History

Moments with Melinda: Bob Stannard 03/10/2022

Melinda Moulton interviews the indomitable Bob Stannard: activist, lobbyist, legislator, writer, journalist, musician, and Vermont icon.

The Crisis in Ukraine: Pro-Peace, Anti-War Perspectives from Vermont 03/04/2022

From the participants:

Ashley Smith of the Tempest Collective will talk about why the US and the Western left must oppose and condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and why we must stand in solidarity with the resistance to Putin’s occupation, while at the same time opposing the militarism of the U.S. and NATO.

Charlotte Dennett, representing the Womens International League for Peace and Freedom and the author of the newly released book "Follow the Pipelines: Uncovering the Mystery of a Lost Spy and the Deadly Politics of the Great Game for Oil," will talk about how the Ukraine crisis is an example of the battle between petropowers that benefits the fossil fuel companies but has deadly consequences for average citizens.

Trey Cook, a freshman at the University of Vermont, and organizer for the Young Democratic Socialists of America, will talk about opposing all war but "class war."

John Reuwer, of World BEYOND War and Physicians for Social Responsibility, will share why any solutions to the crisis based on more war would only cause more misery. He will outline a number of nonviolent strategies that have a better chance of mitigating the trauma and delivering a more secure future.

Moments with Melinda: Louella Bryant, Author of "Beside the Long River" 02/26/2022

Melinda Moulton interviews Louella Bryant, award winning author of "Beside the Long River."

"I'm honored to interview Louella Bryant, author of 'Beside the Long River,' a historic novel based on the people and events from the early 1600's in Boston and Connecticut, including the brutal and bloody Pequot War of 1636. Ellie has written several novels which have received national acclaim."

To learn more, please visit: www.louellabryant.com

Preservation Burlington: Traveling for History! With Patricia Araujo 02/24/2022

Patricia Araujo talks about her YouTube channel, where she shares the experience of visiting different historical sites.

More information: preservationburlington.org

Ethan Allen Homestead Enrichment Program: The Founder's Fortunes 02/23/2022

"Willard Sterne Randall discusses his new book, 'The Founders' Fortunes: How Money Shaped the American Revolution,' an illuminating financial history of the Founding Fathers, revealing how their personal finances shaped the Constitution and the new nation."

For more information: ethanallenhomestead.org

First to Fall: A Book Reading and Discussion with Ken Ellingwood 02/22/2022

From the organizers:

"Journalist and author Ken Ellingwood discusses his 2021 publication First To Fall, a biography of the American abolitionist journalist and newspaper editor Elijah Lovejoy. Lovejoy's life and times provide crucial insight into a central topic of U.S. history as well as its present - the freedom of speech and expression, including freedom of the press. Presented by Champlain College in collaboration with Phoenix Books, and moderated by Champlain College Assistant Professor Tanya Lee Stone."

Moments with Melinda: Willard Sterne Randall, Author of "The Founders' Fortunes" 02/18/2022

Melinda Moulton interviews Willard Sterne Randall, author of "The Founders' Fortunes: How Money Shaped the Birth of America."

"Willard Sterne Randall is a Distinguished Scholar in History and Professor Emeritus at Champlain College. Prior to academia, he worked for seventeen years as an investigative reporter - during which he garnered the National Magazine Award, the Hillman Prize, the Loeb Award, and the John Hancock Award - eventually pursuing advanced studies in history at Princeton University. As a biographer and lecturer, he specializes in the history of the Founding Fathers. He has been teaching at Champlain College for twenty years."

Education and Enrichment for Everyone: Bungalow in a Box - Kit Houses of the Early 20th Century in the Burlington Area 02/18/2022

A presentation from Devin Colman, Vermont State Architectural Historian

VICII: Always Cuba 02/16/2022

From VICII:

"In 1959, Fidel Castro marched into Havana and became the new leader of the Island nation. Fulgencio Batista the President of the Republic of Cuba and close ally of the United States fled the country taking most of the assets of Cuba with him.

In the middle of the Cold War against the Soviet Union the United States reacted to the Cuban Revolution with trepidation: would Cuba be an ally of Russia the enemy of the United States? Would the island nation so formerly friendly to US capitalism and organized crime become an outpost of Communism 90 miles from Florida?

When Fidel Castro announced his Socialism and drifted toward the Soviet Union the powerful neighbor to the North saw "Red" and began its Cold and Hot War policy against Cuba: regime change by any means. At first the USA adopted a hot war against the Island in the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961; when that invasion failed to topple Fidel Castro and when Cuba sought defensive assistance from the Soviet Union, the Cuban Missile Crisis between the USA and Russia almost triggered a Nuclear War bringing the leaders of the US, the USSR and Cuba to the horrifying realization that a war which could destroy the world and all its inhabitants was not one which any power would win. While that crisis was averted with the Soviet Union, Washington did not give up in its dreams of regime change. Washington then turned to acts of war by other means against Havana. In 1962 the USA established a trade and travel embargo (termed the Bloqueo by the Cubans) against the Cubans prohibiting most travel and trade with the Island in cruel attempts to destroy the economy of Cuba and the lives of the Cuban people.

In one of the longest blockades in history, 60 years later those acts of war are still in existence. While the people of Cuba are the people most hurt by these sanctions, the United States continues its cruelty toward a poor nation full of people of color in the vain hope of destroying socialism in what Washington has always considered its back yard."

For more information: vicii.org

Moments with Melinda: Stephan Kiernan, Author, Musician, Journalist 02/11/2022

Melinda Moulton interviews Stephan Kiernan, Author, Musician, Journalist to talk about his most recent Novel "Universe of Two."

Featured Story

Applications Now Open for the Spring 2025 Cohort of the Neighborhood Community Media Internship Program

Town Meeting TV is excited to announce that applications are now open for the Spring 2025 cohort of the Neighborhood Community Media Internship program. Join up to 8 other youth to engage in interesting media making projects! This paid media internship opportunity is designed for youth aged 16-20 who are eager to gain professional experience in the audio-visual field and develop a deeper understanding of their local community. The group will meet under the leadership of Town Meeting TV's Travis Washington from the end of January 2025 to the beginning of June 2025, on a schedule agreed upon by the whole cohort. Click here to apply!