On Second Thought For Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Georgia is a hub of multiculturalism. At Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, there’s a new class tapping into that topic. It's called "Literary Tribalism: How to Read Race, Class, Nation & Gender." Oglethorpe University English professor Reshmi Hebbar joined us in studio to tell us about her new class. Her students, Caleb Logan and Yasmin Tehrani, also joined the conversation.

On Second Thought for Wednesday, May 9, 2018.

The world’s only transgender bodybuilding competition is held every fall in Atlanta. It's called Trans Fit Con. "Man Made," a new documentary, follows the lives of four transgender men who trained to compete at Trans Fit Con in 2016. The film won the Documentary Feature Jury Award at last month's Atlanta Film Festival. Director and writer T. Cooper joined us in the studio to talk about the film. We also spoke with Rese Weaver, one of the power lifters featured in the documentary, about his life as a transgender man and the struggles he and his fellow athletes have faced.

Police aren't required by law to collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on immigration control. Athens-Clarke County recently joined at least seven other Georgia communities that refuse to honor ICE detainers. That’s when ICE asks local jails to hold people they’ve booked until ICE agents can come get them. It’s a different story elsewhere in Georgia, a recent investigation found. According to an article reported by On Second Thought's Adam Ragusea and his journalism students at Mercer University's Center for Collaborative Journalism, some cities and counties eagerly cooperate with ICE. We heard more about that investigation of Houston County immigration enforcement practices from Adam and his student Vanessa Alva. Alva is a journalism and political science major at Mercer University. She's also an immigrant pursuing her own path to citizenship.

You might recognize Naia Izumi if you're from Columbus, Georgia. Izumi is winner of NPR's 2018 Tiny Desk Contest. He started playing guitar when he was just a kid living in Columbus. Following this win, Izumi says he hopes to win a few Grammys and perform at different venues around the world. We spoke with Izumi about his path to NPR's Tiny Desk, as well as music's therapeutic nature. Izumi is on the autism spectrum and says music always been his therapy.