npr--2020-03-16--What 10 Students Learned From Having To Say Their Worst Thoughts On Race Out Loud

What 10 Students Learned From Having To Say Their Worst Thoughts On Race Out Loud The first time Judi Benson heard the unfiltered truth about race from a black person , she was 25 years old .
It was 1973 and she was taking a class at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville called `` Human Conflict : Black and White . ''
The class was radical for its time and place .
In the early 1970 's Jacksonville , was still raw around civil rights — new to school busing , still struggling with desegregation in its jails @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with violent race riots in its recent history .
But when Benson arrived for the first day of class , she thought she was beyond all that .
As she wrote in a journal she was made to keep for the class : '' Like the other whites in the class , I thought that day that I had it all together and would show any racists in the group a thing or two , as well as demonstrate to the black sisters and brothers how hip I was . ''
She was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were 10 students in the class — five black , five white — and the professor , Peter Kranz .
One of the first things he did was direct the students to go around the room and say what they really thought about people of the other race .
So they did , one by one , as Kranz , who is white , wrote their statements up on the board .
Nearly 50 years later , Benson can still recall some of those statements .
`` All whites are rich , blacks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ca n't trust them ... Black men want to rape white women .
White men want to rape black women , '' she remembers .
`` The one that really surprised me was when they said they did n't think white people loved their children .
That 's why they had mammies to look after them .
It came up that white people thought black people smell , but guess what ?
Black people think whites smell like wet dog . ''
These days , when almost six-in-10 Americans say race relations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rarely hear about racial confrontation going well — especially the kind Kranz facilitated , where people are encouraged to say , to each other 's faces , the unacceptable things they think in secret .
Whether they happen online or on the street , these types of encounters end in vitriol or even worse , violence .
But this 1973 classroom was a rare example of a successful attempt .
Here was a teacher who decided the only way to make racial progress was for students of different races to actually confront each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
He would unleash all the ugly feelings in the hopes that he could channel them into something good .
And in the chaos they found catharsis .
Philip Mobley was 19 when he took Kranz 's class .
`` I was the one that said that I thought that white people , when they got wet , smell like a dog , because that 's what I had heard .
I remember saying that , '' says Mobley .
He was also the one who said he thought white people did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they did they would raise them themselves instead of hiring black nannies .
Mobley was raised to hold his tongue around white people .
As a kid , his father kept him mostly sheltered on the black side of town .
But every once in a while , while out on errands , they would encounter a white person , like the one day when they went to a white butcher who got upset because they were late for an order and she had somewhere else to be .
`` She talked to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' says Mobley .
`` She just yelled at him as a child and he just said , 'Yes , ma'am .
Yes ma'am . '
And when he got back in the car , I was just like , 'Wait , why did you let this lady talk to you this way ? '
And to him , his response was , ' I have to take care of my family . '
'' So when Mobley walked into the class , he had absorbed the idea that speaking honestly to white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ described himself back then as very polite , kind of a nerd .
And really , in the beginning , all the students in the class were pretty polite .
`` I would say way back then , like most people , I really tried to avoid confrontation at all costs .
I was such a mouse , '' remembers Benson .
But there was no place in the class for politeness .
The class was inspired by a program developed by two black psychiatrists , Price M. Cobbs and William H. Grier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rage .
The idea of the book was that black people were enraged by all of it — racism , slavery , the everyday slights — and the resulting rage was suppressed and eating them away .
The solution they proposed involved putting black people and white people together in a room and making them speak directly and honestly about their feelings about one another .
`` Confrontation was the method , and real understanding , by the participants , of the real problems between Blacks and Whites was the goal , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arena of Truth , which recounts the story of Kranz 's class and the ideology behind it .
`` It would be rough ... and the one restriction was that actual physical violence would not be permitted . ''
Kranz himself participated in one of Cobbs and Grier 's workshops and took the lessons he learned into his work at the University of North Florida .
It looked something like this : • Week two : read The Autobiography of Malcolm X , discuss , confess again .
• Week three : Entertain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Pour your heart out into your journal .
In one of the more radical class requirements , each student had to stay in the house of a person of the other race for a week .
For students , it was an unnerving demand , but ultimately central to the goal of Kranz 's experiment : to foster racial empathy that would stretch far beyond the walls of a classroom .
Mobley remembers being so freaked out he made sure he had a friend nearby , as a lifeline .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'When we get here , I need you to kind of ride around for about 30 minutes because I 'm not comfortable going and stay with these white people for a whole week . ''
But he did — they all did .
Eventually , the stereotypes that students once held began to fade .
Mobley remembers the moment he saw a transformation among the students in the class .
`` I think what was happening more is the white kids were feeling more emotional , embarrassed , and the black kids ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You 've been oppressed for so long , and then all of a sudden someone gives you the opportunity to say what you feel ...
It was liberating . ''
After awhile together , they moved to a new phase , where instead of sorting by race , they divided along different lines , such as who liked weightlifting , who was a nerd , who was a parent .
`` It was n't long before we were talking after class and laughing after class and going to have a beer at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mobley remembers they became `` like a family . ''
It was a transformation that stemmed from what students described as the real lesson from the class : yes , confrontation is critical , but it 's not the last stop .
It 's the start of a process — you say the secret out loud , to the person 's face , then you sit and you listen .
You walk away angry or defensive or still full of rage .
But it does n't kill you .
You just go back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having to expose yourself and finding that you were n't going to drop through into an abyss , that makes you stronger , '' says Benson .
`` And the first time you 're able to say something honestly , without being attacked , it makes you stronger . ''
The lesson marked a radical departure from how we typically think about confrontation .
When Kranz studied with Cobbs and Grier , he 'd learned that people avoided confrontation because they thought it was the humane thing to do .
They feared if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they might end up with a riot .
But the result was a lot of suppressed rage and fear that was showing up on their bodies .
To be sure , Kranz 's class was a highly-controlled environment , a safe space for hard conversations about race .
The professor was a trained clinical psychologist and knew how to formally build in , as Clarke wrote in An Arena of Truth , `` a period of cooling off and reflection . ''
And some race scholars have pushed back against the idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better ways to explore such troubling stereotypes .
Still , there were lessons in it for the broader world about how to normalize confrontation , and fit it into regular life .
Decades after the class ended , for example , Benson says she was no longer a mouse — not with her ex-husband , or mildly racist acquaintances , or anyone really .
For his part , Mobley found himself in the position of having to translate the method for his teenage son .
One year , in his son 's high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the principal declared that , for the first time , the class president would not automatically get to deliver the school 's commencement address .
`` All of the black kids were angry , '' Mobley says .
`` And I remember they came to the house .
We talked about it , we expressed that anger .
And I prepared them to say , you need to go and let the administration know how you feel about it ... there is a need for certain people to be in your face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has to be meaningful conversation behind it .
Because if I 'm just going to make you mad without doing the bonding and the education and the growth , all I 've done is made you mad . ''
It 's an obvious lesson except that it 's difficult to execute .
Often the default is to say nothing and simmer in rage , or explode .
But because Mobley had that experience so many years ago , he was able to give his son options he did n't have as a kid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anger .
But do n't keep it in , because it can eat you from the inside .
And then you will never win , or make anything better .

