This week's premiere broadcast of Mountain Stage was recorded on the campus of West Virginia University at the Canady Creative Arts Center. On this episode, we hear live performances from Duke Robillard Band, Cedric Burnside, Sam Weber, Las Cafeteras, and The Black Feathers.
A group of about 25 protestors gathered on the steps of the state Capitol Wednesday with handmade signs chanting, “Hands up, don’t shoot,” just as thousands of other activists gathered in large cities across the country. The group, while small in numbers, was there to show their support of Michael Brown, the black teenager shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, this summer.
On Monday, a Missouri prosecutor announced a grand jury would not indict the officer, Darren Wilson, on charges in the death, but a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the operations of the city’s police force is on going.
Greg Suzanne McAllister organized the Charleston protest which included members from multiple organizations including her fledging group Mothers of Color America, the NAACP, business owners and others.
“We just wanted to stand in solidarity today,” McAllister said. “Justice delayed is justice denied.”
The Charleston protest was about more than just Brown and his death, McAllister said. It was also about standing for the unnamed African American men and women in West Virginia who have been gunned down by police.
“We know our people here are not immune to that type of discrimination,” she said. “It’s important that we stand together no matter what our race is against injustice.”
McAllister said the response in West Virginia to the Ferguson shooting was likely smaller because of the overall population, but also because of the lack of diversity. Only about 3 percent of the state’s population is African American.
Still, McAllister pointed to statistics that show West Virginia incarcerates African Americans at a much higher rate than whites in both the adult and juvenile justice system, meaning a change is necessary, she said.
A ceremony held Thursday morning in Charleston honored survivors of crimes and their advocates. The annual event featured remarks from U.S. Attorney Will Thompson.
On this West Virginia Morning, uncertainty about the future amidst a changing climate has given rise in recent years to a phenomenon known as "climate anxiety." Ahead of Earth Day Monday, Chris Schulz spoke with Amy Parsons-White, sustainability manager for Marshall University, to discuss this mental health issue and potential solutions.
A suggestion was made during the Joint Committee on Technology and Infrastructure interim meeting this week to create something similar to a Blue Ribbon Commission, focused on improving the state’s secondary roads.
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