Change Agents 3/2/23: Issues affecting LGBTQ people in Maine.

Producer/Host: Steve Wessler

Change Agents: Conversations with Advocates and Social Justice Advocate on WERU FM

This month:
This program focuses on changes in the climate for LGBTQ people, both students and adults. Schools, parents and students are affected across the USA and Maine by efforts of conservative groups to take books off the shelf that relate to transgender students.

Guests:
Gia Drew, executive director of Equality Maine. Gia leads the of the largest organizations in Maine protecting the rights of LGBTQ people in Maine.
Tracey Hair is the executive director of HOME. Tracey sees issues in their work that affect LGBTQ people in Maine.

About the host:
Steve Wessler will soon will be starting his 28th year of working on human right issues. He founded the Civil Rights Unit in the Maine Attorney’s Office in 1992 and led the Unit for 7 years. In 1999 he left the formal practice of law and founded the Center for the Prevention of Hate. The Center worked in Maine and across the USA. He and his colleagues worked to reduce bias and harassment in schools, in communities, in health care organization through workshops and conflict resolution. The Center closed in 2011 and Steve began a consulting on human rights issues. For the next 5 years much of his work was in Europe, developing and implementing training curricular for police, working in communities to reduce the risk of hate crimes, conflict resolution between police and youth. He has worked in over 20 countries. In late 2016 he began to work more in Maine, with a focus on reducing anti-immigrant bias. He continues to work in schools to reduce bias and harassment. Wessler teaches courses on human rights issues at the College of the Atlantic, the University of Maine at Augusta and at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University in northern Virginia.

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Change Agents 1/5/23: Black women in Black Churches, Civil Rights Movement to the present.

Producer/Host: Steve Wessler

Change Agents: Conversations with Advocates and Social Justice Advocate on WERU FM

This month:
Examining the role of Black women in Black Churches from the Civil Rights Movement to the present.
1. Black women in churches have played a major role in the civil rights movement.
2. Black women in the south during the civil rights movement who worked for state, county or city governments did not press coverage because if they did, they might be fired from their job.
3. Black women’s remarkable role in civil rights efforts were not known by many white people.

Guests:
Cheryl Townsend Gilkes. She recently has retired from teaching at Colby College where she was the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor Emerita African American Studies and Sociology Presidential Liaison and Advisor.

About the host:
Steve Wessler will soon will be starting his 28th year of working on human right issues. He founded the Civil Rights Unit in the Maine Attorney’s Office in 1992 and led the Unit for 7 years. In 1999 he left the formal practice of law and founded the Center for the Prevention of Hate. The Center worked in Maine and across the USA. He and his colleagues worked to reduce bias and harassment in schools, in communities, in health care organization through workshops and conflict resolution. The Center closed in 2011 and Steve began a consulting on human rights issues. For the next 5 years much of his work was in Europe, developing and implementing training curricular for police, working in communities to reduce the risk of hate crimes, conflict resolution between police and youth. He has worked in over 20 countries. In late 2016 he began to work more in Maine, with a focus on reducing anti-immigrant bias. He continues to work in schools to reduce bias and harassment. Wessler teaches courses on human rights issues at the College of the Atlantic, the University of Maine at Augusta and at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University in northern Virginia.

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Change Agents 12/1/22: The Plight of Immigrants with Investigative Reporter Seth Freed Wessler

Producer/Host: Steve Wessler

Change Agents: Conversations with Advocates and Social Justice Advocate on WERU FM

This month:
I interviewed Seth Freed Wessler. He is an investigative reporter working with Pro Publica. He discussed his work focusing on immigration including the plight of immigrants in government and non-government prisons in the USA.
1.The mistreatment of immigrants in government prisons and for profits prisons..
2.He discussed his film with immigrants in prison.
3.He discussed his worries that immigration prisons may increase in number.

Guests:
Seth Wessler (son of the host) who is an investigative report with Pro Publica
He discussed his film with immigrants in prisons.
His film can be seen at “Field of Vision”. The name of his film is “The Facility”.

