Let’s Grab Coffee

This year I had the honor of moderating a panel conversation at SXSW featuring Dominic Lawson, Leta McCollough Seletzky, and Chassidy Jade. You may remember Dominic from our February feature of his multi-award winning podcast, Black is America. Leta was a previous guest (Ep 97) discussing her book The Kneeling Man: My Father's Life as a Black Spy Who Witnessed the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Today I'm sharing our conversation with you!

Telling It Like It Is, Was, and Could Be

Whether it's uncovering hidden narratives or reinventing the familiar, this panel will inspire you to rethink how stories can captivate, challenge, and resonate in fresh and impactful ways. Join creatives representing film, podcasting, and creative writing as they delve into the techniques of narrative design that they use to push the conventional expectations of their fields, inviting audiences to find new meaning in the stories that shape our world. They’ll also explore the intentional choices and potential challenges to prepare for when offering new perspectives on well-known stories.

Around the world, coffee is part of countless cultures’ daily routine. Perhaps your day starts with brewing a cup at home or grabbing your daily fix on the way to work. In fact, coffee is a global industry worth $495 billion per year but less than 1% of this revenue returns to people of African descent, who are the originators of coffee, or to African countries, where the majority of our coffee is imported from, highlighting the ongoing inequalities in the coffee trade.

One local Memphis coffee company is on a mission to change how we understand coffee’s Black history and its Black future - Cxffeeblack. Today I am joined by Cxffeeblack co-founder, Renata Henderson.

As the lead roaster for Cxffeeblack, Renata Henderson is Memphis, TN's first Black female roaster, continuing the tradition of Black women roasters in Ethiopia, where coffee originates. In addition to creating an entirely all Black coffee supply chain from Ethiopia to Memphis, TN – the first of its kind – Cxffeeblack also hosts the Barista Exchange Program which took 4 Black American baristas from the US to Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Kenya and which will bring African baristas to Memphis, in a cultural and coffee educational exchange. Cxffeeblack was honored as the 2024 Global Notable Roaster of the Year by Sprudge Media Network, a renowned international authority on coffee and its culture.

You can learn more about cxffeeblack at cxffeeblack.com or if you're in the Memphis area, stop by the Anti-Gentrification Cxffee Club.

Today is a special feature - a panel conversation I organized for SXSW featuring creatives discussing how to maintain your creative voice and vision.

Social media turned creativity into content and artists into content creators. But, what if you have something more to say beyond recycling trends and presenting a carefully curated social media feed? How do you tell an entertaining, informative, and/or educational story reflective of your community in an industry that often limits representation to tired tropes? Culture critic, Dr. Saida Grundy sits down with three creatives spanning the media landscape - Munirah Jones, creator of The Mound, OWN Network’s first animated series, Dominic Lawson, host of award-winning podcast Black is America, and documentary producer, Enora Moss - to uncover how they leveraged everyday technology to carve out their own creative lanes to tell the stories they wanted to tell without sacrificing their soul.

This month Let’s Grab Coffee features conversation with Dominic Lawson, host and creator of the award-winning Black Is America podcast. On today’s show, Dominic and I talk about the importance of storytelling - how we tell stories and the stories we tell. We listen to a very special award-winning episode of Black Is America highlighting Memphis's own, Tom Lee: The Everyday American Hero.

The Black Is America podcast highlights little-known African-American figures and stories. This award-winning podcast helps tell the story of America through the lens of the African American experience. For more about Black Is America, visit blackisamericapodcast.com

This month Let’s Grab Coffee features conversation with Dominic Lawson, host and creator of the award-winning Black Is America podcast. On today’s show, Dominic and I reflect on how the past is ever present - on an individual and society level - but we can only connect the dots looking backwards. We also listen to a jaw-dropping episode of Black Is America highlighting Doris Miller: The American Defender.

The Black Is America podcast highlights little-known African-American figures and stories. This award-winning podcast helps tell the story of America through the lens of the African American experience. For more about Black Is America, visit blackisamericapodcast.com

This month Let’s Grab Coffee features conversation with Dominic Lawson, host and creator of the award-winning Black Is America podcast. On today’s show, Dominic and I talk about the importance of courage. Dominic also drops some invaluable tips for current and future podcasters. We also listen to absolutely captivating Black Is America episode about Henry Johnson: The First American Hero of World War I.

The Black Is America podcast highlights little-known African-American figures and stories. This award-winning podcast helps tell the story of America through the lens of the African American experience. For more about Black Is America, visit blackisamericapodcast.com

This month Let’s Grab Coffee features conversation with Dominic Lawson, host and creator of the award-winning Black Is America podcast. On today’s show, Dominic and I talk about Black Is America and the importance of storytelling. We also listen to the Black Is America episode about Sylvia Robinson: The Godmother of Hip Hop.   The Black Is America podcast highlights little-known African-American figures and stories. This award-winning podcast helps tell the story of America through the lens of the African American experience. For more about Black Is America, visit blackisamericapodcast.com

Today’s episode of Let’s Grab Coffee is a special show featuring the Conversation Piece podcast with Patrick Armstrong. I’m sitting on the other side of the microphone while Patrick interviews me about my new book, Out of Place: The Lives of Korean Adoptee Immigrants. While I’m normally the one interviewing authors about their books and what they know about the world around us, I wanted to share with you what the experiences of Korean adoptee immigrants tell us about race, family, and belonging. It was an absolute honor to be interviewed by a fellow Korean adoptee and to give you a glimpse into the lives of Korean adoptees. Over 150,000 Korean children have been adopted into U.S. families – typically white families – and while Korean adoption is often heralded as a type of “forever family” evidencing multiculturalism, in Out of Place I examine the policy failures and attitudes about race, immigration, and citizenship that made Korean children adoptable orphans and then later deportable adults.   Patrick Armstrong (he/him) is a transracial Asian American adoptee, podcaster, speaker, and community facilitator. He is the host of the award-winning podcast Conversation Piece with Patrick Armstrong, a show about the missing pieces of the conversations we're already having. He is also one of the hosts of the award-winning podcast Janchi Show, a show that explores and celebrates the experiences and stories of Korean adoptees everywhere. He is a cofounder of the Asian Adoptees of Indiana, a group dedicated to creating a safe, engaging community for all Asian adoptees who need it. 

Episode mentioned: Ep 122. New Year Check In with Dr. Justin K Dodson

How is it that seemingly everyone – from liberals to conservatives, to celebrities, social media trolls, and your least favorite family member – has a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr quote or Civil Rights Movement reference at the ready? How is it that such disparate groups with various interests find meaning and support for their causes in Dr. King’s words? How is it that they can lay claim to his dream for their own visions of the future? Today I’m joined by Dr. Hajar Yazdiha to dig into how the Civil Rights Movement has become a readily available collective memory. She shares how groups reshape memory to make and contest political claims and the consequences of this reshaping. She also talks about how collective memory can be reworked to restore pieces of the past through processes of truth and reconciliation.   Hajar Yazdiha is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Southern California, faculty affiliate of the USC Equity Research Institute, and a CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar (2023-2025). Hajar researches the politics of inclusion and exclusion, examining the forces that bring us together and keep us apart as we work to forge collective futures. In addition to being the author of The Struggle for the People’s King: How Politics Transforms the Memory of the Civil Rights Movement, she is also a public scholar whose writing and research has been featured in outlets including The New York Times, LA Times, ABC News, The Hill, and The Grio.   Other episodes mentioned: Episode 112 Food Power Politics: The Food Story of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement with Bobby J. Smith II

It's the start of a new year, and unsurprisingly one of the most reported New Year Resolutions is fitness-related. According to a survey from Forbes Health/One Poll, respondents most frequently cited improved fitness as a goal. Every day we are bombarded with messaging from media, advertisers, friends, and family about what our bodies should look like and how we can take control of our bodies. Many of these messages are inaccurate and harmful, but how can we break free especially during the New Year when ads for new gym memberships seem to be everywhere? And, what is at the root of all of this focus on body management? Today I’m joined by Chrissy King, author of The Body Liberation Project: How Understanding Racism and Diet Culture Helps Cultivate Joy and Build Collective Freedom. We discuss how we can detach from society’s obsession with controlling our bodies and not just for our own personal well-being but as a component of collective liberation. If you’ve ever found yourself hating your body, believing that losing a few more pounds would lead to happiness, or frustrated that you can’t attain the latest body goals, then this is the conversation you’ve been waiting for. ** ** Chrissy King is a writer, speaker, strength coach, and educator with a passion for creating a diverse and inclusive wellness industry. She holds degrees in Social Justice and Sociology from Marquette University and has been featured in SELF, SHAPE, Health, Cosmopolitan, BuzzFeed, Muscle and Fitness, and Livestrong, among others.

