Of the more than 76,000 agricultural operations in Kentucky, fewer than one percent are owned by Black farmers. But it wasn’t always like this. Nationwide, Black farmers have seen a 98% reduction in ownership in the last century — and efforts to help them maintain their farms have been watered down, leading to a class action suit against the federal government. On this week’s “In Conversation” we talked with Black Kentucky farmers about their experiences and insights. But first we checked in with WFPL health reporter Aprile Rickert and education reporter Jess Clark, who have been analyzing school immunization data across the city. Turns out, the vast majority of schools fall far below the state's target vaccination rates, leaving many classrooms at risk.

Sadiqa Reynolds. You may know her as president of the Urban League’s Louisville chapter for the past seven years. Maybe you heard her calming civic leadership during the protests over the killing of Breonna Taylor by police and David McAtee by a National Guard bullet. Or maybe you’ve seen stories about the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center, the $53 million athletic facility that opened in the West End in 2021 with Reynolds at the fundraising helm. On issues of justice and equity in Louisville, you probably know of Reynolds’ impact. This week on “In Conversation,” host Rick Howlett sat down to talk with Sadiqa Reynolds, who exits her Urban League presidency this month. We’ll reflect on her accomplishments, her challenges, her legacy, and her next chapter.

Trees are more than just pretty. They provide a range of environmental, economic, and psychological benefits. They reduce stormwater runoff and improve our physical and mental health. This week on “In Conversation,” we talked about Tree Week in Louisville, which starts Saturday. We talked with people from TreesLouisville, a local organization dedicated to preserving the city's tree canopy. We also checked in with the city’s Urban Forestry department, and learned how to care for the trees on our own property from a tree maintenance expert.

From figuring out your financial readiness and understanding market rates to learning more than you want to know about roofs and property lines, buying and owning a house is an ongoing education. This week, we discuss the basics of buying a house, like checking out interest rates, and figuring out how much house your paycheck and credit can afford. Our panel will tell you how to figure out what’s really important to you in a home—what are your musts, and what are your dealbreakers? We’ll also talk about home maintenance and repair, and learn about programs for first-time homeowners and people who need help making repairs. It’s part of our month-long focus on home and housing.

To paraphrase the song, a house can be more than a home. Our homes are our shelter, but they also contribute to our identities. This week on “In Conversation,” we discussed home as a part of our personal identity in ways that can comfort us and challenge us. We also talked about how some of us look at Louisville a little differently since the killing of Breonna Taylor in her home by the Louisville Metro Police Department. It’s part of our month-long focus on home and housing; and we also talked about the new Louisville Magazine issue that focuses on home, produced in collaboration with Louisville Public Media. Visit this link to share how you view home in Louisville.

Home is home whether you own your real estate or rent it. But renters do have different considerations. This week on “In Conversation,” we discussed the good, the bad, and the ugly of renting a house or an apartment in this city. Joining us in this conversation were Adeshina Emmanuel and Jacob Ryan from the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting who are doing a project on rental inequities in Louisville. This episode is part of our month-long focus on home and housing.

This week on “In Conversation,” we talked about Louisville’s refugee community, who come from more than 15 countries around the world. We talked to Louisville refugees about how they came to call Louisville home, and meet advocates whose organizations try to make the transition easier. It’s part of our month-long focus on what it means to call a place “home.”

It would probably be an overreach to say that everyone likes the state fair. But not a big one. People like the food, the rides, the exhibitions, and the animals. We can’t forget the animals. This week on “In Conversation” we did our broadcast from the Kentucky State Fair. We talked to people who told us more about the cool things to see, eat, and do at the fair, and hear why the fair remains important to Kentucky’s farmers and the agriculture industry.

If you have a job and also have young children, you know the rock and the hard place of needing good and affordable child care so you can go to work to pay your bills. On this week’s “In Conversation” we explored solutions to juggling parenting and holding down a job. That included a look at Kentucky House Bill 499, which creates a pilot program that provides incentives for employers to contribute to the child care costs of employees.

It’s that political time of the year in Kentucky – Fancy Farm. Where politicians go to stump and signal their policy positions, and others go to partake of mutton, pulled pork, and other picnic goodies. This week on “In Conversation” we discussed what’s new with this year’s Fancy Farm, and learned more about the history of the 142 year-old event. We also got an update on the deadly flooding in Eastern Kentucky and heard more about how recovery and rescue are going.