The Next Louisville

This is the fourth of several youth talk shows WFPL has planned as part of The Next Louisville, supported by the Community Foundation of Louisville and WE Day Kentucky. In it, students Zina Alyasseri, Zainab Alyasseri, Sean Waddell and Tyce Hall talk education: what they think about what they’ve learned in schools, which teachers have gone above and beyond and where they feel the local education system has room for improvement.
Th...

This is the third of several youth talk shows WFPL has planned as part of The Next Louisville, supported by the Community Foundation of Louisville and WE Day Kentucky. In it, students Emily Slaven and Ariana Tulay have a frank conversation about the stigma talking about mental health sometimes carries, and how they feel their schools have fallen short in supporting students seeking help.
This conversation was part of the Next Louis...

On May 23, we held an hour-long discussion in our performance studio on young adult homelessness. Joining us were Natalie Harris of the Coalition for the Homeless, Joe Hamilton of the Home of the Innocents and Metro Chief Resilience Officer Eric Friedlander. Also joining us was Jasmine Ellington, who used to be homeless but now has found housing. This conversation was part of the Next Louisville, which is supported by the Community...

Young adulthood is a formative phase of life, but for those experiencing homelessness, it can be especially challenging. The number of young adults without housing in Louisville is lower than it was, but local organizations are working to push the figure down even more. And upcoming federal funding is expected to help them do that.

In this installment of The Next Louisville, WFPL’s Amina Elahi explores why homeless young adults fac...

Kentucky youth are mobilizing to take action on climate change. In this installment of the Next Louisville--a partnership between 89.3 WFPL and the Community Foundation of Louisville--we follow a 17-year-old high school student and a 24-year-old community organizer as they try to confront Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell over his stance on the Green New Deal, a science-based proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in orde...

The play "Pipeline" tells the story of Omari, a young black teenager, and the fallout after he shoves a teacher at his elite private school. This hour-long conversation unpacks the larger issues that inform the play, like the so-called "school-to-prison pipeline" for black youth. It includes a conversation with actors Cecil Blutcher, who plays Omari, and Patrese D. McClain, who plays his mother, Nya, as well as...

For generations, houses of worship across all denominations have played a prominent role in helping those in need in struggling neighborhoods and beyond.

Sean Cannon | wfpl.org

The Next Louisville: Poverty & Progress

That not only includes providing food, clothing and shelter, but offering programs that address the underlying issue...

Like most American cities, Louisville’s neighborhoods have been shaped by the past century of housing policies. And those policies have helped accentuate economic divides, creating today’s map of economic inequality.

That’s examined nationally in “The Color of Law” by Richard Rothstein — a comprehensive look at government-guided segregation across America.

In the book, Rothstein lists example after example of the ways federal, stat...

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said Wednesday that he will unveil a new city-wide cleanliness initiative this spring that he hopes will address disparities in litter problems.

In an interview Wednesday, Fischer said an assessment is already underway using city data, social media and community input to determine areas that need “concentrated help” to be more “clean and green.”

“Cleanliness sets the tone for a city,” he said. “It’s an...

Sharon Cissell squints her eyes and points out to the street.

From her porch, she can see just beyond the curb, where a needle lies next to a discarded paper cup. The needle’s bright orange cap is an unmistakable, yet unremarkable, sight in the Taylor Berry neighborhood, just west of Churchill Downs.

Jacob Ryan

Sharon Cis...

Phyllis Atiba Brown is in the kitchen of the Spradling Urban Development Center in Smoketown; a small, concrete daycare facility decorated with wooden cut-outs of “Rugrats” characters and animal posters. She’s making trays of macaroni and cheese and chicken tenders for the dozen or so kids who are staying late into the evening.

They’re here as part of a new program called “Smoketown Synergy.”

“We started it last year when the Presb...