Diane Orson
Special CorrespondentDiane Orson is a special correspondent with Connecticut Public. She is a longtime reporter and contributor to National Public Radio. Her stories have been heard on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition and Here And Now. Diane spent seven years as CT Public Radio's local host for Morning Edition.
Diane was awarded a 2023 New England Emmy for CUTLINE| Antisemitism Rising: Bearing Witness Then and Now, which she co-produced and hosted.
Her radio story about an 83-year old atomic veteran placed first in the Public Media Journalists Association 2021 national arts awards. She is the co-recipient of a 2021 Edward R. Murrow Award for a video based on that story.
Diane also co-produced a piece of radio nostalgia about New Haven's Shubert Theater that received a Peabody Award.
Diane is an active professional musician. She and her husband are the parents of two very cool adult children.
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Experts are uncovering Connecticut’s ties to slavery. But students are also chronicling stories of northern enslavement right where they live.
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Connecticut volunteers have reconstructed the life of Sawney Freeman, a violinist and composer, and restored his work for contemporary muisicians.
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Venture Smith's narrative provides key insights into the history of slavery in the North and in Connecticut. His descendants are working to keep his story alive.
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A phone call from a stranger would link a Connecticut woman with ancestors enslaved before the American Revolution — and reshape her view of patriotism.
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There’s a deeply-rooted perception that the North was home to the “good guys,” the abolitionists. The truth is far different.
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Researching your family tree can provide a feeling of belonging and a sense of identity. But for those Americans whose ancestors were enslaved, searching for their roots can be difficult if not impossible. One group of women honors its ancestors through the art of quilting.
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When we think of slavery in the U.S, we don’t often think of the North. But residents of one Connecticut town recently honored the legacy of a woman who — centuries ago — was enslaved in their community. Her story and those of other enslaved people who lived in Connecticut are coming to light through a program called Witness Stones.
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A new federal program has begun training everyday Americans to privately sponsor refugees coming to the U.S. "Welcome Corps" is largely modeled on a refugee resettlement program in Connecticut.
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A Yale archaeologist has co-curated an exhibition, "Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art," running at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It features more than 100 rarely seen Maya masterpieces depicting ancient gods of the Maya peoples.
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It’s a heartbreakingly familiar pattern across the U.S. Another mass shooting. Another shrine appears at the site of the tragedy — flowers, teddy bears, candles. Later, communities have to decide what to save and how to tell the story. Here's how some choose to archive the aftermath.