Photo Credit: Lloyd Cederstrand

In this episode Al Letson and guest producer Lu Olkowski visit a tiny town in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio where, for a century, residents have shared the common bond of identifying as African-American despite the fact that they look white. Racial lines have been blurred to invisibility, and people inside the same family can vehemently disagree about whether they are black or white. It can be tense and confusing. As a result, everyone’s choosing: Am I black? Am I mixed race? Or, am I white?

For more information on “As Black As We Wish to Be” visit our episode page for photos, links and music information.

And keep up with the latest SOTRU releases and events on Soundcloud, iTunes, Facebook and Twitter.

Listen to the Broadcast on WJCT’s On Demand Page

Host Al Letson and WJCT's Karen Feagins in studio with Luther Delp.

We’ve had a few people ask us about the live broadcast of our Jacksonville episode on WJCT so we wanted to post it in case you missed some or all of it.

If you head over WJCT’s on demand page and click Listen you can hear the entire two hours with host Al Letson and WJCT’s Karen Feagins.

And if you want more information about any of the organizations featured in the show, check out the links below:

.      .       .

• Save the St. Johns River Ferry
• Save Mayport Fishing Village
• Jumping Fish: Advocating for Our Waterways through Athletics
• Veterans Farm
• Brooks Adaptive Sports and Recreation

.      .       .

At this point in the 21st century, it’s kind of impossible to talk about community-building without, at some point, talking about the internet. The way we meet people, establish connections, maintain our relationships and fight for what we believe in has been radically transformed by the web—and it’s still transforming. But often, when we’re talking about these changes, the focus is either on pure enthusiasm about the possibilities presented by the limitlessness of the web, or anxiety about online connections replacing physical ones. In this episode, we explore how the “virtual” has turned into the “real” in people’s lives.

For more information on “Virtual Reality” visit our episode page for photos, links and music information.

And keep up with the latest SOTRU releases and events on Soundcloud, iTunes, Facebook and Twitter.

.   .   .

On this Veterans Day, we give thanks to all of our men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country. In honor of them, we want to showcase a few stories from our SOTRU episodes that feature some of our nation’s finest Veterans.

Swords Into Ploughshares – from the Jacksonville episode

When Iraq War combat vet Adam Burke had his big idea—his calling, he says—everyone he told laughed at him.  But Adam lives to prove people wrong.

The 6th Branch and Operation Oliver – from the Baltimore episode

A group of Baltimore-based veterans started a group called The 6th Branch (playing on the fact that there are 5 branches of the military—and the guys back at home could be the 6th), to test out an idea of a veteran-sponsored community.

Cowboy Soldiers – from the Wyoming episode

Two National Guard soldiers from Wyoming meet on a deployment to Iraq and become internet country music stars.

Veterans Day Episode

And of course listen to our full Veterans Day episode, being aired on stations across the country. This episode explores how veterans are serving each other after they come back home from serving the country.
.     .     .

Photo Source: Jonathan Zander from Wikimedia Commons

Jacksonville, Florida is a lot of things: a military town. A church town. A beach town. And it can be all those things because Jacksonville is the largest city in the whole country: 841 acres of sprawl, highways, and strip malls dotted with tiny, unique neighborhoods. How does a place this huge and diverse lurch forward to keep pace with the rest of the country? The quick answer: often, it doesn’t. But once in a while, in small surprising ways, this place can be an incubator for innovation. In host Al Letson’s hometown episode, SOTRU asks: is Jacksonville is moving backward, stuck in neutral, or shifting towards progress?

For more information on “Grinding the Gears,” visit our episode page for photos, links and music information.

And keep up with the latest SOTRU releases and events on Soundcloud, iTunes, Facebook and Twitter.

This week we are releasing stories from our Jacksonville episode, Grinding the Gears. To celebrate our hometown episode and to continue bolstering support for our Kickstarter campaign, we’re holding several exciting events around the First Coast starting next week.

.    .     .

Wednesday, Nov. 7

Al Letson’s Performances at Art Walk
Nov. 7 beginning at 7pm – Studio 121 – 121 W. Forsyth Street, Jacksonville

Al gets a little help from his friends during four special performances with Larry Knight and David Girard. Come see one or more of his sets every half hour beginning at 7pm at Studio 121 during November’s Art Walk.

Friday, November 9

Happy Hour with Al at Intuition Ale Works
Nov. 9th beginning at 5pm – Intuition Ale Works – 720 King Street, Jacksonville

Our friends at Intuition Ale Works are hosting a meet and greet with Al on Friday, November 9th beginning at 5pm. Intuition is donating $1 from every beer sold to the Kickstarter campaign, so come on out to see Al and support Intuition and SOTRU!

Sunday, November 11th

Live Two-Hour Jacksonville Broadcast from WJCT
Nov. 11 from 2-4pm – 89.9 FM or Online

Tune in for a special live broadcast of State of the Re:Union. Al will be in studio airing segments from the episode and interviewing live guests featured in the show. The two-hour special will begin at 2pm.