Help Us Cover the Inauguration!

Lee Hill, here ...

The historic swearing in of Barack Obama on Jan. 20th is approaching fast. In just two weeks, millions are expected to flock to the nation's capital to witness the former Chicago community organizer and U.S. Senator be sworn in as the nation's 44th president ... and to, um, get their party on like it's nobody's business.

(Funny, I keep getting e-mails. Of course, every group's ball, luncheon, after party, etc. is the modestly branded the "must attend" event of the week.)

Around here, we're thinking a lot about how to distinguish our coverage of Inauguration Week -- Jan. 19th through the 23rd -- from what, quite honestly, you're likely to be exposed to via many other news outlets. We're contemplating our flavor, if you will.

With all of the Obama fanfare, we're also mindful that Monday, Jan. 19th, is the day we honor the life and sacrifice of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. -- just over 40 years since his assassination.

Questions for you:

What types of inauguration stories would you like to hear from TMM?

If you're making the trip to Washington, great! ... But if not, tell us how we can help make you feel as close to the news as possible with our reporting -- on the radio, and here on the Web.

At a time like this, which voices are you longing to hear from? ... Are there personal experiences, thoughts or observations you think we should consider?

And, if you aren't an Obama fan (in other words, if you'll be holding your applause), how are you thinking about all of this, and what are your hopes for the next administration?

Working hard to tell you more ...

-- Lee Hill

Tags: barack obama | inauguration

3:58 PM ET | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

 

Trying To Keep It Short, But ...

In our discussion about Mommy bloggers today, I asked one of the bloggers to offer any advice for people who might want to get started in regularly posting online. She said, "Keep it short."

Oh, great, now they tell me.

OK, here. So today:

Illinois Senate appointee Roland Burris is rejected today on Capitol Hill. What now? And ... Franken? Senator Al Franken? He says yes, GOP says no.

Bailout, what happened?

A new Frontline documentary, about Katrina. Check out The Old Man And the Storm:

And, mommies who blog ... how fun is that?

Tomorrow we are working on: more about Congress...a story about gay marriage...is Gay Marriage the right fight for right now?

We got started on this idea by some opinion writers who were critical of the gay political leadership for putting so much emphasis on gay marriage to the exclusion of other issues. The columns questioned whether the gay marriage fight is helping or hurting the efforts to achieve full civil rights and social acceptance for same sex-loving men and women. So we invited a roundtable of folks who've been having this discussion/debate to have it with us.

Too long already? Sorry.

-- Michel Martin

3:08 PM ET | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

 

Pondering Life ... And Loss

We are welcoming our new CEO Vivian Schiller today, so we must rehearse our spontaneous witty remarks. ... So this will be brief.

I have to give kudos to my staff for pulling together some important bookings for today's show over the weekend. It's not as easy as you might think, especially since last week was New Year's. And although we were here on Friday, Jan. 2, a lot of the people we wanted to reach were out of pocket.

Today, We wanted to follow up on the stories that reached critical mass last week -- one here, one abroad.

We wanted to talk to some voices that are easily disappeared during a time of conflict, the peace activists on both sides. Listen to our conversation with advocates of non-violence Abu Sammi and Vivian Silver. Silver is an Israeli. Abu Sami, which is, of course, a family name he uses because there are still concerns about his safety owing to his activism in Gaza, is a Palestinian who has since relocated to Ramallah. As we were speaking to him on the air, he was on his way to a hospital to locate a child who had been sent from Gaza after being told a child was being sent there without any family.

You can hear the strain in both their voices.

And the carnage at home: another in our conversations about why the murder rate among young black males has surged in recent years when that does not seem to be happening in other groups and in other communities. Last week, we reported on the study. Today, we wanted to go deeper so we found two mothers who have both lost sons to gun violence -- Sylvia Banks in Detroit, and Karen Graham in Milwaukee. We also spoke with Ron Moten, an ex-offender and co-founder of Peaceaholics, an anti-violence group that works to try to stop urban violence.

We'll have more to say in the days ahead because we can't sit here and act like we don't know this is happening in our own communities.

Among our staff, we talked about whether having a conversation about obituaries was a bit too much, but I hope you'll agree with us that the stories we talked about were not depressing at all.

I bet you all know an unsung hero whose passing deserved notice. How wonderful that these 11 Washingtonians' lives were memorialized by this fine writing. Here they are. Tell us what you think.

Let's hope your new year is getting off to a good start.

-- Michel Martin

Tags: black youth violence

3:14 PM ET | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

 

Happy New Year From The TMM 'Barbershop'

-- Lee Hill

4:13 PM ET | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

 

Wishing You More in 2009

What can I say?

We hope you had a good year. And if you didn't, we hope next year will be better.

Come to think of it, even if you did have a good year we hope next year will be better.

Here's to more interesting stories, more stimulating conversations, more people feeling like they understand each other in ways they didn't, and more connections to people at home and around the world.

Here's to all of our listeners who make what we do possible and worth doing in the first place.