About the host:
Steve Wessler will soon will be starting his 28th year of working on human right issues. He founded the Civil Rights Unit in the Maine Attorney’s Office in 1992 and led the Unit for 7 years. In 1999 he left the formal practice of law and founded the Center for the Prevention of Hate. The Center worked in Maine and across the USA. He and his colleagues worked to reduce bias and harassment in schools, in communities, in health care organization through workshops and conflict resolution. The Center closed in 2011 and Steve began a consulting on human rights issues. For the next 5 years much of his work was in Europe, developing and implementing training curricular for police, working in communities to reduce the risk of hate crimes, conflict resolution between police and youth. He has worked in over 20 countries. In late 2016 he began to work more in Maine, with a focus on reducing anti-immigrant bias. He continues to work in schools to reduce bias and harassment. Wessler teaches courses on human rights issues at the College of the Atlantic, the University of Maine at Augusta and at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University in northern Virginia.

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Change Agents 10/6/22: Decriminalizing Homelessness

Producer/Host: Steve Wessler

Change Agents: Conversations with Advocates and Social Justice Advocate on WERU FM

This month:
My three guests all work with Preble Street on issues relating to homelessness. We discussed what it is like to sleep (or try to sleep) in shelters and a focus on the decriminalization of homeless people.
-The sheer number of homeless people on any night can be 1500
-Understanding what it is like to sleep in a crowded shelter
-Focusing on the criminalization of homeless people in Maine. Discussing why criminalization of homeless is counter-productive.

Guests:
Terrance Miller, is the director of advocacy at Preble Street
Tailor Gray directs Homeless Voices for Justice (HVP is an advocacy group with homeless people or former homeless people)
Lisa Franklin, formerly a homeless person and now working with Homeless Voice for Justice

About the host:
Steve Wessler will soon will be starting his 28th year of working on human right issues. He founded the Civil Rights Unit in the Maine Attorney’s Office in 1992 and led the Unit for 7 years. In 1999 he left the formal practice of law and founded the Center for the Prevention of Hate. The Center worked in Maine and across the USA. He and his colleagues worked to reduce bias and harassment in schools, in communities, in health care organization through workshops and conflict resolution. The Center closed in 2011 and Steve began a consulting on human rights issues. For the next 5 years much of his work was in Europe, developing and implementing training curricular for police, working in communities to reduce the risk of hate crimes, conflict resolution between police and youth. He has worked in over 20 countries. In late 2016 he began to work more in Maine, with a focus on reducing anti-immigrant bias. He continues to work in schools to reduce bias and harassment. Wessler teaches courses on human rights issues at the College of the Atlantic, the University of Maine at Augusta and at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University in northern Virginia.

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Change Agents 9/1/22: Hate Crimes & Training Police

Producer/Host: Steve Wessler

Change Agents: Conversations with Advocates and Social Justice Advocate on WERU FM

This month:
My two guests advocate for reducing hate crimes and for training police on how to respond to hate crimes. Nadia Aziz is the:
Senior Program Director for the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, in Washington DC. Dawn Collins became a human right advocate at after her son was murdered on the campus of the University of Maryland. The assailant was white and a white supremacist. 2nd Lieutenant was Black. Dawn and Nadia work to reduce hate crimes and to provide police with information and understanding of the impact of hate crimes. We discuss these issues.

1. Can we reduce the amount of hate crimes in the USA?
2. Why do hate crimes impact victims and families?
3. What works to reduce hate crimes?

Guests:
Nadia Aziz is the Senior Program Director for the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, in Washington DC.
Dawn Collins became a human right advocate at after her son was murdered on the campus of the University of Maryland. The assailant was white and a white supremacist. 2nd Lieutenant Lt. Richard W. Collins III, 23 was Black.

About the host:
Steve Wessler will soon will be starting his 28th year of working on human right issues. He founded the Civil Rights Unit in the Maine Attorney’s Office in 1992 and led the Unit for 7 years. In 1999 he left the formal practice of law and founded the Center for the Prevention of Hate. The Center worked in Maine and across the USA. He and his colleagues worked to reduce bias and harassment in schools, in communities, in health care organization through workshops and conflict resolution. The Center closed in 2011 and Steve began a consulting on human rights issues. For the next 5 years much of his work was in Europe, developing and implementing training curricular for police, working in communities to reduce the risk of hate crimes, conflict resolution between police and youth. He has worked in over 20 countries. In late 2016 he began to work more in Maine, with a focus on reducing anti-immigrant bias. He continues to work in schools to reduce bias and harassment. Wessler teaches courses on human rights issues at the College of the Atlantic, the University of Maine at Augusta and at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University in northern Virginia.

