“We make mistakes, and we will continue to make mistakes. The beauty of that is that we get to fix it, you know. But how we atone for that, how we move forward is what matters.” - Shawnee Turner

In this episode of The Upstander Ripple Effect, hosts Jackie Congedo and Kevin Aldridge welcome Shawnee Turner, Vice President of Education and Interpretation at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, to talk about the end of February and the beginning of March - where Black History Month meets Women’s History Month.

They discuss the legacy of civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson, who passed away in February 2026, and the realities of building coalitions across communities, and why it matters to look honestly at both the triumphs and the tensions in our shared history.

Drawing on her work in museum education, Turner shares how expanding historical narratives—from well-known figures like Harriet Tubman to lesser-known heroes like Ellen Craft—can help us better understand justice, resilience, and the everyday acts of courage that move society forward.

This episode is part of the Cynthia & Harold Guttman Center for Storytelling. Subscribe here https://www.youtube.com/@holocaustandhumanity

Find us on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/CincyHHC/

https://www.instagram.com/holocaustandhumanity/https://www.tiktok.com/@holocaustandhumanity

Episode Resources

Byron McCauley op-ed on Rev. Jesse Jackson

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2026/02/17/rev-jesse-jackson-death-legacy-civil-rights-opinion-column/88717590007/

Freedom Center statement on Rev. Jesse Jackson’s death

https://freedomcenter.org/voice/press_release/statement-rev-jesse-jackson/

Press coverage of Rev. Jackson’s relationship with Jewish communities over the years

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/09/27/2-jews-quit-jacksons-group/3da46535-3f5b-4f84-96ff-7fe90843e53c/

https://www.jta.org/2026/02/17/obituaries/jesse-jackson-civil-rights-leader-whose-1984-comments-undercut-jewish-relations-dies-at-84

https://www.auschwitz.org/en/museum/news/roma-and-sinti-genocide-remembrance-day,1376.html

Rev. Jackson’s legacy of including women in politics

https://19thnews.org/2026/02/jesse-jackson-opened-doors-black-women-politics

Perspective on women’s history being included at the Smithsonian

https://thepolitic.org/the-politics-of-representation-the-fight-for-the-smithsonian-womens-history-museum/

Visit the Freedom Center

https://freedomcenter.org/

Visit the Holocaust & Humanity Center https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/

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“It is an interesting time to think about how these two days are established to remember and honor separate histories, but in so many ways, separate histories that are so interconnected, that have so many shared themes and shared lessons.”
- Kevin Aldridge, co-host

In this episode, Jackie Congedo and Kevin Aldridge sit down with historian and civic leader Dan Hurley to talk about interconnectedness—between people, histories, and movements we’re often taught to see as separate. Recorded between MLK Day and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the episode explores how the fight against Nazi racial ideology abroad and the struggle for civil rights at home are deeply linked.

Dan shares his father’s remarkable World War II story: serving as a white officer in an all-Black Army unit that helped liberate Dachau, witnessing the extreme results of the Nazis’ racism and hate. But he also realized his troops were fighting racism at home. This episode challenges listeners to stretch their perspective, step into discomfort, and see how real change has always come from connection, courage, and action—not just good intentions.

This episode is part of the Cynthia & Harold Guttman Center for Storytelling. Subscribe here https://www.youtube.com/@holocaustandhumanity

Find us on social media:
https://www.facebook.com/CincyHHC/
https://www.instagram.com/holocaustandhumanity/ https://www.tiktok.com/@holocaustandhumanity

Episode Resources

Hear more about Dan Hurley’s experiences writing his book
https://youtu.be/h7SGU1Tlazg

Buy the book Crossing Borders, Expanding Boundaries
In person at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Rookwood Commons, Cincinnati
Or online at Amazon
https://a.co/d/2FRQVWo

Visit the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center in person in historic Union Terminal or online at
https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/

Get tickets for the landmark exhibition Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.
At Cincinnati Museum Center until April, 2026
https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/auschwitz-not-long-ago-not-far-away/

How the Nazis were influenced by U.S. Jim Crow laws
https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/digital-program/nuremberg-laws-how-the-nazis-were-influenced-by-u-s-jim-crow-laws/

Double V campaign during WWII
https://www.nps.gov/people/james-gratz-thompson-originator-of-the-double-v-campaign.htm

Medgar Evers’ recognition for his service in WWII, in a quartermaster unit like Irwin Hurley led
https://news.va.gov/109033/veteranoftheday-army-medgar-evers/

Articles related to this episode
https://lamag.com/guest-column/cycling-through-history-on-international-holocaust-remembrance-day/
https://saportareport.com/bernice-king-mlks-work-essential-as-humanity-is-under-siege/columnists/adrianne-murchison/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/bernice-king-why-dr-king-233522155.html
https://atlantadailyworld.com/2026/01/10/king-holdiay-2026-mission-possible-2-building-community-uniting-a-nation-the-nonviolent-way/

https://communityjournal.net/op-ed-by-ben-jealous-we-must-finish-the-work-dr-king-died-doing/

https://www.expressnews.com/opinion/commentary/article/january-mlk-jr-remembrance-21291279.php

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“In a time that feels very dark and hopeless, they're finding hope in the humanity of others, not just what they're doing, but what they see communities doing to help.”

- Lucy May, Cincinnati journalist, on one of the stories of the year that brought her hope


“I'm thinking about the ripple effect and the fact that you know, who started this? It was one person who said, ‘Geez, you know, this is this massive issue happening on a national scale. And I can either choose to feel completely powerless, like I have no agency and lament it, or I can just say, What's one more thing I can do?’”

- Jackie Congedo, on the local person who started the program Grocery Buddies this year, to fill in the gap when SNAP benefits fall short


In a year dominated by heavy headlines, in this episode of The Upstander Ripple Effect, we made a deliberate choice to end with hope and light. Joined by longtime journalist and host of WVXU’s Cincinnati Edition, Lucy May, the hosts explore why our brains gravitate toward bad news—and why seeking out “points of light” is not naïve, but necessary.

Through powerful stories of wrongful conviction, radical forgiveness, and neighbors stepping up for neighbors, the episode makes the case that hope is an act of courage — and essential for us as upstanders to keep moving forward.


This episode is part of the Cynthia & Harold Guttman Center for Storytelling. Subscribe here https://www.youtube.com/@holocaustandhumanity

Find us on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/CincyHHC/
https://www.instagram.com/holocaustandhumanity/
https://www.tiktok.com/@holocaustandhumanity

Episode Resources

Watch Lovely Jackson, the documentary about Rickey Jackson
https://www.amazon.com/Lovely-Jackson-Matt-Waldeck/dp/B0DZ28SSMC

Listen to the Cincinnati Edition episode covering Rickey’s story
https://www.wvxu.org/show/cincinnati-edition/2025-10-20/rickey-jackson-lovely-jackson-innocence-project

Find out more about the Grocery Buddies program
https://grocery-buddies.org/

Listen to WVXU coverage of the Grocery Buddies
https://www.wvxu.org/news-from-npr/2025-11-01/as-snap-benefits-run-dry-grocery-buddies-are-footing-their-neighbors-food-bills

https://www.wvxu.org/local-news/2025-11-11/snap-recipients-shutdown-grocery-buddies-cincinnati

https://www.wvxu.org/show/cincinnati-edition/2025-11-26/cincinnati-community-comes-together-to-fill-gaps-in-hunger

Visit the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center
https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/

Read Kevin’s column about Ja’Marr Chase and his handling of the rude fan who wanted an autograph

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/2025/06/30/cincinnati-bengals-jamarr-chase-plane-tiktok-fan/84412070007/

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