Community Events

January 30

WABE hosts a demonstration of Georgia’s new voting machines starting at 6:00pm on Thursday, January 30, at the Dorothy Benson Multipurpose Center in Sandy Springs. This will be a chance for you to get hands-on with the new machines ahead of the March primaries. Then at 7:00pm WABE reporter Emil Moffatt will host a discussion about voting issues with local experts and give you a chance to ask your questions.

Voting Machine Demonstration and Discussion –Thursday, 1/30 @ 6:00pm

Dorothy Benson Multipurpose Center –6500 Vernon Woods Dr NE, Sandy Springs

CLICK HERE for tickets.

January 20

Join WABE’s Bottom of the Map podcast at the Trap Music Museum for a preview event on Monday, January 20 in celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. We will discuss how Trap Music is in conversation with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 70s and have a conversation with renowned artist DL Warfield. Also, audience members will have a chance to join a recording of the Season 2 podcast trailer and be in a future episode about Trap Music’s global expansion.

This event is free. To RSVP click here.

January 25

On Saturday, January 25, join WABE at Dunbar Rec Center for a Community Conversation: What the Census means for You. WABE reporter Roxanne Scott hosts our discussion as we sit down with members of the community to learn how the 2020 National Census affects our neighborhoods. We’ll provide lunch and talk about the ways that this 230-year-old tradition impacts our lives every day. Saturday, 1/25 –Dunbar Rec Center at Burney Park –12:00 p.m. To RSVP click here.

February 20

Thursday, February 20, join WABE at the Buckhead Theatre as Pop-Up magazine brings their “live magazine” show back to Atlanta. This night of multimedia storytelling is designed just for the audience in the room, with award-winning presenters bringing never-before-heard stories to the stage. For tickets go to PopUpMagazine.com.

October 23

On Wednesday, October 23, join ATL PBA at the Morehouse School of Medicine auditorium for a preview screening of COLLEGE BEHIND BARS with director Lynn Novick and producer Sarah Botstein, both long-time collaborators (THE VIETNAM WAR, PROHIBITION, THE WAR) with the film’s executive producer Ken Burns.

What is prison for? Who has access to educational opportunity? Who among us is capable of academic excellence? How can we have justice without redemption?

COLLEGE BEHIND BARS tells the story of a small group of incarcerated men and women and their journey to earn college degrees and turn their lives around in one of the most rigorous and effective prison education programs in the United States –the Bard Prison Initiative.

After screening excerpts from the series, Rose Scott will host a panel discussing the film and the issue of education in prisons with the filmmakers. All free WABE events require prior registration, but your registration does not guarantee entry. Audience members will be admitted on a first come, first served basis.

For more information, click here.

COLLEGE BEHIND BARS airs on ATL PBA November 25-26.

September 21

Lois Reitzes is hosting a 35th anniversary screening of one of her “top five favorite movies”: The Muppets Take Manhattan!

There is no more fitting locale than the Center for Puppetry Arts as we watch this classic film, and after the credits roll Lois will be joined by some friends to discuss the importance of this film and why it matters to so many people.

The film is rated G, but the discussion will be directed towards adults, so please consider the age of your party.

All free WABE events require prior registration, but your registration does not guarantee entry. Audience members will be admitted on a first come, first served basis.

For more information, click here.

August 22

Guns and Black Southern Life: A WABE Community Conversation

 “A Winchester rifle should have a place of honor in every black home, and it should be used for that protection which the law refuses to give.” – Ida B. Wells

Journalist and anti-lynching activist Ida B. Wells wrote those words in 1892. She was speaking to a southern history of black gun ownership that continues today. We also now live in a time when black Americans are disproportionately impacted by gun violence.

On Thursday, August 22, at 7:00 p.m., join WABE reporter, Lisa Hagen, and Kennesaw State University Assistant Professor of English and African Diaspora Studies, Dr. Regina Bradley, at the Auburn Avenue Research Library as they host a Community Conversation on the role of guns in black, Southern life. The panel will consider a range of topics including Southern history, self-defense, identity, violence, safety, and survival. The discussion is in coordination with the Guns & America reporting collaborative.

Panelists will include representatives from the National African American Gun Association, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and our featured guest, professor and award-winning author, Kiese Laymon. Laymon’s most recent book, the memoir HEAVY, won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Nonfiction, the LA Times’ Isherwood Prize, and was named one of the best books of 2018 by the New York Times, NPR, and The Washington Post, among others.

The Fulton County Library System has a no-weapons policy.

For tickets, click here.