What 10 Students Learned From Having To Say Their Worst Thoughts On Race Out Loud
Enlarge this image toggle caption Leonardo Santamaria Leonardo Santamaria
The first time Judi Benson heard the unfiltered truth about race from a black person, she was 25 years old. It was 1973 and she was taking a class at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville called "Human Conflict: Black and White."
The class was radical for its time and place. In the early 1970's Jacksonville, was still raw around civil rights — new to school busing, still struggling with desegregation in its jails. It was a city divided, with violent race riots in its recent history.
But when Benson arrived for the first day of class, she thought she was beyond all that. As she wrote in a journal she was made to keep for the class:
"Like the other whites in the class, I thought that day that I had it all together and would show any racists in the group a thing or two, as well as demonstrate to the black sisters and brothers how hip I was."
She was in for a rude awakening. There were 10 students in the class — five black, five white — and the professor, Peter Kranz. One of the first things he did was direct the students to go around the room and say what they really thought about people of the other race.
So they did, one by one, as Kranz, who is white, wrote their statements up on the board. Nearly 50 years later, Benson can still recall some of those statements.
"All whites are rich, blacks steal. All whites are racist and you can't trust them ... Black men want to rape white women. White men want to rape black women," she remembers. "The one that really surprised me was when they said they didn't think white people loved their children. That's why they had mammies to look after them. It came up that white people thought black people smell, but guess what? Black people think whites smell like wet dog."
These days, when almost six-in-10 Americans say race relations in the U.S. are bad, we rarely hear about racial confrontation going well — especially the kind Kranz facilitated, where people are encouraged to say, to each other's faces, the unacceptable things they think in secret. Whether they happen online or on the street, these types of encounters end in vitriol or even worse, violence.
But this 1973 classroom was a rare example of a successful attempt. Here was a teacher who decided the only way to make racial progress was for students of different races to actually confront each other. So he decided to risk it. He would unleash all the ugly feelings in the hopes that he could channel them into something good. And in the chaos they found catharsis.
No place for politeness
Philip Mobley was 19 when he took Kranz's class.
"I was the one that said that I thought that white people, when they got wet, smell like a dog, because that's what I had heard. I remember saying that," says Mobley.
He was also the one who said he thought white people didn't love their children, because if they did they would raise them themselves instead of hiring black nannies.
Mobley was raised to hold his tongue around white people. As a kid, his father kept him mostly sheltered on the black side of town. But every once in a while, while out on errands, they would encounter a white person, like the one day when they went to a white butcher who got upset because they were late for an order and she had somewhere else to be.
"She talked to him like he was a child," says Mobley. "She just yelled at him as a child and he just said, 'Yes, ma'am. Yes ma'am.' And when he got back in the car, I was just like, 'Wait, why did you let this lady talk to you this way?' And to him, his response was, 'I have to take care of my family.'"
So when Mobley walked into the class, he had absorbed the idea that speaking honestly to white people wasn't an option. He described himself back then as very polite, kind of a nerd.
And really, in the beginning, all the students in the class were pretty polite.
"I would say way back then, like most people, I really tried to avoid confrontation at all costs. I was such a mouse," remembers Benson.
But there was no place in the class for politeness. The class was inspired by a program developed by two black psychiatrists, Price M. Cobbs and William H. Grier, authors of the 1968 book Black Rage. The idea of the book was that black people were enraged by all of it — racism, slavery, the everyday slights — and the resulting rage was suppressed and eating them away.
The solution they proposed involved putting black people and white people together in a room and making them speak directly and honestly about their feelings about one another.
"Confrontation was the method, and real understanding, by the participants, of the real problems between Blacks and Whites was the goal," writes Terence Clarke in his book An Arena of Truth, which recounts the story of Kranz's class and the ideology behind it. "It would be rough ... and the one restriction was that actual physical violence would not be permitted."
Kranz himself participated in one of Cobbs and Grier's workshops and took the lessons he learned into his work at the University of North Florida. It looked something like this:
Week one: confess your deepest racist thoughts.
Week two: read The Autobiography of Malcolm X, discuss, confess again.
Week three: Entertain a visit from a local Black Panther. Pour your heart out into your journal.
In one of the more radical class requirements, each student had to stay in the house of a person of the other race for a week. For students, it was an unnerving demand, but ultimately central to the goal of Kranz's experiment: to foster racial empathy that would stretch far beyond the walls of a classroom.
Mobley remembers being so freaked out he made sure he had a friend nearby, as a lifeline.
"I remember telling him, I said, 'When we get here, I need you to kind of ride around for about 30 minutes because I'm not comfortable going and stay with these white people for a whole week."
But he did — they all did. Eventually, the stereotypes that students once held began to fade.
"It was liberating"
Mobley remembers the moment he saw a transformation among the students in the class.
"I think what was happening more is the white kids were feeling more emotional, embarrassed, and the black kids ... probably a little more assertive and free. You've been oppressed for so long, and then all of a sudden someone gives you the opportunity to say what you feel ... It was liberating."
After awhile together, they moved to a new phase, where instead of sorting by race, they divided along different lines, such as who liked weightlifting, who was a nerd, who was a parent.
"It wasn't long before we were talking after class and laughing after class and going to have a beer at the boat house" says Benson. Mobley remembers they became "like a family."
It was a transformation that stemmed from what students described as the real lesson from the class: yes, confrontation is critical, but it's not the last stop. It's the start of a process — you say the secret out loud, to the person's face, then you sit and you listen. You walk away angry or defensive or still full of rage. But it doesn't kill you. You just go back and work through it.
"By having to expose yourself and finding that you weren't going to drop through into an abyss, that makes you stronger," says Benson. "And the first time you're able to say something honestly, without being attacked, it makes you stronger."
The lesson marked a radical departure from how we typically think about confrontation. When Kranz studied with Cobbs and Grier, he'd learned that people avoided confrontation because they thought it was the humane thing to do. They feared if they opened the door even a little, they might end up with a riot. But the result was a lot of suppressed rage and fear that was showing up on their bodies.
To be sure, Kranz's class was a highly-controlled environment, a safe space for hard conversations about race. The professor was a trained clinical psychologist and knew how to formally build in, as Clarke wrote in An Arena of Truth, "a period of cooling off and reflection." And some race scholars have pushed back against the idea of radical conflict, saying there are better ways to explore such troubling stereotypes.
Still, there were lessons in it for the broader world about how to normalize confrontation, and fit it into regular life.
Decades after the class ended, for example, Benson says she was no longer a mouse — not with her ex-husband, or mildly racist acquaintances, or anyone really.
For his part, Mobley found himself in the position of having to translate the method for his teenage son. One year, in his son's high school, the class president was black and the principal declared that, for the first time, the class president would not automatically get to deliver the school's commencement address.
"All of the black kids were angry," Mobley says. "And I remember they came to the house. We talked about it, we expressed that anger. And I prepared them to say, you need to go and let the administration know how you feel about it ... there is a need for certain people to be in your face ... At the same time, there has to be meaningful conversation behind it. Because if I'm just going to make you mad without doing the bonding and the education and the growth, all I've done is made you mad."
It's an obvious lesson except that it's difficult to execute. Often the default is to say nothing and simmer in rage, or explode. But because Mobley had that experience so many years ago, he was able to give his son options he didn't have as a kid: Don't get lost in the anger. But don't keep it in, because it can eat you from the inside. And then you will never win, or make anything better.


npr--2020-03-16--'We Don't Know Where To Hide': The Day-To-Day Struggles For Civilians In Idlib

'We Do n't Know Where To Hide ' : The Day-To-Day Struggles For Civilians In Idlib Etab Hadithi comes home from work , climbs the steps in an unlit stairwell to her fifth-floor apartment in the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib and points out the doorways of neighbors displaced from other parts of the country .
`` These ones are from Deir Ezzor , here from Aleppo , those from Damascus , '' she says , pausing to catch her breath .
The litany of place names traces the path of a war that entered its 10th year on Sunday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Syrians internally , while an almost equal number have fled the country .
Many of the internally displaced flocked to this city , which remains the last urban holdout for rebel forces opposing President Bashar Assad 's regime .
Over the course of the war , the population of Idlib province has doubled to about 3 million people .
Even in Hadithi 's middle class neighborhood , electricity is available only two hours a day and the elevator in her building is n't working .
But in a conflict where more than 100,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attacks by the Syrian regime and its Russian allies , that is among the least of her worries .
`` We are all suffering from lack of water , electricity — from a dangerous life , '' says Hadithi , a 41-year-old divorced mother of two sons and a native of Idlib .
Intense Syrian and Russian airstrikes and fighting on the ground led almost a million civilians to flee toward the Turkish border earlier this year , prompting Turkey to strike Syrian forces .
A ceasefire agreed this month between Turkey and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but few displaced Syrians trust it enough to return home — if they have homes left to return to .
Syria 's economy has collapsed because of the war and sanctions , and even for those with good jobs , paying for electricity from a generator is out of reach .
In her small living room , a red and brown sofa pushed up against a wall with peeling paint takes up half the room .
Mold grows on the ceiling .
She has tried to make the living room cozy , though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wall and propping up a guitar with no strings as decoration in the corner .
Outside the tiny balcony , there is a gaping hole in the ground immediately next door .
It 's been there since the building was flattened by a bombing two years ago .
Thirty-five people were killed .
A year ago , another attack killed a 14-year-old girl , whose body landed outside the entrance of Hadithi 's building .
As Hadithi ran out in the dark fleeing the rockets that night , she and others inadvertently stepped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ memory haunts her .
Hadithi and her sons worry they could be next .
`` It is a very , very sad thing when my son says to me , 'Mum , I do n't want to die , ' '' she says .
`` It is not an easy thing .
It is not an easy thing for a mum . ''
`` Every time we hear a missile , we do n't know where to hide , '' says her older son , who is 16 and does not want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Syrian regime forces .
`` We run to our rooms and convince ourselves that we can be safe , but we know it 's a lie .
The missile does n't destroy one room .
It destroys everything . ''
The teenager sits on the sofa dressed in a blue sweatshirt , at home because Idlib 's schools are shut due to airstrikes .
Asked what he wants to do with his life , he says : `` If we manage to stay alive , God willing , I want to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electricity to study by at night .
The schools are shut frequently during bombing campaigns .
When they are not , he says , as soon as the sun comes up in the morning , he and his brother run to the balcony to do their homework before class .
A former high school principal , Hadithi now works at a Turkish aid organization called Orange , training women how to find funding for small business projects and carry them out .
Her boys split their time between her house and their father @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the living room , she has taped a drawing by her younger son , who is 10 — a sad face he drew when she went on a recent work trip to Turkey , and a happy one when she returned .
While she was in Turkey , Hadithi says when she heard a door slam , she thought it was a rocket .
She found she could n't remember normal things , like how elevators work or how to flip the switch to turn on an electric kettle .
`` Imagine — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' she says .
`` I could n't use the lift — I forgot how to press a button .
The best thing I did was to have a shower .
This is the suffering of every person in Idlib . ''
At home , the water comes only one day a week , and then only for four hours .
To bathe , Hadithi heats water by burning charcoal in a heater .
Because of the frequent rocket attacks , the building 's electrical system is frequently down .
They have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hadithi 's sisters and a brother live in Sweden and Germany .
Because she has no relatives in Syria , she says novels are her friends — romantic novels like Wuthering Heights .
She 's read her favorites dozens of times in both Arabic and English .
When night comes , she locks up the apartment .
After the electricity goes off at 8 p.m. and everything is plunged into darkness , she goes to bed .
She says she is tired of sleeping .
`` I hate night , '' she says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , no people .
It is not a life . ''
Perched on her sofa , wearing a winter coat with a fake fur color and a flowered scarf covering her hair , she still has a principal 's air of authority .
But just underneath her assured surface is terror .
`` I am afraid of strangers , strangers first of all , '' she says .
`` Maybe they would rob me and kill me .
I am afraid of the rockets . ''
Hadithi points to a cheap , battery-operated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's broken again — and it 's this detail , on top of everything else , that reduces her to tears as she talks about her life .
`` You see , I repaired it four times , '' she says , starting to cry .
`` This is not a life . ''
Hadithi says she lost her job in the Syrian government school system six years ago because of her political opinions , although she kept them to herself .
Finding work after that was n't easy .
`` It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I looked and looked and looked for a job and finally I succeeded . ''
One of her brothers is languishing in a Syrian regime prison .
She says one of her nephews was arrested at age 14 and has spent the last seven years in jail .
In Idlib 's conservative society , where women are encouraged to stay home , Hadithi is a rare independent , professional woman , one who works and drives a car .
In her optimistic moments , she likes to think she provides an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When I wanted to drive my car , everyone looked at me , '' she says .
`` But I do n't care about everyone .
After I did this , another woman did it .
And then another woman .
And I do n't care about anyone .
I have to be strong .
I have to be strong . ''

