First hour: Rochester-based Afghans on the situation in Afghanistan
Second hour: *Schools navigate emotional outbursts about masking
*This hour will be rescheduled due to NPR's coverage of President Biden's remarks.
Images and videos of Afghans desperate to flee the country after the Taliban's takeover have been circulating the internet. Afghans now living in Rochester have family trapped in in Afghanistan. We hear from two Afghans who came to the U.S. on Special Immigrant Visas. They've been working with the local nonprofit organization, Keeping Our Promise, to try to help their family members escape. Our guests weigh in on the situation in Afghanistan:
- Ellen Smith, executive director of Keeping Our Promise
- Najiba, Afghanistan native who came to the U.S. on a Special Immigrant Visa
- Walid Omid Habibi, Afghanistan native who came to the U.S. on a Special Immigrant Visa after serving the U.S. military as an interpreter
*Then in our second hour, a strong majority of Americans support masking in public schools, but at school board meetings across the country, angry parents opposed to masking have been shouting at board members and even some of the students. We discuss how schools are trying to navigate the charged atmosphere. Our guests:
- Joseph Henderson, school board member with the Saranac Lake Central School District
- Brooke Binkowski, managing editor of the website Truth or Fiction
- Samantha Fallone, rising senior at Webster Central School District
- Nicolas Fallone, 2020 graduate of the Webster Central School District
- Russell Harrison, 2020 graduate of the Webster Central School District
