HOUR ONE:

LSU Shreveport History Chairman Gary Joiner joins the show to celebrate the Bicentennial Tribute of the Battle of New Orleans.

Louisiana and South Carolina are the two leading states for mixed ancestry.

The original definition of a Creole is anyone with ancestry from the New World and ancestry from the Old World.

Dr. Joiner comments on the 86th birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., "He changed American society almost singlehandedly... He was remarkable for what he did do and could do."

He also comments on the upcoming $300 million budget cut, "I think you're gonna see some catastrophic changes in Louisiana in higher education."

UNO Professor Richard Goodman discusses how the budget cuts will affect his students. He remarks that though he is not an expert on the politics, he can vouch for the important effects it will have on the students. "There's this woman with two kids and a job, but she wants to be a writer and her dream won't be denied. It's humbling." He says, "We are doing an enormous disservice to the students... they already have to claw their way to an education."

HOUR TWO:

Dr. Faye Williams joins us to reflect on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. as we celebrate his 86th birthday. She comments also on President Obama's move to suspend sanctions in Cuba.

Gisela Chevalier who grew up in Cuba comments on the lifting of the embargo in Cuba.

Americans will be allowed to travel to Cuba now without special permission.

Dr. Williams expresses her excitement at the new lifts on Cuban travel because it will unite families. She comments, "to put a human face on it."

About 6 in 10 Americans favor relations with Cuba.

"In Cuba, there is no democracy, there is a communist dictatorship since 1969," Chevalier argues as reason against the relations with Cuba. "The money we spend in Cuba will go to the Castro regime not the impoverished people!"

Dr. Williams responds to a listeners question about the Castro regime in Cuba. "What we have been doing for 50 years did not work... Obviously the Castro brothers won't be alive forever." She continues, "People have to be willing to stand up for their rights."

"I would hope the young people here in America and in Cuba take a lesson from those people who were in Selma," Dr. Williams says.

"As long as we keep funneling money to the Castro regime, it doesn't matter if Castro dies," Chevalier says.