FDR’s New Deal — an expansion of the federal government in response to the Great Depression of the 1930s — might feel like ancient history, especially in our current political climate. But the New Deal continues to shape our lives in the 21st century.
Series reporter Sheryl Kaskowitz is a KALW Audio Academy alum and the author of the book A Chance to Harmonize: How FDR's Hidden Music Unit Sought to Save America from the Great Depression—One Song at a Time.
The series is supported in part by the Living New Deal; KALW retained editorial control.
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CrosscurrentsIn this fourth episode of The Public Works series, reporter Sheryl Kaskowitz discovers a folk soundtrack from the 1930s, part of a government program that sent one woman to record folksongs from communities across Northern California. -
CrosscurrentsIn this third episode of The Public Works series, reporter Sheryl Kaskowitz makes some surprising discoveries about the history of the East Bay Regional Park District. In the 1930s, the federal government’s Civilian Conservation Corps left its mark on the landscape, and their work continues in a different form today. -
CrosscurrentsIn the second episode of the Public Works series, reporter Sheryl Kaskowitz uncovers treasures by Black sculptor Sargent Johnson that are hiding in plain sight in the Bay Area. It’s a legacy from the New Deal era in the 1930s, when the federal government made supporting artists and public art a priority. -
CrosscurrentsThe New Deal was created more than 90 years ago to help the U.S. recover from the Great Depression. This first episode of "The Public Works" a series from reporter Sheryl Kaskowitz, looks at how the New Deal has shaped public space in the Bay Area and remains part of our everyday lives.
