BPR Full Show 12/17/20: 'Go Build a Snowman'

Today on Boston Public Radio:

Washington Post personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary discusses “Sincerely Michelle,” her ongoing series addressing misconceptions about racial equity in the world of personal finance, and reflects on her own experience coming up in media as a Black woman.

NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd runs through the latest political headlines, touching on anticipated COVID stimulus consensus in Congress, President-elect Joe Biden’s undying faith in the Senate, and the slowly-growing number of GOP members willing to acknowledge Biden’s November election victory.

Boston City Councilor and mayoral candidate Andrea Campbell discusses the Boston City Council’s Sunday vote to establish an Office of Police Accountability and Transparency, and next steps for its implementation. She also touches on Gov. Baker's decision not to sign the Mass. police reform bill, and pushback against a proposed charter school in Roslindale.

Former Suffolk County sheriff and secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral discusses Georgia’s legacy with of voter suppression, and what she’s anticipating from the state’s Senate runoff races in January. She also talks about efforts from the outgoing Trump administration to create special council investigations into President-elect Joe Biden’s son Hunter, and the president's still-unsubstantiated claims of vote rigging in the 2020 election.

Former Mass. education secretary Paul Reville discusses the Boston Teachers Union’s Sunday evening vote of no confidence against BPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, ongoing issues with remote learning throughout Mass., and questions around whether schools ought to keep the snow day alive through the pandemic.

Next, we open lines to talk about Thursday’s snowstorm, asking: are school districts walking on thin ice by denying students a well-earned snow day?

Inaugural poet Richard Blanco returns for our monthly edition of "The Village Voice," where he discusses poetry and how it can help us better understand our lives and times. This time around, he reads a selection of poems about gratitude, renewal, and healing. He also talks about the Inaugural Poem Project and Contest for Students – more information on which can be found here.