All free WABE events require prior registration, but your registration does not guarantee entry. Audience members will be admitted on a first come, first served basis.

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May 21

Tuesday, May 21 at 7:00pm join Hank Klibanoff, Howard Moore, and other special guests at the Morehouse School of Medicine Auditorium for another edition of Buried Truths Live. It’s going to be a great conversation about A.C. Hall, civil rights and race relations and we’ll give you a behind the scenes look at the making of the podcast. Plus, you’ll be helping to support our efforts as we begin work on Season 3.

General Admission tickets are $30, and we have an exclusive VIP ticket at $100 for those who would like to further support the podcast. The VIP ticket includes a post-show meet and greet with Hank and some of our special guests, reserved seating, and special acknowledgement for your generous support. WABE members will receive a $10 discount on any tickets they order.

Click here for tickets.

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April 26

APPROVAL JUNKIE: MY HEARTFELT (AND OCCASIONALLY INAPPROPRIATE) QUEST TO PLEASE JUST ABOUT EVERYONE, AND ULTIMATELY MYSELF

By and starring Faith Salie

Directed by Amanda Watkins

From winning her (very Southern) high school beauty pageant, to picking the perfect outfit to wear to her divorce, Faith Salie is the ultimate approval seeker –an “approval junkie,” if you will. A comedian and Emmy Award-winning journalist best known for her roles on NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! And CBS News Sunday Morning, Salie has returned home to Georgia to adapt her memoir into a heartfelt (and disturbingly hilarious) one-woman show at the Alliance. Through her witty, candid, and sometimes heartbreaking recollections, Salie reflects on a lifetime of looking for validation in all the wrong places –and reveals how she finally won gold stars from her toughest critic…herself.

This is a special WABE night featuring a post-show conversation between Faith and Lois Reitzes. Members, check your email for a discount code.

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS.

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April 1

Monday, April 1, ATL PBA is pleased to partner with GPB for a special sneak peek of COUNTRY MUSIC, the new eight-part, 16-hour film directed by Ken Burns, and produced by Burns and his long-time collaborators Dayton Duncan and Julie Dunfey. COUNTRY MUSIC explores crucial questions ––“What is country music?” and “Where did it come from?”––while focusing on the biographies of the fascinating trailblazers who created and shaped it —from the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Bill Monroe and Bob Wills to Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Garth Brooks and many more —as well as the times in which they lived. Much like the music itself, the film tells unforgettable stories of hardships and joys shared by everyday people.

Join us for a preview and discussion with filmmakers Dayton Duncan and Julie Dunfey and featuring musical guests The Jeff Mosier Ensemble.

For tickets, click here.

Special thanks to The Atlanta History Center for hosting this event.

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March 30

Saturday, March 30, Snap Judgment is coming to Atlanta for an evening of stories at Symphony Hall, and WABE has a special offer for our listeners.

We have a limited number of tickets for an exclusive, post-show talk-backsession, happening only in Atlanta, and only with WABE.

Each week, on Snap Judgment, Glynn Washington tells stories with a beat, but after the live show he’ll join Closer Look’s Rose Scott to tell his stories. Rose will lead an interview like only she can, and we’ll open the floor so you can ask your questions.

For tickets to WABE’s post-show event, click here. Each post-show ticket includes a ticket to Snap Judgment Live. Sustainers: Use the code “snap” for a $10 discount.

For general admission tickets to Snap Judgment Live! click here.

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March 16

Saturday, March 16, WABE and the Atlanta Science Fest present the FREE event Ask A Scientist!

Why is wombat poop cubed? How did bacteria make Earth habitable for humans? What kind of weather happens in space? WABE, Atlanta’s NPR station, presents scientists from different disciplines as they demystify their fields of study, and offer us a chance to Ask A Scientist.

Join WABE’s science reporter, Molly Samuel, and science enthusiasts of all ages, for an educational, entertaining, and exciting afternoon on Saturday, March 16 at 3pm, at the Junior Achievement Discovery Center inside the Georgia World Congress Center. Free parking in the nearby Gold Deck (127 Northside Dr NW, Atlanta, GA 30314) will be available to all guests who attend the event.

For tickets, click here.

All free WABE events require prior registration, but your registration does not guarantee entry. Audience members will be admitted on a first come, first served basis.

Note: Parents, please register for yourself in addition to your child.

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February 20

On Wednesday, February 20 join WABE Capitol reporters for State Government Matters TWO: The Georgia Legislature and the New Administration. It’s a deep dive into the new faces, and known faces in new places, representing us.