'We Don't Know Where To Hide': The Day-To-Day Struggles For Civilians In Idlib
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ibrahim S. Ali for NPR Ibrahim S. Ali for NPR
Etab Hadithi comes home from work, climbs the steps in an unlit stairwell to her fifth-floor apartment in the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib and points out the doorways of neighbors displaced from other parts of the country.
"These ones are from Deir Ezzor, here from Aleppo, those from Damascus," she says, pausing to catch her breath.
The litany of place names traces the path of a war that entered its 10th year on Sunday. The conflict has displaced 6 million Syrians internally, while an almost equal number have fled the country. Many of the internally displaced flocked to this city, which remains the last urban holdout for rebel forces opposing President Bashar Assad's regime. Over the course of the war, the population of Idlib province has doubled to about 3 million people.
Even in Hadithi's middle class neighborhood, electricity is available only two hours a day and the elevator in her building isn't working. But in a conflict where more than 100,000 civilians have been the main victims of attacks by the Syrian regime and its Russian allies, that is among the least of her worries.
"We are all suffering from lack of water, electricity — from a dangerous life," says Hadithi, a 41-year-old divorced mother of two sons and a native of Idlib.
Intense Syrian and Russian airstrikes and fighting on the ground led almost a million civilians to flee toward the Turkish border earlier this year, prompting Turkey to strike Syrian forces. A ceasefire agreed this month between Turkey and Russia has so far been holding, but few displaced Syrians trust it enough to return home — if they have homes left to return to.
toggle caption Ibrahim S. Ali for NPR
Syria's economy has collapsed because of the war and sanctions, and even for those with good jobs, paying for electricity from a generator is out of reach.
In her small living room, a red and brown sofa pushed up against a wall with peeling paint takes up half the room. Mold grows on the ceiling. She has tried to make the living room cozy, though — hanging a landscape painting on one wall and propping up a guitar with no strings as decoration in the corner.
Outside the tiny balcony, there is a gaping hole in the ground immediately next door. It's been there since the building was flattened by a bombing two years ago. Thirty-five people were killed.
A year ago, another attack killed a 14-year-old girl, whose body landed outside the entrance of Hadithi's building. As Hadithi ran out in the dark fleeing the rockets that night, she and others inadvertently stepped on the girl's body. The memory haunts her.
Hadithi and her sons worry they could be next.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ibrahim S. Ali for NPR Ibrahim S. Ali for NPR
"It is a very, very sad thing when my son says to me, 'Mum, I don't want to die,'" she says. "It is not an easy thing. It is not an easy thing for a mum."
"Every time we hear a missile, we don't know where to hide," says her older son, who is 16 and does not want to give his name because he is afraid of Syrian regime forces. "We run to our rooms and convince ourselves that we can be safe, but we know it's a lie. The missile doesn't destroy one room. It destroys everything."
The teenager sits on the sofa dressed in a blue sweatshirt, at home because Idlib's schools are shut due to airstrikes. Asked what he wants to do with his life, he says: "If we manage to stay alive, God willing, I want to be a doctor."
There is no electricity to study by at night. The schools are shut frequently during bombing campaigns. When they are not, he says, as soon as the sun comes up in the morning, he and his brother run to the balcony to do their homework before class.
A former high school principal, Hadithi now works at a Turkish aid organization called Orange, training women how to find funding for small business projects and carry them out. Her boys split their time between her house and their father's home.
On a wall of the living room, she has taped a drawing by her younger son, who is 10 — a sad face he drew when she went on a recent work trip to Turkey, and a happy one when she returned.
While she was in Turkey, Hadithi says when she heard a door slam, she thought it was a rocket. She found she couldn't remember normal things, like how elevators work or how to flip the switch to turn on an electric kettle.
"Imagine — I have two degrees in English literature," she says. "I couldn't use the lift — I forgot how to press a button. The best thing I did was to have a shower. This is the suffering of every person in Idlib."
At home, the water comes only one day a week, and then only for four hours. To bathe, Hadithi heats water by burning charcoal in a heater. Because of the frequent rocket attacks, the building's electrical system is frequently down. They have simply learned to live without it.
Hadithi's sisters and a brother live in Sweden and Germany. Because she has no relatives in Syria, she says novels are her friends — romantic novels like Wuthering Heights. She's read her favorites dozens of times in both Arabic and English.
When night comes, she locks up the apartment. After the electricity goes off at 8 p.m. and everything is plunged into darkness, she goes to bed.
She says she is tired of sleeping.
"I hate night," she says. "No electricity, no sounds, no people. It is not a life."
Perched on her sofa, wearing a winter coat with a fake fur color and a flowered scarf covering her hair, she still has a principal's air of authority. But just underneath her assured surface is terror.
"I am afraid of strangers, strangers first of all," she says. "Maybe they would rob me and kill me. I am afraid of the rockets."
Hadithi points to a cheap, battery-operated strip light on the wall. It's broken again — and it's this detail, on top of everything else, that reduces her to tears as she talks about her life.
"You see, I repaired it four times," she says, starting to cry. "This is not a life."
Hadithi says she lost her job in the Syrian government school system six years ago because of her political opinions, although she kept them to herself. Finding work after that wasn't easy.
"It was a big challenge," she says. "I looked and looked and looked for a job and finally I succeeded."
One of her brothers is languishing in a Syrian regime prison. She says one of her nephews was arrested at age 14 and has spent the last seven years in jail.
In Idlib's conservative society, where women are encouraged to stay home, Hadithi is a rare independent, professional woman, one who works and drives a car. In her optimistic moments, she likes to think she provides an example for other Syrian women.
"When I wanted to drive my car, everyone looked at me," she says. "But I don't care about everyone. After I did this, another woman did it. And then another woman. And I don't care about anyone. I have to be strong. I have to be strong."


npr--2020-03-16--Ohio And Kentucky Move To Postpone Primaries Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Two more states , including Ohio which was slated to vote tomorrow , have announced their intention to delay their presidential primaries due to health concerns about the coronavirus .
Ohio Gov .
Mike DeWine and Secretary of State Frank LaRose say they are trying to postpone in-person voting until June 2 .
And Kentucky , which was supposed to vote May 19 , will now vote June 23 , according to Secretary of State Michael Adams .
Ohio 's announcement came at roughly the same time that President Trump was laying out new guidelines for Americans that include avoiding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rest of the month .
`` It is clear that tomorrow 's in-person voting does not conform and can not conform with these [ health ] guidelines , '' DeWine said .
`` We can not conduct this election tomorrow , the in-person voting for 13 hours tomorrow , and conform to these guidelines . ''
Unlike many states , Ohio 's governor and secretary of state do n't have the power to delay the election on their own .
Instead , they are supporting a lawsuit filed by people who believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state does not plan to contest the suit .
`` People should not have to choose between their rights and their health , '' said DeWine .
The primary seems likely to be delayed , according to Daniel Tokaji , an election law expert at Ohio State University , because `` all the major players , including the governor , the secretary of state and importantly the leaders of the two major parties , all agree that under the circumstances , the best course of action is to move the primary back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups also supported the decision , including the League of Women Voters and the Lawyers ' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law .
Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper released a statement shortly after the briefing that supported the idea of cancelling in-person voting Tuesday .
But he did also leave open the door for other potential plans .
`` Extending an election is an unprecedented step , so we as a party are weighing alternatives on how to best do so — including the possibility to conduct the primary election entirely by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other states , with a deadline much earlier than June 2 , '' Pepper said .
`` This could better serve the interests of Ohio voters and the primary process that is already well underway . ''
Pepper said the party would consider submitting those alternatives to the court once the lawsuit is filed .
In Kentucky , state law allows the secretary of state and governor to jointly decide to change the date of an election due to a declared state of emergency .
In a statement , LaRose said the sudden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Ohio election , was made after `` new information '' about the virus led the Ohio Department of Health to recommend that all Ohioans age 65 and older to self-quarantine .
Under the plan he is proposing , absentee voting would be allowed to continue until June 2 , and all votes that have already been cast would be counted as normal .
It is possible , Tokaji says , that the state is still dealing with the public health crisis in June , but the delay would give voters the ability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that those vulnerable voters will have plenty of time to request an absentee ballot in advance so they can vote safely from their homes , '' he said .
President Trump said Monday that he thought postponing the primaries was `` unnecessary '' but also said the decision was ultimately up to the respective states .
If a court allows Ohio 's proposed delay , the state will become the fourth state to postpone its primary due to the coronavirus .
Louisiana announced late last week it would push its April primary to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weekend that its March 24 primary would be moved to May .
Separately , Alabama is considering postponing its March 31 U.S. Senate primary runoff .
`` In retrospect , it may be that we view these delays as being lifesavers , '' said Charles Stewart , an elections expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology .
`` On the other hand , it could be that we view the delays as being overreaches .
We just do n't know at this point . ''

