonwealth’s economy.

The Pennsylvania Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Security Act of 2021 would provide direct aid to workers, families, small businesses and “vulnerable populations.” The plan would continue funding for already existing aid programs and would establish new programs, as well.

Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa appears on Smart Talk to lay out details of the funding plan and the proposed priorities.

As hospitals and ICU’s fill up with COVID patients, one local ICU nurse pleas for Pennsylvanians to take the pandemic seriously

Lancaster County intensive care unit nurse Nikkee Asashon believes we all have a responsibility to heed health recommendations to stop the spread of the Coronavirus.

From her perspective, though, there are many people not taking this responsibility seriously enough and that is why she took pen to paper in a local newspaper last weekend.

“What is it going to take? When will people get the message? When will people understand and listen?,” LancasterOnline.com

Nurse Nikkee Asashon joins Smart Talk to share her perspective from the ICU wing of a local hospital.

With cases and deaths mounting, why do some people shrug off the risk of contracting the virus? Smart Talk is joined by two psychologists to examine why some continue to ignore the risks and live life as normal.

Melissa Auerbach, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology with Temple University and Elizabeth Gosch, Ph.D., Psychology Professor, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine appear on Wednesday’s program.

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A federal eviction moratorium was issued by the Centers for Disease Control in early September.

The CDC initiated the action to help stop the spread of the virus by allowing people to isolate in their homes. They also cited housing stability as a reason because homeless shelters and places where people live in group settings put them at higher risk for catching the virus.

The order protects renters from eviction for not paying their rent, however, unless the moratorium is renewed that protection ends the last day of December.

Local housing advocates say that since November, nearly 1300 evictions were filed in Dauphin County alone and unless something changes there will be hundreds of people evicted from their homes at the end of the month.

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss the issues are Caleb Cossick, a volunteer organizer with Greater Harrisburg Tenants United, Brittany Mellinger, with Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership and the Director of the Housing Equality and Equity Institute, and Todd Capitao, Tabor Community Services, Director of Financial Empowerment.

Also on the program is Rita Dallago, Executive Director with the Pennsylvania Residential Owners Association who will address the other side of the issue; if landlords can’t collect rent, they can’t pay their bills, either.

Iran and the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh

Iran’s top nuclear scientist was killed in November in what is reported as a targeted assassination. Iran blamed Israel for the murder and vowed to retaliate.

Mehdi Noorbaksh Ph.D., Professor of International Affairs and Business Harrisburg University of Science and Technology and Vice President, World Affairs Council Harrisburg will join Smart Talk to offer his perspective on the recent events in the region.

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A Central Pennsylvania County is making a collaborative effort to mitigate climate change.

Beginning with a series of three forums, the Cumberland County climate action group will look at the changing climate, and how citizens, municipalities, organizations and colleges and universities can get involved to expand and accelerate their efforts.

The series is a partnership between the Cumberland Conservation Collaborative, the South Mountain Partnership, Cumberland County Planning Department, the Center for Land Use and Sustainability at Shippensburg University, the Center for Sustainability at Dickinson College, and the Carlisle Borough.

Joining us on Monday’s Smart Talk to share details of the series are Cumberland County Commissioner Jean Foschi, Carlisle Borough Councilman Joel Hicks, and Katie Hess, Director, South Mountain Partnership, Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

Navigating the Holidays with Alzheimer’s

An Alzheimer’s diagnosis is life changing and understandably difficult for patients and their families. During the pandemic, the challenges have become much more complicated.

Families are managing concerns about safe travel and attending gatherings, in addition to the isolation of individuals with high COVID risk factors.

The Alzheimer’s Association created a planning tool to help families navigate the holidays.

Clay Jacobs, Executive Director, Greater Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association appears on Smart Talk with factors that families should consider. For more information you can also call 1-800-272-3900

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One of the keys to the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s strategy to slowing the spread of the COVID-19 virus was to use contact tracing – identifying people who have come into contact with another person who had contracted the virus. That person would be asked who they had contact with and precautions or treatments would be advised.

