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The Check-In: Masks, Police Unions, Funding Disparities

KBIA
KBIA host Janet Saidi is ready to take calls.

This week's Columbia city council meeting showed that Columbia is a microcosm of the rest of the world. 

Within the first half hour of Monday’s meeting, citizens had called attention to police funding, public health funding and disparities in policing and health. Then council members went on to pass an ordinance requiring the use of masks in public spaces in the city.

A lot of this is happening everywhere. 

In this episode, we explore all of the above - what gets funded in our city and disparities in policing and education in our culture.

Indeed, the Missouri chapter of the ACLU found that Black students were nearly five times as likely to be suspended in CPS than white students in 2015-2016. This is even more stark when you look at students with disabilities. 

And finally, the New York Times list of nonfiction best-sellers is full of readings on anti-racism. Many of us are still trying to make sense of George Floyd’s death, and to turn our questions into action, education and understanding. So we also talk about books and reading on our racial history and social justice.

Our guests:

Ian Thomas, Columbia council member for Ward 4.

Luz Maria Henriquez, executive director for Missouri American Civil Liberties Union.

Peggy Placier, MU professor emerita in Education and Race Matters, Friends bail fund coordinator.

Berkley Hudson, MU professor emeritus in Journalism and former chair of MU Faculty Council's Race Relations Committee.

To hear the live show, tune in Thursdays at noon. Also, you can leave us a voicemail on our listening line at 877-532-0971. Tell us about how you are handling the current crises our region is facing and any questions you have.

Janet Saidi is a producer and professor at KBIA and the Missouri School of Journalism.
Zia Kelly graduated with degrees in journalism and public health at the University of Missouri - Columbia in May 2020.. Outside of the newsroom, she works part-time as a personal trainer and competes as an Olympic-style weightlifter.
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