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Change Agents 8/4/22: ACLU of Maine

Producer/Host: Steve Wessler

Change Agents, human right and social justice advocates on WERU FM

This month: Recent decisions by the US Supreme Court indicate a significant move to the right on civil rights issues.
-How to protect civil rights in Maine
-Bringing civil rights cases in State court may lead to different rules between the Supreme Court and state courts
-What is difficult about litigating civil rights cases for clients and for lawyers

Guests:
Zach Heiden and Carol Garvan, are respectively the Chief Counsel and Legal Director at the ACLU of Maine. Zack and Carol discussed their current work to protect the civil rights of all people in Maine. They discussed strategies for strengthening those at the State level.

About the host:
Steve Wessler will soon will be starting his 28th year of working on human right issues. He founded the Civil Rights Unit in the Maine Attorney’s Office in 1992 and led the Unit for 7 years. In 1999 he left the formal practice of law and founded the Center for the Prevention of Hate. The Center worked in Maine and across the USA. He and his colleagues worked to reduce bias and harassment in schools, in communities, in health care organization through workshops and conflict resolution. The Center closed in 2011 and Steve began a consulting on human rights issues. For the next 5 years much of his work was in Europe, developing and implementing training curricular for police, working in communities to reduce the risk of hate crimes, conflict resolution between police and youth. He has worked in over 20 countries. In late 2016 he began to work more in Maine, with a focus on reducing anti-immigrant bias. He continues to work in schools to reduce bias and harassment. Wessler teaches courses on human rights issues at the College of the Atlantic, the University of Maine at Augusta and at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University in northern Virginia.

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Change Agents 6/2/22: Reducing Anti-immigrant Bias and Harassment

Producer/Host: Steve Wessler

Change Agents, human right and social justice advocates on WERU FM

I interviewed Denise Wright who has been working on reducing anti-immigrant bias and harassment in Belfast, Northern Ireland for over 20 years. She has changed the hearts and minds of many people who were had negative views of immigrants. We discussed some of the work we have done together in Belfast.

Key Discussion Points:
1. Changing the minds and hearts of Catholics and Protestants
2. Protecting immigrants from harm
3. Conducting dialogues

About the host:
Steve Wessler will soon will be starting his 28th year of working on human right issues. He founded the Civil Rights Unit in the Maine Attorney’s Office in 1992 and led the Unit for 7 years. In 1999 he left the formal practice of law and founded the Center for the Prevention of Hate. The Center worked in Maine and across the USA. He and his colleagues worked to reduce bias and harassment in schools, in communities, in health care organization through workshops and conflict resolution. The Center closed in 2011 and Steve began a consulting on human rights issues. For the next 5 years much of his work was in Europe, developing and implementing training curricular for police, working in communities to reduce the risk of hate crimes, conflict resolution between police and youth. He has worked in over 20 countries. In late 2016 he began to work more in Maine, with a focus on reducing anti-immigrant bias. He continues to work in schools to reduce bias and harassment. Wessler teaches courses on human rights issues at the College of the Atlantic, the University of Maine at Augusta and at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University in northern Virginia.

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Change Agents 5/5/22: Mental Health Risks and Help for Trans and Non-binary Youth

Producer/Host: Steve Wessler

Change Agents, human right and social justice advocates on WERU FM

Guest, Emma Wynne Hill, a queer and non-binary psychotherapist currently working in Waterville for UCP of Maine, specializes in serving LGBTQIA+ young people.
Emma discusses the mental health risk for trans and non-binary youth and the work they do in helping youth navigate a sometimes hostile climate.

Discussed the emotional and physical harms that Trans and Non Binary youth navigate
Discussed the impact on Trans and Non Binary youth from new laws around the nation relating to transgender youth
Discussed Emma’s work that can provide help for transgender and non-binary youth

About the host:
Steve Wessler will soon will be starting his 28th year of working on human right issues. He founded the Civil Rights Unit in the Maine Attorney’s Office in 1992 and led the Unit for 7 years. In 1999 he left the formal practice of law and founded the Center for the Prevention of Hate. The Center worked in Maine and across the USA. He and his colleagues worked to reduce bias and harassment in schools, in communities, in health care organization through workshops and conflict resolution. The Center closed in 2011 and Steve began a consulting on human rights issues. For the next 5 years much of his work was in Europe, developing and implementing training curricular for police, working in communities to reduce the risk of hate crimes, conflict resolution between police and youth. He has worked in over 20 countries. In late 2016 he began to work more in Maine, with a focus on reducing anti-immigrant bias. He continues to work in schools to reduce bias and harassment. Wessler teaches courses on human rights issues at the College of the Atlantic, the University of Maine at Augusta and at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University in northern Virginia.

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