Human Interest

GPS pioneer, Dr. Gladys West, and her fellow math-wiz husband Ira West, share what it was like to have high-level careers during a time when integration was just beginning while continuing to break ground for people of color today. Adele McClure explains how she beat homelessness to lead the VA Legislative Black Caucus. Learn how Virginia’s Crown Act protects people with natural hair styles and texture from discrimination.

We take a look at Gray Area Drinking and how having a glass of wine every night to escape stress could lead to bigger problems. Then we visit with Miss America, Camille Schrier. She is a VCU doctoral student who breaks stereotypes and shares some challenges in her journey. We take a look at Fashion over the decades and the impacts of headlines on hemlines to designers.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn explore the causes and costs of addiction, poverty and incarceration plaguing America, from the inner city to small towns like Yamhill, Oregon. While pockets of empathy and aid exist, are they enough to rescue the thousands of Americans in despair, for whom the American Dream of self-reliance is impossibly out of reach?

See how one family’s pain with infant loss drove them to help other bereaved families through Kennedy’s Angel Gowns. Learn about the hardships and successes of the Asian Pacific Islander Community. A food expert shares the trends and tragedies that shaped what’s on our plates over the last 30 years.

Learn how Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs) are improving financial stability for farmers, mitigating food deserts in urban areas, and increasing access to fresh food for all.

In the Season 30 premiere of Virginia Currents, hear the compelling stories of how ChildSavers helps children and families impacted by trauma. See how Argie went from being a rescue dog to a search dog for Powhatan Police. From solving cold cases to giving new leads, we look at how DNA’s role in criminal investigations changed drastically in 30 years.

In its seventh year, a summit aimed at supporting transgender Virginians will expand its focus on Black lives and antiracism.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being remembered in a private ceremony at the high court, where her body is lying in repose.

Martin Wegbreit, Director of Litigation for the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, and Patrick McCloud, CEO of the Virginia Apartment Management Association join VPM editor Dan Rosenthal to talk about evictions during the coronavirus pandemic.

NPR and StoryCorps have produced a new one-hour special that reflects the potential for public media as a driver of civic dialogue, compassionate listening and national healing.