Our Times
Episode Four
Our Times is a news magazine program produced by the Video Magazine Storytelling class in the Journalism Department of Boston University. In the fourth episode, Vivi Hu reports on a South End excavation that hopes to discover relics tied to the Underground Railroad; Benjamin Roldan visits
a four-story brownstone that provides B.U. women an alternative housing choice that is more affordable and has built a sense of community; and Kevin A. Mani investigates the current worldwide protests over human rights abuses in Iran as well as the complex historical events that have given rise to this unrest.
Vivi Hu
Digging the Past
Second-year Journalism graduate student at Boston University, Vivi Hu reports on a story about the South End excavation in Boston; this is the first dig in this neighborhood and it has significant meaning for the black community.
Also, she's a journalism major graduate student from Boston University, always preparing for the future visual journalism industry with enthusiasm and faith.
Benjamin Roldan
Life in H.E.R. House
Benjamin Roldan is a junior studying film in the college of communications. With a passion for storytelling in all forms, Roldan is focusing on screenwriting but hopes to do plenty of non-fiction work in the future as well. Roldan is interested in discovering unconventional ways of creating narratives, as well as unconventional heroes and main characters. Driven by a love for the elaborate gossips and tales of Ben’s abuelas and family members, Roldan hopes to persuade viewers of not one truth but many millions of truths. This longform story is one about the different lives resting under one home, and the different truths they all have.
Kevin A. Mani
The Mahsa Amini Protests
Our Times reporter Kevin A. Mani is a journalism student at Boston University with expertise in political journalism. His focus is in covering stories related to human rights, with a particular emphasis on Iranian politics, economics, and society. Mani also likes covering sports and the ways in which they intersect with politics.
In his segment, Mani investigates the current worldwide protests over human rights abuses in Iran as well as the complex historical events that have given rise to this unrest. The recent uprisings in Iran in response to the death of Mahsa Amini have brought increased worldwide attention to government crackdowns in Iran. Advocates for change in the United States are hopeful that increased awareness will bring about real solutions for the conflict in Iranian society.