Let’s Grab Coffee kicks off the new year with friend of the show, Dr. Justin K Dodson. As always, he gives us insightful questions to consider and prompts to help us get curious about our wants, needs, and feelings. Looking to make a change this year? Justin offers some practical strategies for following through on your new year goals.   Be sure to check out our previous conversations: Episode 72 The Gift of Vulnerability Episode 87 Tis the Season   Dr. Justin K Dodson is the owner of Navigating Courage Counseling & Consultation, L.L.C. He is a licensed therapist who specializes in helping adult males through individual therapy, 1:1 coaching, and group coaching. He also provides tailored consultation for organizations who are looking to improve their understanding and strategies related to neuropsychology and mental health issues. Learn more at https://www.navigatingcouragecac.com/ or connect with Dr. Dodson on Instagram and TikTok @itsdrjkeith

We spend a lot of our time on the road, commuting to work, running errands, meeting up with friends and family. In fact, maybe you’ll listen to this episode while you’re on the road. For all the possibilities that roads open up for us, it’s not without a cost. To talk more about how roads impact our lives – and the lives around us – for better and for worse, today I’m joined by Ben Goldfarb, author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet. _ _ Ben Goldfarb is an independent conservation journalist. He’s the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, which the New York Times named one of the best books of 2023. His previous book Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, was the winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. Ben’s writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Science, The Washington Post, National Geographic, and The New York Times, among others.

Have you ever expensed a lunch that wasn’t solely a business meeting or maybe added a little extra time on your timesheet? If so, that’s fraud. Fraud is not just identity theft, ponzi schemes, or embezzling millions of dollars. Fraud is all around us and maybe even happening to us without our knowledge. On today’s show, I sit down with Dr. Kelly Richmond Pope author of Fool Me Once: Scams, Stories, and Secrets from the Trillion-Dollar Fraud Industry.

Kelly Richmond Pope is the Dr. Barry Jay Epstein Endowed Professor of Forensic Accounting at DePaul University in Chicago, IL. Her research on executive misconduct culminated in directing and producing the award-winning documentary, All the Queen's Horses which explores the largest municipal fraud in U.S. history. Her TED Talk entitled "How Whistle-blowers Shape History” has been viewed over 1.6 million times, translated into 20 languages, and serves as a resource to help organizations and individuals embrace internal whistleblowing.

In the U.S., we consume about 1 billion gallons of wine annually. Whether you prefer reds, whites, pinks, or bubbles, do you know what’s really in your go-to glass of wine? Wine’s history is filled with tales of deception, and today I sit down with Rebecca Gibb to dive into her latest book, Vintage Crime: A Short History of Wine Fraud. We’ll talk about some of the surprising additions to wine throughout time, including some rather deadly (though tasty!) ingredients, and why and how wine fraud continues to happen. Our chat ends with Rebecca’s wine picks for a variety of occasions.   Rebecca Gibb is a Master of Wine, business owner, and award-winning wine journalist. She is currently an editor for Vinous, an online wine publication, which has subscribers in more than 100 countries, publishing in-depth wine coverage and reviews. In 2015, Rebecca became the 384th Master of Wine in the world. In a record class of 24 graduates, she was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award and the Bollinger Medal in recognition of outstanding tasting ability.

November is National Adoption Month, which adoptees have reclaimed as National Adoptee Awareness Month (NAAM). In honor of NAAM, this month on Let's Grab Coffee, I'm featuring conversations with authors of books that center adoptee voices.

Who are you and how do you know? Much of our identity begins with our name and our family origin stories, but what happens when the stories you thought you knew begin to unravel? Questions of identity, family, and truth are at the center of Shannon Gibney’s latest novel - The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be: A Speculative Memoir of Transracial Adoption. On today’s show I sit down with Shannon to discuss her book, some of the primary themes around adoption, race, and what we know or think we know, and how she’s creating new stories about herself and adoption.

Shannon Gibney is an award winning author and university professor. Her previous novels include See No Color and Dream Country. She is co-editor with Nicole Chung of When We Become Ours: A YA Adoptee Anthology.

November is National Adoption Month, which adoptees have reclaimed as National Adoptee Awareness Month (NAAM). In honor of NAAM, this month on Let's Grab Coffee, I'm featuring conversations with authors of books that center adoptee voices.

According to the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, everyone has the right to identity, the right to know one’s history and origins. Everyone, including children adopted transnationally out of a war. But how can these adoptees begin to know their history and origins, if their nations of origin deny their existence? On today’s show, I’m joined by Dr. Elizabeth Barnert, the author of Reunion: Finding the Disappeared Children of El Salvador. In this book, she provides a firsthand account that reveals the impact of forced family separations and reunifications in communities affected by El Salvador’s civil war. We discuss her work with Pro-Búsqueda, a non-governmental organization dedicated to the search of children who were disappeared during the Salvadoran Civil War, and the importance of adoptees’ own agency in the process of reunion.

Elizabeth Barnert is a pediatrician and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research, grounded in human rights and social action, examines children affected by violence, family separation, and incarceration.

November is National Adoption Month, which adoptees have reclaimed as National Adoptee Awareness Month (NAAM). In honor of NAAM, this month on Let's Grab Coffee, I'm featuring conversations with authors of books that center adoptee voices.

Child welfare services, including adoption and foster care, are often framed around the “best interests of the child,” but who gets to decide what’s best and who’s best for the child? What happens in cases of adoptive parent and foster parent abuse, neglect, and murder? On this episode, I sit down with Roxanna Asgarian, author of We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America. Through her investigative journalism, she challenges some of the assumptions around child welfare and adoption, centers the birth families whose children were murdered by their adoptive parents in a highly-publicized 2018 murder-suicide, and exposes the harms baked into the child welfare system.

Roxanna Asgarian was the law and courts reporter for the Texas Tribune. Previously, she covered the child welfare and criminal justice systems as an independent reporter in Houston. Roxanna received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and her master’s degree from the Craig Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York.

November is National Adoption Month, which adoptees have reclaimed as National Adoptee Awareness Month (NAAM). In honor of NAAM, this month on Let's Grab Coffee, I'm featuring conversations with authors of books that center adoptee voices.

In the last few years, loss and grief have become a shared collective experience, particularly in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic. This period has also put the inequities in the U.S. healthcare system front and center along with the ways that what has been “normal” has often been harmful or unsustainable. In A Living Remedy: A Memoir, Nicole Chung shares her personal experience of loss and grief and connects it to the broader systemic failures that countless Americans have encountered and are one emergency away from encountering.

Nicole Chung is the author the national bestseller All You Can Ever Know, which was named a Best Book of the Year by over twenty outlets, including NPR, The Washington Post, and Time. She is currently a contributing writer at The Atlantic, a Time contributor, and a Slate columnist. In 2021, she was named to the Good Morning America AAPI Inspiration List honoring those “making Asian American history right now.”

What does it mean to be trans? Cisgender? And why should we all use our pronouns as part of how we introduce ourselves? Isn’t gender biological? Many of us have questions like these yet we don’t know who to ask or how to have these conversations. On today’s show, I’m joined by Schulyer Bailar. He’s the author of He/She/They: How We Talk about Gender and Why It Matters, a book that is part personal story, part primer on how to talk about gender, and part resource for understanding terminology, history, and science behind our society's views on sex, gender, and identity.

Schuyler Bailar (he/him) is the first transgender athlete to compete in any sport on an NCAA Division 1 men’s team. His story has appeared everywhere from 60 Minutes to The Washington Post. Schuyler’s tireless advocacy has earned him numerous honors including LGBTQ Nation’s Instagram Advocate for 2020, a GLAAD MEDIA Award nomination, the Out Magazine’s 2017 OUT100 list, and the prestigious Harvard Athletics Director’s Award, which is not granted annually – but only when an athlete demonstrates outstanding contribution to Athletics through education. He is only the 7th recipient of the award. In 2021, Schuyler also released his first middle-grade novel, Obie Is Man Enough. And in 2022, Schuyler created LaneChanger.com making gender literacy education accessible to every team, school, and company.

