The State We're In, 15 January 2011. Reverend Thomas Butts in Alabama used the pulpit to fight for racial justice, even when it meant death threats. Listener Sonnie Hereford IV talks to his dad about their fight to desegregate Alabama. Georges Laraque on becoming a pro ice hockey "enforcer" and now a vegan with the Green Party of Canada. And we tell the tale of two Karen women who run a covert information network inside Myanmar.

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The right side of history
Reverend Thomas Butts (pictured above) is 80 and lives in Alabama. He’s been fighting for racial justice his whole life and speaks with host Jonathan Groubert about the hostility he faced – including death threats – over the years, as well as the victories he now treasures.
 
Being the first
Sonnie Hereford IV in Huntsville, Alabama contacted us after we ran our interview with Reverend Butts.  Sonnie was the first black child in Alabama to be admitted to an all-white school. His father, Sonnie Hereford III, was pivotal in helping desegregate Alabama. They talk to each other about their experiences and their ongoing fight for racial justice.
 
The enforcer
Georges Laraque grew up in Montreal dreaming about being a pro ice hockey player. He faced a lot of racist harassment before making it, but he did. As a pro, he was thrust into the role of "enforcer" and fought opponents to make a living. Now he’s a committed vegan and official with the Green Party of Canada.
Link - georgeslaraque.com.
 
The secret Burmese network
Independent producer Lu Olkowski tells the story of two ethnic Karen women who ran a secret network leaking information to the outside world during last November’s election in Myanmar.
 
Produced by Lu Olkowski and Stephanie Guyer-Stevens with support from the Dick Goldensohn Fund at the Center for Investigative Reporting; The Urgent Action Fund; Herb Leventhal and Terry Causey.
Special thanks to Heather Kurland of The Rita Fund; Jack Chance who recorded the music you heard in the piece and Emily Botein, Davia Nelson, Nikki Silva and Gregory Warner.
 
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