This episode explores energy and environmental justice with Operation Fuel’s Executive Director Brenda Watson, who is elevating awareness as well as challenging the structural causes of home energy affordability. Watson’s professional career spans 20 years in the areas of energy affordability, transportation planning, municipal government, and community organizing.The financial burden that low-income communities and communities of color face when it comes to energy consumption is indeed a societal issue, not one that specific to that community. It is up to lawmakers and people no matter where they land in the social strata, to make informed, sound policy and advocacy decisions that improve the lives of those who are disadvantaged if our goal is to move toward a more just society. For more information about Operation Fuel, visit https://operationfuel.orgMusic Prod. by: Wayne “Mport-P” Carroll Jr for Presidential Block Development Group (PBDG)Learn more about STEM-OPS at https://stem-ops.orgVisit us on social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/opsedcLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stem-ops/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STEMOps

"Zero-tolerance" and other harsh school disciplinary practices have led to Black students being suspended 3 times more than their white counterparts. School pushout has also led to over 50% of young Black men not graduating with their high school diplomas, and over 60% coming in contact with the prison system. This episode features Dr. H. Richard Milner, author and distinguished professor of Vanderbilt University. Dr. Milner breaks down how elementary and high school teachers and staff can adjust their curricula, teaching styles, representation of teachers of color in STEM courses, and attentiveness to students of color and students as a whole, to curb the rates at which young people are entering the prison system.Sources:American Civil Liberties Union: https://www.aclu.org/issues/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline/school-prison-pipeline-infographicColumbia University Freedom and Citizenship: https://freedomandcitizenship.columbia.edu/content/breaking-school-prison-pipeline-bringing-restorative-justice-your-schoolMusic Prod. by: Wayne “Mport-P” Carroll Jr for Presidential Block Development Group (PBDG)Learn more about STEM-OPS at https://stem-ops.orgVisit us on social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/opsedcLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stem-ops/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STEMOps

According to the Bureau of Justice, 32% percent of people in federal prison and 40% of all incarcerated individuals report at least one disability. The trauma that individuals experience or currently endure take away from one's ability to learn in the classroom, especially when gone unaddressed.  Guests: Maiya Monteiro and Kristi Webb of the Maya Angelou Charter School speak about what it means to be an effective instructor in carceral classrooms, and how they are able to use a more holistic approach to teaching that acknowledges and addresses individual and societal issues their learners face. Music Prod. by: Wayne “Mport-P” Carroll Jr for Presidential Block Development Group (PBDG)Learn more about STEM-OPS at https://stem-ops.orgVisit us on social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/opsedcLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stem-ops/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STEMOps

This podcast episode was originally created by Education Development Center (EDC) and is not officially part of The sySTEM Impacted podcast. We present it here to give you background on the STEM-OPS project. See more of EDC's podcasts here: https://soundcloud.com/education-development-center#Over the past 25 years, prison education programs that teach STEM skills have been cut, effectively preventing individuals who are incarcerated from entering the STEM workforce after they have served their sentences. In this episode, EDC’s Eden Badertscher and Stan Andrisse of the Prison to Professionals program discuss their efforts to improve STEM learning opportunities in prisons, and how this work is critical to making any meaningful progress toward racial equity and justice. To join the discussion on these topics, email [email protected] more about STEM-OPS at https://stem-ops.orgVisit us on social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/opsedcLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stem-ops/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STEMOps