Race to Social Justice

Jenique Jones describes how WhyHunger, an organization founded and supported by legendary musicians and led by her with vision and fervor, helps grassroots communities find transformative solutions to tackle the root causes of hunger around the world.

Jacqueline Jones Royster, academic scholar and author, and Gene Kansas, cultural developer, preservationist and social entrepreneur, tell us how their collaborative talents are helping restore “Sweet Auburn”, an historic African-American community in Atlanta, Georgia.

Fr. Charles Oduke, PhD, is a Kenyan-born, Jesuit-trained, Kenya-India-USA- educated, world-traveled, university-founder and hospital mission-integrator, who conducts a clinic on Roman Catholic social teaching and doctrine rooted in human dignity and advancing common good as a basis for societal equity and justice.

Wynette Yao, an award-winning filmmaker, profiles her District of Second Chances documentary which chronicles the work of FAMM Foundation, an organization advocating for changes in extreme sentencing laws. Colie Levar Long, who is featured in the film and was released under a District of Columbia “second chance” law after serving over 20 years in prison, tells his story of redemption.

We discuss the importance of education and workforce development to the Black community with Steve Lewis, an expert in early childhood learning with deep operational and leadership experience in the Head Start program, and Steve's mentor, Dr. Lorinzo Foxworth (aka “Leader Doc”), a noted work force development leadership coach, trainer, speaker and educator.

Convicted of a 1998 murder, 47-year-old Leon Benson, was released from prison on 3/9/23, fully exonerated after 24 years. Now a college student and recording artist, Mr. Benson shares a riveting account of how his false arrest and incarceration (including many years in solitary) transformed, rather than embittered, him and formed the foundation for his new life as a free man.

In this episode, we explore how local government can play a positive role in promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in the community. Hear our conversation with professional educator and consultant, Donna Richemond, who meets this challenge as DEI Chief for Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Imam Idris Abdul-Zahir, building on a family legacy as a young leader of a Muslim community in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia, explains how racial justice is integral to his ministry, interfaith collaboration and multimedia public persona.

Keva and John are joined by a University DEI director, an undergrad nursing student and graduate social work student, for a lively discussion about how diversity, equity and inclusion impact college experience, including barriers BIPOC, gay and non-binary and first-to-college students have to overcome to stay in school, graduate and get a good paying job.

Meet Apryll Adams and Mike DeCandido, two different looking middle-aged people (one a Black female professional, the other her former white senior executive).  Hear their unique story rooted in their discovery of similar values and beliefs leading to the co- founding of a nonprofit organization which promotes sustained individual and group communication channels which foster open dialogue and discussion of difficult questions in a safe environment.

Lori Bezahler, President of Edward W. Hazen Foundation, and Marquetta Atkins-Woods, a community activist and Foundation grantee, describe how they have collaborated in creative ways to empower under-resourced youth in Wichita, Kansas realize better futures.

Dustin Timmerman, a transgender man, discusses his own transition and how it laid the foundation for his becoming a passionate advocate for LBBTQ+ rights, a topic of relevance now as our nation is embroiled in controversy with regard to the rights of transgender people in particular.

Jean Pfaelzer, PhD, a public historian, commentator and University of Delaware professor, describes how “progressive” California has, unbeknownst to many, hosted practices which have enslaved indigenous people, Alaska natives, plantation Blacks, Chinese and the incarcerated throughout its history.

Kenny Holdsman and Ameen Akbar (executive and mission leaders of Philadelphia Youth Basketball, respectively) tell us how their organization uses passionate mission-driven, entrepreneurial work and evidence-based practices which leverage the iconic game of basketball to help urban youth overcome the most urgent and systemic issues facing under-resourced communities.

David Mura (a Japanese-American and accomplished poet, writer, critic, and playwright) recounts his transformation from assimilation as a youth to embracing his own color as an adult and shares historical, literary and ethical narratives from his new book that unmask how white stories about race erase the brutality of the past and underpin systemic racism in the present.

BL Shirelle (a Black queer woman from Philly) and Fury Young (a white Jew from NYC), the powerhouse team behind Die Jim Crow Records, talk frankly about their quest to dismantle stereotypes around race and prison by amplifying the voices of talented incarcerated musicians. This episode features a clip of the song "Conspiracy" off of BL Shirelle's album Assata Troi, released in 2020 on Die Jim Crow Records.

Jessica Craft, herself a drummer, keeps a strong beat during this episode, through her tough adolescent years, band gigs and current billing as a dynamic leader of a non-profit organization that helps Philadelphia youth discover their own music selves and positive life directions.

Rabbi Greg Marx, a senior rabbi in suburban Philadelphia, and Frederick D. Strober, Esquire, a senior Philadelphia real estate lawyer, discuss increasingly acute Antisemitism facing the Jewish communities across the country.  Their compelling advocacy is rooted in fascinating, sometimes humorous, original stories and professional perspectives delivered in a lively discussion mixed with sensitivity and humor.

