Lakeshore Public Media will host a second live conversation to discuss recent events related to the protests surrounding the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, with young activists, educators and other community individuals scheduled to participate.
“Cities across the country, including our local communities, have seen numerous demonstrations, protesting ongoing issues of racial inequity and police violence,” said Lakeshore Public Media President and CEO James A. Muhammad. “We feel that sharing the perspective of the younger generation with our wide audience across the region will give this underserved population a chance to have their voice heard.”
Titled “Race and Justice: Here and Now,” the one-hour special conversation will be hosted by Michael Puente, Northwest Indiana bureau reporter for WBEZ and host of Off Mic on Lakeshore Public Radio. The program will endeavor to present the state of race relations across the region from a younger perspective.
Guests currently scheduled to participate through Zoom include Jeramiah Sims, co-organizer of a recent protest in Portage; Katrina D. Alexander, an educator with East Chicago schools; Chase Jackson, associate pastor and youth leader with Crosspoint Church; and Aaliyah Stewart of Gary, who founded the ASW Foundation as a high school freshman to address gun violence in our communities after the shooting deaths of her two brothers.
The event took place on June 24th and will aired live on Lakeshore PBS, Lakeshore Public Radio, and the station’s Facebook page. The community was encouraged to ask questions for the group through social media.
“Here in Northwest Indiana, we are facing challenging times,” Muhammad stated. “This is an opportunity to start conversations that strive to improve understanding in order to move Northwest Indiana forward collectively.”
The program will be re-broadcast later on Lakeshore PBS, with re-airs scheduled for Friday, June 26th at 11 p.m., Sunday, June 28th at 7:30 a.m. and Tuesday, June 30th at 7 p.m.
This special follows an initial conversation from June 9th, where Michael Puente hosted a live Zoom conversation with representatives of Black Lives Matter, the Urban League of Northwest Indiana, state lawmakers and law enforcement.
Lakeshore Public Media is a community-licensed public media organization that is the Northwest Indiana member of the Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, serving Indiana’s second largest urban area through their Lakeshore PBS and Lakeshore Public Radio service.
Lakeshore PBS broadcasts its main channel over the air on 56, on Comcast on 17 or 21 (HD Channel 239), on Dish Network HD Channel 6320, AT&T U-verse HD Channel 1056 and DirecTV on 56. Lakeshore Public Radio can be heard on 89.1 FM and streaming online at lakeshorepublicradio.org.