Ohio Primary Postponed At Last Minute Due To Coronavirus After Legal Struggle
Enlarge this image toggle caption Gene J. Puskar/AP Gene J. Puskar/AP
Updated at 9:05 a.m. ET Tuesday
After intense legal wrangling, Ohio postponed its Tuesday primary election just hours before polls were set to open.
Early Tuesday morning, the state Supreme Court denied a judge's attempt to let the primary continue after Gov. Mike DeWine had asked the court to delay the primary until June 2 because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Late Monday evening, DeWine sought to bypass the judge by announcing that Ohio Health Director Amy Acton would order the polls closed as a health emergency.
Three other states — Arizona, Florida and Illinois — are still holding primaries on Tuesday.
"We've had to make a lot of tough decisions over the past few weeks, but everything we've done has been about saving lives," DeWine tweeted Tuesday morning. "If we don't take these actions now, it'll be too late. This is quite literally a matter of life and death."
Secretary of State Frank LaRose had issued guidance to all county boards of elections in Ohio on Monday that they "must post notice on their websites, social media, at the board of elections, and at polling places that in-person voting for the March 17, 2020 Presidential Primary Election is suspended."
"During my service overseas, I've witnessed people risking their lives to cast a ballot," LaRose told NPR on Monday night. "I've walked in the footsteps of heroes on the streets of Selma, Ala., where people had to fight for the right to vote. Elections are something I don't take lightly. The only thing in the world that I think that takes precedent over conducting this free and fair election is the health and safety of Ohioans."
Ohio's initial announcement came at roughly the same time that President Trump was laying out new guidelines for Americans that include avoiding gatherings of more than 10 people for the rest of the month.
In a joint statement, DeWine and LaRose said Monday that the public health warnings to limit gatherings means "it simply isn't possible to hold an election tomorrow that will be considered legitimate by Ohioans."
Unlike many states, Ohio's governor and secretary of state don't have the power to delay the election on their own. Instead, with the approval of both political parties, they supported a lawsuit filed by people who believe they're vulnerable to the virus and did not plan to contest the suit.
"People should not have to choose between their rights and their health," DeWine said.
A number of voting-rights advocacy groups also supported the decision, including the League of Women Voters and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
Also on Monday, Kentucky postponed its May 19 primary to June 23. Unlike Ohio, Kentucky state law allows the secretary of state and governor to jointly decide to change the date of an election due to a declared state of emergency.
A potential "lifesaver"
In a statement on Monday, LaRose said the sudden announcement less than 24 hours before the election was made after "new information" about the virus led the Ohio Department of Health to recommend that all Ohioans age 65 and older self-quarantine.
Under the plan he is proposing, absentee voting would be allowed to continue until June 2, and all votes that have already been cast would be counted as normal.
President Trump said Monday that he thought postponing the primaries was "unnecessary" but also said the decision was ultimately up to the respective states.
Former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign said in a statement, "We will follow the guidance offered by state public health officials for how to best ensure that their populations are looked after while encouraging participation in our democracy."
Ohio is now the fourth state to postpone its primary because of the coronavirus. Louisiana announced late last week that it would push its April primary to June, while Georgia announced over the weekend that its March 24 primary would be moved to May. Separately, Alabama is considering postponing its March 31 U.S. Senate primary runoff.
"In retrospect, it may be that we view these delays as being lifesavers," said Charles Stewart, an elections expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "On the other hand, it could be that we view the delays as being overreaches. We just don't know at this point."


npr--2020-03-16--Federal Courts Scramble To Adapt To Disruptions From Coronavirus Pandemic

Federal Courts Scramble To Adapt To Disruptions From Coronavirus Pandemic Federal courthouses across the United States are taking steps large and small — including postponing trials and moving courtroom hearings to video conferences — as officials scramble to curtail public gatherings and limit the spread of the coronavirus .
The impact on the federal court system is just one of a thousand ways in which the virus is dramatically altering life in the U.S. and across the world .
Sporting events have been canceled , restaurants ordered temporarily shut to dine-in customers and schools have been told to close for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far on the federal judiciary was the Supreme Court 's decision Monday to postpone oral arguments scheduled through April 1 .
The court says that decision was not without precedent , noting that it postponed arguments in 1918 during the Spanish flu epidemic and also shortened its calendar in 1793 and 1798 because of yellow fever .
But there are 94 district courts and 13 circuit courts that also are grappling with how to handle the crisis .
Last week , the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts put together a task force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis ripples across the country .
That body includes representative from the U.S .
Marshals Service — which helps secure judges and courts — the Federal Occupational Health and other federal partners , the Administrative Office said .
But there is no blanket decision that covers all district and circuit courts .
Instead , each is crafting its own response in coordination with state and local health officials .
In the Southern District of New York , for example , all criminal trials scheduled to begin between Monday and April 27 have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chief Judge Colleen McMahon .
Trials that have already started will continue , and grand juries will remain at work as well .
The district said judges may hold hearings and status conferences at their own discretion — but they 've been encouraged to do so by phone or video conference .
There are more than 900 confirmed coronavirus cases in New York state so far , and officials there have taken increasingly dramatic steps in recent days to try to curb the virus ' spread .
On the other side of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Washington , which is home to the hard-hit city of Seattle , Chief Judge Ricardo S. Martinez postponed all civil and criminal matters that require an appearance in court .
Judges may still resolve written motions that do n't require oral argument .
While many districts opted for similar measures , some have largely left operations intact .
That 's the case in the Northern District of Ohio , with operations in Toledo , Cleveland , Akron and Youngstown , where it 's essentially business as usual .
In a notice on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entering courthouses should inform a security guard if they have flu-like symptoms .
Guards may deny the visitor access .
People allowed in are being provided a protective mask .
Anyone scheduled to appear at court , including for jury duty and naturalization , is told to contact the appropriate office for instructions .

Federal Courts Scramble To Adapt To Disruptions From Coronavirus Pandemic
Enlarge this image toggle caption Elizabeth Williams/AP Elizabeth Williams/AP
Federal courthouses across the United States are taking steps large and small — including postponing trials and moving courtroom hearings to video conferences — as officials scramble to curtail public gatherings and limit the spread of the coronavirus.
The impact on the federal court system is just one of a thousand ways in which the virus is dramatically altering life in the U.S. and across the world.
Sporting events have been canceled, restaurants ordered temporarily shut to dine-in customers and schools have been told to close for weeks.
The most dramatic effect so far on the federal judiciary was the Supreme Court's decision Monday to postpone oral arguments scheduled through April 1.
The court says that decision was not without precedent, noting that it postponed arguments in 1918 during the Spanish flu epidemic and also shortened its calendar in 1793 and 1798 because of yellow fever.
But there are 94 district courts and 13 circuit courts that also are grappling with how to handle the crisis. Last week, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts put together a task force to share information and guidance as the crisis ripples across the country.
That body includes representative from the U.S. Marshals Service — which helps secure judges and courts — the Federal Occupational Health and other federal partners, the Administrative Office said.
But there is no blanket decision that covers all district and circuit courts. Instead, each is crafting its own response in coordination with state and local health officials.
Local decision-making
In the Southern District of New York, for example, all criminal trials scheduled to begin between Monday and April 27 have been postponed, according to an order from Chief Judge Colleen McMahon. Trials that have already started will continue, and grand juries will remain at work as well.
The district said judges may hold hearings and status conferences at their own discretion — but they've been encouraged to do so by phone or video conference.
There are more than 900 confirmed coronavirus cases in New York state so far, and officials there have taken increasingly dramatic steps in recent days to try to curb the virus' spread.
On the other side of the country, courts in the Western District of Washington, which is home to the hard-hit city of Seattle, Chief Judge Ricardo S. Martinez postponed all civil and criminal matters that require an appearance in court.
Judges may still resolve written motions that don't require oral argument.
While many districts opted for similar measures, some have largely left operations intact.
That's the case in the Northern District of Ohio, with operations in Toledo, Cleveland, Akron and Youngstown, where it's essentially business as usual.
In a notice on its website, the court says visitors entering courthouses should inform a security guard if they have flu-like symptoms. Guards may deny the visitor access. People allowed in are being provided a protective mask.
Anyone scheduled to appear at court, including for jury duty and naturalization, is told to contact the appropriate office for instructions.


