Naina Rao

The pandemic has put uncertainty at the forefront of many people's lives. It's forced many to believe and hope for better days, even if there's no end in sight.

Lunar New Year begins on February 12, 2021. And usually, the holiday involves huge festivities with fireworks, dancing, and family reunions. But as the pandemic continues into this year, the celebration will look and feel different this new year. Wyoming Public Radio's Naina Rao reports this story.

When an insurrection mob violently pushed through the entrance of the Capitol building on January 6, the American Alliance of Museums issued a statement condemning the violence that occurred. They did so because the Capitol is more than a workplace, it's a living museum.

Wyoming Public Radio's Naina Rao spoke to University of Wyoming's Art Museum director, Nicole Crawford, on her perspective regarding the aftermath and effects the insurrection has made on art, history, and museums.

It's safe to say that 2020 has been a very difficult, trying year for a lot of people across the world. Wyoming's Poet Laureate, Eugene Gagliano, agrees. But the pandemic also made him realize a different perspective—how grateful he was to be living in the state of Wyoming.

He shared his perspective by writing a poem, called The Blessing of Wyoming. And it got published in the New York Times. He recited the poem during his conversation with Wyoming Public Radio's Naina Rao.

The numbers of cases and deaths related to COVID-19 have dominated most media headlines this year. And funeral homes in Wyoming are included in that story. 

For people of color and immigrants living in Wyoming, getting a haircut, shopping for groceries, or celebrating holidays can be difficult. Wyoming Public Radio's Naina Rao has been making trips between Laramie, Wyoming, and Denver, Colorado to get the basic cultural amenities she needs for her lifestyle. She takes us on her journey in this audio postcard.

The University of Wyoming Libraries hosted award-winning poet and writer, Camille T. Dungy, for a virtual reading of her work on October 24, 2020. Dungy was born in Denver and has written and edited publications that often explore the ties between race and the environment.

Wyoming Public Radio's Naina Rao spoke with her about how she got started with poetry, her reflections on her journey, and what she thinks about the state of society today.

Thousands have taken to the streets across the country, and right here in Wyoming, to call for an end to unchecked police misconduct. An investigation by Wyoming Public Radio and the Casper Star-Tribune found that in Wyoming law enforcement accountability can be a long, uncharted and demanding process. Naina Rao spoke with reporters Tennessee Watson and Shane Sanderson about what they found.

St. Patrick's Day is usually a popular day for bars to make money. And that's what Scott Lair, who owns the Great Untamed bar in Laramie, was expecting this year. But it was also around the time COVID-19 started hitting Wyoming.

Even though women in Wyoming were allowed to vote, run for office and get involved in politics back in 1870, it took much longer after that for women of color to get elected.

The first Black woman to get elected to office in Wyoming was Elizabeth Byrd. She started out in the Wyoming House of Representatives, in 1981. That's close to a century later after women were first granted the right to vote and run for office.

What took so long?

It's usually around this time that Muslim international students would go home and celebrate Ramadan with their families. Ramadan is a significant holiday for Muslims around the world. It's a month where Muslims fast from dawn until dusk. And it's called the "holy month" because it's a time where people are encouraged to do good deeds, help each other, and have gratitude for their family and friends.

The coronavirus doesn't discriminate and can spread to anyone. Including pregnant mothers like Vanessa Hoene.