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Podcasts Take Two
State of Affairs, A History Lesson on Juneteenth, Weekend Preview
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Jun 19, 2020
Listen • 52:10
State of Affairs, A History Lesson on Juneteenth, Weekend Preview

A mandatory mask order from Governor Newsom could cause a clash with local authorities, millions of Americans observe Juneteenth today and what to do this weekend.
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks to the press in the spin room after the sixth Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season co-hosted by PBS NewsHour & Politico at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California on December 19, 2019. (Photo by Agustin PAULLIER / AFP) (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER/AFP via Getty Images)
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks to the press in the spin room after the sixth Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season co-hosted by PBS NewsHour & Politico at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California on December 19, 2019. (Photo by Agustin PAULLIER / AFP) (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER/AFP via Getty Images)
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AGUSTIN PAULLIER/AFP via Getty Images
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State of Affairs

This week: A mandatory mask order from Governor Newsom could cause a clash with local authorities. Meanwhile: The House and Senate are BOTH working on police reform bills… but the devil is in the details. We'll get into all those stories and more. 

Guests:

  • Marisa Lagos, Political correspondent at KQED
  • Zach Courser - Co-director of the policy lab at Claremont McKenna College

Why These Protest Feel Different

All over the country people have organized to observe the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth. Today's protests follow the weeks-long demonstrations all over the world... to rally against police brutality and the killing of George Floyd. It's a civil rights movement that we've seen before but… not like this. So, why does this time around feel different? 

Guest:

  • Drew Engelhardt, Researcher at Brown University

A History Lesson on Juneteenth

Today, millions of Americans are observing Juneteenth, a holiday traditionally celebrated by Black Americans to mark the end of slavery in the United States, that has skyrocketed to the national spotlight this year. Companies such as Target … Nike … Twitter and others have even made Juneteenth a paid holiday. All this as the country continues to grapple with nationwide protests against police brutality and racial inequality following the death of George Floyd.

Guest:

  • Jessica Millward, Associate Professor of History at the University of California, Irvine 

Black-ish Juneteenth

Blackish creator Kenya Barris talks about the Juneteenth musical episode they ran in 2017. It's from an interview on The Frame from 2018. He's now developing a Juneteenth musical for Netflix with Pharrell Williams.

Juneteenth BBQ

As we mentioned earlier, today is Juneteenth. And tradition holds that many black communities observe this day with some special foods… among them: barbecue. We take a deeper look at this tradition.

Guest:

  • Kevin Bludso, owner of Bludso's Bar & Que, on La Brea in mid-city

Weekend Preview

KPCC's Leo Duran shares some of the best socially distant events to be a part of this weekend in Southern California.