Identity Unboxed

On this special episode of Identity Unboxed, we sat with Dr. Ed Taylor, Professor at the University of Washington College of Education and Dean and Vice Provost, at UW Undergraduate Academic Affairs, as he discussed his new memoir, ‘The Power of the River’. Ed takes readers on a journey from Lompoc, California, through a childhood marked with loss but grounded in the love and support of family and...

In our bonus episode of Identity Unboxed, ‘Occupying Opposing Worlds — Blackness, Identity, and Class,’ Tiana sat on the other side of the interview table as Brad interviewed her about her personal journey, as told through various narratives she has written over the past few years. This episode is a compilation of Tiana narrating short stories: “Don’t Touch My Hair”, "Lineage," and “The...

In this bonus episode of  Identity Unboxed , we flip the script. Co-host Brad steps into the interviewer’s seat for an intimate conversation with Tiana, exploring her personal journey through the lens of her writing. Together, they unpack the experiences behind her narratives — “Amidst the Pews,” “Lineage,” “The Little Black Cowgirl,” and “Don’t Touch My Hair.” This deeply reflective episode offer...

This Black History Month, we are grateful to explore Black history on our inaugural ‘Legacy Lens’ series. The education system frequently gives us a watered-down version of Black history and minimizes our contributions. Many states have already banned and restricted books on Black history. We have always been here and are determined to remind others that our history will not be forgotten.  Biograp...

This Black History Month, we are grateful to explore Black history on our inaugural ‘Legacy Lens’ series. The education system frequently gives us a watered-down version of Black history and minimizes our contributions. Many states have already banned and restricted books on Black history. We have always been here and are determined to remind others that our history will not be forgotten.  Biograp...

This Black History Month, we are grateful to explore Black history on our inaugural ‘Legacy Lens’ series. The education system frequently gives us a watered-down version of Black history and minimizes our contributions. Many states have already banned and restricted books on Black history. We have always been here and are determined to remind others that our history will not be forgotten.  Biograp...

This Black History Month, we are grateful to explore Black history on our inaugural ‘Legacy Lens’ series. The education system frequently gives us a watered-down version of Black history and minimizes our contributions. Many states have already banned and restricted books on Black history. We have always been here and are determined to remind others that our history will not be forgotten.  Biograp...

This Black History Month, we are grateful to explore Black history on our inaugural ‘Legacy Lens’ series. By honoring the legacies of our ancestors, we discovered the weight of our community’s contributions locally in the Central District and beyond, from music and film to education, and grassroots activism. We have reaffirmed that Black history is not only American history, but also critical to u...

Excellence, greatness, and resilience – these words frequently are at the forefront of our guests' minds when we ask them to define Blackness in their own words. As we delve deeper into our guests’ journeys, we discover that our tenacity and ability to achieve despite our hardships only scratches the surface of who we are as a people. Blackness is not homogeneous – it encompasses a plethora of...

Thank you for listening to Season 3 of Identity Unboxed. At the end of each interview, we ask our guests 'What does Blackness mean to you?' The purpose of this question is to acknowledge that while there is a shared collective experience across the Black diaspora, our understandings of Blackness are deeply personal – shaped by our individual journeys, identities, core values, and lived exp...

Biography: Non-binary comic/actor Caldwell Tidicue, or “Bob The Drag Queen'' on your 'For You' page, describes himself as “hilarious, beautiful, talented and... humble.” We can blame Bob’s mother for his unabashed confidence that won him the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar'' on season 8 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” as well as multiple acting roles for HBO, Netflix, Sony Tristar, MTV, and VH1....

Biography: Jamie Phillips serves as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Seattle Children’s Hospital. In this capacity, she manages the system and clinical business operations, while also overseeing master facility planning, government relations, marketing, and communications. Jamie brings more than 25 years of experience in healthcare administration, the past 15 of which have been in oper...

Biography: Senator T’wina Nobles represents the 28th Legislative District, which includes Lakewood, University Place, Fircrest, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Elected in 2021 as the first Black state senator in Washington in a decade, she brings 20 years of experience in education and community leadership to her roles as chair of the Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee and vi...

