Author: WBEZ Chicago

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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Black Chicago History: Librarian Vivian Harsh

When Vivian Harsh became a Chicago librarian, she began what was called at the time the “Special Negro Collection” – an archive housing Black history and literature. Harsh knew writers like Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Richard Wright and Zora Neale Hurston personally. Their work is also housed in the Vivian Harsh Research Collection, at Chicago’s Woodson Regional Library. Reset chats with the unit head of the collection, Raquel Flores-Clemons, to learn about Harsh’s life and legacy. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - The Pros And Cons Of Banning Cell Phones In Illinois Schools

The goal of Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed cell phone ban is to improve student performance and social skills and fight cyberbullying. But can parents handle the limiting of direct access to their kids during school hours? Reset checks in with Chicago Sun Times education reporter Nader Issa and hears from expert Devorah Heitner on the impact of screens on kids. We also check in with Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, superintendent of Peoria Public Schools, which has already gone phone-free in its classrooms. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Chicago Inspector General On Ethics Reform, City’s Water System

More than 1,200 water mains in Chicago violate Illinois law, which states that pipes should be at least 10 feet away from sewer connections. Reset checks in with the city’s inspector general Deborah Witzburg about that issue and others. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Black Chicago History: Anarchist And Activist Lucy Parsons

A lesser known figure in the early 1900s labor rights movement, Lucy Parsons made waves. Reset speaks with Ellen C. Temple Professor of Women’s History Emerita at the University of Texas at Austin Jacqueline Jones about the significance of her life and work. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Chicago’s Damon Locks Experiments With Sound And Poetry

Artist and musician Damon Locks is no stranger to creating something special through audio and spoken word. His latest project “List of Demands” is an experimental mixture of archival tape, text-based work and poetry exploring themes of Black liberation, art, love and freedom. Reset sits down with Locks ahead of his first solo show in Los Angeles on Feb. 26. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap, Feb. 21, 2025

Efforts to reduce Chicago’s speed limit stalled in City Council. Mayor Brandon Johnson named his final appointee to the Chicago Board of Education. The Chicago Bears announced a 10% ticket hike. Reset goes behind the headlines of those stories and much more in our Weekly News Recap with City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran, Chicago Tribune investigative reporter Ray Long and WBEZ statehouse reporter Alex Degman. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Chicken Soup Might Have Healing Properties After All

We’re in the thick of cold and flu season. To what extent can the foods we eat strengthen our immune system? Reset chats about chicken soup, Vitamin C and more with a clinical assistant professor of nutrition at UIC Shayna Oshita. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Chicago Ukrainians Respond To Trump Admin’s Negotiations With Russia

The Trump administration has begun negotiations with Russia about the war in Ukraine – without any representatives from Ukraine involved. Reset checks in with Ukrainian Americans from Chicago Olya Soroka and Dania Hrynewycz to hear their hopes, apprehensions and predictions for the future of diplomatic relations between the United States and Ukraine. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Curious City - “It’s too complicated”: The state of cannabis record expungement in Illinois

When Illinois legalized recreational use of marijuana five years ago, it came with a goal to right the wrongs of the war on drugs. “We’re addressing the past harms of discriminatory prosecution of drug laws,” Governor J.B. Pritzker said at the time. Many low level cannabis charges would automatically be expunged and legal aid would be made available. Last episode, we looked at two areas where the state spent the largest share of its $500 million in marijuana sales tax revenue: the state budget and R3 funding, a program to invest in communities that have been harmed by violence, excessive incarceration and economic disinvestment. Some of that sales tax revenue also goes toward social programs, like legal aid for cannabis record expungement. Today, we’re looking at how well Illinois’ expungement program is working. Advocates and people getting their records expunged tell us that “automatic” doesn’t apply to everything and the process itself is “too complicated.”