Show Me the Money

60 mayors from around the country met with President Barack Obama today. They want to know how much money they can expect from the $787 billion stimulus package. We speak to Pat McCrory, the Republican mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina

Levittown, Pennsylvania

The Levitt family fulfilled the American dream of home ownership for millions of veterans after World War Two. But black veterans, and blacks in general, were excluded from these iconic suburbs. And when a black family tried to move into Levittown, Pennsylvania in 1957, it sparked an outbreak of racism. David Kushner tells the story in his new book, “Levittown: Two Famlies, One Tycoon And The Fight For Civil Rights In America’s Legendary Suburb.” We also speak to Daisy Myers. She was part of that first black family that moved into Levittown, Pennsylvania in 1957.

See Historic Photos of Levittown

Breast Cancer Treatment and Health Care Rationing

A cautionary tale on health care rationing… from American writer Virginia Postrell (poss-STRELL) who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. Her insurance paid for 17 doses of the drug Herceptin, which costs $60,000 and put her cancer in remission. But she discovered that the drug is rationed in New Zealand, which has a national health care system. Women there are having to pay out-of-pocket for the often life-saving drug. We speak with Virginia Postrell, contributing editor & columnist for The Atlantic magazine.

Racism in Cartoons

Wednesday’s New York Post cartoon has sparked a national conversation about the role of race in cartooning. On Monday – two days before the Post cartoon came out – three editorial cartoonists shared their views on race in cartoons in a forum at the JKF Museum. We hear a piece of their conversation and then check in with one of the cartoonists, Joel Pett, to see if his opinion has changed in the light of the Post cartoon.

Oscar Nominated Cambodia Documentary

With the first war crimes trial of a senior Khmer Rouge official beginning this week in Cambodia, one of the candidates for Best Documentary Short in this Sunday’s Oscars is particularly timely. “The Conscience of Nhem En” tells the story of Nhem En, who, as a 16 year old soldier, took thousands of photographs of people who were then imprisoned and tortured by the Khmer Rouge at the infamous Tuol Sleng prison. We speak with filmmaker Steven Okazaki.

Music from the Show

The Benevento, “Sunny’s Song”

The Lickets, “Crowd of Pimps in the Rain”

Peter Dixon, “Nagog Woods”

J.S. Bach, “The Goldberg Variations” as performed by Mari Kodama

http://tigger.uic.edu/~pbhales/Levittown/levitek.html Charles Tekula

Dear Here and Now:

My son just called me because he heard the Levittown story. I haven’t had a chance to listen, but the link at the bottom of the blurb above sends readers to photos of my family in Levittown, Long Island.

He told me the gist of the story, and I just want to let you know that one of the photos on the Levittown site is of my sister’s birthday party. In the background is a house that was on what was called the “Colored Farm.” I have vague memories of a Black boy my age who lived there. I was told not to play with him by my mother because “they aren’t nice people.” My mother tells me that it housed the families of those who worked the potato farms still owned by the Murrays, who had sold the land our houses were on to Levitt. Mrs. Murray and her son Joe still owned and resided in the farmhouse with outbuildings a few houses north of us on Bloomingdale Rd.

I, in fact, didn’t remember the house there and thought it was called the “Colored Farm” because of all the wild flowers that grew in the vacant lot in the summer time. We used to play there and there was the foundation from a house but no structures. When I was a teenager I asked my sister (in the Hawaiian garb on the website) why it was called that. She was surprised that I didn’t remember sitting in the yard one night watching that house burn to the ground — I was probably three or four years old. I don’t know the story about the fire, but I do know that the property was surrounded by White neighbors who were members of the Levittown fire department, and while there were several other house fires over the years, none of the houses ever burnt to the ground.

I always thought that the story of the “Colored Farm” would be good subject matter for a Spike Lee film.

Thank you,

Chuck Tekula
Dan Mahoney

As white Irish Catholics my parents moved to Levittown in 1953, and our home was in a “section” that was near the Myers family. In the mid 1960′s my local public school played a documentary film of the Myers family experience on a Saturday, and my mother took us to see the movie. I was in 5th grade at a Catholic school and vividly recall how mean and horrible the white protesters were and I was sympathetic to the Myers. In 6th grade I transferred into public school and had an African American male teacher who was articulate, and professional. In 7th grade one of my track team mates was one of the few african americans in our school, and he became my friend. Thanks to all who shed light on racial injustices.