Biography: Alicia Luncheon is a Georgia-based criminal defense attorney and content creator with more than a decade of legal experience. She began her career in immigration law, advocating for families navigating complex cases, before moving into criminal defense. Today, she is known for fighting to ensure her clients are treated with dignity in a system that often strips people of their humanity....

Biography: Simon P. Foster is a transformational leader with over 18 years of experience driving systems change across the public, nonprofit, and private sectors. Known for turning bold visions into action, Simon has dedicated his career to advancing equity, building bridges across silos, and delivering results that center community voice. As Division Director for Housing, Homelessness, and Commun...

Biography: Lynnwood Bibbens is a serial entrepreneur and the CEO & Founder of ReachTV. As CEO, Bibbens has taken a leadership role in identifying new markets and opportunities for the ReachTV Network, resulting in the Company’s seminal sales, distribution and partnership deals with world-class traditional and digital media and technology powerhouses.  Bibbens has led the Company’s direction an...

Biography: Kwame Terra is a health tech entrepreneur, public health advocate, and the founder and CEO of bEHR Health—a digital health platform and wellness ecosystem created to close the life expectancy gap in Black communities. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised in Houston, Texas, Kwame was a standout student-athlete who went on to study pre-med and public health at Xavier University of L...

Biography: Bryce-Edward Weatherly, is a perfectly imperfect person, who has nonetheless “been there, done that” as a right-hand resource to chief executives and other higher-ups in corporate and academic environments alike (during times of relative crisis too).Among recent achievements at the University of Washington, Bryce-Edward led a leadership-advisory board on the value-adding potential of re...

Biography: State Representative Shaun Scott of the 43rd Legislative District represents central Seattle neighborhoods including Capitol Hill, Downtown Seattle, South Lake Union, Eastlake, Wallingford, Fremont, University District, and more in the Washington State House of Representatives. A filmmaker, author, and labor organizer with a focus on progressive taxation, labor rights, housing and econo...

Biography: DAVID ROUSSÈVE, is a choreographer/writer/director/performer, magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University and a Guggenheim Fellow. He is known for his dynamic, socially conscious dance/theater that uniquely blends contemporary dance, theater, and multimedia elements to create immersive and thought-provoking performances. His work draws inspiration from the stories of marginalized c...

Biography: Prestin Artis is a dynamic and accomplished graduate of the University of Washington, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree with concentrations in Visual Communication Design, Architecture, and Philosophy. After just over a year at UW, he made the bold decision to walk onto the university’s track and field team—a choice that would redefine his future. Despite starting as a walk-on, Pres...

Biography: Drebae, born DeAndre Clark, is a queer rapper whose raw lyricism and bold presence have cemented him as a rising voice within the LGBTQ+ music scene. He first gained major recognition with his debut performance at San Francisco Pride alongside R&B artist Kehlani, where he performed his single Elegant—a track that has since surpassed one million streams. In 2018, Drebae collaborated...

Biography: Dr. Sarah Adeyinka-Skold is an assistant professor of Sociology at Loyola Marymount University. She earned her sociology doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on how the processes of relationship formation in the United States reveals racism, sexism, and heteroarchy. Her work has been published in academic forums such as the DuBois Review and Sociolog...

Biography: Julia grew up in Seattle as the Black and bi-racial daughter of two public school educators who taught her the importance of public service, empathy, hard work and collective action. She attended Summit K-12 and Holy Names Academy, and holds a BA from Smith College and an MPA from Princeton University’s School for Public and International Affairs. After college, Julia served in the Obam...

Biography: Michelle Purnell-Hepburn serves as the Associate Dean for Inclusion and Diversity, joining Foster in December 2022. In 2021, the Consulting and Business Development Center and Dean Emeritus William D. Bradford recruited her to create and teach the course, “Impact Business Lending: The Power of Access”, due to her extensive years in the banking and credit union industry. Ms. Purnell-Hepb...