npr--2020-03-16--COVID-19 Has Caused A Shortage Of Face Masks. But They're Surprisingly Hard To Make

COVID-19 Has Caused A Shortage Of Face Masks .
But They 're Surprisingly Hard To Make China now makes 200 million face masks a day — more than twenty times the amount it made at the start of February .
The leap has been spurred by the outbreak of a new coronavirus .
The masks include the lightweight ones that people like to wear in the hope of protection against coronavirus as well as the heavy-duty N95 masks used by health-care workers .
But that 's still not nearly enough to meet local demands as well as global orders .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ China .
Mask factories are `` running at 110 percent capacity , '' say authorities .
And factories that once made shoes , iPhones and cars are being retooled to make masks .
Machines that once churned out fibrous materials destined for diapers and sanitary pads are now producing materials for masks .
`` Making masks is not as easy as you imagine .
We have to make the ear loops and the metal strip , the packaging .
There is a pretty big system involved , '' Guan Xunze , chairman of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told NPR by phone .
He 's referring to the metal strip that lets you bend the mask around the nose bridge .
Shengjingtong is one of the thousands of companies transitioning to become part of China 's mask-making `` army , '' As the government calls it .
Aided by generous government subsidies , Guan filled a sterile space in a pharmaceuticals factory he already owned with second-hand machinery to assemble the masks .
Within 11 days , they were making more than 10,000 N95 masks a day .
Now , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 200 million masks China makes a day , only 600,000 are N95 standard masks , used by medical personnel , according to the National Development and Reform Commission , a state planning body .
Provincial regulators have granted dozens of new licenses to open additional factories capable of producing top-grade masks , including those that meet the standards for use by health-care professionals .
But this ambitious effort has run into a bottleneck .
Both the masks made for medical personnel and for consumer purchase require a once-obscure material called melt-blown fabric .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ synthetic polymer fibers that forms the critical inner filtration layer of a mask , allowing the wearer to breath while reducing the inflow of possible infectious particles .
`` We 're talking about fibers where one filament has a diameter of less than one micron , so we are in the nano area , '' said Markus Müller , the sales director at German company Reicofil , a major provider of melt-blown machine lines .
And there 's now a global shortage of melt-blown fabric due to the increased demand for masks — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Costing upward of 3.8 million euros ( $ 4.23 million ) apiece , the machine that creates this fabric melts down plastic material and blows it out in strands , like cotton candy , into flat sheets [ so is it blown out in strands that are formed into flat sheets ?
YUP [ of melt-blown fabric for face masks and other filtration products .
A similar line of machines can create a related kind of fabric , called spun-bond fabric , also used in face masks and in medical protection suits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are not easy to make because of the exacting precision required , says Müller : `` You need to stretch these fibers by hot air , and [ the air ] needs to be in perfect condition over the width of the machine .
The biggest dilemma is that many of the machines are not producing consistent quality . ''
Reicofil 's Müller says he gets more than four dozen requests a day , mainly from China , to buy melt-blown fabric and production lines but has to turn nearly all of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ takes at least five to six months .
Chinese firms make nearly three million tons of nonwoven fabric a year , according to the China Nonwoven and Industrial Textiles Association , a state industry body .
Less than 1 % of that is melt-blown fabric .
To fill the deficit of melt blown fabric , this month , China said state oil and gas firm Sinopec was investing 200 million yuan , or about $ 29 million , to start ten new melt blown production lines with production lines supplied by Sinopec subsidiary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business development manager at Hills , Inc. in Florida , is skeptical of the quality of such production lines , which must meet precise standards to produce the kind of masks worn by medical staff .
Hills Inc. is one of the handful of companies in the world that can make the hand-drilled die tips for the machines .
The melted plastic is blown out through the tips .
`` [ These machines ] are not like a toaster .
It 's not something you buy and then you plug in .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told NPR by phone .
`` China can be all over the place .
Sometimes you think you 're in a Western factory .
Others are kind of like a dirt floor sort of shanty trying to pass their stuff off as good as the other guys .
And maybe it is . ''
Chinese engineering firms say they 're struggling .
`` We need about six months to make the machines , and it takes another month to assemble them , '' said Leo Liu , a sales director at Haigong Machinery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ machine parts for melt-blown lines imported from the US , Germany and Japan .
`` Everyone is considering mask manufacturing , but they do n't understand the process .
Once they learn the cost of these machines , they give up . ''
Yanshan Petrochemical says it will need only 16 days , not six months , to assemble the ten new melt blown production lines .
From the outset of the virus outbreak , face masks have been desperately in short supply , so desperate that provincial governments have seized shipments of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Other local governments have called on companies in their jurisdictions to switch over into mask production .
`` After being approached by Shanghai officials about converting our factory lines to making medical supplies , '' said Li Laibin , the president of a private bedding company , to a Chinese news outlet , `` we transformed ten of our lines used to manufacturing duvet covers to making protective gowns . ''
After using less than a handful of days to remodel its production process , Li 's company dove head first into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ output of around 2,000 .
An underwear factory in the northwestern city of Changchun spent slightly longer — eight days — fixing frozen pipes and finding delayed shipments of raw materials to get a daily production line for 3,000 masks started , after it became licensed to operate in early February .
`` After the outbreak , our company set about adjusting production lines as soon as possible , '' a factory manager explained to reporters from the Communist party ' flagship paper .
But a bottleneck of meltblown production lines means a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sending prices soaring .
`` Before the outbreak , the going price for one ton of melt-blown fabric in China was under 6,000 dollars a ton .
But now , it 's about 60,000 dollars , '' said a sales staff surnamed Guo at Xuzhong Guohong , a major supplier of melt-blown based in Hubei province , the center of virus outbreak in China .
`` The [ shortage ] issue is quite severe .
Otherwise , why would the price be jacked up so high ?
Guo says he still gets most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Korea and Japan is picking up as coronavirus cases in these two countries rise .
Guan Xunze is lucky .
The pharmaceutical chairman now making masks does not deal directly with fluctuating raw commodity prices because they 're supplied to him by local authorities .
`` Our supplies of melt-blown fabric and nonwoven fabric are all coordinated by the local and provincial governments .
Originally , we had about 30 employees from our company start to make masks ... the local government assigned me 180 more . ''
Even then Guan says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make a profit .