The desire for success and achievement are part of our culture, a culture that tells us ambition is a virtue – to do more, to be the best, to work hard, so we can play even harder. But what does all that ambition ultimately get us? Are we healthier, happier, more fulfilled? With burnout at an all-time high, according to a recent study by the Future Forum, is it time to rethink ambition and our definition of success? That’s the center of today’s conversation with Rainesford Stauffer, author of All the Gold Stars: Reimagining Ambition and the Ways We Strive.   Rainesford Stauffer is a freelance writer, reporter, and Kentuckian. She’s also the author of An Ordinary Age, which was named one of Esquire’s Best Nonfiction Books of 2021. Rainesford writes the Work in Progress column at Teen Vogue, and wrote a column at Catapult, Gold Stars. Her work has appeared in Teen Vogue, Scalawag, Vox, DAME Magazine, ELLE, The New York Times, and other outlets. She was featured on PBS’s Brief But Spectacular in 2023. Rainesford is a 2022-2023 Rosalynn Carter Fellow for Mental Health Journalism, focusing on youth mental health in the South.

There’s more to food than just what’s on your plate. Food can be a weapon of suppression and a tool of resistance. In fact, food was one contested site of freedom during the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Bobby J. Smith II details this story in Food Power Politics: The Food Story of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement. Today we discuss the 1962-1963 Greenwood, Mississippi Food Blockade and the subsequent Food for Freedom program. This is just one part of the broader food justice movement from the Civil Rights era to present-day that Dr. Smith examines in Food Power Politics.   Dr. Bobby J. Smith II is an interdisciplinary scholar of the African American agricultural and food experience. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of African American Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with affiliations in the Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition and the Center for Social & Behavioral Science. His work has been supported by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, Special Collections and University Archives at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, among others.

In 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a federal civil rights law banning discrimination against people with disabilities in many areas of life. However, despite the ADA and more precisely the work of the disability rights movement in bringing public visibility to the injustices faced by disabled folks, the law doesn’t cover accessibility or inclusion in every area of life nor does it change ableist attitudes. And because ableism is ubiquitous in our social world, we must be active in challenging our bias. Today I’m chatting with Dr. Ashley Shew, author of Against Technoableism: Rethinking Who Needs Improvement. We discuss ableism, disability, technology, and accessibility.   Ashely Shew is an Associate Professor in Science, Technology, and Society at Virginia Tech. She is co-editor-in-chief of Techné, the journal of the Society for Philosophy and Technology. Ashley is a grateful participant with her local disability advocacy and activist community in the Disability Alliance and Caucus at Virginia Tech and the New River Valley Disability Resource Center.

According to the US Census, the United States is home to more than 45 million immigrants, about 14% of the total US population. And while this country’s origin story is one of immigration, there have almost always been anti-immigration attitudes, deep misconceptions about the immigration process, and biases about who is worthy of belonging. On today’s show I’m joined by Alejandra Oliva, author of Rivermouth: A Chronicle of Language, Faith, and Migration. We’ll talk about experience of immigration and interpreting at the US-Mexico border and at an asylum application clinic.   Alejandra Oliva is an essayist, embroiderer and translator.  Her book, Rivermouth: A Chronicle of Language, Faith and Migration, received a Whiting Nonfiction Grant. In Spring 2022, Alejandra was the Yale Whitney Humanities Center Franke Visiting Fellow. She holds a master’s degree from Harvard’s Divinity School.

Child welfare services, including adoption and foster care, are often framed around the “best interests of the child,” but who gets to decide what’s best and who’s best for the child? What happens in cases of adoptive parent and foster parent abuse, neglect, and murder? On this episode, I sit down with Roxanna Asgarian, author of _We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America. _Through her investigative journalism, she challenges some of the assumptions around child welfare and adoption, centers the birth families whose children were murdered by their adoptive parents in a highly-publicized 2018 murder-suicide, and exposes the harms baked into the child welfare system.   Roxanna Asgarian was the law and courts reporter for the Texas Tribune. Previously, she covered the child welfare and criminal justice systems as an independent reporter in Houston. Roxanna received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and her master’s degree from the Craig Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York.

In the U.S. coffee is commonly associated with Starbucks, a daily pick-me-up taken on the go, or a fancy specialty coffee shop often located in a gentrified neighborhood. However coffee has a deeply Black and deeply communal history. What would it mean to understand coffee’s Black history and its Black future? Cxffeeblack is on a mission to find out.

On this episode, I’m joined by Bartholomew Jones, a Memphis-born entrepreneur who in late 2018 co-founded Cxffeeblack, a Black social enterprise alongside his wife, Renata Henderson, Memphis’ first Black female coffee roaster.

Doctors are trained to save the lives of countless patients but what happens when the person who needs saving is themselves? On today’s show I’m joined by Dr. Anthony Chin-Quee, author of I Can’t Save You. In this memoir, Anthony gives us an intimate look at one doctor’s journey into and out of medicine.

Anthony Chin-Quee, M.D., is a board-certified otolaryngologist with degrees from Harvard University and Emory University School of Medicine. An award-winning storyteller with The Moth, he has been on the writing staff of FOX’s The Resident and a medical adviser for, none other than, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. He has published opinions in Forbes and been interviewed by NPR on the topic of systemic racism in medical education.

Have you ever expensed a lunch that wasn’t solely a business meeting or maybe added a little extra time on your timesheet? If so, that’s fraud. Fraud is not just identity theft, ponzi schemes, or embezzling millions of dollars. Fraud is all around us and maybe even happening to us without our knowledge. On today’s show, I sit down with Dr. Kelly Richmond Pope author of Fool Me Once: Scams, Stories, and Secrets from the Trillion-Dollar Fraud Industry.

Kelly Richmond Pope is the Dr. Barry Jay Epstein Endowed Professor of Forensic Accounting at DePaul University in Chicago, IL. Her research on executive misconduct culminated in directing and producing the award-winning documentary, All the Queen's Horses which explores the largest municipal fraud in U.S. history. Her TED Talk entitled "How Whistle-blowers Shape History” has been viewed over 1.6 million times, translated into 20 languages, and serves as a resource to help organizations and individuals embrace internal whistleblowing.

In the last few years, loss and grief have become a shared collective experience, particularly in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic. This period has also put the inequities in the U.S. healthcare system front and center along with the ways that what has been “normal” has often been harmful or unsustainable. In _A Living Remedy: A Memoir, _Nicole Chung shares her personal experience of loss and grief and connects it to the broader systemic failures that countless Americans have encountered and are one emergency away from encountering. 

Nicole Chung is the author the national bestseller All You Can Ever Know, _which was named a Best Book of the Year by over twenty outlets, including NPR, _The Washington Post, _and _Time. She is currently a contributing writer at The Atlantic, a Time contributor, and a _Slate _columnist.

Recent acts of racial violence are often explained aways as isolated incidents yet a longer view of our nation’s history provides much-needed context to understand our present moment and what may lay ahead. In his latest book, American Whitelash: A Changing Nation and the Cost of Progress, Wesley Lowery brings together insights from history, interviews, data, and a close examination of six cases of white racial violence that occurred in the decade following Obama’s election. He demonstrates how periods of white racist backlash have occurred after moments of social progress.   _Wesley Lowery is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, and one of the nation's leading reporters on issues of race and justice. He is the executive editor of the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University in Washington DC. He is also the author of the New York Times best-selling book, _They Can't Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore and a New Era in America's Racial Justice Movement.

SunAh revisits her conversation with Dr. Victor Ray about his book On Critical Race Theory: Why It Matters & Why You Should Care. Dr. Victor Ray, Associate Professor in the Departments of Sociology and Criminology and African American Studies at the University of Iowa and and a Nonresident Fellow in Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution.. Over the past couple years, we’ve seen a moral panic around “critical race theory” resulting in changes to K-12 curriculum and legislation around divisive concepts in higher education. But, what exactly is critical race theory? Dr. Ray breaks it down in easy-to-understand language with real world applications.

