Economic Growth vs. Everyday Life
Numbers released this week by the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis show personal and disposable income increased and the GDP that measures the total dollar value of everything produced in this country rose. Other indicators show a slower but stable labor market and a slower rise in the inflation rate. If the economy is so strong, then why doesn’t it feel that way for so many Central Floridians?
Ladera Royal, an educator at Orange County Public Schools and member of the American Federation of Teachers union, shares some of the challenges he and his colleagues face.
Dennis Harrigger, a retired OCPS school bus driver, speaks about his family’s struggle with debt and affordability.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida Director of Philanthropy Dan Samuels says they’re distributing about 330,000 meals a day across Central Florida which is up from about 300,000 a year ago.
That gap between what the numbers say and what people experience is something economists have been studying. Amanda Phalin, Associate Instructional Professor at the University of Florida Warrington College of Business, explains the strain between the two and how experts describe this “K-shaped economy.”
The Florida Roundup in Orlando
Every week, The Florida Roundup brings its audience up to speed on all things Florida. The show is hosted by Tom Hudson, co-produced by WLRN in Miami and WUSF in Tampa, and airs Fridays at Noon on Central Florida Public Media.
This week, the show is hitting the road and coming to Orlando. Hudson joins Engage to talk about bringing the conversation to a live audience at Central Florida Public Media and some of the most pressing issues for our region.
100 Years of Black History Month
This February marks 100 years since historian Carter G. Woodson initiated Black History Month in 1926. It started as a weeklong observance in February that coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. It wasn’t necessarily a celebration at the time. It was a response to the exclusion of Black history.
Harold Dorrell Briscoe, Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life at Rollins College, joins Engage to discuss the origins of Black History Month and what it means 100 years later.
Quilting as Black Storytelling
Quilting has played a significant role in the lives of people for centuries. During slavery, Black women were forced to make quilts from scraps to survive bitter cold weather conditions. Later, quilting transformed into a form of expression and art.
That history is unfolding inside artist Lisa Moore’s studio at the Art and History Museums Maitland. Quilting began close to home for Moore. She initially made baby quilts. Then after the sudden death of her brother-in-law, she made his children quilts of their father’s clothes. What began as her way of comforting grieving family, also became a way to preserve their memories. Engage stops by Moore’s studio to learn more about how fabric holds history.
