On Second Thought For Tuesday, June 20, 2017

World Refugee Day, Climate Change, T. Hardy Morris, and Heroes

First, June 20 is World Refugee Day. The town of Clarkston, Georgia, is home to a large refugee population. It’s been called the Ellis Island of the South. We talked with Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry about how executive orders may impact the refugee community there. Then, two refugee friends from Syria share their stories. One of them arrived in Georgia right after 9/11, but before the Syrian civil war. The other is a young child, who came to the state last year. Besides calling Syria their birthplace, they share an even greater bond.

Then, climate change is a problem for everyone. But climate change disproportionately harms communities of color. An Atlanta-based organization recently received $1 million from the MacArthur Foundation to help combat this. Nathaniel Smith is a founder of that organization, the Partnership for Southern Equity. He joins us with Felicia Davis, Director of the Building Green Initiative at Clark Atlanta University.

Next, all this week we get additions to the essential Georgia playlist from musicians playing at AthFest over the weekend, June 23-25. Today’s picks come from Athens-based singer/songwriter T. Hardy Morris. He waxes about music by James Brown and Robert Lester Folsom.

Next, it’s been a year and a half since a deadly mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. In addition to the two attackers, 14 people were killed. One of them was Georgia native Shannon Johnson. He went to high school at Macon’s Windsor Academy. Johnson died protecting a co-worker in the attack. Friends of the family say Johnson’s heroics were also in his DNA. His father died years earlier trying to save a co-worker during a factory accident. We talk with Shannon’s brother, Rob, about the family’s heroic legacy.

Finally, what exactly makes a hero? Do genetics really play a role? We talk with Professor Zeno Franco of the Medical College of Wisconsin. He looks at the psychology of heroic behavior.