Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Americans may at times feel as though they’re invisible. An estimated 3 million of them live in the U.S. yet have no box to mark their identities on government forms, such as the Census, and other surveys. Professor Neda Maghbouleh, who has spent years studying the exclusion faced by MENA Americans, laid out how the misrepresentation of their race impacts their lives. She explained what steps need to be taken to increase visibility for those who fall in the MENA category as well as what changes are already underway – thanks to efforts by Magbouleh and her colleagues René D. Flores and Ariela Schachter.  For more on this topic: Check out Neda Maghbouleh’s OpEd in Newsweek, coauthored by René D. Flores and Ariela Schachter: 5 Years After Muslim Ban, Middle Eastern and North African Americans Remain Hidden. Read an interview with Maghbouleh conducted by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights: Why a MENA Category Matters.

Episode 246: No Box to Check

In the American school system, math and science are considered essential building blocks of a good education. But for many students, those building blocks can topple over somewhere along the way. We spoke to Professor Lara Perez-Felkner, who laid out invisible barriers faced by racially minoritized and economically disadvantaged students pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). Perez-Felkner discussed ways that school administrators, policymakers, and families can come together to remove these barriers and increase opportunity –  all the way from kindergarten classrooms to college laboratories.  For more on this topic: Check out Lara Perez-Felkner’s SSN brief:  Transforming Opportunity to Support STEM Success for All.  Read her paper, co-authored by Samantha Nix: Difficulty Orientations, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity: An Intersectional Analysis of Pathways to STEM Degrees

Episode 245: Invisible Barriers in STEM Education

Gone are the days of file cabinets, wall calendars and phone books, as advances in technology have made storing information easier than ever. But given a slew of high-profile data breaches in recent years – both at governmental agencies and private companies – cybersecurity is quickly becoming one of the most pressing issues facing our country. How can our government better protect against increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks? And how might these data breaches impact the lives of everyday Americans? Professor Jeremy Straub answered these questions and more, emphasizing what needs to happen to prevent a truly catastrophic data breach – and what such a breach could mean for the world.  For more on this topic: Check out Jeremy Straub’s SSN brief:  Cybersecurity Incidents Can Be Unwelcome Wakeup Calls for Unprepared Agencies.   Read his paper:  Defining, Evaluating, Preparing for and Responding to a Cyber Pearl Harbor.

Episode 244: Avoiding a Cyber Catastrophe

According to the CDC, more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021. And a record-breaking 627 of those deaths occurred in the state of Maine. Substance use disorder is seen as a public health emergency by the medical community – but drug arrests continue to increase all over the country. In light of these developments, professor of political science Rob Glover, alongside his colleague Karyn Sporer (professor of sociology), set out to discover Mainers’ attitudes about current drug policy in their state and what reforms they favor. Professor Glover shared these eye-opening findings with us – as well as its policy implications.  For more on this topic: Check out Rob Glover and Karyn Sporer’s OpEd published in the Kennebec Journal:  Maine Voters Want a New Approach on Drug Policy. Read  an overview of their findings.

Episode 243: Prison Cell or Recovery Center?

With the midterm elections around the corner, all eyes are on the record-breaking number of Black female candidates on the ballot. We spoke to professor of government Nadia E. Brown, who shared her research on what’s contributing to the rising numbers of Black women seeking office. During the conversation, Professor Brown explored what the combined identity of being Black and female means for those who enter into politics and ways in which prior political participation becomes a key motivator for them to run for office.    For more on this topic: Check out Nadia E. Brown’s book,  Sisters in the Statehouse: Black Women and Legislative Decision Making. Read her paper, coauthored by Jamil Scott, Lorrie Frasure, and Dianne Pinderhughes:  Destined to Run?: The Role of Political Participation on Black Women’s Decision to Run for Elected Office. Read her SSN brief:  What’s Hair Got to Do With It? Black Women’s Bodies and the Traditional Look of Success in American Politics.