Last January the WABE Newsroom brought you State Government Matters Too: A Crash Course On The Georgia Legislature, where we learned how the sausage is made under the Gold Dome, and who makes it. This year we’re moving the conversation further into the Session calendar, giving them a chance to discuss legislation under consideration in the new term. This will be an interactive evening and we expect another lively Q&A session, just like last year.

Join us at The Gathering Spot on Wednesday, February 20, at 7:00pm. Light fare will be served and the first 100 guests will receive a free drink.

Click here for tickets.

All free WABE events require prior registration, but your registration does not guarantee entry. Audience members will be admitted on a first come, first served basis.

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January 23

ATL PBA is proud to partner and distribute NHK WORLD-JAPAN, a 24/7 public television network featuring original programming from NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation Inc).  NHK WORLD-JAPAN delivers a unique and diverse blend of programming featuring hourly live international news from Tokyo and programs on Japanese food, technology, travel and lifestyle.

Join us for a screening of two programs from NHK WORLD-JAPAN, “Journeys in Japan” and “#TOKYO”.  In “Journeys in Japan” experience climbing Mt. Fuji and tracing the route of the ascetic monks, following an ancient trail from the seashore up to its very highest point.  In “#TOKYO” learn about travel trends based on social media posts written by experienced travelers.  You will experience the vibrant nightlife of Shinjuku, an entertainment center and hot spot that includes everything from cult art to decadent ramen.

Please come to the  Gathering Spot on Wednesday, January 23 at 6pm, for this special evening of food, drinks, and some of NHK WORLD-JAPAN’s best programming to discover the culture and beauty of Japan.

For tickets click here.

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January 17

On Thursday, January 17^th, join WABE and ATL PBA at Fado in Midtown for Off the Record. It’s a laid back evening of food, drinks, and hanging out with other young professionals to get a behind the scenes look of your Atlanta NPR and PBS station.  Get access to behind-the-scenes content, see sneak peeks of new initiatives for 2019 and learn ways on how you can get involved with our community activities.

Click here for tickets.

Off the Record is a part of Amplify, WABE and ATL PBA’s community engagement program targeting Atlanta’s diverse and growing young professional community who are fans of public media.

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January 9

Denis O’Hayer is taking Political Breakfast on the road again! Along for the ride are Republican Strategist Brian Robinson and Democratic Strategist Tharon Johnson as they head to Cobb County. They’ll discuss the beginning of Brian Kemp’s term as governor, the upcoming General Assembly session, and proposed legislation that would affect the Atlanta area. Join us on Wednesday, January 9, at Marietta’s New Theatre in the Square at 7pm.

Click here to claim your free tickets.

Your ticket does not guarantee entry. Audience will be admitted on a first come, first served basis.

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November 28

Join us Wednesday, November 28 at the Atlanta History Center for an unparalleled look inside the story, the people, and the issues behind the first season of Buried Truths. We’ll also have a sneak peek of what’s to come in season two.

Buried Truths host Hank Klibanoff and producer David Barasoain, along with special guests including Dorothy Nixon Williams, will take you inside the Isaiah Nixon story with never-before-heard audio, previously unseen material and more. They’ll examine voting rights history, 1940s Georgia, the legacy of discrimination, and the paths to racial reconciliation. Plus, they’ll be taking your questions, which you can email to Hank@BuriedTruths.org.

Click here for tickets.

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November 14

As development grows in the city of Atlanta, home prices are rising and low cost rental units are disappearing. On Wednesday, November 14 join WABE’s Stephannie Stokes at Eventide Brewing in Grant Park as she hosts: “Built for Us?” a look at the struggle for affordable housing in Atlanta through the eyes of those experiencing it.

Light snacks will be provided, and Eventide will be donating a portion of the evening’s proceeds to WABE. For tickets, click here.

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November 1

Denis O’Hayer is back with another edition of Political Breakfast Live! Join us at Emory University on Thursday, November 1, as Democratic Strategist Tharon Johnson, and Republican Strategist Brian Robinson join Denis to countdown the final days of this contentious midterm election and look at the historic Georgia Gubernatorial race.

Click here to claim your free tickets.

Your ticket does not guarantee entry. Audience will be admitted on a first come, first served basis.

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September 25

Join us for a special listening event hosted by StoryCorps, Atlanta History Center, and Atlanta’s NPR station, WABE. The evening will feature stories of people’s journeys as we ask the question, “How did you get here?” In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, hear stories of immigrants who crossed great distances to be here. In honor of National Family History Month, hear from families who have traveled different roads. You’ll also be able to sign up for future StoryCorps appointments on site.

