This week, we’re revisiting our episode “What Is Appalachia?” from December 2021. Appalachia connects mountainous parts of the South, the Midwest, the Rust Belt and even the Northeast. That leaves so much room for geographic and cultural variation, as well as many different views on what Appalachia really is.
Immigrant Children Fighting for the Right to Learn and the American Dream
Immigrant Khadidja Issa was the litigant in a landmark lawsuit that established rights for immigrants seeking to access public education in American schools.Jo Napolitano
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America is seen as a land of opportunities and education for all, but a group of young refugees in Pennsylvania had to challenge the local school district to access their schooling.
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, school officials first said the six refugees, aged 17 to 21, were too old for public school programs. Only after a lawsuit and protracted negotiations, were the students placed in classes for English language learners.
Us & Them host Trey Kay speaks with Jo Napolitano the author of a new book, “The School I Deserve,” which follows this case. He also has a conversation with Khadidja Isaa, one of the refugees who fought for her education.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, the West Virginia Humanities Council and the CRC Foundation.
Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond. You also can listen to Us & Them on WVPB Radio — tune in on the fourth Thursday of every month at 8 p.m., with an encore presentation on the following Saturday at 3 p.m.
Jo Napolitano
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Jo Napolitano has more than twenty years of journalism experience at The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Newsday.
Jo Napolitano
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Immigrant Khadidja Issa in the classroom at McCaskey High School in Lancaster, PA.
Jo Napolitano
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Khadidjah Issa hugging her mother after her graduation from McCaskey High School in Lancaster, PA.
Trey Kay
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Trey Kay visiting Khadidjah Issa at her home in Lancaster, PA.
With recent reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Huntington, students gathered at the center of Marshall University’s campus to voice their concerns for their fellow students and community members.
Analysis by the West Virginia Department of Education found Hancock County Schools has been outspending its budget by millions of dollars for at least two years.
This week, we’re revisiting our episode “What Is Appalachia?” from December 2021. Appalachia connects mountainous parts of the South, the Midwest, the Rust Belt and even the Northeast. That leaves so much room for geographic and cultural variation, as well as many different views on what Appalachia really is.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey delivered his second State of the State address Wednesday night, giving lawmakers and the public a look at his priorities for the legislative session now underway.