Disrupted is about the changes we all encounter and the forces driving those changes. Some disruptions spark joy and possibility. Others move us to take action and re-evaluate our world. But the show isn't just about those disruptions; it’s about embracing them, exploring new perspectives, and feeling more connected to ourselves and our communities. Host and political scientist Khalilah Brown-Dean creates a place where changemakers come together to help us see the world differently and challenge us to grow together. Visit ctpublic.org/disrupted for more!
Latest episodes
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41 min
Beth Simone Noveck says AI can change democracy for the better— if we choose to use it that way
A lot of conversation around AI focuses on it as an existential threat. But if AI has destructive potential, does it also have the capacity to do good? This hour, we're talking abo…
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49 min
Weight stigma and the connection between anti-Blackness and anti-fatness
In the United States, we talk a lot about discrimination. But one form of discrimination that we don’t talk about enough is discrimination based on body weight. It affects everythi…
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49 min
In divided times, how do we build an inclusive future?
The U.S. feels divided. That division is backed up by data. According to the American Psychological Association’s 2025 Stress in America Survey, 62 percent of adults said societal…
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49 min
Senator Chris Murphy on the ‘Crisis of the Common Good’
In 2012, Connecticut voters chose Chris Murphy as a replacement for retiring senator Joe Lieberman. He was the youngest U.S. senator serving at the time. And in the years since, hi…
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49 min
Princess Joy L. Perry’s award-winning novel ‘This Here is Love’ continues Harriet Beecher Stowe’s legacy of li…
Princess Joy L. Perry’s novel This Here is Love tells the interlocking stories of an array of characters in Tidewater Virginia. It’s a complex narrative that takes place in the 169…
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49 min
Reflecting on what new generations can carry forward as we remember 25 years since 9/11
Many Americans can tell you exactly what they were doing 25 years ago when they learned the United States had been attacked. But for a younger generation, the attacks are something…
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49 min
Edwidge Danticat’s new novel ‘Dèy’ explores motherhood, grief and the concept of home
Edwidge Danticat’s new book Dèy opens at a mall. A Haitian American real estate agent named Magnolia is there to buy a phone for her daughter. But before she has the chance, a mass…
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49 min
Curated failures, plus young people define success for themselves
Some inventions change the way we see the world. Others fail to meet the lofty expectations set for them. Those are the ones that make it into a traveling museum called the Museum…
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49 min
Water safety can save lives, especially in underrepresented communities
According to the CDC, there are over 4,000 unintentional drowning deaths in the United States every year and around 850 of those are for people younger than 18. And the numbers loo…
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49 min
Eddie Glaude Jr. on the contradictions inherent in celebrating the United States
There was a lot of discussion surrounding the United States’ recent July 4th celebrations. There were festivities, like New York's parade of tall ships, and controversies, such as…
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49 min
8 years after a major Supreme Court decision, where we are with gambling today
In 2018, the Supreme Court Case Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association reshaped gambling in the U.S. The ruling ended a ban on sports gambling— it had previously been i…
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49 min
From book bans to immigration, documentary filmmakers reveal the humanity behind complex issues
Great documentary films can teach people about the world. But the strength of the medium is that it doesn’t just explain facts, it can also reveal emotional truths. One recent docu…
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49 min
Legal scholar Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw reflects on being a 'Backtalker' and its consequences
Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw's work as a legal scholar has been massively influential. She coined the term “intersectionality,” which refers to the way multiple interlocking systems…
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49 min
Our annual summer movie panel on big epics like The Odyssey and smaller films like Camp
So far, 2026 has been a big year for movies. There’s been the success of horror films like Backrooms and Obsession. There are movies that have been targeted by the culture wars, li…
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49 min
Senator Chris Murphy on the ‘Crisis of the Common Good’
In 2012, Connecticut voters chose Chris Murphy as a replacement for retiring senator Joe Lieberman. He was the youngest U.S. senator serving at the time. And in the years since, hi…
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49 min
Karen Walrond on the joys of dabbling
When was the last time you dabbled in something? In this episode of Disrupted, author Karen Walrond talks about the joys of dabbling and the space where dabbling and activism meet.…
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49 min
From woodworking to summer camp, there are endless ways to spread Black Joy
For Black Americans, following the news can be a psychological challenge. 4 in 5 Black adults say they see or hear racist or racially insensitive coverage about Black people at lea…
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49 min
Celebrating Juneteenth in the past and present
Confederate forces surrendered to Union forces in Appomattox Court House, Virginia in April of 1865. But many people in Texas were still living under slavery. The Emancipation Proc…
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49 min
The complexities of belonging and not belonging in U.S. culture
Connecticut has a higher percentage of Puerto Rican residents than any other state. That’s according to 2020 U.S. Census data. But Puerto Rican residents still make up less than 10…
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49 min
Pulitzer Prize-winning historians Jill Lepore and Jon Meacham on Lessons from History (Part II)
“History repeats itself,” the saying goes. Or, as another saying goes, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” There’s also “History doesn’t repeat itself…