This event is free and open to the public, but space is limited.

Click here for tickets.

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September 13

Join City Lights producer Myke Johns, digital editor Courtney Kueppers, and reporter and Morning Edition producer Sam Whitehead as they talk shop and take your questions. You’ll mix and mingle with other WABE fans, and get a chance to converse with our journalists in an intimate setting.

Light food will be served, and the first 100 guests will receive a free drink.

Tickets are first come, first serve, and your ticket does not guarantee entry.

For tickets, click here.

For nearly three decades, Georgia has been immersed in a dispute over water with Florida and Alabama. It’s escalated to the U.S. Supreme Court, and in January, there were arguments in Florida v. Georgia. Join WABE’s Molly Samuel on Thursday, May 31 at Trees Atlanta for a Community Conversation as we explore the rivers, the fights over them, and how Atlanta fits into the story.

Water Wars | Thursday, May 31 at 7 p.m. | Trees Atlanta – 225 Chester Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30316

CLICK HERE for tickets.

Tickets do not guarantee entry. Audience is admitted on a first come, first served basis.

Since Jan. 15, WABE’s mid-day show “Closer Look with Rose Scott” has examined the life, legacy and mission of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Fifty years after his death through our ATL 68 project. This four month-long series has featured conversations, profiles and behind-the-scenes recollections of the civil rights movement.

As we conclude this series on April 3, the eve of Dr. King’s assassination, join us at the Center for Civil and Human Rights as spotlight individuals and organizations who are preserving Dr. King’s mission and continuing the tenets of his dream.

For tickets, click here.

How can robots learn to play music? How far can a space telescope see? What kinds of wildlife live right here in our city? WABE, Atlanta’s NPR station, presents scientists from different disciplines as they demystify their fields of study, and offer us a chance to Ask a Scientist. Join WABE’s science reporter, Molly Samuel, and science enthusiasts of all ages, for an entertaining afternoon of exploration and discovery.

Scientist Guests:

Misty Bentz, Astrophysics – Georgia State University

Kim Cobb, Paleoclimatology – Georgia Tech

Hadiyah-Nicole Green, Nanobiophotonics – Morehouse School of Medicine

Tamara Johnson, Urban Ecology – US Fish and Wildlife Service

Gil Weinberg, AI Robotics – Georgia Tech

Advanced registration is requested, but your ticket will not guarantee you entry. Please arrive early to claim your seats.

Paid street parking is available.

For tickets, click here.

The Brookings Institution reports that the difference in life expectancy between the rich and the poor and between whites and minorities has more than doubled since the 1920s.  In Georgia, access to quality healthcare may come down to how much you earn, the color of your skin, and where you live.  WABE presents “Race and Poverty in Healthcare” to connect you with medical professionals and advocates to share perspectives on what 2018 could mean for providers and patients, doctors, and hospitals. Your voice is vital to this dialogue!  Join the live taping of “Race and Poverty in Healthcare”, Thursday, February 22 at 6:30 p.m. on the campus of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.

To submit your questions for our panel be sure to use the Community Conversations box at the top of this page.

CLICK HERE  for tickets.

Your ticket does not guarantee entry. Audience will be admitted on a first come first served basis.

Georgia’s Legislative session begins January 8th, and WABE is bringing you a look at the inner workings of our State Government at our next Community Conversation: State Government Matters Too: A Crash Course On The Georgia Legislature. WABE political reporters Johnny Kauffman, Elly Yu, and senior editor Susanna Capelouto host an interactive evening as we take a look at the ins and outs of Georgia’s State House of Representatives and State Senate; their powers, their limitations, and how decisions are made that affect you every day. It’s chance for us to learn more about how our State house works, and how we, as voters, can make it work for us.

Join us Tuesday, January 16th, at The Gathering Spot for State Government Matters Too: A Crash Course On The Georgia Legislature. Light fare will be served and the first 100 guests will receive a complimentary drink.

Leave us your question about State Government in the “Community Conversations” box above, and Click Here for tickets.

Funded in part by a grant from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.

Join PBA30 and the Spelman College Education Department for a free Indie Lens Pop-Up preview screening of I Am Not Your Negro.

One of the most acclaimed films of the year and an Oscar nominee for Best Documentary, I Am Not Your Negro envisions the book James Baldwin never finished. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin’s original words, spoken by Samuel L. Jackson, and with a flood of rich archival material.

That’s Tuesday, 11/14 at 6 pm.

Sisters Chapel at Spelman College

440 Westview Drive, SW Atlanta, GA 30310

Attendance is on a first come, first serve basis.