Emily Richards, a dynamic Episcopal priest, speaks to her life experience, religious calling and social justice from three unique personal perspectives as a young woman growing up in White privilege in the South, severely disabled from youth, who became the mother of an adopted daughter of color.

E. Ethelbert Miller, a literary activist and prolific, award-winning poet, recounts his long history of racial justice advocacy with the same richness that imbues his poetry, some of which he reads. You will hear a blend of Black history, jazz, baseball and humor, filled with metaphors and stories, in this wide-ranging discussion.

Andrew Maraniss, a best-selling author of narrative fiction for adults and teens, leads a discussion about the intersection of sports and social justice. The jumping off point for this lively podcast is his incredibly well-researched, award-winning book about the life and times of Perry Wallace, the first Black basketball player in the Southeast Conference.

Nisha Anand, a self-professed progressive, builds bridges to find common ground through unlikely partnerships with conservatives. Her life's mission is to create solutions that promote social and racial justice in three focused areas: criminal justice reform; green economy; and tech equity. This narrative of this storyteller, organizer and policy expert is hopeful and refreshing.

Dr. Nicholas V. Montalto, an expert in American immigration and ethnic history, is an accomplished manager, trainer, consultant, researcher, speaker and author. He talks to us about his life's work helping Americans understand the value immigrants bring to our country and finding solutions to the policy challenges caused by our ever-changing diversity.

Jimmy Chong, a son of non-English speaking immigrant South Korean parents, fought his way through grade school in reaction to anti-Asian bullying. Now a busy lawyer, his fierce, thoughtful advocacy for racial harmony and honest opinions on violence against the AAPI community and “Model Minority” labeling are telling.

Jimmy Chong, a son of non-English speaking immigrant South Korean parents, fought his way through grade school in reaction to anti-Asian bullying. Now a busy lawyer, his fierce, thoughtful advocacy for racial harmony and honest opinions on violence against the AAPI community and “Model Minority” labeling are telling.

Dr. Warren Hilton and Russ Johnson, Board Chair and CEO, respectively, of HealthSpark Foundation, discuss how a Black/White leadership partnership is shaping transformative racial and social equity change in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Ray Solomon (Part II) shares diversity, equity and inclusion challenges he faced as dean of a law school and, from the perspective of a former president of a synagogue, his reactions to the Congregation Beth Israel hostage incident in Colleyville, Texas, just days before our podcast was recorded.

Ray Solomon, a legal history scholar, recounts his early years growing up in the Mississippi delta region of Arkansas, the location of a September 19, 1919 Elaine Massacre of 200 Black people, an event which generated a U.S. Supreme Court case that laid the foundation for the landmark U.S. Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education case.

Entrepreneur and equity consultant Jill Meriweather describes how her mother's mentoring and early church education gave her pride in being a Black woman and the inspiration to apply to Harvard and dedicate her life's work to childhood education. In the process, she gives us a tutorial on contemporary issues of race.

Eric Doherty, a law enforcement officer from Washington State takes you with him right into the neighborhood, sharing the choices he has to make in policing, and candidly describes what “reform” should look like in reaction to the “Defund the Police” narrative.

Ana Pujols McKee, M.D., a nationally-prominent physician executive whose Puerto Rican parents cherished her as a person of color, and The Honorable Theodore (“Ted”) McKee, a Black Chief Judge of the federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals, share how their respective education and career paths overcame discriminatory obstacles and how discriminatory practices continue to impact their respective professions.

Clinton Drees, an active member of the Philadelphia LGBTQ community and educator, speaks candidly about how as a young man he navigated within anti-gay environments and describes the variety of, and dynamics within, the “alphabet” of people in the LGBTQ community.

Sha Alheem, a/k/a “Goldie Pipes”, a singer/songwriter from Houston, describes how his rich music repertoire and varied style has: deep roots in his family; the gospel, soul, blues and rock music he heard growing up; and slavery and African drumming. Enjoy a few examples from his new album too!

Marion Biglan, an executive coach, talks candidly about growing up white in the south, her work as founding executive director of Teach for America in Chicago and her transformative work teaching white people about racism and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Tim Massaquoi, a retired NFL player and founding social worker at KIPP High School in Camden, NJ, shares his race experiences growing in a Black environment in Newark, NJ and a White environment in Allentown, PA and as an elite athlete and professional counselor to traumatized youth.

In tandem with the first podcast, Mr. White digs into the race-related personal and career experiences of John Kepner, a 75-year-old retired health care executive/consultant/lawyer who, though a progressive “child of the '60's, only recently has come to grips with the benefits of white privilege.

In this kick-off Race to Social Justice podcast, John Kepner, “The White Guy”, interviews Keva White, “The Black Guy”, exploring Keva's early years in a tough Brooklyn neighborhood, the challenges of an all-white high school and college and other critical underpinnings of his calling to promote racial justice knowledge through education.