Always a joy to have Melita Easters - executive director at the Georgia WIN List - on the show, and today was no exception.
As of this episode posting she's interviewing author Elaine Weiss, whose latest book, "Spell Freedom," looks back at the underground schools that built the civil rights movement, The discussion is one previously scheduled at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. Jennifer Schuessler first reported on this and two otther book event cancellations in late February for the New York Times, "raising questions about whether leadership changes at the National Archives and Records Administration were affecting programming at the 13 presidential libraries it oversees."
So a speaking event for books on civil rights, homelessness and climate change have no home at the Carter Presidential Library under the Trump presidency. The National Archives chalked it up to "facing staff cuts," with fuure Carter Library events "now needs approval from Washington for all programming."
Whatever the case, the broad and thorough "reach" of the Trump administration into every nook-and-cranny of federal governance is obviously concerning. Weiss' book is notable in that - as we speak - Trump and his Department of Education head is seeking to dismantle the federal agency altogether - which puts more power at the state level. What could go wrong except the return of "Lost Cause" history curriculum like that taught to current GOP Senate leaders like Marsha Blackburn and Lindsey Graham?
Well Melita and I discussed the Carter Library / National Archives concern, along with a host of other topics (as we usually do). She's rightfully proud of previous WIN Leadership Academy products like Senator Kim Jackson, who managed to craft productive legislation to address homelessness (unlike that of Houston Gaines, who sought to score political points and exacerbate the problem in larger cities).
We talk Lucy McBath, Stacy Abrams & so much more.
PLUS: The AJC's Patricia Murphy and Jeremy Redmon both dive into the renaming of "Fort Benning" near Columbus, Georgia, and how clumsily Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth manages to dishonor the man and family he chose to rename the base (simply because he shared a last name with a 'mediocre' Confederate general and secessionist slave owner) and the Army veteran and wife whose names were previously affixed to the base.
