Journalist and former vegetable farmer Debbie Weingarten talks with Sarah Smarsh about the dark side of rural existence for people watching their family’s way of life be turned upside down—and how a society that relies on their labor can begin

Episode 5: The Fight for Healthcare Access in Rural America

Sep 24th, 2019 38m 24s

Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius joins Sarah Smarsh to discuss the long fight for universal health care and the particular barriers to access for rural America. Sebelius served in President Barack Obama’s cab

Episode 4: Enriching Conservation With Identity-Based Wisdom

Sep 17th, 2019 36m 6s

Conservation leader Brett Ramey, member of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, joins Sarah Smarsh to discuss environmental (in)justice and how our identities can shape the preservation of the planet. Ramey is an educator and organizer workin

Episode 3: Reframing the Story of Appalachia

Sep 10th, 2019 39m 42s

Acclaimed West Virginia documentarian Elaine McMillion Sheldon talks with Sarah Smarsh about getting regional stories right and the universality of addiction. Sheldon is an Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker who explores stories of i

Episode 2: Farmworker Pride in the Central Valley

Sep 3rd, 2019 36m 24s

Farm-worker rights advocate Leydy Rangel talks with Sarah Smarsh about the family experience that informs and enlivens her professional mission. Rangel is a first-generation college graduate from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona,

Episode 1: The Richness of the Black Belt

Sep 3rd, 2019 45m 54s

Political scientist Dr. Veronica Womack joins Sarah Smarsh to discuss the richness of rural American culture and community, and how old farming wisdom alongside new technologies can move the Black Belt region forward. Womack is the chief divers

Introducing: The Homecomers with Sarah Smarsh

Aug 6th, 2019 1m 27s

A national blind spot toward rural and working-class America is driving misleading headlines, broken politics and dangerous fissures in our social fabric. The Homecomers with Sarah Smarsh offers a more accurate story of those ill-understood s