Autumn Labbe-Renault's blog

Since March, we’ve recorded 30 episodes of this show, and today marks interviews 49 & 50, respectively. Thank you to all who have participated, listened, and provided feedback! It’s been my goal to help provide a narrative for how individuals, organizations, communities, and cultural groups are weathering the pandemic.

We’re doing a deep dive into local theatre arts today, and we’ll hear how one venue and one theater company are working to survive and remain vital during the pandemic, and preparing for whatever comes next. How have they pivoted now? What will theatre shows and concerts look like in the future?

My guests are Joseph Fletcher, who is nearing his one year anniversary as the Theatre Manager for the City of Davis at the Veterans Memorial Theatre, and Sarah Marsh Krauter, who is the literary manager & company dramaturg for Bike City Theatre Company.

Tune in live at noon, or listen anytime at kdrt.org.

My guest tomorrow is Joe DiNunzio, who wears many hats. For this interview, I'm talking to him about the impacts of COVID-19 on two organizations where he has a leadership role: the Davis Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees, and the Davis Chamber of Commerce. I want to thank Joe for taking a break from his family vacation to squeeze in this interview.

The DJUSD Board of Education meets this Thursday, July 23 at 11:30 a.m. for a special meeting in which they'll hear more about the plan for opening schools online beginning Aug. 26. We talk about the recent school board appointment, the concerns about equity and accessibility for different types of learners, and how district staff, teachers, and families have been communicating and working through this difficult time. As a reminder, DJUSD board meetings are recorded and aired through a partnership between City Media Services and Davis Media Access, and can be watched live on Channel 17 on the Comcast system in Davis, or streamed at DJUSD.net, where they are also archived.

Starting with Episode 28 on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, I'm officially doing something I've been unofficially doing: two interviews, the first substantive and directly related to some aspect of COVID-19, and the second, short, sweet, and designed to bring awareness to and lift up an arts/culture organization or individual, noting how they've been affected by the pandemic.

My first guest next week is Jenny Tan, Public Information Officer for Yolo County. You may know Jenny from her weekday daily live video updates on the county's Facebook page. Since the start of the pandemic, Jenny has been incredibly helpful in terms of helping me access COVID-19 information, as well as helping me book county public health personnel as guests for the show. We'll talk about her role within the county and the impact of COVID-19, and she'll have the latest news for us on the numbers within Yolo County, including hospital beds, testing sites, and recent changes to the county's public health orders.

My guest on Tuesday, June 30's show is Dr. Koen Van Rompay. I first met Koen many years ago when he attended a meeting of Soroptimist International of Davis to talk about his work with Sahaya International. Over time I learned about his groundbreaking work helping to develop and test the anti-viral drug tenofovir, used in the prevention and treatment of  HIV. He is another community member we are so fortunate to have access to due to proximity to UC Davis. He is a virologist at the California National Primate Research Center at UC Davis with expertise in nonhuman primate models of viral infections, and he'll tell us about his current work collaborating toward a vaccine for coronvirus.

We'll also speak about Sahaya International, the Davis-based non-profit he founded that builds awareness and support of healthcare, education, environmental and socio-economic grassroots programs in developing countries.

A Change is Gonna Come.

Sam Cooke wrote this classic anthem of the Civil Rights era in 1963, after being turned away from a whites-only motel. This song is burned into my brain by my father, who loved the music and made sure I understood how and why it was connected to the movements of our time. I grew up in a house always filled with labor organizers (my dad was a steelworker and a union man). Sam Cooke's music is part of the soundtrack of my life.

I was moved to goosebumps when I learned the National Federation of Community Broadcasters was inviting its member stations to honor George Floyd on the day of his memorial at noon PST by playing this song and reading some words, and that just happens to be when I do my radio show.  So tomorrow, on June 9 and Episode 23, we'll start with a song, and a message, joining over 100 other community radio member stations in lifting up George Floyd, and in acknowledging the work we need to do.

And then we'll chat with Yolo County Supervisor for District 2 Don Saylor, and Dawn Myers of Yolo Adult Day Health Center, because COVID-19 is still ravaging our country, as well.

On Episode 22, I'm joined by Dr. Cindy Pickett and Anoosh Jorjorian.

For the past three years, Dr. Cindy Pickett has served as the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Equity and Inclusion at UC Davis, and has also been a faculty member in the Department of Psychology.  She also serves as the president of the Davis Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees.  She recently accepted an appointment as inaugural Associate Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at DePaul University in Chicago, a role she starts on July 1. We'll talk about how the school district and the families, faculty, and administration within it have weathered the past few months.

Also, the Yolo Interfaith Immigration Network is a group of people serving and advocating for immigrants in Yolo County.  Back in April, I interviewed then-YIIN President David Lichtenhan about their ApoYolo Project. Project Coordinator Anoosh Jorjorian joins me to talk about the project's milestones and current needs.

The shows airs live at noon Tuesdays on KDRT 95.7 FM in Davis, and https://kdrt.org anywhere.

I'm getting ready for tomorrow's episode, when we'll chat with Davis Poet James Lee Jobe, and Elizabeth Gray of the Yolo County Library. Especially in times like this, we need some reflective moments and diversions! Learn about Jobe's virtual offerings at this time, and hear about the Library's e-reader program and other services.

On Friday, we'll chat with Yolo County Supervisor for District 2, Don Saylor, and also check in with the Yolo Public Health Department. As always, I include a large resource listing with each episode on the show page--some I will have read on the air, others are blog listings only. https://kdrt.org/program/covid-19-community-report

In times of crisis, especially, local media outlets are important conduits to the community. I'm carrying the KDRT/Davis Media Access banner in terms of live programming at this moment in time, and I hope it's a beacon and of help. Missing our DJs & other volunteers!

Resource Listings for COVID-19 Community Report (in progress, added to each week)

ARTS & MUSIC

Davis Live Music Collective is a non-profit, volunteer organization formed to curate, organize, host, and promote diverse, high-quality concerts in Davis. CA. They have this to say about their project, “A Song A Day: Music Bringing Hope”—

In the midst of the fear and uncertainty many are experiencing these days, we hope to help bring some light and hope to everyone while also supporting our local musicians. While we are staying safe by staying home, we would like to share a song a day here and on our social media channels starting Monday, March 23.