What does it feel like to be visible and invisible, American and presumed foreigner, neither Black nor White? What does it feel like to be Asian in America? In Biting the Hand: Growing Up Asian in Black and White America, Julia Lee takes readers on a personal journey of finding her place in the U.S. It is a journey of rage, shame, and grace, a journey that will be familiar to many marginalized folks in the U.S.   Julia Lee is a Korean American writer, scholar, and teacher. She holds a PhD in English and American Language and Literature and is currently an associate professor of English at Loyola Marymount University, where she teaches Black and Asian American literature.

Children often feel pressured to live up to their parents’ dreams, but for the children of immigrants this pressure is particularly acute. So, what happens when who you are and what you desire conflicts with your parents’ visions of success that are constrained within heteronormative constructions of family, children, and career? On this episode, SunAh chats with Dr. Anthony Christian Ocampo whose latest book is titled _Brown and Gay in LA: The Lives of Immigrant Sons._Dr. Anthony Christian Ocampo is a Professor of Sociology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, an Academic Director of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity, and the co-host of the podcast Professor-ing.

What are some key events, places, or people in Asian American history? If you struggle to come up with an answer, you’re not alone. Asian American history is a history of erasure and not-knowing. On this episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Catherine Ceniza Choy, whose latest book, Asian American Histories of the United States, brings to the forefront the many stories of Asian American history – past and present. Through skillful storytelling, Dr. Choy connects historical moments to present events while weaving in vignettes of Asian American activists, artists, entrepreneurs, trailblazers, and everyday people. Dr. Choy is Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Justice in the University of California, Berkeley’s Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society.

Have you ever felt like you don't have enough energy, care, or motivation to continue with your daily tasks? That's burnout and it's becoming more and more common. On today's show I'm joined by Amelia Nagoski, co-author of Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. She talks about why burnout is so common, especially among women, and what we can do to overcome it.  

Amelia Nagoski holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts and was an Associate Professor and Coordinator of Music at Western New England University. Alongside her twin sister, Emily Nagoski, she is the co-author of Burnout.

Every day we are bombarded with messaging from media, advertisers, friends, and family about what our bodies should look like and how we can take control of our bodies. Many of these messages are inaccurate and harmful, but how can we break free? And, what is at the root of all of this focus on body management? Today I’m joined by Chrissy King, author of The Body Liberation Project: How Understanding Racism and Diet Culture Helps Cultivate Joy and Build Collective Freedom. We discuss how we can detach from society’s obsession with controlling our bodies and not just for our own personal well-being but as a component of collective liberation. If you’ve ever found yourself hating your body, believing that losing a few more pounds would lead to happiness, or frustrated that you can’t attain the latest body goals, then this is the conversation you’ve been waiting for.   Chrissy King is a writer, speaker, strength coach, and educator with a passion for creating a diverse and inclusive wellness industry. She holds degrees in Social Justice and Sociology from Marquette University and has been featured in SELF, SHAPE, Health, Cosmopolitan, BuzzFeed, Muscle and Fitness, and Livestrong, among others.

“Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced,” wrote James Baldwin.   In THE KNEELING MAN, Leta McCollough Seletzky takes us on her personal journey of investigating her father’s life as a spy within Civil Rights organizations. Questioning her father’s life reopened her family’s wounds, yet it is through her exploration that she comes to a fuller understanding of her father and herself. On today’s show, I sit down with Leta to discuss her book and the insights it provides to broader questions about society’s structural conditions, racial inequality, and the possibilities for social change.   Leta McCollough Seletzky is a National Endowment for the Arts 2022 Creative Writing Fellow. A litigator turned essayist and memoirist, her essay "The Man in the Picture," published in O, The Oprah Magazine, was selected as a Notable Essay in BEST AMERICAN ESSAYS 2019.

From everyday social blunders to corporate scandals and social issues, denial is a common strategy used to address or rather ignore problems. On this episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Jared Del Rosso, Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology & Criminology at the University of Denver and author of “Denial: How We Hide, Ignore, and Explain away Problems.” Dr. Del Rosso breaks down the common strategies of denial that we ourselves engage in as well as those we commonly encounter and how we can disrupt denial in order to affect social change.

According to the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, everyone has the right to identity, the right to know one’s history and origins. Everyone, including children adopted transnationally out of a war. But how can these adoptees begin to know their history and origins, if their nations of origin deny their existence? On today’s show, I’m joined by Dr. Elizabeth Barnert, the author of Reunion: Finding the Disappeared Children of El Salvador. In this book, she provides a firsthand account that reveals the impact of forced family separations and reunifications in communities affected by El Salvador’s civil war. We discuss her work with Pro-Búsqueda, a non-governmental organization dedicated to the search of children who were disappeared during the Salvadoran Civil War, and the importance of adoptees’ own agency in the process of reunion.   Elizabeth Barnert is a pediatrician and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research, grounded in human rights and social action, examines children affected by violence, family separation, and incarceration.

“Anyone with an internet connection can be a propagandist.” Yes, that means you and me. If you don’t believe it – and trust me, I didn’t either – you will once you learn more about Dr. Samuel Woolley’s research on propaganda in the social media age. In today’s show, I sit down with Sam to talk about the conditions of social media that make propaganda easy create and circulate and who is behind social media propaganda. We also talk about the implications for manufacturing illusions of political consensus and importantly the consensus of feeling – feelings like apathy, anger, and polarization. Dr. Samuel Woolley is a faculty member in the School of Journalism & Media at the University of Texas at Austin, the program director of the Propaganda Research Lab, and a Knight Foundation faculty fellow at the Center for Media Engagement.

We all want to be believed, yet not everyone is believable. Criteria for credibility reflect cultural norms and our own desires to leave what we already know unquestioned, but how do these biases affect what we hear and the choices we make? In her latest book, Who Gets Believed? When the Truth Isn’t Enough, _Dina Nayeri uncovers how we listen, who we believe, and the tragic consequences of not believing others. Dina joins me in conversation as we wrestle with how we believe and how we can become better at hearing the stories that people like us and not like us tell. Dina is a winner of the UNESCO City of Literature Paul Engle Prize and a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship. Her previous book, _The Ungrateful Refugee, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Kirkus Prize.

This month Let’s Grab Coffee features conversation with Black Is America host and creator, Dominic Lawson. On today’s show, Dominic and I reflect on our time together this month before listening to Part 2 of the Black is America episode about Marian Anderson.   The Black Is America podcast highlights little-known African-American figures and stories. This award-winning podcast helps tell the story of America through the lens of the African American experience. For more about Black Is America, visit blackisamericapodcast.com

This month Let’s Grab Coffee features conversation with Black Is America host and creator, Dominic Lawson. On today’s show, Dominic and I talk about the importance of trailblazers, like one on today’s featured Black is America episode - Marian Anderson. Before listening to the episode together, we talk about the importance of community support in achieving our dreams. And, like Marian, we also talk about times we were denied an opportunity only to have that opportunity come looking for us later.   The Black Is America podcast highlights little-known African-American figures and stories. This award-winning podcast helps tell the story of America through the lens of the African American experience. For more about Black Is America, visit blackisamericapodcast.com

This month Let’s Grab Coffee features conversation with Black Is America host and creator, Dominic Lawson. On today’s show, Dominic and I discuss the ongoing connection between past and present focusing on the fight for Civil Rights. One objective of the Civil Rights Movement was desegregation of leisure spaces and today’s featured Black Is America episode highlights the lengths one man went to draw attention to this part of the fight for racial equality. Tune in to learn more about Ledger “Roller Man” Smith’s unique journey to the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.   The Black Is America podcast highlights little-known African-American figures and stories. This award-winning podcast helps tell the story of America through the lens of the African American experience. For more about Black Is America, visit blackisamericapodcast.com   Listen to Martin Luther King, Jr’s speech from the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom here: https://www.npr.org/2010/01/18/122701268/i-have-a-dream-speech-in-its-entirety

This month Let’s Grab Coffee features conversation with Black Is America host and creator, Dominic Lawson. On today’s show, Dominic and I talk about the motivation behind Black Is America and how he creates each episode. We also listen to the Black Is America episode on Tom Lee. Many Memphians will be familiar with Tom Lee Park but may not know the heroic actions that led to his being commemorated with a park named in his honor.   The Black Is America podcast highlights little-known African-American figures and stories. This award-winning podcast helps tell the story of America through the lens of the African American experience. For more about Black Is America, visit blackisamericapodcast.com

What music do you like? How do you know? And how does your favorite music streaming app know – or not? Questions of music taste and how the people creating music recommender systems define it motivate Nick Seaver’s book, Computing Taste: Algorithms and the Makers of Music Recommendation. On today’s show, I’m joined by Nick to discuss his book, his own taste in music, and what he learned as he talked, worked, and hung out with the people behind the algorithms. Nick Seaver, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Tufts University, where he is also the director of the program in Science, Technology, and Society.