Episode 242: Midterm Trailblazers

With rent prices and mortgage rates continuing to skyrocket, finding and keeping stable housing is getting increasingly challenging for many  Americans. But according to sociology professor Prentiss Dantzler, those challenges are amplified for members of marginalized groups, such as Black Americans. Professor Dantzler spoke to us about the ways racial discrimination persists in the housing market, despite laws - such as the Fair Housing Act of 1968 - that were put into place decades ago to prevent it. He emphasized that having a home should not be viewed as a privilege, but rather a human right, and offered policy solutions to help achieve that vision.   For more on this topic: Read Prentiss Dantzler’s paper,  Making Our Way Home: Housing Policy, Racial Capitalism, and Reparations. Check out a paper written by two of his colleagues, Elizabeth Korver-Glenn and Junia Howell, mentioned in the episode:  The Increasing Effect of Neighborhood Racial Composition on Housing Values, 1980-2015.

Episode 241: In Search of a Home

Millions of Americans are poor, food insecure, housing cost-burdened, or medically uninsured. This is where the U.S. social safety net comes in – with programs like Medicaid, food stamps, and unemployment insurance  – to catch their fall. But how many experience a smooth landing? And how can society provide tangible relief to those who miss the net entirely? We sought answers from professor of public policy Chris Howard, who broke down what’s included when we talk about the “social safety net” and proposed ways to mend the gaping holes.  For more on this topic: Check out Chris Howard’s new SSN brief:  A Realistic Portrait of the Social Safety Net Pre-order his forthcoming book,  Who Cares: The Social Safety Net in America

Episode 240: Falling Through the Social Safety Net

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the war in Ukraine have brought an increased number of refugees to America over the past year. Enter refugee resettlement agencies – organizations that provide food, shelter, and of course, job placement to newly arrived refugees. But according to sociologist Dr. Nicole Kreisberg, their current strategy of job placement is deeply flawed: prioritizing immediate yet low-wage work over long-term reliable employment. Kreisberg spoke to us about the harms of this strategy, and what needs to be done to truly support incoming refugees. For more on this topic: Check out Nicole Kreisberg’s SSN brief, co-written by Els de Graauw and Shannon Gleeson:  Refugee Settlement Should Look Beyond First Job Placements Read her recent paper, also co-written by Els de Graauw and Shannon Gleeson:  Explaining Refugee Employment Declines: Structural Shortcomings in Federal Resettlement Support

Episode 239: Supporting the Needs of Refugees

The US Supreme Court has a long history of firmly defending its philosophy of neutrality and did the same for the recent and historic overturn of Roe. Wade. But according to law professor Cedric Merlin Powell, the Court’s neutral stance on cases impacting marginalized groups – including women and communities of color – ignores inequalities and in doing so, worsens them. Professor Powell sat down to speak with us about the serious harms caused by a judicial branch whose decisionmaking ignores the realities of racism, sexism, and other oppressive forces in our society.  For more of Cedric Merlin Powell’s work: Check out his SSN brief:  How Race-Neutral Rulings by the Supreme Court Perpetuate Inequalities Pre-order his forthcoming book ,  Post-Racial Constitutionalism and the Roberts Court Last but not least, SSN is excited to highlight a new podcast series,  When the People Decide, by The McCourtney Institute for Democracy at PennState. In this series, Jenna Spinelle tells the stories of activists, legislators, academics, and average citizens who changed their cities, states, and the country by taking important issues directly to voters — like Medicaid expansion in Idaho, sentencing reform in California, and LGBTQ workplace protections in Ohio.  

Episode 238: The "Neutral" Umpires of the Supreme Court

More and more Americans are facing massive student debt and daunting payment plans once the federal pause on loan payments runs out. But this burden is not spread evenly, and neither are the challenges of paying it off. In this episode, we spoke to Associate Professor of Public Policy Fenaba Addo about who is really facing a student debt crisis, what contributes to student debt accumulation, and how race and family wealth factor into it all. For more of Fenaba Addo’s work:  Check out  her report on this topic:  Ensuring a More Equitable Future: Exploring and Measuring the Relationship Between Family Wealth, Education Debt, and Wealth Accumulation Listen to her on an episode of PitchFork Economics titled  Why Should We Cancel Student Debt?

