BPL Programs

For the past 40 years, large corporations have amassed increasing power over our economy, and this consolidation has had detrimental impacts on workers, small business, and our communities. In this presentation, Morgan Harper and Pat Garofalo from American Economic Liberties Project will provide a brief overview of how we got to this point, and policy changes at the local, state, and federal levels that would address this issue and put our country on a more equitable course. ----more---- Morgan Harper is a Columbus resident, lawyer and founder of the grassroots organization, Columbus Stand Up! She is a Senior Advisor to the American Economic Liberties Project. Previously, she was a candidate to represent Ohio's Third Congressional District. Morgan was also a Vice President at Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the nation's largest community development financial institution, and worked at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as a Senior Advisor to the first Director.  Pat Garofalo is director of state and local policy at the American Economic Liberties Project. He is the author of “The Billionaire Boondoggle: How Our Politicians Let Corporations and Bigwigs Steal Our Money and Jobs,” and the Boondoggle newsletter on Substack. He was previously a journalist and editor at U.S. News & World Report, ThinkProgress, and TalkPoverty.org.  

2020 has been fraught with devastation from extreme weather events such as wildfires and hurricanes. NBC4 meteorologist Ben Gelber explores the effects of climate change and human impact. 

How do you know what to believe in the face of a global pandemic and during one of the most fraught presidential election cycles in U.S. history? Inaccurate claims are spread, often innocently, but sometimes maliciously. Learn about social media's impact on information, the data and research behind how humans absorb information, and how to guard against fake news and misinformation, by Ohio State University Professor Dr. R. Kelly Garrett. ----more---- View the video of this program on YouTube at this link: https://youtu.be/tTOLw6O8vyY

Mindfulness is about more than relaxation and breath awareness. It’s about practicing exercises that develop attentional skills. Just as physical exercise strengthens the body, mindfulness practice strengthens attention. Discover with Mindfulness Coach Daron Larson how developing your attentional fitness—with or without meditation—develops capacities for relating more effectively to the challenges of daily living.

Fifty years after the bloody tragedy at Kent State in May 1970, it remains a vivid symbol of the deep divide generated by the Vietnam War.  Professor Michael Flamm explores the emergence and impact of the antiwar movement as well as the events and legacies of a fateful day. ----more---- View the video of this program on YouTube at this link: https://youtu.be/xOGUTzjmrQY

In conjunction with the 15th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina & our book club pick The Yellow House, Dr. Hasan Jeffries examines how race & class were tied up in the devastation of Katrina.  ----more---- View the video of this program on YouTube at this link: https://youtu.be/sXO_b-4qGbY The 2005 crisis created by Hurricane Katrina was a clear demonstration of how institutional racism and inequality have created vast disparities between black and white communities. When the storm devastated New Orleans, the mainstream media initially focused on its destruction and and economic impact, but left the role of racism and its disproportionate devastation on communities of color virtually untouched.  Dr. Hasan Jeffries lends a historic perspective to our virtual BPL book club pick, The Yellow House, which is set over decades in New Orleans. In this program, Dr. Jeffries discusses how race and class impacted not only the results of Hurricane Katrina, but continue to effect the country's response to natural man-made disasters today.  For more information about Dr. Hasan Jeffries please visit his bio at https://history.osu.edu/people/jeffries.57

On July 30th, 2020, Ohio State University Professors Ned Foley & Steven Huefner led a discussion about the impacts of COVID-19 on the 2020 election cycle, including challenges during the primaries, mail-in voting, and more.  ----more---- View the video of this program on YouTube at this link: https://youtu.be/C-YoSlRPR8Q

On March 9, 2020, Dr. Abigail Norris Turner, an infectious diseases epidemiologist and Associate Professor at Ohio State University, presented on the current coronavirus epidemic. She discussed what is currently known about this virus’s origin and spread, and explained the rationale and effectiveness of control measures in place in Ohio and around the world. An extensive Q&A follows the presentation. ----more---- As an epidemiologist, Dr. Turner has conducted domestic and international research for nearly 20 years. Her research characterizes the behavioral, clinical and immunological factors associated with increased risk of disease acquisition. NOTE: As more information is learned about the Coronavirus outbreak, the understanding of the epidemic is changing. Please consult reputable public health resources for up-to-date information. Columbus Public Health Ohio Department of Health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention World Health Organization    

What factors helped Bexley become a prosperous inner-ring suburb? How did Columbus's geography of opportunity change over time? Jason Reece, Assistant Professor of City and Regional Planning at the Knowlton School of Architecture, discusses the history and impact of factors such as housing discrimination and credit access behind Bexley's development and the development of other Columbus neighborhoods. 