Who are you and how do you know? Much of our identity begins with our name and our family origin stories, but what happens when the stories you thought you knew begin to unravel? Questions of identity, family, and truth are at the center of Shannon Gibney’s latest novel - The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be: A Speculative Memoir of Transracial Adoption. On today’s show I sit down with Shannon to discuss her book, some of the primary themes around adoption, race, and what we know or think we know, and how she’s creating new stories about herself and adoption. Shannon Gibney is an award winning author and university professor. Her previous novels include See No Color _and _Dream Country.

It’s that time of year where everything is supposed to be merry and bright, yet the holidays are often one of the most stressful times of year. With deadlines looming, expectations for extravagant gift-giving, family gatherings, too many social events, or loss of loved ones, you may be feeling less than joyful. Today I’m joined by Dr. Justin K Dodson of Navigating Courage Counseling & Consultation to talk about how to lessen the stress of the season. We talk about some common holiday stressors, strategies to address them, and what’s bringing us joy.

The Supreme Court is currently hearing Brackeen v Haaland, a case that challenges the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). ICWA was meant to preserve Native American families, traditions, and cultures and protects tribal sovereignty by granting tribal nations “exclusive jurisdiction” over their enrolled members and their lands. Accordingly, the impact of the outcome of Brackeen v Haaland extends far beyond family preservation. On this episode, SunAh is joined by Susan Harness to discuss the history of child removal specifically within American Indian families and the outcomes of placing American children with non-native families. She also describes the importance of the Indian Child Welfare Act and the potential effect of the Brackeen v Haaland case. Susan is the author of _Bitterroot: A Salish (Say-lish) Memoir of Transracial Adoption. _She is a transracial adoptee and a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

In 1995, President Clinton proclaimed November as National Adoption Month but in recent years adoptees have reframed it as National Adoptee Awareness Month recenter adoptee voices, experiences, and expertise, which have historically been marginalized. On this episode, SunAh sits down with Patrick Armstrong to discuss the importance of this reframing, current adoptee issues, and how he has been engaging in adoptee advocacy. Patrick is a transracial Korean American adoptee, podcaster, speaker, and advocate. He is one of the co-hosts of the Janchi Show, a podcast that explores and celebrates the experiences and stories of Korean adoptees everywhere, and a producer of Dear Asian Americans, a podcast for and by Asian Americans, focusing on authentic storytelling rooted in origin, identity, and legacy.

Notes go hereClassical music is for everyone, including you; you just might not know it yet. In “Declassified: A Low-Key Guide to the High-Strung World of Classical Music,” Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch demystifies classical music, breaking down the massive genre into its compositional periods, giving insights into the attitudes and everyday life of musicians and composers, and helping classical music novices cultivate an ear for the music. On this episode of Let’s Grab Coffee, SunAh sits down with Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch to learn more about classical music and why she walked away from her career as  concert violinist.

Hidden in history are countless stories of everyday people who did extraordinary things. In “Tien Fu Wu: Freedom Warrior,” Dawn K. Wing tells the story of how Tien Fu Wu escaped child slavery during the Chinese Exclusion Act era to become a humanitarian worker, helping other enslaved women and children. On this episode of Let’s Grab Coffee, SunAh is joined by Dawn K. Wing to learn more about how she learned about Tien Fu Wu and the lessons from Tien Fu Wu’s life that we can apply today. Dawn K. Wing is a Reference and Instruction Librarian at Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul, MN and the founder of Water Pig Press. “Tien Fu Wu: Freedom Warrior” is her second historical comics biography. To learn more about her debut historical comics biography about Tye Leung Schulze, check out episode 68.

Friends! How many of us have them? Friendships are crucial for our well-being yet making friends as an adult can be difficult. Luckily, Dr. Marisa G. Franco’s book, Platonic: How The Science of Attachment Can Help You Make—and Keep—Friends, provides practical applications for how to make friends, including how to overcome our own relationship insecurities and defense mechanisms. On this episode, SunAh sits down with Dr. Franco to learn more about the importance of friendships and how to put some of her insights into practice. Dr. Marisa G. Franco is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Maryland, a licensed counseling psychologist, and friendship expert.

Children often feel pressured to live up to their parents’ dreams, but for the children of immigrants this pressure is particularly acute. So, what happens when who you are and what you desire conflicts with your parents’ visions of success that are constrained within heteronormative constructions of family, children, and career? On this episode, SunAh chats with Dr. Anthony Christian Ocampo whose latest book is titled _Brown and Gay in LA: The Lives of Immigrant Sons._Dr. Anthony Christian Ocampo is a Professor of Sociology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, an Academic Director of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity, and the co-host of the podcast Professor-ing.

What are some key events, places, or people in Asian American history? If you struggle to come up with an answer, you’re not alone. Asian American history is a history of erasure and not-knowing. On this episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Catherine Ceniza Choy, whose latest book, Asian American Histories of the United States, brings to the forefront the many stories of Asian American history – past and present. Through skillful storytelling, Dr. Choy connects historical moments to present events while weaving in vignettes of Asian American activists, artists, entrepreneurs, trailblazers, and everyday people. Dr. Choy is Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Justice in the University of California, Berkeley’s Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society.

“Birth control” is for women and condoms are for men, or at least that’s the general approach to contraceptives. These gendered expectations around types of birth control methods put the primary responsibility for preventing pregnancy on women with crucial consequences for women’s reproductive health, women’s bodily autonomy, and gender inequality. On this episode, SunAh sits down with Dr. Krystale Littlejohn, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Oregon and the author of Just Get on the Pill: The Uneven Burden of Reproductive Politics to talk about how this framing limits everyone’s understanding of reproductive health and impacts contraceptive use.

Colleges and universities provide more than an academic curriculum. For many students, college serves as a crucial space shaping ideas of who they are and how they fit into the world. For the men who graduate from Morehouse College, the nation’s oldest historically Black college for men, they not only attain college degrees but they become Morehouse Men. But what happens when manhood is constructed against an unattainable and narrow ideal? On this episode, SunAh talks with Dr. Saida Grundy, an Assistant Professor of Sociology, African American Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies at Boston University, about her book, Respectable: Politics and Paradox in Making the Morehouse Man. Dr. Grudy discusses the far-reaching effects of an institution, like Morehouse, socializing students into a specific set of racialized gender expectations.

Jokes are meant to be funny, and studies show the multiple mental benefits of laughter. But, what happens when jokes target marginalized jokes? On this episode, SunAh sits down with Dr. Raúl Pérez, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of La Verne and author of _The Souls of White Jokes: How Racist Humor Fuels White Supremacy. _Dr. Pérez shares some of the ways that humor is used in different organizations from political interest groups to police departments in ways that are no laughing matter.

On this episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Victor Ray, Associate Professor in the Departments of Sociology and Criminology and African American Studies at the University of Iowa and author of On Critical Race Theory: Why It Matters & Why You Should Care. Over the past year, we’ve seen a moral panic around “critical race theory” resulting in changes to K-12 curriculum and legislation around divisive concepts in higher education. But, what exactly is critical race theory? Dr. Ray breaks it down in easy to understand language with real world applications.