COVID-19 Has Caused A Shortage Of Face Masks. But They're Surprisingly Hard To Make
Enlarge this image toggle caption Aly Song/Reuters Aly Song/Reuters
China now makes 200 million face masks a day — more than twenty times the amount it made at the start of February. The leap has been spurred by the outbreak of a new coronavirus. The masks include the lightweight ones that people like to wear in the hope of protection against coronavirus as well as the heavy-duty N95 masks used by health-care workers.
But that's still not nearly enough to meet local demands as well as global orders. So a scramble is now underway in China.
Mask factories are "running at 110 percent capacity," say authorities. And factories that once made shoes, iPhones and cars are being retooled to make masks. Machines that once churned out fibrous materials destined for diapers and sanitary pads are now producing materials for masks.
"Making masks is not as easy as you imagine. We have to make the ear loops and the metal strip, the packaging. There is a pretty big system involved," Guan Xunze, chairman of pharmaceutical group Shengjingtong in northeastern China, told NPR by phone. He's referring to the metal strip that lets you bend the mask around the nose bridge.
Shengjingtong is one of the thousands of companies transitioning to become part of China's mask-making "army," As the government calls it. Aided by generous government subsidies, Guan filled a sterile space in a pharmaceuticals factory he already owned with second-hand machinery to assemble the masks. Within 11 days, they were making more than 10,000 N95 masks a day. Now, it's 200,000.
Currently, of the 200 million masks China makes a day, only 600,000 are N95 standard masks, used by medical personnel, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, a state planning body. Provincial regulators have granted dozens of new licenses to open additional factories capable of producing top-grade masks, including those that meet the standards for use by health-care professionals.
But this ambitious effort has run into a bottleneck.
Both the masks made for medical personnel and for consumer purchase require a once-obscure material called melt-blown fabric. It's an extremely fine mesh of synthetic polymer fibers that forms the critical inner filtration layer of a mask, allowing the wearer to breath while reducing the inflow of possible infectious particles.
"We're talking about fibers where one filament has a diameter of less than one micron, so we are in the nano area," said Markus Müller, the sales director at German company Reicofil, a major provider of melt-blown machine lines.
And there's now a global shortage of melt-blown fabric due to the increased demand for masks — and the difficulty in producing this material.
Costing upward of 3.8 million euros ($4.23 million) apiece, the machine that creates this fabric melts down plastic material and blows it out in strands, like cotton candy, into flat sheets of melt-blown fabric for face masks and other filtration products. A similar line of machines can create a related kind of fabric, called spun-bond fabric, also used in face masks and in medical protection suits worn by health-care workers.
The machines are not easy to make because of the exacting precision required, says Müller: "You need to stretch these fibers by hot air, and [the air] needs to be in perfect condition over the width of the machine. The biggest dilemma is that many of the machines are not producing consistent quality."
Reicofil's Müller says he gets more than four dozen requests a day, mainly from China, to buy melt-blown fabric and production lines but has to turn nearly all of them away; making a single machine line takes at least five to six months.
Chinese firms make nearly three million tons of nonwoven fabric a year, according to the China Nonwoven and Industrial Textiles Association, a state industry body. Less than 1% of that is melt-blown fabric.
To fill the deficit of melt blown fabric, this month, China said state oil and gas firm Sinopec was investing 200 million yuan, or about $29 million, to start ten new melt blown production lines with production lines supplied by Sinopec subsidiary Yanshan Petrochemical.
Timothy Robson, a business development manager at Hills, Inc. in Florida, is skeptical of the quality of such production lines, which must meet precise standards to produce the kind of masks worn by medical staff. Hills Inc. is one of the handful of companies in the world that can make the hand-drilled die tips for the machines. The melted plastic is blown out through the tips.
"[These machines] are not like a toaster. It's not something you buy and then you plug in. It's an industrial process," Robson told NPR by phone. "China can be all over the place. Sometimes you think you're in a Western factory. Others are kind of like a dirt floor sort of shanty trying to pass their stuff off as good as the other guys. And maybe it is."
Chinese engineering firms say they're struggling. "We need about six months to make the machines, and it takes another month to assemble them," said Leo Liu, a sales director at Haigong Machinery, a Chinese company that assembles the machine parts for melt-blown lines imported from the US, Germany and Japan. "Everyone is considering mask manufacturing, but they don't understand the process. Once they learn the cost of these machines, they give up."
Yanshan Petrochemical says it will need only 16 days, not six months, to assemble the ten new melt blown production lines.
From the outset of the virus outbreak, face masks have been desperately in short supply, so desperate that provincial governments have seized shipments of masks destined for other localities in China.
Other local governments have called on companies in their jurisdictions to switch over into mask production.
"After being approached by Shanghai officials about converting our factory lines to making medical supplies," said Li Laibin, the president of a private bedding company, to a Chinese news outlet, "we transformed ten of our lines used to manufacturing duvet covers to making protective gowns." After using less than a handful of days to remodel its production process, Li's company dove head first into making protective gowns, reporting a daily output of around 2,000.
An underwear factory in the northwestern city of Changchun spent slightly longer — eight days — fixing frozen pipes and finding delayed shipments of raw materials to get a daily production line for 3,000 masks started, after it became licensed to operate in early February. "After the outbreak, our company set about adjusting production lines as soon as possible," a factory manager explained to reporters from the Communist party' flagship paper.
But a bottleneck of meltblown production lines means a severe shortfall of melt-blown fabric itself, sending prices soaring.
"Before the outbreak, the going price for one ton of melt-blown fabric in China was under 6,000 dollars a ton. But now, it's about 60,000 dollars," said a sales staff surnamed Guo at Xuzhong Guohong, a major supplier of melt-blown based in Hubei province, the center of virus outbreak in China. "The [shortage] issue is quite severe. Otherwise, why would the price be jacked up so high?
Guo says he still gets most orders from China, but demand from South Korea and Japan is picking up as coronavirus cases in these two countries rise.
Guan Xunze is lucky. The pharmaceutical chairman now making masks does not deal directly with fluctuating raw commodity prices because they're supplied to him by local authorities.
"Our supplies of melt-blown fabric and nonwoven fabric are all coordinated by the local and provincial governments. Originally, we had about 30 employees from our company start to make masks...the local government assigned me 180 more."
Even then Guan says it is "very hard" to make a profit.


npr--2020-03-16--Self-Quarantine? Isolation? Social Distancing? What They Mean And When To Do Them

Self-Quarantine ?
Isolation ?
Social Distancing ?
What They Mean And When To Do Them As the number of coronavirus cases grows in the U.S. , we 're hearing a lot about how social distancing , self-monitoring and even quarantine play into containment efforts .
But what do those terms mean , and when do they apply ?
We asked experts and found out there is some overlap and lots of confusion .
Here 's a quick guide for what you need to know .
Q : Why is all this happening ?
In the U.S. , testing got off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to isolate those with the COVID-19 disease .
Public health experts now say the most important goal is to slow the spread of the coronavirus so that the number of people who require medical attention does n't overwhelm hospitals .
If evidence holds from experiences to date in countries further along in the outbreak , most people who contract this virus will have mild cases .
Still , the data from abroad indicate that 10 % to 20 % could end up in a more serious condition .
That means if tens of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , potentially hundreds of thousands may need hospital care .
No one wants that to happen .
`` That could stress the health system .
We 're trying to avoid becoming like Italy , '' says Joshua Sharfstein , vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at Johns Hopkins University 's Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore .
In Italy , the number of cases rapidly skyrocketed from a handful a few weeks ago to now more than 27,000 cases and over 2,100 deaths .
The rapid escalation may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitals in the northern part of the country are running out of beds in intensive care units .
Q : What is the difference between self-quarantining and self-monitoring ?
There 's a bit of overlap , say experts .
Both strategies aim to keep people who have been exposed , or who might have been exposed , away from others as much as possible for a period .
That has generally meant 14 days , which is considered the incubation period of COVID-19 , although symptoms can appear within a few days of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your temperature and watching for signs of a respiratory illness , such as fever , cough or shortness of breath , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
It also involves limiting interaction with others .
Say you attended a large conference and someone there , whom you were not in close contact with , was later found to be positive for the coronavirus .
`` The person speaking at the podium was later diagnosed , and you were in the audience — you 're not considered at risk .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' says Dr. Marcus Plescia , chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials .
`` But if you had a long conversation [ with that person ] or that person coughed or sneezed on you , that 's different , '' he adds .
You `` would then self-quarantine . ''
Self-quarantine is a step up from self-monitoring because the person at risk of infection — even though the person still does n't have symptoms ― had a higher chance of exposure .
Canadian Prime Minister Justin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because his wife tested positive for the virus after returning from a trip to Great Britain .
Quarantining means staying home and away from other people as much as possible for that 14-day period .
People in this circumstance who do n't live alone should do their best to retreat to their room or find a separate area in their home , and they should n't go out shopping , eating or socializing .
`` Do n't sleep in the same bedroom [ with other family members ] , and try to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' says Dr. Georges Benjamin , executive director of the American Public Health Association .
`` Be careful with dishes .
They should go right from you into the dishwasher . ''
If you are under a self-quarantine because of possible exposure and then develop a fever , a cough or shortness of breath , call your doctor , local hospital or public health department to find out what to do .
Some insurers and hospital systems have online or phone assessment programs .
For mild cases , physicians may direct you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with over-the-counter fever reducers and other treatments .
Those with more serious symptoms and people in higher-risk groups may be directed to where to seek medical care .
As test kits become more available , you may also be directed to a place where you can get tested .
Q : What does isolation mean ?
`` Isolation is when you are sick , either at home or in the hospital , '' says Benjamin .
`` Infectious disease precautions are then much more rigid than in self-quarantine . ''
Medical staff , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more protective .
In addition , the person in isolation would be asked to wear a mask when leaving their room or traveling from home to a medical facility — to try to prevent spreading droplets that might contain the virus .
This is when — under state or federal law — individuals or groups are essentially on lockdown .
Recent examples include passengers from cruise ships where other passengers fell ill with COVID-19 ; those passengers who did n't fall ill on the ship were then required to stay at military bases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developed the disease .
The U.S. has n't closed off entire areas — such as towns or cities — since the 1918-1919 Spanish flu .
But the federal government and the states do have the power to do so .
In New Rochelle , N.Y. , officials have established a `` containment zone '' because of a high number of COVID-19 cases in the region .
School and houses of worship are closed and large gatherings barred .
But it is not considered a quarantine because people can come and go .
Q @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or exposed .
What else can I do ?
What is social distancing ?
This is a broad category .
It means not shaking hands , avoiding crowds , standing several feet from other people and , most important , staying home if you feel sick .
Businesses are doing it when they ask employees to work from home or stagger work hours .
Governments are doing it when they close schools .
We 're seeing it in the sports world , with no-spectator games or the postponement of sporting events .
Museums @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups of people gather are closing their doors .
It means trying to find the least-crowded train car or possibly driving instead of taking mass transit .
`` It 's about taking stock , how closely you interact with people in day-to-day life , '' says Christopher Mores , a professor in the department of global health at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University .
`` Increase distances .
Cut out handshakes .
The idea is to try to empower people to break the lines of transmission .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ if I do n't think I 'll get very sick ?
Public health is all about the public .
Individual risk may be low .
And , thus , the inconvenience of some of these measures may seem high .
But taking steps like these will benefit the population as a whole , says Sharfstein .
`` An individual who does n't get very sick might still pass the infection along to others , including parents , neighbors , people on the bus , '' he notes .
Some of those people , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hospital .
A surge of patients with the virus could fill beds also needed by a broad range of other people , such as cancer patients , newborns or car accident victims .
`` This is a condition that may not pose a threat to the individual but a threat to the community , '' warns Sharfstein .
Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit news service covering health issues .
It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation and is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente .

