First hour: Open Mic Roc, and its piece on microaggressions
Second hour: The changing perceptions of "nerds"
Open Mic Roc is a locally based, online black publication, with news, interviews, opinion pieces, and a platform for discussion. Recently, Open Mic has covered the debate over La Marketa in the City of Rochester. On Thursday, the staff sat down for an interview with Mayor Lovely Warren, a sign of growing respect for what Open Mic is doing. On December 27, the staff published a piece that included a graphic with the words, "You're pretty for a black girl." The story was about microaggressions: what they are, how they impact people, and how to recognize them. This hour, we'll explore the work that Open Mic is doing with members of its staff:
- Tianna Manon, editor-in-chief
- Vanessa Cheeks, reporter
- Nilan Lovelace, reporter
- Michele Ashlee, photographer
Then in our second hour, with Star Wars dominating at the box office and TV shows like the Big Bang Theory ruling prime time, is now the best time to be a nerd? Ask any self-proclaimed nerd or geek (yes, there's a difference), and you'll find that they are reclaiming those terms with pride. Think, The Nerdist and Geeks Who Drink. Depictions of nerds have changed over time -- from hairy critters created by Dr. Seuss (read If I Ran the Zoo) to people who are "unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept" (you can thank Merriam-Webster for that) to individuals who are deeply passionate about their interests (art nerds, music nerds, tech nerds). We'll discuss why these perceptions are changing, and why it's now cool to be a nerd. Our guests:
- Jackie McGriff, administrative assistant for development at WXXI, film nut, math and science nerd, photographer, and techie
- Ben Scrivens, owner of FRIGHT-RAGS
- Erich Lehman, owner and curator of 1975 Gallery
- Tricia Campbell, senior publishing coordinator, and self-proclaimed “hip nerd”