Jane Austen's last, unfinished novel, Sanditon, follows a man attempting to transform a small seaside town into a health resort. Screenwriter Andrew Davies (Pride and Prejudice), has finished the story and it began airing as a Masterpiece series on PBS on January 12. Dr. Jamison Kantor, Assistant Professor of English at The Ohio State University, provides context around the world events and details of Jane Austen's life that shaped this novel.

Four hundred years ago, on August 20, 1619, a ship carrying about 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the British colony of Virginia. Though the United States did not even exist yet, their arrival marked its foundation, the beginning of the system of slavery on which the country was built. Dr. Jeffries examines the development of enslavement in the Americas and the many ways the legacy of slavery continues to shape and define life in the United States. ----more---- Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries was born in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York. After graduating from Midwood High School in 1990, he headed south, enrolling at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, the nation’s leading institution for educating African American men. He earned an MA in American history in 1997, and a PhD in American history with a specialization in African American history in 2002, both from Duke University. Since arriving at Ohio State, Hasan has taught graduate and undergraduate seminars on the Civil Rights and Black Power Movement, and surveys in African American and American history.

There are plenty of small changes parents can make around the house to eliminate waste & choose more sustainable options. Bexley resident Rebecca Ness and friends offer tips & tricks that work well for the modern family!

The NBC comedy The Good Place is currently airing its fourth and final season. Among the laughs and zany situations, viewers have encountered the big questions of philosophy, examining what it means to be a good person and what we owe each other. Nate Jackson, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Capital University, discusses some of the principles of philosophy and ethics covered in the show. 

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to step foot on the moon, fulfilling a promise made by John F. Kennedy over eight years earlier. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of this historic moment, Dr. Robert O. Harmon, the Perkins-Howard Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Ohio Wesleyan University, talks about how we got to the moon and what we learned to guide us in the future of space exploration.  ----more---- Multimedia links from Dr. Harmon's presentation can be found below:   Neil Armstrong steps onto the Moon - https://youtu.be/L9Go_j_i6o8   Sputnik newsreel - https://youtu.be/850xfa9lKVE   JFK moon speech at Rice University - https://youtu.be/th5A6ZQ28pE   Discovery News video about the role of a Jewish American and Ex-Nazis - https://youtu.be/VW2KTX0zg5g   Tom Lehrer sings "Werner von Braun" - https://youtu.be/TjDEsGZLbio   Knitting to the Moon! - https://youtu.be/f2ZCVnk-oRU   Great Minds: Margaret Hamilton - https://youtu.be/PPLDZMjgaf8   Dr. Harmon's presentation -  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nBJNH_MkE67tcRJuMaDrF-umyow8HK0z_EbHZjF6mfs/edit?usp=sharing

Fifty years after the summer of 1969, Woodstock and Altamont remain symbols of the hope and despair generated by the counterculture. The concerts also reflected the diversity and complexity of the sounds of the Sixties. Professor Michael Flamm of Ohio Wesleyan University, author of In the Heat of the Summer: The New York Riots of 1964 and the War on Crime, explores the impact of demography and technology on the music of a generation from the British Invasion and Motown to protest songs and psychedelic rock.

250 years ago this month, Napoleon Bonaparte was born on the small island of Corsica. Perhaps one of the most divisive figures in history, he rose to become the Emperor of France before being exiled to Elba and later Saint Helena. Dr. Andrew Anderson, lecturer at The Ohio State University, talks about his life and legacy.