On this episode, SunAh sits down with Michelle Pegues, a certified life coach specializing in happiness and fulfillment and the host of “Real Talk with Michelle,” the podcast about purpose. Earlier this year a Gallup poll found that only 38% of Americans say they are happy. Even with all the massive changes happening in our society and perhaps personal lives as well, there are still ways for us to create happiness. Michelle details the main contributors to personal happiness, key barriers, and tips for examining our own beliefs around happiness. To learn more about Michelle, visit NewVibeCoaching.com or on Instagram at @realtalkwithmichelle

On this episode, SunAh welcomes Audrey S. Geyer, a Fertility Awareness Method Educator & High-Performance Women's Health Coach. Audrey details the hormonal changes that happen throughout your menstrual cycle and how that knowledge can help folks who menstruate to use their hormones to their advantage so they can achieve more of their health, personal, or professional goals with less stress. Audrey also breaks down some common myths and misconceptions about the menstrual cycle. To learn more about her programs, you can find Audrey on Instagram @audreysgeyer or AudreySGeyer.com

June is Men’s Health Month and mental health is one crucial component of health, though often a taboo topic. On this episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Justin K. Dodson, licensed therapist and founder of Navigating Courage counseling and consultation. Dr. Dodson talks about some of the misconceptions around seeking mental health services, particularly for men. He also describes some of the benefits of therapy. To learn more about Dr. Dodson’s therapeutic services, visit navigatingcouragecac.com. You can also find him on Instagram and Twitter @itsdrjkeith

On this episode, SunAh sits down with Dr. JaeRan Kim, Associate Professor and BASW chair in the School of Social Work and Criminal Justice at the University of Washington – Tacoma. Dr. Kim sheds light on why adoption is not a solution to the rollback of reproductive rights. She discusses what popular adoption tropes such as “forever family” conceal about the adoption industry. Importantly, Dr. Kim brings insights from her work with adoptees to talk about the complexities of adoption from an adoptee point of view.

On this episode, SunAh welcomes Dr. Nicole Bedera, expert on intimate partner violence and sexual violence prevention. Dr. Bedera provides important context for the Johnny Depp – Amber Heard defamation trial, including breaking down myths about mutual abuse, “perfect victims, and “perfect perpetrators.” She also details some of the structural changes needed to protect survivors and as well as what we can do on an individual level to support survivors we know.

On this episode, SunAh chats with Caitlin Behle, community builder, design researcher, facilitator, and board member for the Asian American Cultural Association of Cincinnati (AACAC). While Cincinnati’s Asian American population is relatively small, at about 2 percent, over the past few years AACAC has been focused on making Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month more prominent. Caitlin shares how some of that community building and intentionality happened, what AACAC has been able to provide for the community, as well as what AAPI Heritage Month has meant to her.

On this episode, SunAh sits down with Dawn K. Wing, Reference and Instruction Librarian at Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul (MN) and founder of Water Pig Press. Dawn shares some of the story of Tye Leung Schulze, the first Chinese American woman to vote in a major U.S. election and to hold a federal government job. There are so many contemporary connections between Tye’s story and the current experiences of Asian American women and resistance. To learn more about Tye Leung Schulze, visit waterpigpress.com

On this episode, SunAh is joined by Sarah Houston, Executive Director of Protect Our Aquifer. Memphis is the largest U.S. city that relies 100% on groundwater to meet its needs, and the Memphis Sand Aquifer or Sparta Aquifer makes that possible. Sarah talks about what makes this water source so unique, and why we must protect it. She shares ways that we can all be part of preserving this precious resource for the present and future. To learn more, visit ProtectOurAquifer.org

On this episode, SunAh welcomes Dr. Khalid Long, Assistant Professor of Theatre and Coordinator of Theatre Studies at Columbia College Chicago. Dr. Long is also a freelance dramaturg with a focus in production dramaturgy, and in this conversation, he describes how dramaturgs work behind the scenes to help plays come alive. Khalid also talks about his book project, which explores the many ways that director, writer, and choreographer Glenda Dickerson left an indelible mark on the theatre arts.

On this episode, SunAh sits down with J. Whitlow, Creative Director of Privileged, LLC and the event curator for the Listen Out Loud R&B/Hip-Hop Festival. He talks about the motivation behind this festival and the role he hopes this event will play in the future for up and coming independent artists from across the country. He also shares some of his journey into his unique take on event planning which blends the social scene with social activism.

On this episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Heba Gowayed, the Moorman-Simon Assistant Professor of Sociology at Boston University. Currently, 1 in 95 people are displaced globally. Dr. Gowayed describes the systems that support and/or constrain refugees in their new countries. She shares her research findings from her new book, _Refuge: How the State Shapes Human Potential, _which follows Syrian refugees as they resettle in the U.S. and Canada and seek asylum in Germany. Her work sheds light on how displaced Ukrainians are and will be incorporated into host countries.

On this episode, SunAh sits down with Dana James Mwangi, Founder of Cheers Creative, a brand strategy consultancy, and Tennessee’s Grown with Google Digital Coach. This year Dana celebrates 10 years in business. In our conversation, she shares insights from her journey in entrepreneurship as well as lessons for small businesses who want to maximize their online presence. To connect with Dana and learn more about her upcoming free digital trainings, visit danajamesmwangi.com

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Notes go hereOn this episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Heather Brandt, Director of the HPV Cancer Prevention Program and Co-associate Director for Outreach at St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center. Did you know that nearly everyone will get HPV at some point in their lives? HPV causes six kinds of cancers in women and men. Dr. Brandt explains the importance of the HPV vaccination and addresses common misconceptions.

On this episode, SunAh sits down with Dr. Leann V. Smith, founder of The Mending Place, PLLC and a licensed psychologist. She shares why she created The Mending Place and the importance of culturally affirming therapeutic services. Leann details the various contributing factors to our mental wellness and the relationship between our support systems and stressors. For more on The Mending Place, visit letsmend.org

On this episode, SunAh welcomes Dr. L’Heureux Lewis-McCoy, an Associate Professor at New York University in the Sociology of Education program in the School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. He how the suburbs are changing both schools and communities and the changes that must be made to make the suburbs an “American Dream” worth having.

On this episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Ash Woody, Assistant Professor of African American Studies at California State University, Fullerton. Dr. Woody details their concept of ambient racism and how it can help us think about the effects of structural racism in our everyday experiences of space and place.

On this episode, SunAh talks with Dr. Héctor de Jesús-Cortés, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Director of the Sagrado-MIT Neuroscience Pre-college Program. He shares his research on neuropsychiatric disorders and possible interventions as well as the rather happenstance way he became interested in neuroscience. If you’d like to learn more about the research Dr. de Jesús-Cortés’s shared in this episode, he can be reached via email at hdejesus@mit.edu

On this episode, SunAh is joined by Kebo Drew, managing director of the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP). Kebo talks about the importance of creating and showing a wide-range of diverse stories and how QWOCMAP helps equip aspiring filmmakers to do so. She also shares the healing power of art and why art cannot be separated from community, politics, and empowerment.

On this episode, SunAh sits down with Lyman Aldrich, Chairman Emeritus of the Memphis in May International Festival. Lyman served as the president of the first Memphis in May, and in our conversation he shares the history behind this now famous festival. He describes how and why he intentionally created an interracial committee of young men and women and the primary goal of the first festival. To learn more about the upcoming documentary about this history, visit revival-memphis.org

On today’s episode SunAh sits down with Dr. Deadric Williams, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Deadric provides historical context for how we think about families and family inequality today before outlining policies and programs that are needed to ensure the well-being of our communities.

On today’s episode, SunAh welcomes Natasha Hemmingway, a corporate and entrepreneurial-based Sales Coach and Speaker and the creator of Heart Not Hustle coaching firm. Natasha discusses why mindset is foundational to your business and shares several tips on how to shift your mindset. She details how to move through fear to take inspired action and how, as an entrepreneur, you should think about sales. Follow Natasha on Instagram @natashahemmingway to learn more about Heart Not Hustle.

On today’s episode, SunAh sits down with Dr. Earl Wright, II, a professor of sociology at Rhodes College and the nation’s leading expert on W.E.B. DuBois and the Atlanta Sociological Laboratory. He discusses the importance of DuBois as well as many other Black sociologists to the field and why their early contributions were, and continue to be, largely excluded from the sociological canon. He draws connections between historic exclusion of Black sociology in the founding of the discipline and the contemporary marginalization of Black scholarship within the field of study.

On today’s episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Mary McConner, a scholar-practitioner in the field of higher education. Mary talks about diversity, equity, and inclusion – what it is and some common misunderstandings. She also describes how organizations can begin fostering inclusion. The show ends with Mary detailing what allyship is, why it’s important, and providing some ways that listeners can be allies in their everyday lives.