Self-Quarantine? Isolation? Social Distancing? What They Mean And When To Do Them
Enlarge this image toggle caption Camilo Fuentes Beals/EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm Premium Camilo Fuentes Beals/EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm Premium
As the number of coronavirus cases grows in the U.S., we're hearing a lot about how social distancing, self-monitoring and even quarantine play into containment efforts.
But what do those terms mean, and when do they apply?
We asked experts and found out there is some overlap and lots of confusion.
Here's a quick guide for what you need to know.
Q: Why is all this happening?
In the U.S., testing got off to a slow start, limiting efforts to isolate those with the COVID-19 disease. Public health experts now say the most important goal is to slow the spread of the coronavirus so that the number of people who require medical attention doesn't overwhelm hospitals.
If evidence holds from experiences to date in countries further along in the outbreak, most people who contract this virus will have mild cases. Still, the data from abroad indicate that 10% to 20% could end up in a more serious condition. That means if tens of millions of Americans come down with COVID-19, potentially hundreds of thousands may need hospital care.
No one wants that to happen.
"That could stress the health system. We're trying to avoid becoming like Italy," says Joshua Sharfstein, vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.
In Italy, the number of cases rapidly skyrocketed from a handful a few weeks ago to now more than 27,000 cases and over 2,100 deaths. The rapid escalation may be partly attributed to aggressive testing, but hospitals in the northern part of the country are running out of beds in intensive care units.
Q: What is the difference between self-quarantining and self-monitoring?
There's a bit of overlap, say experts.
Both strategies aim to keep people who have been exposed, or who might have been exposed, away from others as much as possible for a period. That has generally meant 14 days, which is considered the incubation period of COVID-19, although symptoms can appear within a few days of exposure.
Self-monitoring might include regularly checking your temperature and watching for signs of a respiratory illness, such as fever, cough or shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It also involves limiting interaction with others.
Say you attended a large conference and someone there, whom you were not in close contact with, was later found to be positive for the coronavirus. "The person speaking at the podium was later diagnosed, and you were in the audience — you're not considered at risk. Those people may want to strictly self-monitor," says Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
"But if you had a long conversation [with that person] or that person coughed or sneezed on you, that's different," he adds. You "would then self-quarantine."
Self-quarantine is a step up from self-monitoring because the person at risk of infection — even though the person still doesn't have symptoms ― had a higher chance of exposure.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, for example, is self-quarantining because his wife tested positive for the virus after returning from a trip to Great Britain.
Quarantining means staying home and away from other people as much as possible for that 14-day period. People in this circumstance who don't live alone should do their best to retreat to their room or find a separate area in their home, and they shouldn't go out shopping, eating or socializing.
"Don't sleep in the same bedroom [with other family members], and try to use a separate toilet, if you can," says Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. "Be careful with dishes. They should go right from you into the dishwasher."
If you are under a self-quarantine because of possible exposure and then develop a fever, a cough or shortness of breath, call your doctor, local hospital or public health department to find out what to do. Some insurers and hospital systems have online or phone assessment programs. For mild cases, physicians may direct you to stay home and treat your symptoms with over-the-counter fever reducers and other treatments. Those with more serious symptoms and people in higher-risk groups may be directed to where to seek medical care.
As test kits become more available, you may also be directed to a place where you can get tested.
Q: What does isolation mean?
A diagnosis of COVID-19 triggers isolation.
"Isolation is when you are sick, either at home or in the hospital," says Benjamin. "Infectious disease precautions are then much more rigid than in self-quarantine."
Medical staff, for example, wear gear that is more protective. In addition, the person in isolation would be asked to wear a mask when leaving their room or traveling from home to a medical facility — to try to prevent spreading droplets that might contain the virus.
Q: What is a quarantine?
This is when — under state or federal law — individuals or groups are essentially on lockdown. Recent examples include passengers from cruise ships where other passengers fell ill with COVID-19; those passengers who didn't fall ill on the ship were then required to stay at military bases for 14 days to see if they developed the disease.
The U.S. hasn't closed off entire areas — such as towns or cities — since the 1918-1919 Spanish flu. But the federal government and the states do have the power to do so.
In New Rochelle, N.Y., officials have established a "containment zone" because of a high number of COVID-19 cases in the region. School and houses of worship are closed and large gatherings barred. But it is not considered a quarantine because people can come and go.
Q: OK, I'm not sick or exposed. What else can I do? What is social distancing?
This is a broad category. It means not shaking hands, avoiding crowds, standing several feet from other people and, most important, staying home if you feel sick.
Businesses are doing it when they ask employees to work from home or stagger work hours. Governments are doing it when they close schools. We're seeing it in the sports world, with no-spectator games or the postponement of sporting events. Museums, theaters and concert halls where large groups of people gather are closing their doors.
It means trying to find the least-crowded train car or possibly driving instead of taking mass transit.
"It's about taking stock, how closely you interact with people in day-to-day life," says Christopher Mores, a professor in the department of global health at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. "Increase distances. Cut out handshakes. The idea is to try to empower people to break the lines of transmission."
Q: Why should I care if I don't think I'll get very sick?
Public health is all about the public. Individual risk may be low. And, thus, the inconvenience of some of these measures may seem high. But taking steps like these will benefit the population as a whole, says Sharfstein.
"An individual who doesn't get very sick might still pass the infection along to others, including parents, neighbors, people on the bus," he notes.
Some of those people, in turn, may end up in the hospital. A surge of patients with the virus could fill beds also needed by a broad range of other people, such as cancer patients, newborns or car accident victims.
"This is a condition that may not pose a threat to the individual but a threat to the community," warns Sharfstein.
Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation and is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.


npr--2020-03-16--Social Distancing Or Quarantined: How Are You Spending Your Time?

Social Distancing Or Quarantined : How Are You Spending Your Time ?
Schools , businesses , sports arenas , restaurants @ @ @ @ @ as the coronavirus spreads across the United States .
Social distancing is strongly encouraged .
@ @ @ @ @ home or under quarantine , what are you doing to cope and entertain yourself and/or @ @ @ @ @ your experiences here , and feel free to send a photo that shows us how @ @ @ @ @ .
We 'll use some of your comments and photos for a story on our @ @ @ @ @ call you for an interview to air on the radio .
Your submission will be @ @ @ @ @ of Use and Privacy Policy .
As the Privacy Policy says , we want you @ @ @ @ @ may be circumstances in which the exemptions provided under law for journalistic activities or freedom @ @ @ @ @ rights you might otherwise have .

Social Distancing Or Quarantined: How Are You Spending Your Time?
Enlarge this image Katherine Du/NPR Katherine Du/NPR
Schools, businesses, sports arenas, restaurants and entertainment venues are closing as the coronavirus spreads across the United States. Social distancing is strongly encouraged.
As you're working from home or under quarantine, what are you doing to cope and entertain yourself and/or your family?
Tell us your experiences here, and feel free to send a photo that shows us how you are spending your time. We'll use some of your comments and photos for a story on our website, and we may call you for an interview to air on the radio.
Your submission will be governed by our general Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. As the Privacy Policy says, we want you to be aware that there may be circumstances in which the exemptions provided under law for journalistic activities or freedom of expression may override privacy rights you might otherwise have.


npr--2020-03-16--'I Always, Always Fight': Octavia Spencer On Demanding More From Hollywood

