A Little Perspective

Fun fact: the Earth's average surface temperature has risen by about 2 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century. Maybe it's a not-so-fun fact.

In this episode, ALP welcomes Tracey Lewis-- a policy counsel for the Climate Program of Public Citizen, and a fellow at the Climate & Community Project based at the University of Pennsylvania-- to explore the climate crisis.

Read more about Tracey Lew...

The Pentagon spends over $2.5 billion annually to target low-income students with various recruitment tactics, encouraging them to join the military. The “poverty draft” is real, people.

Sources
https://chicago.chalkbeat.org/2021/6/4/22512734/chicago-schools-automatically-steer-some-black-and-latino-students-into-military-run-jrotc
https://www.afsc.org/sites/default/files/documents/The%20Poverty%20Draft.pdf
...

Black Americans often express their psychological issues through somatic complaints. But did you know that this has resulted from the stigma surrounding mental healthcare in the Black community?

Featuring insight from board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Aminata Cisse, this episode explores the impacts of inadequate mental healthcare in the Black community. Listen to learn all about it. 

Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic...

In the 1980s, Lip Smacker’s flavored lip balms were advertised to adult women. Now, the brand's fanbase is primarily composed of tween girls. Is childhood gradually disappearing?

Sources
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242068991_KGOY_reconsidered_Kids_just_want_to_be_kids
https://web.p.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=f97af410-eb9d-4a43-b990-7162fb10653c%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc...

Most students know that American teachers’ salaries are too low, and that public schools’ reliance on standardized test scores have become especially great. But have you ever considered what a public official thinks of these topics? 

In this episode, Plantation city council member Nick Sortal joins host Halima Attah to discuss the flaws of the American public school system and better yet– how those issues can be fixed. 

Sources
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At Google, women account for a mere 17% of tech-related employment. Ever thought of how this lack of gender-based diversity looks in the video game industry?

Sources
https://www.api-gbv.org/about-gbv/our-analysis/patriarchy-power/
https://research-management.mq.edu.au/ws/portalfiles/portal/93946828/Publisher_version_open_access_.pdf
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/12/14/gender-discrimination-come...

Given that the American criminal justice system holds over 2.3 million people, the existence of mass incarceration is undeniable. But could it be that prisons are intentionally preparing their residents to remain behind bars?
Sources
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/fundamental-failure-american-prisons
https://www.sentencingproject.org/criminal-justice-facts/
https://www.prisonpolicy.org/globa...

I think that Santa could benefit from a lesson or two on sustainability. I mean, the holiday season is responsible for the production of a lot of waste.

Sources
https://www.deseret.com/2018/11/27/20577947/these-are-the-14-religious-holidays-believers-celebrate-in-december#think-december-is-all-about-hanukkah-and-christmas-think-again-here-are-12-major-religious-holidays-in-december
https://nrf.com/topics/holiday-...

Remember when Tyler, the Creator’s 2019 alternative album, Igor, was nominated for a Grammy under the RAP category? Racially motivated. 

No, literally– it’s an example of racially motivated genre confinement. If you’ve never heard of that, this episode is for you.  

Sources
https://www.statepress.com/article/2021/03/specho-black-artists-music-boundaries-hip-hop-rap-rhythym-blues
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/how-rock-...

While most people can’t imagine a world where Addison Rae’s brand deals wouldn't be plastered on their phone screens, that was the reality 10 years ago-- showing that social media is more of a business now than it was in the past. Could social media subcultures be responsible for this? 

Sources
https://hbr.org/2016/03/branding-in-the-age-of-social-media
https://knightfoundation.org/features/twittermedia/
https://w...

Okay, maybe your laptop isn’t yelling racial slurs. But racism can still be encoded into the digital programs we use everyday. To learn more about the racial biases observed in Artificial Intelligence (AI), listen to this episode.

Sources
https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-ai-technology-how-used2003.html#close
https://news.mit.edu/2018/study-finds-gender-skin-type-bias-artificial-intelligence-systems-0212
https://...

Seriously, students’ spaghetti straps may be more heavily patrolled than the interior of a Target. But why? If you want to learn about the issues within American schools' dress code policies, be sure to listen to this episode.

Sources
https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/when-school-dress-codes-discriminate
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/05/15/mass-school-punishes-tw...

Yeah, a billion dollars is a lot of money. But given that its vastness is incomprehensible by so many, should people be able to possess it? If you want to learn about wealth inequality and how billionaires play a role in its existence, this episode is for you.

Sources  
https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/explorations/tours/geotime/guide/billion.html
https://www.credit-suisse.com/media/assets/corporate/docs/about-...

Following Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to mental health reasons, a slew of Americans were quick to characterize her as a failure. But the backlash fueled by these overly-patriotic consumers alludes to something greater: the interconnection between mental and physical health. Listen to learn all about it.

Sources 
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19379961/
https://www.who.int/n...

While it sounds like a tourist attraction at a Floridian water park, the ‘summer slide’ is anything but fun. Listen to this episode to learn all about it. 

Sources
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.brookings.edu/research/summer-learning-loss-what-is-it-and-what-can-we-do-about-it/%3famp
https://www.nwea.org/blog/2021/summer-learning-loss-what-we-know-what-were-learning/
https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/20/03/harvard-edc...

No, Critical Race Theory (CRT) is not ‘Anti-American.’ But what would its implementation into the education system mean for students? If you have no clue what this means, this episode is for you.
Sources
https://libguides.du.edu/c.php?g=931280&p=7098628
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2021/07/02/why-are-states-banning-critical-race-theory/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/critical-race-theory
http...

Following the commencement of pride month, a slew of large corporations are now closing sales on their limited edition pride collections. But could the recent emergence of these rainbow-covered designs represent an issue that expands past the month of June? 
Sources
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/2014-01-02/activism-or-slacktivism-how-social-media-hurts-and-helps-student-activism
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dawnstac...

Ah, yes. The convenience of gendered hygiene products: pink razors for women, and blue razors for men. But weirdly enough, this odd business practice prices identical items differently. Why so?
Sources 
https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/8a42df04-8b6d-4949-b20b-6f40a326db9e/the-pink-tax---how-gender-based-pricing-hurts-women-s-buying-power.pdf
https://www.fordham.edu/info/29752/ars_nova_digital_showcase_20...