When it comes to tackling gun violence in Connecticut’s cities, questions over gun control go hand-in-hand with a whole raft of other problems caused by racism, poverty and disinvestment.

This episode of Untold, we’ll learn what that looks like day-to-day from Tyrone Bynum Jr., an intervention specialist with Hartford Communities That Care. When a gunshot victim arrives in the emergency room, it’s his job to be there to offer support and counseling.

Each year for the last five years, more people under the age of 24 have died from gunshot wounds than in car crashes in the US. But the question of what we can do about rising gun violence seems no closer to being “self-evident” in our country.

Guests this episode:

Tyrone Bynum Jr. Senior Intervention Specialist with Hartford Communities That Care. HCTC is a Hartford-based nonprofit organization committed to creating and supporting non-violent and drug-free communities in which youth and families can thrive.

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Transgender children have been put in the middle of a political battle they never asked for, as lawmakers across the country introduce bills that roll back protections, and even criminalize medical care. 

This episode we hear from one Connecticut family about navigating the education system for their transgender son. And we’ll invite Ace Ricker into the studio – he gives us an insight into what it’s like to grow up trans in Connecticut, and tells us why this moment is so dangerous for the LGBTQ community.

Guests in this episode:
Ace Ricker is a public advocate and educator who’s been speaking on transgender rights since the age of fifteen. He’s the founder of A.C.E. (Awareness through Communication and Education) where he facilitates interactive workshops, training sessions and round-table discussions.

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The state of Connecticut has a progressive reputation, but its record on voting access is actually pretty atrocious. We’re one of just four states that doesn’t allow early voting, and until the pandemic, absentee ballots were hard to get. This episode we’ll find out how one Black church is getting out the vote – and what the parishioners think of their access to the ballot. 

And we’ll invite Steven Lance from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund into the studio. He’ll tell us why he believes Connecticut needs a Voting Rights Act.

We’re talking all this season about our rights, and about our participation in democracy. As the 2022 midterm elections get closer, what issues motivate us to go to the polls? Where can we claim some common ground as a nation and across generations, and where will we never agree? 

Guests in this episode: 
Steven Lance, Policy Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund where he works to advance and defend voting rights and racial equity through legislation and policy change.

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