Episode 237: Who’s Really in a Student Debt Crisis?

Millennials are often seen as a progressive-minded generation – as 80’s and 90’s kids, they grew up in a digital landscape that exposed them to a diversity of perspectives. But while expectations were high that this generation would be on the frontlines in the fight for racial equality, recent research by  Associate Professor of Political Science Candis Watts Smith paints a different picture. During our conversation, Professor Smith discussed how white millennials’ really think about race  and the ways in which their views and beliefs have largely halted progress for Black Americans and other racial minorities in the United States.  For more of Candis Smith’s work: Check out her book on this research,  Racial Stasis: The Millennial Generation and the Stagnation of Racial Attitudes in American Politics  Read her latest book  Stay Woke: A People’s Guide to Making All Black Lives Matter Listen to her podcast, Democracy Works, to hear interviews with experts who study all different aspects of what it means to live in a democracy.

Episode 236: How White Millennials Really Think About Race

Conversations around climate change often focus on the consumption habits of everyday people: the cars we drive, the food we eat, our electricity bills. But according to geography professor Matt Huber, the carbon footprints of consumers are not what we should be so concerned about, despite all the rhetoric. During our conversation, Professor Huber focused on what (and who) he argues are largely responsible for our alarmingly high rate of carbon emissions – and offered solutions.   For more of Matt Huber’s work: Check out his new book coming out on May 10th:  Climate Change as Class War Read his opinion article on this topic published in Jacobin:  Rich People are Fueling Climate Catastrophe – But Not Mostly Because of Their Consumption   

Episode 235: The Real Culprits of Climate Change

The 2020 presidential election brought disinformation – defined as false information with the intent to mislead – to the forefront of public conversation. Subsequent events, such as the January 6 riot, reveal the serious danger disinformation can pose to democracy. To learn more about the far-reaching consequences of digital disinformation, we spoke with nationally recognized election law expert Rick Hasen, a Professor of Law and Political Science at University of California, Irvine. During the conversation, Professor Hasen shared tangible solutions to combat the rise of disinformation campaigns during US elections.  For more of Rick Hasen’s work: Check out his new book coming out on March 8th  Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics – and How to Cure It Read another one of his recent books on this topic   Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to American Democracy

Episode 234: Election Disinformation

The postpartum experience can be challenging enough for American mothers in normal times, but add a pandemic to the equation, and you may be left with a postpartum nightmare. To better understand what the birthing and postpartum experiences looked like in the early days of the pandemic and how the current Omicron surge mirrors those early days for new mothers, we spoke with Dr. Tova Walsh, an Assistant Professor of social work at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Walsh has spent the last two years interviewing women who gave birth in the earliest days of the pandemic - an experience she shares with her research subjects. She explained the challenges these new mothers faced and laid out policy recommendations to improve postpartum care going forward.   For more of Tova Walsh’s work: Check out her recent opinion article published in NBC News:  As COVID surges, health officials must remember that in-person postpartum care is essential  Listen to her interviews about the experience of early parenting during the pandemic, on  Wisconsin Public Radio and Slate’s  parenting podcast.

Episode 233: Pandemic Postpartum

Amidst the dizzying onslaught of crises facing the nation – and the world – over the past several years, we are starting the new year by reflecting on how Americans react and respond to traumatic events, both as individuals and as groups. How do frightening circumstances facing our communities impact us psychologically? Why does so much disparity exist in the ways we process the same harmful events? How can we connect and find unity amidst all the chaos? These are some of the questions we explored with Dr. Maurice Stevens, a professor of comparative studies whose critical trauma theory research focuses on ways individuals and communities react to overwhelming events.   For more of Maurice Stevens’s work: Check out their SSN brief on this topic:  Getting Beyond Trauma. Read a similar piece they published in Oppositional Conversations titled  Contesting Catastrophes.

