In episode #32 of In The Moment, correspondent Valerie Curtis Newton talks with Cherríe Moraga (4:40) about her mother’s reinforcement of gender roles during Moraga’s lifetime and her mom’s eventual decline into Alzheimer’s. They discuss the ways in which physical memory goes along with generational trauma and how elders pass down the desire for change and the “-isms.” Moraga outlines the ways she uses writing to connects people with family and community, and Newton asks if Moraga has ever had a moment in her life that confirmed for her that she was on the right path. Moraga responds that if she can quiet the mind and “get out of the way” she can allow for something more profound to be communicated.

Chief Correspondent Steve Scher talks with New Yorker columnist Mary Norris (17:10) about the Greek alphabet and her trip to the Aegean. Norris dives into the differences between the English and Greek alphabets—how there are letters in the Greek alphabet that English does not have, and indeed the only modern relationship we have to Greek is the college Fraternity system. Norris describes her continued enthusiasm read the Iliad and Odyssey in Greek, although right now she’s only reading at a fourth grade level.

And host Jini Palmer talks with ChrisTiana ObeySumner (26:20) about the most stand-out moments from Dr. Joy Degruy’s event. ObeySumner shares their favorite moments, recalling DeGruy’s an example of giving a child a crayon and then another child taking that crayon away but never giving it back,an example of reparations. ObeySumner speaks to potential forms for reparations in our world today and asks us to engage with ourselves and examine what each of us are doing to perpetuate inequities, or to stop them. They remind us that it’s important to live and heal, and to make continued progress towards racial and social equity.

Still Curious?

-Cherríe Moraga speaks about her conceptions of identity in this video interview.

-Valerie Curtis Newton is the Founding Artistic Director for The Hansberry Project, a professional theatre lab dedicated to celebrating, supporting, and presenting the work of black theatre artists.

-Mary Norris, aka the Comma Queen, produces a video series hosted with The New Yorker. Check it out!

-Mary Norris also has also written her share of articles with plenty to say about the Greek alphabet!

-You can follow the work of ChrisTiana ObeySumner on their website, here.