Top Of Mind With Julie Rose

Citizenship is a prerequisite for voting in most of the world. But New York City plans on allowing non-citizens to vote in city elections. How does being given or denied the right to vote affect somebody’s sense of belonging in a community? In this episode, we look at the history of voting rights and restrictions in America and see how voting by non-citizens plays out in places where it is allowed. Guests: Woojung Diana Park, Immigrant Justice Organizer, Minkwon Center in New York City Chaewon Jessica Park, Immigrant Justice Organizer, Minkwon Center in New York City Howard Husock, Senior Fellow of Domestic Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute Ron Hayduk, Professor of Political Science, San Francisco State University Kate Stewart, Mayor of Takoma Park, Maryland

Maia Szalavitz was introduced to the concept of harm reduction while using illegal drugs in her 20s. A friendly woman advised her to clean the needles with bleach. She claims that kind gesture saved her life even though it was a few years before she kicked the drug habit. Harm reduction has evolved in the last 40 years. New York City just opened the first government-sanctioned supervised injection sites in the country. Can you accept somebody as they are without enabling their harmful behavior to continue? Are they mutually exclusive? Guests: Maia Szalavitz - author of Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction Dr. Leslie Suen - addiction medicine specialist, UCSF Darwin Fisher – Program Manager, Insite Keith Humphreys - addiction researcher, professor, Stanford University School of Medicine David Murray - co-director for the Center for Substance Abuse Policy Research, Hudson Institute Brendan Cox - Director of Policing Strategies, LEAD National Support Bureau

If you stood a thin person next to someone who is, well, not so thin, and were asked to pick who you thought was healthier, you’re more than likely going to choose the skinny person, right? We’ve been programmed to think that body weight is the best indicator of a person’s health and fitness. But this mindset isn’t always true. The disconnect between body weight and health is more common than you think, and we may be making ourselves more unhealthy by not believing it. Mirna Valerio, ultramarathoner, founder of Fat Girl Running Kathryn Hively, Founder of Just BE Parenting Glenn Gaesser, Professor of Exercise Physiology, Arizona State University Corinne Hannan, Psychologist and Assistant Clinical Professor, Brigham Young University

When we think of race, we might naturally think of one's skin color. But someone who is black can have white skin. So what is race? Two researchers say we are getting it all wrong and that biological race is a myth. But they say socially-defined race and racism are alive and continue to this day. Guests: Natalie Devora, Author of "Black Girl White Skin: A Life In Stories" Dr. Joseph L. Graves Jr, Professor of biological sciences at North Carolina A&T State University, co-author of “Racism, Not Race: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions” Dr. Alan Goodman, Professor of biological anthropology at Hampshire College, co-author of “Racism, Not Race” Terry and Michele Wright, Co-Founders, National Organization of African Americans with Cystic Fibrosis Lauren Michele, Black blogger with Cystic Fibrosis

Jasmine Reed has lived with a chronic illness since she was 15. After years of seeing doctors and trying different treatments, she doesn’t feel much better. Reed wishes others would believe she is in pain even though she doesn’t look sick. Chronic pain doesn’t necessarily come from a specific external cause, so it’s hard to treat and hard to prove to others. But that doesn’t mean it’s not real. In this episode, we talk to chronic pain experts about treatments and chronic pain’s connection to the opioid epidemic. We also talk to neuroscientists about pain patterns in the brain and how we can help to heal ourselves. Guests: Jasmine Reed, person with a chronic illness. Daniel Clauw, Director, Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, University of Michigan. Tor Wager, Professor of Neuroscience, Dartmouth College.

Hundreds of parents volunteered their children as participants in the COVID-19 vaccine trials. To some of us, that seems like a crazy risk. But to those parents, it didn’t feel risky at all. The way that we think about risk is complex. It changes based on the situation, and it’s more arbitrary than we might want to admit. In this episode, we examine how people gauge risk, whether it’s in an everyday parenting situation or a death-defying rock climb, and we look at ways to bring more rationality into our risk-taking. Jamie Davis Smith - Parent, attorney, and disability advocate Seema Lakdawala - Parent and virologist at the University of Michigan Lenore Skenazy - Author and founder of the non-profit Let Grow Jane Joseph - Neuroscientist at the Medical University of South Carolina Alex Honnold - Professional rock climber Paul Slovic - Professor of psychology at the University of Oregon

Bobby Love’s story is amazing. Love escaped prison, raised a family, and lived trouble-free for over 40 years. But he probably wouldn’t have been able to do that so well, if he hadn't completely changed his identity after the escape. He had no parole requirements to trip him up, no criminal record shaping where he could live or work. In this episode, we consider how the US justice system makes it difficult for people convicted of crimes to rebuild their lives after prison. And we'll explore some solutions. Guests: Bobby and Cheryl Love – Co-Authors of “The Redemption of Bobby Love.” Nathan Sterling – Formerly incarcerated individual Karl Daniels – Formerly incarcerated individual Reuben Jonathan Miller – Professor, University of Chicago. Author of “Halfway Home: Race, Punishment, and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration.” Sue Mason – Executive Director, What’s Next Washington Krista Gulbransen – Executive Director, Berkeley Property Owners Association Penny Jennings – Vice-President of Strategic Programs,

A podcast for people who are turned-off by the depressing, divisive nature of the news, but still want to engage with important issues in our communities. Hosted by radio journalist Julie Rose, Top of Mind tackles one tough topic each week in a way that will challenge you, help you feel more empathy and empower you to become a better citizen, a kinder neighbor and a more effective advocate. Top of Mind with Julie Rose is a production of BYUradio.