Lead is in the walls and water of an untold number of places New Yorkers live, go to school, work, and visit. Its life-altering impacts pose a potential danger to everyone in our state, but lead poisoning disproportionately affects Black and Brown New Yorkers. Thousands of people’s lives are impacted by lead poisoning, but our state and local governments aren’t doing nearly enough to combat it.

On this episode, we speak with Shannon Burkett, an award-winning actor, writer, producer, and nurse who created the podcast “Lead: How This Story Ends is Up to Us,” which tells the true story of her family’s experience with lead poisoning.

We also talk with Lanessa Owens-Chaplin, the Director of the NYCLU’s Racial Justice Project about an ongoing lead water crisis in Syracuse and about what we can do to prevent lead poisoning in New York.

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Resources:

Listen to Shannon’s podcast: "Lead: How This Story Ends Is Up To Us" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lead-how-this-story-ends-is-up-to-us/id1808995949

More on the Lead Pipe Replacement Act: https://www.nyclu.org/resources/policy/one-pagers/ensure-safe-drinking-water-for-all-new-yorkers

More on Syracuse’s lead crisis https://www.nyclu.org/resources/policy/one-pagers/syracuse-is-ignoring-its-lead-water-crisis

Fight the lead crisis in Syracuse: https://action.aclu.org/petition/fix-lead-crisis-syracuse

Follow Shannon @endleadpoisoning: endleadpoisoning.org

For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit www.nyclu.org/

For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit www.nyclu.org/podcasts

Follow NYCLU on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Bluesky.

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Perhaps no dynamic defines politics in New York State and New York City in 2026 more than the relationship between Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The Mayor needs the Governor’s help to accomplish many of the key pillars of his agenda, and the two have already signaled clear areas of agreement and key points of friction.

On this episode, we discuss the promise and potential pitfalls of this relationship with Christina Greer, who understands New York politics as well as anyone. She is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University and the co-host of the popular podcast FAQ NYC.

And we also speak with NYCLU Assistant Director of Policy Michael Sisitzky who explains some of the top civil rights issues that Hochul and Mamdani must reckon with.

Please, download, rate, review, and subscribe to Rights This Way. It will help more people find this podcast.

Resources:

Listen to Christina's podcast, FAQ NYC: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/faq-nyc/id1422065980

NYCLU Mayoral Agenda: https://www.nyclu.org/report/a-civil-rights-agenda-for-the-next-mayor-of-new-york-city

A civil liberties agenda for NY State: https://www.nyclu.org/report/rising-to-the-historical-moment-a-new-york-civil-rights-agenda-for-2026

NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman arguing for the NY for All Act in the Albany Times Union: https://www.nyclu.org/commentary/ny-for-all-act-is-the-best-way-to-protect-immigrants-and-communities

For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit www.nyclu.org/

For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit www.nyclu.org/podcasts

Follow NYCLU on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Bluesky.

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President Trump is waging war on free speech and academic freedom. And too often, colleges and universities have waved the white flag. Over and over, places of higher education have given in to the Trump administration’s outrageous demands and allowed the federal government to have an unprecedented say in what gets taught and what people can say on college campuses. New York City’s Columbia University is at the center of Trump’s attempts to destroy America’s colleges.

Few have had a better seat to watch this assault on our cherished freedoms than Professor Katherine Franke. Franke is a former tenured law professor at Columbia who was put under investigation by the university in 2024 in the midst of the school’s crackdown on pro-Palestine speech. Then in January, she entered into an agreement with Columbia to leave the school after 25 years as a distinguished professor.

Few people have spoken out with more passion, clarity, and insight about the ongoing siege on academic freedom. On this episode, we speak with Professor Franke about her experience at Columbia, the climate of censorship, fear, and repression at Columbia and schools across the country, and efforts to fight back against Trump’s attacks.

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Guest: Katherine Franke https://www.instagram.com/profkfranke/

Resources:

Follow Professor Katherine Franke: https://www.instagram.com/profkfranke/

Inside Columbia’s Crackdown on Pro-Palestine Free Speech: https://www.nyclu.org/podcast/inside-columbias-crackdown-on-pro-palestinian-free-speech

Mahmoud Khalil in His Own Words: https://www.nyclu.org/podcast/mahmoud-khalil-in-his-own-words

What are the Stakes of Mahmoud Khalil’s Case: https://www.nyclu.org/podcast/what-are-the-stakes-of-mahmoud-khalils-case

NYCLU Letter: Columbia Should Not Capitulate to Trump: https://www.nyclu.org/commentary/letter-columbia-should-not-capitulate-to-trump

For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit www.nyclu.org/

For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit www.nyclu.org/podcasts

Follow NYCLU on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Bluesky.

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A legion of far-right activists is determined to purge school libraries of books they don't like. A huge percentage of the books they want to get rid of are about race or racism, feature people of color, or include LGBTQ characters. This is a nationwide movement, and New York is not immune. Several New York school districts are facing calls to ban books.

On this episode, we talk to New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron. One of Kalynn’s books, “Cinderella is Dead”, has been targeted by several book ban campaigns. She talks with us about why she wrote the story and why she thinks it’s important for students of all backgrounds to have a diverse set of books to choose from.

Then we chat with an NYCLU expert about book bans in New York and legislation that’s on Gov. Hochul’s desk that would help combat them.

