Michel Martin

Tell Me More: Education Special and Twitter Forum

Michel Martin — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:52:00 +0000

For generations, education has been key to the American dream of advancement and opportunity. Today, NPR's Tell Me More with Michel Martin (@TellMeMoreNPR) is broadcasting from member station WLRN and hosting a Twitter education forum on where the nation's schools now stand.

We talk to Alberto Carvalho (@MiamiSup), superintendent of Miami-Dade Public Schools.

Does Access To Good Health Trickle Down?

Michel Martin — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 16:26:00 +0000

I got a chance to travel a little bit recently — and no I won't be showing slides, no matter how much you beg me. And call me a nerd but on our little car trip I found myself thinking about health care.

Certain provisions of last year's health care overhaul are going into effect today and they remain controversial...but that's not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about something deeper, about our country's attitudes about health and wealth, which are in front of us even when we aren't looking for them.

I will start by telling you we forgot to pack a prescription.

Rodney King's Personal Struggle With Alcohol

Michel Martin — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 16:52:00 +0000

I still cannot stop thinking about Rodney King, whose drowning death in his swimming pool this weekend seemed like the kind of ending only the authors of a Greek tragedy would write. It's as if the Gods are sending some sort of message.

But what message? Was it really too much to ask that this man, who made mistakes in his life, but who knew what they were, who openly mourned the suffering of others, could end his life peacefully in his own bed?

Still, it's worth remembering just how that whole Greek tragedy got started.

Asking The Uncomfortable Questions

Michel Martin — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:40:00 +0000

All week, we've been celebrating our fifth anniversary on the air. We actually hit that milestone on Monday, and we've been trying to have some fun with it — talking with 5-year-olds about what's fun about being 5; about five-year financial plans; and we checked in with some of the guests who were with us at the very beginning.

At this point, I realize you might be saying to yourself: Five? Big whoop! Come back to me when you're in double digits at least.

I can hear that. But I think the decision to acknowledge something or not is a dilemma all of us have at some point.

Trayvon Martin Was Afraid, Too

Michel Martin — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:50:00 +0000

Do you mind if I take a few minutes to tell you about my son? He has three beautiful sisters but right now I'll just tell you about him. He is 8 now and he loves anything that involves dirt, any ball, and running around. He still has deliciously long eyelashes and long musician's fingers; he is learning to play the guitar. He likes to act like he's older than he is — a couple days ago he asked me if I thought his Nerf basketball set was "old school" and if his next babysitter could be "hot"; whatever that means.

Two Young Men, Two Very Different Directions

Michel Martin — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000

I am dating myself here, but do you remember the 1983 film Trading Places? Where the comedians Dan Akroyd and Eddie Murphy played an investment broker and a street hustler, respectively, whose places in life were switched by the owners of Akroyd's fictional firm?

The owners did the switch to settle a bet they had made of whether nature or nurture played a bigger role in determining how someone's life would turn out.

The Power Of Memoirs, Biographies

Michel Martin — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:00:00 +0000

We hope you enjoyed digging into our Black History Month memoirs as much as we did.

And if you are hungry for more good, true stories about people you may not know much about ... for Women's History Month, which starts on Thursday, we will be doing much the same thing.

We will be checking out recent biographies of famous and not so famous women whose life stories have been explored by talented writers.

We will hear about women as varied as the Egyptian monarch Cleopatra, the famous designer Coco Chanel ...

What Enslaves Us That We Won't Give Up?

Michel Martin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:52:00 +0000

I was thinking about a conversation I had with a friend of mine who teaches very low-income kids. He talks about his kids a lot, as teachers I know often do.