Arkansas PBS > Engage > Pressroom > New four-part series of 'Barnes and...A Conversation With' to premiere on AETN June 3
Posted 24 May 2011
A new series of Barnes and…A Conversation With, the Arkansas PBSs (AETN) public affairs series with host Steve Barnes, will premiere on AETN Friday, June 3, at 6:30 p.m.
Barnes and…A Conversation With will feature four interviews and air in four parts:
• Barnes and…A Conversation With David R. Williams, airing Friday, June 3, at 6:30 p.m.; repeats Thursday, June 9, at 6:30 p.m. David Williams, Ph.D., Harvard University professor of African and African-American studies, sociology and public health, discusses his research on how race, socioeconomic status and religious involvement can affect ones state of health. Williams offers evidence of how failing to address public health issues could be detrimental for Arkansas and the nation. Barnes and Williams discuss diabetes, hypertension, tobacco and alcohol abuse; how the toll of these problems among minority groups is especially serious; and why high mortality in the African-American community is a roadblock to racial reconciliation. This episode was taped at the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock.
• Barnes and...A Conversation With Jim Leach, airing Friday, June 10, at 6:30 p.m.; repeats Thursday, June 16, at 6:30 p.m. Jim Leach, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and former U.S. Representative, speaks about his Civility Tour and his role at NEH. Leach is the ninth chairman of NEH, which is an independent grant-making agency of the U.S. government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation and public programs in the humanities. A lifelong Republican and native Iowan, Leach discusses with Barnes why he thinks it is time to restore humanity to the public dialogue. His Civility Tour is a nationwide effort to encourage political reconciliation and cooperation and elevate the policy debate from partisan quarrels to a more productive conversation. This episode was taped at the Clinton School of Public Service.
• Barnes and...A Conversation With Jennifer M. Granholm, airing Friday, June 17, at 6:30 p.m.; repeats Thursday, June 23, at 6:30 p.m. Jennifer M. Granholm, former Michigan Governor and senior advisor to The Pew Charitable Trusts' Clean Energy Program, discusses her efforts to promote clean energy policies across the United States. She shares her views on the Fayetteville Shale and why its likely a bridge to other forms of power rather than a long-term answer to the nations energy problems. Granholm also talks about how research and development into a new energy culture could not only produce enormous savings in dollars and environmental damage, but also create tens of thousands of jobs. This episode was taped at the Clinton School of Public Service.
• Barnes and…A Conversation With Freedom Riders, airing Friday, June 24, at 6:30 p.m.; repeats Thursday, June 30, at 6:30 p.m. From May until November 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their lives and many endured savage beatings and imprisonment for simply traveling together on buses and trains as they journeyed through the Deep South. Deliberately violating Jim Crow laws, the Freedom Riders belief in non-violent activism was sorely tested as mob violence and bitter racism greeted them along the way. This episode features two original Freedom Riders, husband and wife David and Winonah Myers of Ellenton, Fla., and University of Arkansas Junior Samantha Williams of Bryant, who was chosen to go on the American Experience 2011 Student Freedom Ride marking the 50th anniversary of the original rides. This episode was taped at Little Rock Central High National Historic Site.
Barnes and…A Conversation With, hosted by veteran journalist Steve Barnes and in its 20th year, is a cutting-edge current affairs program featuring conversations with a wide variety of prominent individuals from many areas of interest and backgrounds. Previous episodes have featured: celebrated authors, such as Arkansans Charlaine Harris and Taylor Branch; noted activists Richard Leakey and Gila Svirsky; Washington Week moderator and PBS host Gwen Ifill; and New York Times Book Review editor Sam Tanenhaus.
The Arkansas PBS (AETN) is Arkansass statewide public television network that enhances lives by providing lifelong learning opportunities for people from all walks of life. AETN delivers local, award-winning productions and classic, trusted PBS programs aimed at sharing Arkansas and the world with viewers. AETN depends on the generosity of Arkansans and the State of Arkansas to continue offering quality programming. For more information, visit www.aetn.org, or follow the AETN blog at www.aetn.org/engage. AETN is broadcast on KETS (Little Rock), KEMV (Mountain View), KETG (Arkadelphia), KAFT (Fayetteville), KTEJ (Jonesboro), and KETZ (El Dorado).