June 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riot that marked the birth of the modern LGBT rights movement. It is also the 4th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision on same-sex marriage, Obergefell v. Hodges. Ohio State historian Clayton Howard discusses the history behind these two important events, including homophile societies during the early Cold War, gay liberation in the late 1960s and 1970s, lesbian feminism, the AIDS crisis, and the push for same-sex marriage at the end of the twentieth century. Content Advisory: This recording contains an excerpt from a speech which contains explicit language. ----more---- Clayton Howard earned his PhD from the University of Michigan in 2010, and he is a specialist in postwar U.S. history. His research interests include the histories of American cities, suburbs, gender, sexuality, and politics.  Before coming to Ohio State, he taught at the University of New Hampshire and the College of the Holy Cross. Music: www.bensound.com

Beyond Hidden Figures is a discussion and celebration of Black women in science, politics, literature, and the arts who made huge impacts but have gone unrecognized. The film and novel Hidden Figures introduced us to the three Black women behind NASA's first astronaut launch. In this presentation, Dr. Lindsey will go beyond this story and introduce important Black women whose work in various fields has gone - until now - largely unrecognized.  ----more---- Dr. Treva Lindsey is an associate professor of Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies at the Ohio State University. Dr. Lindsey specializes in African American women’s history, black popular and expressive culture, black feminism(s), hip hop studies, critical race and gender theory, and sexual politics. Her first book is Colored No More: Reinventing Black Womanhood in Washington D.C. She has published in The Journal of Pan-African Studies, Souls, African and Black Diaspora, The Journal of African American Studies, African American Review, The Journal of African American History, Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism, Urban Education, The Black Scholar, Feminist Studies, Signs, and the edited collection, Escape from New York: The New Negro Renaissance Beyond Harlem. She was the inaugural Equity for Women and Girls of Color Fellow at Harvard University (2016-2017). She is currently working on her next book project tentatively titled, Hear Our Screams: Black Women, Violence, and The Struggle for Justice. She is also the recipient of several awards and fellowships from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Emory University, the National Women’s Studies Association, the Coca Cola Critical Difference for Women Grant, the Center for Arts and Humanities at the University of Missouri and the College of Arts and Sciences at The Ohio State University. Dr. Lindsey was the inaugural recipient of the University of Missouri Faculty Achievement in Diversity Award. She is the co-editor of a forthcoming collection on the future of Black Popular Culture Studies (NYU Press). Dr. Lindsey is also the current co-chair of the Women of Color Leadership Project for the National Women's Studies Association. She is building a strong online presence by guest contributing to  Al Jazeera, BET, Complex Magazine, Cosmopolitan, HuffPost Live, NPR, The Root, and The Marc Steiner Show. Music: www.bensound.com

Has American politics fallen into a state of dysfunction? Can it ever be fixed? These are the questions that motivate journalist and political commentator Michael Tomasky's examination into the origins of our polarized nation. In his latest book, If We Can Keep It: How the Republic Collapsed and How It Might Be Saved, Tomasky offers an agenda for how we can help fix our broken political system. ----more---- Michael Tomasky is a columnist, political commentator, journalist, and author. He is the editor in chief of Democracy: a Journal of Ideas, a special correspondent for The Daily Beast, and a contributor to The New York Times and the The New York Review of Books.  Music: www.bensound.com

How did Black History Month begin and why is it important? Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Associate Professor of History at The Ohio State University, discusses Black History and the formation of Black History Month. Offered in partnership with the Bexley Minority Parent Alliance. ----more---- Dr. Jeffries was born in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York. After graduating from Midwood High School in 1990, he headed south, enrolling at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, the nation’s leading institution for educating African American men. He then earned a MA in American history in 1997, and a PhD in American history with a specialization in African American history in 2002, both from Duke University. His current book project, entitled Stealing Home: Ebbets Field and Black Working Class Life in Post-Civil Rights New York, explores the struggle of working class African Americans to secure and enjoy their freedom rights. Music: www.bensound.com

 On Thursday, December 13, 2018, Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Associate Professor of History at The Ohio State University and Lead Historian for the National Civil Rights Museum, joined us to help parents and caregivers know how to discuss race and racism with their children. This program was offered in partnership with the Bexley Minority Parent Alliance. ----more---- Dr. Jeffries was born in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York. After graduating from Midwood High School in 1990, he headed south, enrolling at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, the nation’s leading institution for educating African American men. He then earned a MA in American history in 1997, and a PhD in American history with a specialization in African American history in 2002, both from Duke University. His current book project, entitled Stealing Home: Ebbets Field and Black Working Class Life in Post-Civil Rights New York, explores the struggle of working class African Americans to secure and enjoy their freedom rights. Helpful Links:Teaching Tolerance: www.tolerance.orgAssociation for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH): asalh.org/So You Want to Talk About Race (discussion guide)by Ijeoma Oluowww.hachettebookgroup.com/wp-content/u…rs-guide.pdf Music: www.bensound.com