Today is all about reparations, because we want a chance to repair and rebuild anew.

Aaron Vega is only a month into his tenure as president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, but his ideas to restore the area as a sought after commodity for industries of all types are already taking shape. We speak with him about his vision for the organization’s future.

We also head to UMass Amherst, where a new exhibit seeking restoration in the future using the lessons of the past will soon open. “Land of the Free” is a multi-media series of 4 works by Canadian artist Camille Turner that look at the transatlantic slave trade through document, video and ritual. The artist takes us on a tour through the museum to explore these connections before you can see her and the pieces on display at the opening event Thursday night.

And Word Nerd Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, is also looking at the ways we fix things, namely our bodies as we delve into the etymology of the word “doctor,” and the myriad of uses it’s developed in its time.

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