Between Headlines

Devon Clunis is the newly appointed Inspector General of Policing for Ontario, Canada. After climbing the ranks as a 25 year veteran of the Winnipeg police, Devon was named Chief of Police in 2012, making him the first Black police chief in all of Canada. While he retired in 2016, Devon has split his time between enjoying retirement and consulting with police organizations across North America. In the summer of 2020, after the death of George Floyd and the subsequent calls for change and conversations surrounding the relationship between race and police, Devon felt a call to action.  He accepted the position as Ontario's first Inspector General of Policing for the province. In this episode of Between Headlines, Devon shares his early childhood experiences of immigrating from Jamaica to Winnipeg, the teacher that influenced his life and how he went from a teenager avoiding police to becoming the highest-ranking officer in the city. He also shares his reaction to police violence against the Black community, his thoughts on Black Lives Matter and his approach to policing. 

Ken Irving is a well-known Canadian business leader, successful entrepreneur and above all, a father and husband. After stepping back as the CEO of Irving Oil in 2010, Ken also stepped away from the limelight. But in 2017, Ken opened up for the first time in an emotional short documentary with Between Headlines host, Alison, who subsequently shared the video with Canada's The Globe and Mail which released its own additional reporting. In the revealing interviews, Ken laid bare his journey with his mental health and the difficult dynamics of his family business. In this episode of Between Headlines, Alison and Ken discuss the aftermath of the published stories, while following up and reflecting on the significance of what it meant for moving forward for him and his family. Ken shares how he hopes his story helps others come forward about their own battles and tells the inspiring story of starting a business out of a deeply difficult and personal experience. Most importantly, Ken is the father of four incredible daughters who are forging their own unique paths. He shares how they rallied together through 2020 while his youngest daughter battled leukemia and what it meant for his close-knit family. 

Amanda Nguyen is an activist, survivor, Nobel peace prize nominee and founder of social justice incubator, Rise and a future astronaut. After surviving a rape on her college campus, Amanda experienced the broken justice system for sexual violence survivors first-hand and set out to change the law. She and her team passed the Sexual Assault Survivors Rights Act in Congress unanimously and she has since gone on to help pass 33 bills. Amanda recently spoke out and demanded a spotlight on the rise in anti-Asian violence that has occurred since the pandemic began, igniting a much-needed national conversation. Amanda shares with Between Headlines the importance of including Asian American Pacific Islanders in anti-racist work and what we can all do to stop the hate.

Shannon Watts is the founder of Moms Demand Action and author of the book "Fight Like a Mother: How a Grassroots Movement Took on the Gun Lobby and Why Women Will Change the World." Shannon shares her experience as a leader and organizer for one of the most divisive issues of our time. She tells Alison about the trajectory of her organization from a small facebook group to the largest grass-roots gun violence prevention group in the United States, and the success they've had enacting both cultural and legal change.  Follow Shannon and Moms Demand Action on Twitter @shannonrwatts and @MomsDemand Follow Alison on Twitter @alisonhallreporting 

Dr. Steven Phillips and Dana Parish are the co-authors of the new book, "Chronic: The Hidden Cause of the Autoimmune Pandemic and How to Get Healthy Again". Dr. Phillips was a renowned physician specializing in chronic conditions when he became a patient himself, suffering through a devastating bacterial infection that left him nearly paralyzed. Through his own research and self-diagnosis, he was able to find a cure for his illness and used his expertise to help others. Dana Parish is a singer-songwriter whose life took a turn for the worse after being bitten by a tick infected with lyme disease. She suffered long after initial treatment for lyme and finally found support when she became a patient of Dr. Phillips. Dana and Dr. Phillips talk about the sometimes murky diagnosis and treatment process of chronic illnesses borne out of infections and how to advocate for yourself as patient. 

Tashandra Poullard and Naveed Shah are United States Military veterans. Tasha served in the marines while Naveed served in the army. They are now both advocates for military reform and progressive politics. Naveed and Tasha share their reactions to the violent insurrection that took place at the Capitol on January 6th and the fact that some of the individuals involved have ties to the United States military. Naveed and Tasha also share their experiences with racism while deployed and their hope for the future for other BIPOC service people. 

Darron Cardosa, also known as "The Bitchy Waiter" is a New York City restaurant server, comedian, author and blogger. Darron has been working as a server for over 30 years. In that time, he started the well-known tell all blog, "The Bitchy Waiter" where he opines on the adventures of being a waiter and the various customers he meets. His blog became such a hit that it was turned into a book and one-man variety show. Darron shares what it was like to lose work during the pandemic, both his restaurant position and his theatre work, and then return to his restaurant position following strict safety guidelines.  Darron is an advocate for servers everywhere and shares his thoughts on sick pay, dining out and tipping during the pandemic.  Follow Darron on Twitter and Instagram: @bitchywaiter  Follow Alison on Twitter @alisonreporting and Instagram: @alisonhallreporting  This episodes transcript is available at wwww.betweenheadlines.com 

Adam Jenkins and Kristen Vermetten are partners and activists in Atlanta, Georgia. Adam is the founder of The Inmate Project which works to represent the overwhelming population of incarcerated black men and women in the United States. Adam wears a orange prison jumpsuit in everyday life, sparking conversation and dialogue about the justice system, racism and our implicit biases. Kristen works for the New Georgia Project which is working to register Georgian voters. Together, they make up an extraordinary couple who are using their unique voices to make change. They share their personal journeys to activism and what it is really like to be apart of the monumental Black Lives Matter movement of 2020 and why they say their work is only just beginning. 

Rebecca Alexander is an author, psychotherapist, extreme athlete, advocate and she has a rare genetic disorder called Ushers syndrome. Ushers syndrome for Rebecca means she has been losing both her sight and hearing since she was a teenager. Despite these extreme challenges, Rebecca has gone on to live a very full and active life, becoming a successful New York City therapist, group fitness instructor, motivational speaker and disability rights advocate. She shares what it has been like to navigate life while facing deteriorating sight and hearing. Rebecca shares what the pandemic means for her community and what she's learned about asking for, and offering help. 

Alex Goldstein started the well-known twitter account, Faces of Covid. Faces of Covid features the stories of individuals who have passed away from the coronavirus. With thousands of people dying per day in the United States, Alex decided to put a face to the tragic statistics by sharing personal stories of real people taken by the disease.  The result - a beautiful space online where real people are celebrated for the lives they lived rather than the disease that took them. Alex shares his mission with Between Headlines, why it's so important to look at the human toll of the pandemic, how he has connected with families affected by covid across the country and what he's learned from his work about both grief and life.  Follow Faces of Covid @FacesofCovid Follow Alex @alexjgoldstein  Follow Alison @alisonhallreporting  #BetweenHeadlines