One year ago "Let's Grab Coffee" hit the WYXR airwaves. Since then SunAh has chatted with a wide range of experts and young professionals from topics like health and wellness to debt and wealth, gender attitudes, and immigration and so many conversations about food, including food science, food authenticity, and the importance of Black farmers. On this episode, SunAh takes a trip down memory lane, highlighting past guests.

On today’s episode SunAh welcomes Mia Saine, digital illustrator. They have collaborated with OisellexAllbirds, ACLU, and ThirtyThree; illustrated the Little People, Big Dreams book on Michelle Obama; and have been the featured illustrator for Memphis Magazine cover art, just to name a few of their works. Mia talks about the goals of their art, the power of representation, and their desire to create a space where people can learn and grow. They explain what it means to make art that is approachable but not comfortable.

On today’s episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Kimberly McKee, associate professor in integrative, religious, and intercultural studies at Grand Valley State University, and Taneka Jennings, Adoptee and immigrant rights advocate who is currently a Campaign Manager with Adoptees For Justice. They situate international adoption within broader histories of immigration and U.S. race relations. They also discuss how adoptee citizenship rights is linked to though often seen as separate from immigration rights more broadly.

On today’s episode, SunAh sits down with Katelyn Hemmeke to discuss “Blue Bayou,” a film that follows the fictional story of a Korean adoptee facing deportation. Katelyn talks about the controversies surrounding the film, including the appropriation of an actual adoptee’s story, the ethics of representation, and the inattention to current legislation around adoptee citizenship rights. Katelyn is a two-time Fulbright award recipient who holds an MA in English from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she studied birth family search and trauma in adoptee memoirs. She currently works for the HANA Center, a nonprofit organization in Chicago that serves and organizes Korean and multi-ethnic immigrant populations.

On today’s episode, SunAh is joined by Dominic Lawson, creator of The Start Up Life podcast and current podcast host, producer, and editor for Meadows Behavioral Healthcare. September 30th is International Podcast Day, a day to celebrate the power of podcasting, and Dominic shares how he has gone from taping podcast episodes in his closet to interviewing some of the most well-known entrepreneurs in the nation and now podcasting full-time. He also talks about how podcasting is going to help him leave a lasting legacy with his next podcast launching February 2022 – “Black is America,” a history podcast highlighting little-known African American figures and stories.

On today’s episode, SunAh sits down with Will Deyamport, III, Ed.D, a district instructional technologist for the Hattiesburg school district in Mississippi, serving grades K-12. He shares how he’s been implementing online instruction, the opportunities this format provides students and educators, and the possibilities for reimagining education. This conversation debunks myths that online learning is ineffective, low quality, or impersonal.

On today’s episode SunAh welcomes Ashley Aranmolate, MHA, BSN, RN, PMHNP-S, to discuss mental health and suicide prevention. Ashley offers a reframe of how we think about trauma, warning signs to be attuned to if someone is struggling with suicide, and what each of us can do if someone we know is having suicidal thoughts. She also shares some mental health wellness practices that everyone can use until you can access mental health care. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

On today’s episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Michael Rosino, an assistant professor of Sociology at Molloy College in Long Island, NY. He talks about what his recent book, _Debating the Drug War: Race, Politics, and Media, _can tell us about contemporary attitudes around drug policy and drug reform. He shares the most common enduring myths around drug use and offers insights into where the drug war is headed.

On today’s episode, SunAh sits down with Cristina McCarter, foodpreneur and the creative mind behind many of Memphis’s favorite foodie events. She shares the how’s and why’s behind Memphis Dining Week, City Tasting Tours, and the Craft Food and Wine Festival. Cristina talks about her newest food venture with Lisa Brown - City Tasting Box, and how they are on a mission to bring the flavors of iconic food cities to food lovers across the nation. She also discusses how she has been able to center philanthropy in her businesses through giving back to the local food economy and other social organizations.

On today’s episode, SunAh is joined by Drs. William J. Scarborough, and Joanna R. Pepin to discuss their recent research on gender and racial attitudes. The two explain how it is that some people hold complementary or conflicting attitudes about racial and gender equality. To learn more about this research, you can read the pre-print of their article, “The Intersection of Racial and Gender Attitudes, 1977 through 2018”, at https://osf.io/db8ng

On today’s episode, SunAh welcomes Dr. Myron Strong, an Associate Professor of Sociology at the Community College of Baltimore County. Myron discusses how comics are more than just super hero and super villain stories but rather act as an artifact for our culture, illustrating who we are and who we could be. He shares a variety of comics that tell stories of our past in ways that are compelling and easy to understand as well as comics that envision alternative futures. Whether you’re a comics fan or newbie, this episode will have you thinking about comics in a different way.

On today’s episode, SunAh is joined by Ali Manning, food scientist and founder of Umami Food Consulting. Ali describes the process behind making new food products, including some familiar food items like sauces and potato chips. She also shares how food science influences the entire food process from planting to processing, food product creation and packaging. Ali also discusses some of the ways that she invests in the local food scene. Follow Ali on Instagram @aliglad_carpediem to learn more about her food entrepreneurship and upcoming children’s book “Can I play with my food?”

On today’s episode SunAh sits down with Justin Buonomo of Just Financial Foundations to talk all things money! Justin breaks down some of the wrong lessons we’ve learned about money and how we can incorporate new strategies to bring us financial peace and abundance. He share some easy to apply tips to make our money management less stressful. Follow Justin on Instagram @justin_buonomo for more financial education!

On this episode, SunAh catches up with Fresh, the bespoke tailor behind the luxury fashion house, RichFresh. Fresh shares insights on how to create a sustainable business, knowing your value, and the mindset that made all the difference for his business during the pandemic.

On this episode, SunAh welcomes Cameron Lee Small, licensed professional clinical counselor and founder of Therapy Redeemed. Cameron talks about the benefits of therapy and debunks some common misconceptions about what therapy is and what type of people utilize therapy. He shares some questions to consider when choosing a therapist before walking listeners through a typical therapeutic session.

On this episode, SunAh is joined by Ricky Dortch Jr, owner of Ambishun Fitness gym, certified personal trainer, and nutrition specialist. Ricky breaks down what a good “diet” is and how to create your own balanced nutrition plan. He talks about why the people you may label as “body goals” aren’t the best examples to follow. Ricky also shares important tips around hydration, physical fitness, and how to find a trainer that will help you towards your fitness goals.

On this episode, SunAh sits down with Dr. Earle Fisher, an Academic Research Fellow with the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis. Earle sheds light on the origins of Critical Race Theory before breaking down the more recent controversies. He also discusses how Critical Race Theory has been taken up, or not, in various Christian denominations.

On this episode, SunAh is joined by fellow Korean adoptee, Amanda Assalone, the Vice President of the Korean American Coalition, Metro Atlanta. Amanda discusses the Adoptee Citizenship Act and how advocates are working to ensure citizenship rights for international adoptees. She also talks about some of general themes among international transracial adoptees such as navigating relationships with one’s heritage community, creating community with other adoptees, traveling to one’s birth country, and deciding whether or not search for one’s first family.

On this episode, SunAh welcomes Dr. Leann V Smith, a psychologist and Assistant Professor of School Psychology within the Department of Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University. Leann shares her experiences growing up in Galveston, TX and how Juneteenth National Independence Day (also known as Jubilee Day, Black Independence Day, and Emancipation Day) was celebrated, honored, and taught. She also discusses the importance of nationally recognizing this piece of “hidden history.”

On this episode, SunAh sits down with Dr. Devon Goss, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Emory, Oxford College who specializes in race and ethnicity, sports, and the family. Devon shares her research on gymnastics sports commentary and what media’s framing of Black gymnasts can tell us about race, society, and how women’s athleticism is viewed. The episode ends with Devon’s predictions – and hopes – for who will make the U.S. women’s gymnastics Olympic team.

On this episode, SunAh is joined by Gerald C. Harris, one of the trio behind the Tall Grass Food Box, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in the Durham and Raleigh, NC area created to support and encourage the sustainability of Black farmers. Gerald gives the backstory to how the CSA originated and the impact they’ve been able to have in the year since it began. He also discusses some of the systemic issues, past and present, that Black farmers have faced across the nation.

On this episode, SunAh welcomes Kalli Higgins, an integrative healing practitioner and the founder of the wellness studio Kali (kali.mn). Kalli delves into the healing power of flower essences. She shares how flower essences help balance our mental and emotional states and draw upon our innate healing potential.