Independent Lens airs Thursdays at 9p on PBA30.

The Falcons, Hawks, and Braves have become a part of the city’s identity and their respective stadiums have become a part of Atlanta’s skyline, but how have those facilities affected the neighborhoods they call home? WABE News reporter Stephannie Stokes hosts a panel of experts and asks your questions at WABE’s next Community Conversation: “Sports Stadiums and Community Impact.”

We’ll examine the way neighborhoods, and residents’ lives, have been changed by stadiums across the city’s landscape and history. We’ll look at past agreements with sports teams and local residents, and what we can expect to see now. We’ll consider the benefits and drawbacks that a new facility brings to an area. And we’ll do all of this together, asking for your questions to be a cornerstone of our discussion.

Join us for “Sports Stadiums and Community Impact” Tuesday, Aug. 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library.

Panel (subject to change):

• Frank Fernandez, Vice President of Community Development, Blank Foundation
• Benjamin Flowers, Professor of Architecture, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Deborah Scott, Executive Director, Georgia Stand-Up
• Ivory Lee Young Jr., Atlanta City Council Member, District 3

Funding for WABE’s Community Engagement events is provided in part by a grant from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.

 

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The 6th District Debate: Handel vs. Ossoff
Hosted by Denis O’Hayer

Karen Handel (R) and John Ossoff (D) are meeting to debate the issues affecting the 6th District and their plans to address them. On Thursday, June 8 they’ll have a live, in-depth conversation moderated by WABE 90.1’s Denis O’Hayer.

The debate will be broadcast live on WABE 90.1 at 9 a.m. It will also stream live via WABE.org and on the WABE app. In addition, the debate will be televised on PBA30 that evening at 7 p.m. and will re-air on WABE at 7 p.m.

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WABE 90.1 invites you to our Education Town Hall meeting, Tuesday, May 16 at 7 p.m. at the Southwest Arts Center in Atlanta. The topic is the First Priority Act, a new law signed by Gov. Nathan Deal.

The law is aimed at improving schools and student performance. But what should parents, teachers and students expect? What is the role of the state’s new Chief Turnaround Officer? How will communities be involved?

Join education reporter Martha Dalton and a panel of education experts for an in-depth exploration of what happens next.

The panel of experts is:

• Leah Austin, vice president of programs for the Southern Education Foundation
• Leslie Hazle Bussey, deputy director of the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement
• Michael O’Sullivan, executive director of Georgia Campaign for Achievement Now
• State Rep. Valencia Stovall

  

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Monday, April 24 WABE returns to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library as we continue to follow national news from a local perspective.

WABE’s Denis O’Hayer will be joined by guest co-host and NPR national correspondent Debbie Elliott. Our distinguished panel will feature former Georgia Congressmen Buddy Darden and Lynn Westmoreland, and Emory political science professor Andra Gillespie, discussing the first 100 days of the new administration, the changing relationships among branches of government, and asking the question: how powerful should any American president be?

Listen to the event:

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After 21 years representing the metro area, Tom Price is moving to Washington. What does that mean for his district?

With the special election a few weeks away, we’ll learn more at WABE’s next community engagement event: Georgia’s 6th District – High Stakes, Changing Times.

Denis O’Hayer hosts Michael Owens, chair of the Cobb County Democratic Party, longtime Republican political director Justin Tomczak and others to talk about the district and this race. Audiences will have the chance to discuss what they see in their neighborhoods, and ask one big question: what does the 6th want from a new representative?

Listen to the Event

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Immigration and border protection were talking points for President Donald Trump throughout the campaign, and now the president has signed a series of executive orders. They focus on suspending refugee resettlement, restricting travel from seven majority-Muslim countries, and building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The orders led to confusion and uncertainty around what happens next.

Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. WABE’s immigration reporter Elly Yu will moderate a diverse panel to shed light on the immigrant vetting and entry process, to understand the legality of the executive orders. We’ll also hear from people in favor of stronger border protection. We’ll take questions from the audience as we seek to understand this action and the affect it will have on Atlanta and our nation.

Join us Tuesday, Feb. 7 at WABE’s Studios for a special community engagement event: The State of Immigration.

Panelists Include:

• Dr. Heval Kelli, Cardiology Fellow at Emory University School of Medicine, and former refugee
• Bruce LeVell, Executive Director of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump
• Brenda Lopez, Georgia House Representative, District 99 (D – Norcross)
• Shana Tabak, Visiting Assistant Professor, Georgia State University College of Law

Listen to the Event