On Second Thought For Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Life after hate, Confederate Avenue, sea level rise and Kenny Leon.

It’s been two weeks since the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The violence there renewed conversations about race relations, and have left some searching for answers on how to de-radicalize people. That’s something Shannon Martinez of Athens knows firsthand. She was a skinhead for several years, but managed to leave that life behind her.  We talk with her and Sammy Rangel of Life After Hate, a group that helps people move away from hate and violent extremism.

In Atlanta, there’s a debate brewing over a different kind of Confederate monument -- street signs. Mayor Kasim Reed is reviewing petitions to rename streets that have names tied to the Confederacy. Atlanta resident Joe Thomas recently started an online petition to rename Confederate Avenue. He tells why the name doesn’t belong in the city he loves.
 
 
Last week, President Trump revoked another Obama-era Executive Order. This one required projects built with federal aid be designed to handle sea level rise due to climate change. We talk about how the scientific community is responding to climate change denial by the White House, with Peter Dykstra of Environmental Health News. We also hear from Matt Hauer, a UGA demographer researching how sea level rise will drive coastal-dwelling Georgians inland.
 
 
Atlanta Playwright and Director Kenny Leon has produced theater versions of “The Wiz,” “Hairspray,” and “Fences.” Now, Leon is set to teach master classes on film and theater production at Kennesaw State University. Kenny Leon joins us in the studio to discuss teaching and his latest work