On this episode, SunAh is joined by Kenneth Worles, Jr., the President and Creative Director of Three(I) Creative Communications a social impact marketing agency. Kenneth breaks down how marketing can be used to create social change and the power of storytelling for uplifting and advancing communities. He explains why some companies are ahead of the curve in creating campaigns that foster cultural acceptance and cultural respect. The episode ends with Kenneth’s advice for becoming critical consumers of media and marketing.

On this episode, SunAh sits down with Dr. Brittany Fox-Williams, an assistant professor of sociology at Lehman College, City University of New York. Brittany talks about her research on trust in student-educator relationships and the effects on longer-term educational outcomes. She also shares some of her work on how youth navigate their involuntary interactions with police, focusing not on students who are “at-risk” but rather students who are “on track.”

On this episode, SunAh is joined by Marco Pavé, hip hop artist, community activist, international ambassador, and Georgetown University’s hip hop artist-in-residence. Marco discusses how Memphis has shaped hip hop music, how hip hop artists contribute to contemporary social justice movements, and often overlooked messages in mainstream hip hop music.

On this episode, SunAh is joined by Kelsey Michael, a researcher of religious practices, gender, and race. Kelsey discusses how the gendered worship practices in white evangelical churches shapes churchgoing women’s lives outside of the church from their full time jobs to their weddings and even how they experience sexual intimacy.

On this episode, SunAh chats with Dr. Julius McGee, assistant professor at Portland State University in the Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, and Black Studies. Julius explains how organic farming can contribute to climate change, when switching to renewable energy is most effective for decreasing inequality, and how mass incarceration increases carbon emissions. If you’ve ever wondered how climate change impacts you and why climate justice is important, this is the episode for you.

On this episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Letisha Brown, Assistant Professor of Sociology and member of the Steering Committee for the development of the Food Studies Program at Virginia Tech. Letisha talks how our relationships and other aspects of our social life shape our experiences with food. She also challenges some of our long-held beliefs about how, why, and what we eat.

On this episode, SunAh talks with Dr. Anna Storti, an interdisciplinary scholar of Asian America, feminist & queer theory, and mixed-race art & culture. Anna discusses the histories of various stereotypes about Asians in America and Asian women, specifically. She shows how these stereotypes are continually being invoked in violent attacks against Asians in America. Anna offers a range of resources for listeners who are interested in learning more about Asian American history and how we can respond to different types of harm in our communities.

On this episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Vivian Shaw and Christina Ong of the AAPI COVID-19 Project. The AAPI COVID-19 project focuses on uncovering the multiple layers of harm — the virus itself and the intensification of racism and xenophobia that Asian, Asian Americans, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders have endured in its wake. Vivian and Christina share some of the project’s preliminary findings and also provide historical context for the past year’s rising anti-Asian hate.

On this episode, SunAh sits down with Nicole Bedera, an expert on college sexual violence and a contributor to consent programming across the country. Nicole explains why it’s important to understand sexual violence, the ways we contribute to environments that facilitate sexual violence, and how Title IX  (the that law protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance) is currently being used. The episode ends with Nicole discussing what we should or, rather, should not do when we find out that someone we know is a perpetrator of sexual violence.

On this episode, SunAh welcomes Dr. Felicia Arriaga, an Assistant Professor of sociology in the criminology concentration at Appalachian State University. An expert in race and ethnicity, immigration, and crimmigration, Felicia explains why local law enforcement is often carrying out immigration enforcement and what her research tells us about how local communities can disrupt harmful anti-immigration policies and practices.

On this episode, SunAh talks all things math with Dr. Dana Miller-Cotto, an educational psychologist whose work examines the cognitive and affective mechanisms that underlie mathematics learning and instruction. Dana breaks down the importance of math for everyday life and methods that facilitate math learning.

On this episode, SunAh welcomes attorney Ashley Satterfield, the Chief Legal and Administrative Officer for the Reaves Law Firm. Ashley explains how the law and contemporary calls for social justice intersect. She also discusses the legal process in cases of employment discrimination.

On this episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Jennifer Mueller, an Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Intergroup Relations Program at Skidmore College. Jenni connects the history of inter-generational wealth transmission to contemporary racial wealth gaps.

On this episode, SunAh is in conversation with Dr. B. Brian Foster, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi and the Director of the Mississippi Hill Country Oral History Collective. The two discuss his book, “‘I don’t like the blues’: Race, Place, and the Backbeat of Black Life.”

On this episode, SunAh delves into the history of Black History Month and the legacy of Black intellectualism with Dr. Saida Grundy, a feminist sociologist of race & ethnicity and an Assistant Professor of Sociology and African-American Studies at Boston University.

On this episode, SunAh is in conversation with Dr. Aeriel Ashlee, Assistant Professor of College Counseling and Student Development at St. Cloud State University and co-founder of Ashlee Consulting. The two discuss how to foster vulnerability and create meaningful connections in order to hold difficult conversations.

On this episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Melissa C. Brown, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University. The two talk about Black feminism, digital media, and social change. Melissa also illuminates why shows like P-Valley are important to changing the narrative around Black women’s erotic labor.

On this episode, SunAh sits down with Dr. Kaitland M. Byrd, a visiting scholar at the National Center for Institutional Diversity at the University of Michigan and the author of “Real Southern Barbecue: Constructing Authenticity in Southern Food Culture.” The two dive into the behind the scenes of creating food authenticity, particularly around BBQ. Kaitland also talks about how the craft and artisanal food revivals obscure the labor of women and racial minorities.

On this episode, SunAh is joined by Aisha Upton, whose research focuses on race and gender, social movements, and civil society. Aisha explains how Black Greek-Letter Organization sororities responded to the Black feminist movement and how these organizations are responding to the contemporary Black Lives Matter movement.

On this episode, SunAh welcomes Dr. Brittney Dernberger, a Researcher at Insight Policy Research who studies, social inequality and mobility, examining who gets ahead in life and why. The two talk gender roles and gender attitudes from past to present, including whose attitudes are changing and whose gendered expectations are not.

On this episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Nancy Yuen, a pop culture expert and author of “Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism” and co-author of “Tokens on the Small Screen: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Prime Time and Streaming Television.” The two talk about racial representation in mainstream media – how it’s progressed, how it hasn’t, and what is coming to a screen near you next.

On this episode, SunAh welcomes Dr. Jonathan Cox, an assistant professor in the department of sociology at the University of Central Florida. Jonathan shares his findings on racial attitudes among college students and millennials. He explains what it means to be “color-full” as an approach to race and racism versus “color-blind” and how these perspectives can shape our interactions, policies, and practices.

On this episode, SunAh sits down with Dr. Louise Seamster, an assistant professor of African American Studies and Sociology and Criminology at the University of Iowa. Louise discusses her work on “predatory inclusion” in student debt and debt’s contribution to the racial wealth gap. She also dives into what makes student debt cancellation so controversial and how “the condition of debt induces you to do harm to others.”

On this episode, SunAh is joined by Domonique Anderson, a Social Impact Strategy Consultant. Dominique breaks down the differences between gentrification and community revitalization before explaining the importance of community land trusts for shaping the future of a city.

On this episode, SunAh talks with Dr. Kati Barahona-Lopez, an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. Kati discusses why how we talk about immigration matters and the expectations we have for immigrants to self-disclose trauma in order to access social services.

On this episode, SunAh welcomes Mia Keeys, the Director of Health Equity Policy and Advocacy of the American Medical Association. Mia explains the differences between health inequalities and health disparities and then shares the policies and practices that are being implemented to advance health equity.

November is National Adoption Month, and on this episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Katie Bozek, a licensed marriage and family therapist, and Dr. Carla Goar, an associate professor of Sociology at Kent State University and adoption researcher. Katie provides insights into recent adoption headlines, giving context to our current cultural (mis)understandings of transracial adoption. Carla discusses her research with white adoptive parents to transracially adopted children.

On this first episode of “Let’s Grab Coffee,” SunAh sits down with Dr. Rashawn Ray, a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution, a Professor of Sociology and Executive Director of the Lab for Applied Social Science Research (LASSR) at the University of Maryland, College Park. The two discuss some of the defining social issues of 2020 – health and police-civilian interactions.