Guests:

Kalynn Bayron, New York Times and Indie bestselling author

Emma Hulse, Education Counsel, NYCLU

Resources:

Check out Kalynn’s books: https://bookshop.org/shop/bloomsburyusa

Tell Gov. Hochul to sign Freedom to Read: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/fight-freedom-read

More from Emma: https://www.nyclu.org/commentary/ny-schools-are-banning-books-heres-what-you-can-do-about-it

More on Freedom to Read: https://www.nyclu.org/uploads/2024/05/Freedom-to-Read-Act-Legislative-Support-Memo-2526_04.14.25.pdf

For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit www.nyclu.org/

For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit www.nyclu.org/podcasts

Follow NYCLU on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Bluesky.

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In its recent decision in the case, United States v. Skrmetti, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming medical care does not violate the Constitution and can remain in effect. The decision is a devastating loss for trans rights and risks emboldening other states to advance similar bans.

The decision comes as the Trump administration and its allies in hostile state governments have made clear they aim to exclude transgender people from public life and eliminate access to abortion across the country.

On this episode, we talk with Chase Strangio, the ACLU lawyer who argued against the Tennessee law in the Skrmetti case. He’ll explain the flawed logic behind the conservative majority’s decision, what it means and what its nationwide implications are.

Then we chat with two NYCLU experts who will explain what the decision means for New Yorkers and what Gov. Hochul can do to shore up access to gender-affirming and abortion care in our state.

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Guests:

Chase Strangio, Co-Director of the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project

Allie Bohm, NYCLU senior policy counsel

Jenna Lauter, NYCLU policy counsel

Resources:

Tell Gov. Hochul to sign the bills we discuss on this episode:

https://action.aclu.org/send-message/protect-gender-affirming-care

ACLU response to Skrmetti decision:

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-lambda-legal-respond-to-supreme-court-ruling-in-u-s-v-skrmetti

NYCLU response:

https://www.nyclu.org/press-release/nyclu-on-supreme-court-ruling-upholding-tennessees-ban-on-gender-affirming-care

For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit www.nyclu.org/

For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit www.nyclu.org/podcasts

Follow NYCLU on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Bluesky.

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On this episode, we hear from Mahmoud Khalil. Mahmoud is a lawful permanent resident who was kidnapped by the Trump administration and held in detention because of his advocacy for Palestinian Rights.

After more than 100 days in detention, Mahmoud is finally where he belongs: at home with his family in New York City. In this episode – which is a collaboration between Rights This Way and the ACLU’s podcast, At Liberty – At Liberty host W. Kamau Bell speaks with Mahmoud about his newly reacquired freedom, fatherhood, his wife Noor and what he wants everyone to remember from his experience taking on the Trump administration.

The NYCLU and ACLU are part of the legal team representing Mahmoud against Trump's unprecedented assault on his free speech.

Please download, rate, review, and subscribe to Rights This Way. It will help more people find this podcast.

The NYCLU and ACLU are part of Mahmoud’s legal team that includes the ACLU of New Jersey, the ACLU of Louisiana, Dratel & Lewis, the Center for Constitutional Rights, CLEAR, Van Der Hout LLP, and Washington Square Legal Services.

Resources:

https://www.nyclu.org/podcast/what-are-the-stakes-of-mahmoud-khalils-case

https://www.nyclu.org/commentary/after-more-than-100-days-mahmoud-khalil-is-finally-home

https://www.aclu.org/podcast/one-on-one-with-mahmoud-khalil

For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit www.nyclu.org/

For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit www.nyclu.org/podcasts

Follow NYCLU on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Bluesky.

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We might not realize it, but we are swimming in a sea of what this episode’s guest calls Copaganda. The way media outlets decide what stories to cover, which experts to quote, and even what supposedly objective words to use in news stories, profoundly impact how we view the world we live in.

In his book, Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News, our guest Alec Karakatsanis breaks down what Copaganda is, why media outlets and powerful figures deploy it, and how it shapes our understanding of crime rates, what types of crimes matter, and what the solutions are for achieving public safety.

Please download, rate, review, and subscribe to Rights This Way. It will help more people find this podcast.

Resources:

Copaganda: https://thenewpress.org/books/copaganda/

Follow Alec’s organization Civil Rights Coprs: https://civilrightscorps.org/

Commentary: Hero-worship of Police is Failing Us https://www.nyclu.org/commentary/hero-worship-police-failing-us

Podcast: Why Can’t We Stop Backtracking on Bail Reform? https://www.nyclu.org/podcast/s2-ep-1-why-cant-we-stop-backtracking-on-bail-reform

For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit www.nyclu.org/

For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit www.nyclu.org/podcasts

Follow NYCLU on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Bluesky.

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Some of us might think that the fight for trans people’s right to play sports is new. But a recent book, “The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports” delves into the history of this debate that has lasted the better part of a century at least.

Now the Trump administration is threatening states with funding cuts and other sanctions if they allow trans people to play sports on teams that align with their gender identity. It’s just one element of Trump’s full-scale war on trans people’s existence. But as we’ll hear, these types of campaigns have a deep-rooted history with ties to the Nazis.

In an interview that we recorded before Trump took office, we talk with the book’s author, Michael Waters about this history and what it tells us about our current efforts to secure trans people’s rights in athletics and beyond.

Please download, rate, review, and subscribe to Rights This Way. It will help more people find this podcast.

Resources:

The Other Olympians: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374609818/theotherolympians/

NYCLU Roller Rebels case: https://www.nyclu.org/resources/campaigns-actions/campaigns/stand-trans-athletes-nassau-county

Trump’s attack on trans athletes: https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/inside-trumps-full-force-approach-to-ban-trans-athletes-and-dei-in-schools/2025/04

For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit www.nyclu.org/

For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit www.nyclu.org/podcasts

Follow NYCLU on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Bluesky.

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