From all of us at Tell Me More ...

Happy New Year.

Cheers!

-- Michel Martin

5:41 PM ET | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

 

New Year's Resolutions?

We're looking for those New Year's resolutions that, this year, you promise to keep.

Resolving to start a business? ... Get in shape? Will you finally take that dream vacation ... or maybe find love (especially if you plan to find love while on your dream vacation ... but we know that's a stretch).

Tell us what you're aiming for in 2009, and how high you're aiming.

Happy New Year!

-- Lee Hill

11:19 AM ET | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

 

Grim (But Important) News

If you listen to us in the morning, I hate to start your day off with grim news. But we really wanted to check in with someone from Ohio. Ohio, along with Michigan, seems like ground zero for bad economic news. The General Motors plant in Moraine closed last week after 27 years because of poor SUV and truck sales, and express shipping company DHL is closing its hub in Wilmington as it scales back U.S. operations and focuses on business overseas.

We decided to check in with the Lieutenant Governor of Ohio, Lee Fisher. If positive thinking can turn things around, then Ohio might be okay. Listen for yourself.

But, then it was on to murder.

Some things cannot be ignored. A new study (pdf) by one of this country's preeminent researchers on crime and violence, James Alan Fox at Northeastern University, reports that murders are actually surging among black teen males, while the homicide rate is falling or stable for others. This is not going to be a shock to some of you who live in certain communities or who read certain newspapers, or who watch the local news in some cities.

The question is ... why? We need to talk more about this.

You might also find interesting today's conversations about avoiding financial scams ... and how to keep your teens safe on New Year's Eve.

I know I'm dating myself, but what did that old sergeant say on that long ago police drama, "Hill Street Blues"?

"Be careful out there."

-- Michel Martin

1:44 PM ET | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

 

What We Missed in '08

It's the last few days of the year. My thanks as always to those who worked over the holiday break so I and others could take that break -- and I don't just mean in this newsroom, but also patrolling the streets and keeping watch in the fire houses and command centers and air traffic control towers and diplomatic posts and military bases around the world; not to mention standing by in the emergency rooms, and the emergency hotlines, and even the grocery store and gas stations, doing everything that needs to be done while the rest of us enjoy our families.

So, whether you wear a uniform or not, whatever you do, thank you for doing it, and thank you for being there.

And that made me think about what we're doing, and it even made me look ahead to the next year. For some reason, instead of making a list of the resolutions we all say we're going to make (we'll have more on that later this week), I keep coming back to stories I think we missed -- not because I want to pick at old sores or embarrass anybody (least of all me), but because maybe in a way this is a resolution.

It's a way of saying I was listening, even if it didn't always seem like it.

First of all, I wish we had covered Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday celebration in London on July 18. Not because I wasn't invited but because of the occasion, which he used to mark the formation of a group called The Elders. That group has already lent its moral authority to bringing attention to the ongoing disaster that is Zimbabwe.

I can tell you why we didn't cover Mandela's birthday: we couldn't find a great guest who was invited to the festivities, and who was available when we are on the air. But I still regret it. Mandela is one of the great men of the age and, indeed, with so much appalling news coming out of Africa, might it have been .

Continue reading "What We Missed in '08" »

-- Michel Martin

8:10 AM ET | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

 

Wisdom & Reflections

For the holidays, Tell Me More welcomes Bishop Vashti McKenzie, the first female bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

And meet Sisters Virginie Fish and Marcia Hall. They tell us about being a part of the Oblate Sisters of Providence in Baltimore, the first Roman Catholic order in America to accept black women as nuns.

We also revisit conversations with WWII Vet Leon Bass, author Toni Morrison and filmmaker John Leguizamo.

And stay tuned on Monday. We're taking a look back at the year 2008.

-- Douglas Hopper

9:00 AM ET | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

 

Zimbabwe: The Crisis Deepens

Hello All,

It's Cheryl Corley here ...

The holiday season is supposed to be about cheer and giving, right? In many places that's true. Not so for Zimbabwe. NPR Correspondent Charlayne Hunter Gault brought us up to date on the ongoing crisis in that country and the intent of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to "never surrender" despite calls for him to step down.

The Illinois political scandal is a much tamer crisis but Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has also promised not to resign. We talked about the possible implications the scandal has for the Chicago's Indian community. A prominent Indian businessman and fund raiser hasn't been charged with any wrong doing but might be involved in the case. Governor Blagojevich faces corruption charges for allegedly using his office for personal gain.

Also on the show today, the NAACP's latest report on diversity, or the lack of it, in network television leading roles. And more news about getting ready for the big television switch to digital TV in February.

And of course, it's the day before Christmas ... so what better way to celebrate than in song. R&B singer Howard Hewett has a new release out ... a wonderful holiday groove.

Michel is back tomorrow.

So here's hoping you have a wonderful Christmas, a happy Kwanzaa and that the New Year brings you the best.

Cheryl

-- Douglas Hopper

12:58 PM ET | permalink

comments () | | e-mail