Episode 232: Reflecting on Two Years of Trauma

Tribal communities are entitled to federally funded healthcare under treaties signed with the U.S. government. And yet, Native Americans often struggle to access  quality healthcare, creating health disparities that take a tremendous toll on their lives . In this episode, research scientist Dr. Emily Haozous explains what those health disparities have looked like over the past few decades, where they stand now, and what needs to be done to better meet the health needs of tribal communities.   For more of Emily Haozous’s work: Read her SSN brief on this topic:  Challenges on the Horizon for Native American Sovereignty and Healthcare   Learn about some of her past research on the health needs of the Native population in Santa Fe, in  The Santa Fe Reporter.

Episode 231: Broken Promises for Native American Healthcare

The decades-long childcare crisis in America -- worsened by the pandemic -- continues to deepen: parents all across the nation have been facing immense challenges in finding quality, affordable childcare, all while childcare providers continue to deal with poor working conditions and cripplingly low wages. This month, we spoke to labor economist Mary King, who focuses on the public provision of high quality preschool and childcare. During our conversation, Dr. King offered a detailed examination of the crisis and explained the many advantages of creating a universal preschool program.     For more of Mary King’s work:  Check out her article in The American Prospect:  On Universal Preschool, Multnomah County, Oregon, Moves to the Head of the Class  Read her three SSN briefs on this topic:  New Preschool Program in Oregon is a Model for the Nation -- But Challenges Remain,  The Labor Force for Needed Investments in Public Childcare Already Exists, and  To Address the Childcare Crisis, Talk to Low Wage Moms

Episode 230: America's Childcare Crisis

With a near-total abortion ban that was recently passed in Texas and Mississippi’s request to overturn Roe v. Wade making its way to the Supreme Court, many are asking what the uptick in abortion restrictions in the US will mean for reproductive health and justice. On this latest episode, Professor Amanda Stevenson draws on her new research to show how abortion bans lead to an increase in pregnancy-related deaths and steps policymakers can take to expand greater access to reproductive health services.  For more on Amanda Stevenson’s research and this topic: Check out her latest opinion piece published in Salon:  Pregnancy is Much More Dangerous Than Abortion -- Meaning Abortion Bans Like Texas’ Will Be More Deadly Take a look at the  CDC”s Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System page that provides stats on pregnancy-related deaths.

Episode 229: Rolling Back Roe

Join us for the official relaunch of the No Jargon Podcast! For our first episode since our eleven-month hiatus, we take on Big Tech and government. Tech giants like Amazon and Facebook have been in the news a lot lately, especially after the House Judiciary Committee approved several antitrust bills this past summer that aim to curb the power of the tech industry. We decided to have a conversation with Margaret O’Mara, a renowned historian who has spent most of her career examining the love/hate relationship between Big Tech and government. Dr. O’Mara shares colorful stories about Silicon Valley – from its early beginnings to the days of the internet boom – all while explaining the Valley’s ever-present intersection with US politics. She takes us on a journey through the ups and downs of the intensely eventful relationship between the two.   For more of Margaret O’Mara’s work:  Read her most recent book  The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America. Check out her opinion pieces about the tech industry in The New York Times.

Episode 228: The Past and Future of Big Tech

The 2020 election is quickly approaching and there is no lack of challenges for election administrators to overcome. From a pandemic that’s made finding poll workers difficult, to a massive influx of vote-by-mail ballots that are likely to delay results, to perhaps the biggest challenge of them all: the false rhetoric coming from the White House around the validity of the entire process. In this special episode, Professor Thessalia Merivaki lays out how election administrators are addressing these challenges, what we can expect come November, and what types of voter suppression to watch out for. For more on this topic:  Read Merivaki’s piece in The Conversation,  Poll workers on Election Day will be younger – and probably more diverse – due to COVID-19 Read her piece in Forbes,  Building Civic Engagement Capacity From The Ground: Voter Registration On College Campuses Check out her SSN brief,  What Provisional Ballots Tell Us about the Remaining Challenges in America's Local Voting Systems Find her new book, The Administration of Voter Registration: Expanding the Electorate Across and Within the States     

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