' I Always , Always Fight ' : Octavia Spencer On Demanding More From Hollywood Growing up , actor Octavia Spencer remembers being inspired by the story of Madam C.J .
Walker , one of America 's first black , female , self-made millionaires .
Born on a plantation in 1867 , Walker eked out a living washing clothes for white families before building an empire selling hair care and makeup products to women of color .
`` She was a woman of purpose , '' Spencer says .
`` I 've always known her story .
But what 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ African American culture , but not really by the masses . ''
Now the Oscar-winning actor is helping tell Walker 's story to a broader audience , starring as the businesswoman in the Netflix limited series Self Made .
Spencer says she can relate to Walker 's effort to provide black women with beauty products that were designed specifically for them .
`` I remember one of the first jobs I had ... there was no makeup for me , '' Spencer says .
`` From then on , I always carry my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to now , but I definitely [ carried ] my own makeup to sets . ''
On fighting for more money with every role I always , always fight ... for a raise .
Always .
And [ I ] always got a raise , with every single job , because I 've always prepared just to walk away .
And sometimes I 've had to walk away because productions wo n't budge .
And I 'm fine with saying no .
I think a lot of people lose the advantage in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to walk away .
And I 'm always willing to walk away .
On black women in Hollywood being paid less than white women Oh , that was apparent from the start .
You could tell by what an actor/actress gets in their deal .
You can tell what an actor gets by what they receive on the sets .
No one 's actually going to tell you what they make , but you can tell .
I mean , we all knew , because what happens is when they 're putting together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ male lead , the white female lead , and then they come to you .
And it 's like , `` Well , we 've given out all of our dollars .
So here 's the change . ''
And that 's usually by the time they get to you ... there 's very little money .
I just knew that I was n't going to take that much longer , especially with what I 've been able to achieve as an actress .
And women that I worked with , Viola Davis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Smith , I mean , we all talk and we started talking numbers and realized that there definitely was a disadvantage that women of color receive and with regard to pay .
And we shared information and we all learned how to speak up and say exactly what we want and dictate the terms that we needed in our negotiating process .
On the claustrophobic period costuming she wore in Self Made I 've done a lot of period pieces , but they were [ set ] in the '60s or the '50s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier , actually .
I did n't realize that I would n't like the costumes .
And I do n't mean the style , I mean the fact that women had to be so covered up .
I mean , everything : the gloves , and the long skirts , and the petticoats and the hats .
...
I did n't realize how claustrophobic the costuming would feel , especially with corsets on and all of that .
So the clothes were really constricting in a way that I did n't enjoy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ But I was not a fan .
And I understand bra burning .
I would say I would corset-burn and I would burn the petticoats .
I mean , it was just ridiculous what women had to wear — and the stockings and the little boots .
It was a lot of clothes .
On whether she had any reservations about playing a maid in The Help , given the limited roles for black women in Hollywood Not at all , because I think these women represented real people in our society , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Well , like my mother , like so many people , I mean , who facilitate the lives of other people .
And I would be remiss if I somehow looked down or found myself superior in any way .
I thought that character was well-rounded .
She had a wonderful arc in the book and I was honored to play her .
On growing up in Alabama and losing her Southern accent One of the ways that I paid for college was through oration and speech competitions .
And that 's one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you lose your accent .
... Only for me , I lost my accent only to find it again in Hollywood .
I mean , the only people I know , the only women I knew growing up were Southern women .
So most of the characters I play will likely be Southern , if they 're from a certain class .
I pick it up , I lose it .
And if I 'm around Southern people , it definitely comes back quite easily .
On having stage fright in front of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I actually am not the best in front of an audience .
I have severe stage fright .
So I had to confront that .
And in public speaking , I always get extremely nervous before any speech that I have to do , and that has not dissipated at all .
And so I had to embrace the fact that I will likely always have stage fright .
So I do n't know [ if ] that actually helped me as an actor , but I definitely — I 've made my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ have anxiety on a film set ] , because the crew is n't there to be entertained .
They 're doing a job and I 'm there doing a job .
And so it 's a very different medium of film and television versus stage or public speaking .
Now that I think about it , I think it 's about performing , if you 're bored or if I 'm entertaining you , I guess maybe that plays a part .
But it 's not anything I ever really thought about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what .
And that is — nerves .
They 're always there .
On her role in the 2013 film Fruitvale Station , playing the mother of Oscar Grant , a 22-year-old man who was fatally shot by police in Oakland , Calif. , in 2009 I have nephews and I just remember when I would go home for Christmas back to Alabama , I would always worry , as they grew up and would go out with their friends , I would always get a pit in my stomach .
And I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those same feelings .
And when I read the script for Fruitvale Station , I knew that I had to play that role , not just for myself being an artist , but for all black moms who have that pit in their stomach every time their child leaves the house .
...
I hoped that by telling Oscar Grant 's story that gun violence and the relationships between young black men and policemen , those types of instances where violence occurred would diminish .
But sadly , I think the impact for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ escalated .
And it 's a club I think no one wants to be a part of , a mother who loses a son to police brutality or gun violence .
It 's one of those projects that will always be special to me , and I was grateful to be a part of it .
It seems like it has n't diminished in our society .
I think definitely those occurrences are still happening today .
Heidi Saman and Seth Kelley produced and edited this interview for broadcast .
Bridget Bentz , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Web .

'I Always, Always Fight': Octavia Spencer On Demanding More From Hollywood
Enlarge this image toggle caption Amanda Matlovich/Netflix Amanda Matlovich/Netflix
Growing up, actor Octavia Spencer remembers being inspired by the story of Madam C.J. Walker, one of America's first black, female, self-made millionaires. Born on a plantation in 1867, Walker eked out a living washing clothes for white families before building an empire selling hair care and makeup products to women of color.
"She was a woman of purpose," Spencer says. "I've always known her story. But what's interesting is her legacy is known in African American culture, but not really by the masses."
Now the Oscar-winning actor is helping tell Walker's story to a broader audience, starring as the businesswoman in the Netflix limited series Self Made. Spencer says she can relate to Walker's effort to provide black women with beauty products that were designed specifically for them.
"I remember one of the first jobs I had ... there was no makeup for me," Spencer says. "From then on, I always carry my own makeup. I don't have to now, but I definitely [carried] my own makeup to sets."
Interview Highlights
On fighting for more money with every role
I think a lot of people lose the advantage in the negotiating process if they are not willing to walk away. And I'm always willing to walk away.
I always, always fight ... for a raise. Always. And [I] always got a raise, with every single job, because I've always prepared just to walk away. And sometimes I've had to walk away because productions won't budge. And I'm fine with saying no. I think a lot of people lose the advantage in the negotiating process if they are not willing to walk away. And I'm always willing to walk away.
On black women in Hollywood being paid less than white women
Oh, that was apparent from the start. You could tell by what an actor/actress gets in their deal. You can tell what an actor gets by what they receive on the sets. No one's actually going to tell you what they make, but you can tell. I mean, we all knew, because what happens is when they're putting together a production, they would cast the male lead, the white female lead, and then they come to you. And it's like, "Well, we've given out all of our dollars. So here's the change." And that's usually by the time they get to you ... there's very little money.
I just knew that I wasn't going to take that much longer, especially with what I've been able to achieve as an actress. And women that I worked with, Viola Davis, Taraji P. Henson, Jada Pinkett Smith, I mean, we all talk and we started talking numbers and realized that there definitely was a disadvantage that women of color receive and with regard to pay. And we shared information and we all learned how to speak up and say exactly what we want and dictate the terms that we needed in our negotiating process.
On the claustrophobic period costuming she wore in Self Made
I've done a lot of period pieces, but they were [set] in the '60s or the '50s. I'd never done anything from earlier, actually. I didn't realize that I wouldn't like the costumes. And I don't mean the style, I mean the fact that women had to be so covered up. I mean, everything: the gloves, and the long skirts, and the petticoats and the hats. ...
I didn't realize how claustrophobic the costuming would feel, especially with corsets on and all of that. So the clothes were really constricting in a way that I didn't enjoy. They were beautifully, beautifully done. But I was not a fan. And I understand bra burning. I would say I would corset-burn and I would burn the petticoats. I mean, it was just ridiculous what women had to wear — and the stockings and the little boots. It was a lot of clothes.
On whether she had any reservations about playing a maid in The Help, given the limited roles for black women in Hollywood
Not at all, because I think these women represented real people in our society, people who did noble work. ... Well, like my mother, like so many people, I mean, who facilitate the lives of other people. And I would be remiss if I somehow looked down or found myself superior in any way. I thought that character was well-rounded. She had a wonderful arc in the book and I was honored to play her.
On growing up in Alabama and losing her Southern accent
One of the ways that I paid for college was through oration and speech competitions. And that's one of the things that you do, you lose your accent. ... Only for me, I lost my accent only to find it again in Hollywood. I mean, the only people I know, the only women I knew growing up were Southern women. So most of the characters I play will likely be Southern, if they're from a certain class. I pick it up, I lose it. And if I'm around Southern people, it definitely comes back quite easily.
On having stage fright in front of a live audience but not on set
I actually am not the best in front of an audience. I have severe stage fright. So I had to confront that. And in public speaking, I always get extremely nervous before any speech that I have to do, and that has not dissipated at all. And so I had to embrace the fact that I will likely always have stage fright. So I don't know [if] that actually helped me as an actor, but I definitely — I've made my peace with it.
I don't [have anxiety on a film set], because the crew isn't there to be entertained. They're doing a job and I'm there doing a job. And so it's a very different medium of film and television versus stage or public speaking. Now that I think about it, I think it's about performing, if you're bored or if I'm entertaining you, I guess maybe that plays a part. But it's not anything I ever really thought about the why. I just know the what. And that is — nerves. They're always there.
On her role in the 2013 film Fruitvale Station, playing the mother of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old man who was fatally shot by police in Oakland, Calif., in 2009
I have nephews and I just remember when I would go home for Christmas back to Alabama, I would always worry, as they grew up and would go out with their friends, I would always get a pit in my stomach. And I imagine that most black mothers do have those same feelings. And when I read the script for Fruitvale Station, I knew that I had to play that role, not just for myself being an artist, but for all black moms who have that pit in their stomach every time their child leaves the house. ...
I hoped that by telling Oscar Grant's story that gun violence and the relationships between young black men and policemen, those types of instances where violence occurred would diminish. But sadly, I think the impact for me, it felt as if things escalated. And it's a club I think no one wants to be a part of, a mother who loses a son to police brutality or gun violence. It's one of those projects that will always be special to me, and I was grateful to be a part of it. It seems like it hasn't diminished in our society. I think definitely those occurrences are still happening today.
Heidi Saman and Seth Kelley produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Beth Novey adapted it for the Web.