Life In The Balance on WYPR

Today we’re focusing in on people who are confronting some of Baltimore's most ingrained issues head on through the power of Art. Baltimore is known for its thriving artistic scene and many artists are serving a dual purpose – as both artists and healers - through aesthetic expression they are quite literally restoring people and communities.

On this episode of Life in the Balance, guest host, Jamyla Krempel, explores getting by in Baltimore in 2019. Why are so many working families struggling to pay their bills? We'll meet a housekeeping manager and local activist, Doreen Hicks. She's worked up to four jobs just cover basic necesssities. Are we solving the root causes of poverty or just responding to it's symptoms? We'll discuss the 2018 ALICE report (ALICE stands for ----Asset limited, Income Constrained, Employed----) with the President of the United Way and learn more about GEDCO, a local non-profit trying to fill in the gaps for families in need.

What are we doing to address this ongoing crisis? Some say it’s time to start looking at gun violence as a public health issue. That’s the angle we’re taking on this show. And we’re talking with the folks who are at the front lines – working in Shock Trauma – in Annapolis – and at John Hopkins’ renowned School of public health.

Today on ----Life in the Balance,---- we meet a mentor-mentee pair, talk about Baltimore City's YouthWorks program (and how you can apply), and speak broadly about how we can change our assumptions about mentorship when it comes to age, race, and socioeconomic status.

5.6% of people in Baltimore City find themselves unemployed. A few years ago, Diane was one of them. She had a series of personal struggles that left her feeling like finding a job was next-to-impossible. We’ll spend the first part of our show getting to know Diane – and then we’ll zoom out and learn more about the non-profit that helped get her back on her feet. We’ll also ask questions about how and why a person finds themselves unemployed – and just how difficult it can be to find stable employment after a personal setback.

Baltimore's nonprofit arts and culture sector is a $606 million industry supporting more than 15,000 full-time jobs and generating $54.5 million in local and state revenue.But just how accessible are these artistic jobs? Who is benefiting from our thriving cultural sector – are the arts equitable? These are some of the questions we’ll be discussing today.

On this episode of Life in the Balance, we meet Ausar Daniels, a Baltimore activist who believes that the way we interact with food can change everything. With 28,000 households in Maryland considered food insecure, the risk of chronic disease is high. We’ll talk with health policy officials and advisors to better understand the detrimental effects of poor nutrition.

Today on the show, we meet Shakia Dawkins – a young Mom who was feeling a little lost – until she found Civic Works Green Career Center.We'll learn how the green economy is offering new opportunities to city resident and how a focus on job training and resiliency can truly change a person’s life.We’ll also discuss the future of sustainability and conservationism in our state – and how a focus on Green Careers can be a benefit for both our economy and our environment.

It's September – back to school time for a lot of kids, and for some adults, including Mrs. Anna Harris, a 73 year woman in pursuit of her GED. On this episode, we confront some of the sobering statistics surrounding education in Baltimore and learn more about Learning is for Tomorrow, or LIFT, an organization that believes in the limitless potential of adult learners. Guests on this episode include: Mark Pettis, Executive Director, LIFT. Tara Brown, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland, College of Education.

As we approach one year since Life in the Balance premiered, we're revisting our very first episode: we meet Danny Miller, a man sentenced to thirty years in prison at the age of seventeen after a fight with a friend turned deadly. When he gets out early on parol, he struggles to find a job in a society that seems more determined than ever to keep him on the sidelines. Host Aaron Henkin listens to Danny's life story - along with a panel of experts on post-incarceration - and asks, how and why does a man find himself in this situation, and what can we do to help?

On today's Life in the Balance, we focus on increasing the visibility of Black women: their experiences, their concerns, and their contributions to our country and to Baltimore.

On this episode, we’re going to be taking you inside a boxing gym in East Baltimore. This gym is very unique – it’s one of the only places in the neighborhood that offers any extracurricular activity for local kids. It was founded by a man named Alex Long. Alex had a difficult childhood, being separated from siblings and parents in foster care… and he’s faced even more challenges since then, including the recent murder of his sister. He credits his athletic coaches with helping him remain positive and stable, and he wants to make sure the boys in his neighborhood receive the same care and guidance. Alex is now a community activist and a member of Safe Streets, an anti-violence prevention in Baltimore. He sees the boxing gym as a safe space for kids to get strong both physically and emotionally.

We’ll learn how Disability Rights Maryland is putting power in the hands of disabled citizens here in Baltimore to address transportation issues.We’ll also meet the folks at Open Society Institute Baltimore who are championing the idea that an individual has the power to make a big change here in our community.

Every day, more than 115 Americans die after overdosing on opioids. Opioids are a classification of drugs that include prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic drugs like fentanyl. The misuse of these drugs has become an epidemic across the country, and in the state of Maryland, in 2016, 2,089 overdose deaths occurred – with 1,119 of those deaths being related to the opioid drug fentanyl. As a declared public health crisis – what’s being done to combat and address the proliferation of and addiction to opioids? Guests on this who include:Darrell Hodge, Peer Recovery Specialist, REACHDr. Leana Wen, Baltimore City Health Commissioner Emily Keller, Hagerstown City Councilwoman

On this episode, we turn our attention to the epidemic of gun violence in Baltimore. Baltimore suffered 342 homicides last year. And that’s up 17 percent from the year before. If you do the math, this means that about 56 of every 100,000 people in the city are murdered. While mass shootings often make the headlines, the slow burn murder rate in cities like Baltimore usually aren't fully addressed. On this episode, we meet a shock trauma surgeon, a journalist uncovering the illegal gun trade across state lines, and a young man who miraculously survived being shot twenty-three times.

There are a surprisingly high number of grandparents raising grandchildren here in Baltimore City. What persistent societal problems have contributed to the rise of this family situation, and what unique challenges do grandparent guardians face? In Baltimore, 20% of older adults are living below or at poverty level, and in communities of color that number is doubled. Raising kids for a second time, often on a much tighter budget and with a whole new array of emotional burdens, can seem like a nearly impossible task. We talk with a grandparent guardian about the reality of this situation and what the city needs to do in order to help families like hers.

Adolescents are in the midst of a mental-health crisis: this is the most anxious and depressed generation on record, but despite the ubiquitous nature of depression it’s still largely misunderstood. This month on the show, the power of art to transform dark experiences into transformative ones.

Jeff Garrett had a nice life. Married, two kids, he and his wife both worked, and his job gave him the flexibility to be at home with his children. Hardly the portrait of a man on the brink of homelessness. And yet, in remarkably short order, Jeff found himself divorced, separated from his kids, penniless, evicted, mentally unstable, and contemplating suicide. Jeff’s story opens the door on a conversation about mental health and homelessness. What are the safety nets, and what happens when they fail? What’s the emotional and physical toll of homelessness? And what’s our collective responsibility as a society when it comes to helping the most vulnerable among us? This month on Life in the Balance, understanding, and coping with, homelessness.

Life After Gang Violence: An Ongoing Struggle

The Unique Struggle of LGBT Elders

On the pilot episode of Life in the Balance, we meet Danny Miller, a man sentenced to thirty years in prison at the age of seventeen after a fight with a friend turned deadly. When he gets out early on parol, he struggles to find a job in a society that seems more determined than ever to keep him on the sidelines.