However, the state has less than 1,700 contact tracers after setting a goal of hiring 4,500 last spring and many people contacted aren’t cooperating.

In the meantime, coronavirus cases are surging.

PennLive investigative reporter Wallace McKelvey recently wrote extensively about contact tracing and joins us on Thursday’s Smart Talk.

Lancaster author discusses his book on monuments to Confederate general and their influence today

Lt. General Nathan Bedford Forrest was a cavalry officer in the Confederate army during the Civil War, who became legendary in much of the South. He also was the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan after the war.

Lancaster native Connor Towne O’Neill stumbled upon Forrest at a time when Confederate monuments were being removed because they were seen as symbols of a racist past.

O’Neill appears on Thursday’s Smart Talk to discuss how Forrest’s memory is still being felt today and his new book Down Along With That Devil’s Bones – A Reckoning with Monuments, memory, and the Legacy of White Supremacy.

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Even with the travel advisory and health warnings many Americans still traveled by road during the Thanksgiving holiday. The Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving is usually one of the busiest travel days of the year. That wasn’t true this year, but a lot of Americans still took to the roads.

With the holiday season in full gear and with winter weather in the forecast, it’s a great opportunity to revisit Pennsylvania rules of the road. The Pennsylvania State Police and local law enforcement agencies are patrolling the roads to ensure motorists obey traffic laws. However, with so many laws on the books, it can be challenging for motorists to keep track of them all.

Appearing on Wednesday’s Smart Talk are Fritzi Schreffler, PennDOT District 8 Safety Press Officer and Corporal Brent Miller, Director, Communications Office, Pennsylvania State Police to discuss all your highway questions and safety concerns. Visit 511pa.com for live, updated traffic conditions.

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There are actually a few positives brought about by the global pandemic and one of them is that more people are reading, a reported 35% increase. So what better way to show friends and family that you care than by giving them an amazing book to read.

Smart Talk is hosting our annual book-as-gifts guide. Books come in all shapes and sizes, and in a vast array of genres, including non-fiction, fiction, mystery and much more. Quite frankly, there is a book genre for everyone!

On Tuesday’s Smart Talk, we discuss how books make great holiday gifts with our literary experts and hear their recommendations for books to read or give.

Joining the conversation are Catherine Lawrence, co-owner of the Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg, Travis Kurowski, Ph.D, assistant professor of creative writing at York College of Pennsylvania, and Carolyn Blatchley, Executive Director of Cumberland County Library System.

We are interested in hearing about your book suggestions, too! Tune in on Tuesday, send us an email or call the show to voice your suggestions.

Catherine Lawrence’s Holiday 2020 Book List

Travis Kurowski’s Holiday 2020 Books List

Carolyn Blatchley’s Holiday 2020 Book List

WITF’s Pick of the Month

NPR’s Favorite Books of 2020

Smart Talk Listener’ recommendations

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published a COVID-19 vaccine distribution strategy in mid-September. Once the Food and Drug Administration approves the emergency use authorizations for the vaccines entering that phase of their trial, then the distribution phase of the strategy will begin.

In anticipation of this, the Pennsylvania Department of Health released the state’s distribution plan which is organized in three phases. The expectation is that in phase one there will be limited supply of the vaccine, so the state has prioritized who should receive it first.

Zach Shamberg is the President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association and he appears on Smart Talk Monday to offer perspective on vaccinating long-term care workers and residents in nursing homes, assisted living and personal care homes.

Pennsylvania has now confirmed the General Election results, officially securing the state’s 20 electoral votes for President-Elect Joe Biden

This election was certainly one for the record books, given the uncertainties of the global pandemic and nation-wide use of mail-in ballots. Pennsylvania counties can now take a moment consider how lessons from this election can improve future elections

Lisa Schaefer is the Executive Director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) and she, along with Forrest Lehman, Director of Elections and Registration, Lycoming County, join Smart Talk to discuss how counties can partner and develop meaningful improvements for future elections.

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