Black Oxygen

When Keena Atkinson was in sixth grade she moved to Madison, Wisconsin in hiding.  Her mother, escaping domestic abuse, moved Keena and her sister here as a place of refuge and safety.   In this episode of Black Oxygen, Keena discusses her experience with domestic violence, the discerning power of Black women, how she's learned to live into her purpose, the UW-Madison Odyssey Project and so much m...

  This week on Black Oxygen I'm in conversation with Angela Lang, Executive Director of BLOC of Milwaukee, and Ali Muldrow of the Wisconsin Abortion Fund. In this episode, we discuss what it means to be engaged in democracy locally, the role of Black women in the last presidential election, and the importance of telling our stories in real time so that our legacy and impact are not erased. AND, in...

This week on Black Oxygen we have Alice Gilliam, also known as DJ Gemini Gilly. In this episode, Alice shares her life in Wisconsin, how she become a full-time DJ after starting her career as a social worker, key highlights of her career - including being a DJ for the Milwaukee Bucs AND DJ for VP Kamala Harris, and the role of DJing in creating community.     #DJGeminiGilly #BlackOxygenPodcast #Bl...

Ashley is the Founder and Creator of Black on State, a community-driven organization dedicated to elevating voices, art and creativity.  In this episode, Ashley talks about growing up in Madison, her vision of creating a more welcoming and inclusive downtown Madison, the 2025 Black on State event which is being held on August 23, and so much more.  In our conversation Ashley states that Black folk...

This episode of Black Oxygen features Sabrina Madison. Sabrina is a multifaceted leader based in Madison, Wisconsin, known for her advocacy, entrepreneurship, and public service. She currently serves as the Alder for District 17 on Madison's Common Council.  In addition to her role as an elected official, Sabrina is the founder and CEO of The Progress Center for Black Women, an organization dedica...

In this conversation, Yolanda Shelton-Morris shares her journey from meeting her husband in a middle school program to becoming a recognized leader in her community. She discusses the challenges of being a Black woman in predominantly white spaces, the importance of legacy and recognition, and her commitment to education and social work. Yolanda emphasizes the need for empowerment over mere help,...

In this episode of the Black Oxygen podcast, host Angela Russell reconnects with Dr. Sagashus Levingston to discuss the importance of amplifying Black women's voices, the historical context of their political engagement, and the complexities of Black womanhood. They explore personal journeys, the impact of the 2024 presidential election, and the parallels between historical events and current soci...

Hello Black Oxygen subscribers! On March 7, The OuttaDeeBox Podcast will officially become part of the 365 Media Network, with new episodes every other Thursday. Watch Madison365.org/Podcasts for new episodes or search for OuttaDeeBox on your favorite podcast app. In the meantime, here's a classic episode from the OuttaDeeBox archives!  From the unforgiving streets of Humboldt Park, Chicago, to th...

Hello Black Oxygen subscribers! On March 7, The OuttaDeeBox Podcast will officially become part of the 365 Media Network, with new episodes every other Thursday. Watch Madison365.org/Podcasts for new episodes or search for OuttaDeeBox on your favorite podcast app. In the meantime, here's a classic episode from the OuttaDeeBox archives!  Today, Stacey Clay lays bare his life's journey from the stre...

Hello Black Oxygen subscribers! On March 7, The OuttaDeeBox Podcast will officially become part of the 365 Media Network, with new episodes every other Thursday. Watch Madison365.org/Podcasts for new episodes or search for OuttaDeeBox on your favorite podcast app. In the meantime, here's a classic episode from the OuttaDeeBox archives!  When streets talk, they tell tales of struggle and success, o...

Poet and Green Bay community leader Miriam Brabham came to Wisconsin for love … but stayed because of community. On this episode of Black Oxygen, Miriam, who lives in Green Bay, discusses being biracial, how moving and living in Wisconsin helped her better understand her biracial identity, and the roll of community on her life.  In addition, we discussed The Bridge Poem by Kate Rushin - and want i...

Ranell Washington and Geraud Blanks are two Milwaukee-based entrepreneurs who recently launched Culture By Design. Culture By Design is focused on designing experiences that gets people talking. On this episode of Black Oxygen Ranell and Geraud talk about the the difference between event planning and experience curation, lessons they learned by leading Black Lens in Milwaukee, the role of gender r...

Kayla Conklin, President of Urban League of Greater Madison Young Professionals, Kayla Conklin wants to make Madison a model city for equity. Originally from Illinois, Kayla came to Wisconsin to attend and cheer for UW Madison. After graduating, Kayla stayed here and Madison has become her home.  In this episode of Black Oxygen we discuss Kayla's undergrad experience at UW, her relationship with h...

In the Fall of 2023, local Madison leader Ali Muldrow took a new job as the first Executive Director of the Wisconsin Abortion Fund.  The Wisconsin Abortion Fund is one of the oldest abortion funds in the nation and works to eliminate the financial and resource burden of abortion as health care. In this epsidoe of Black Oxygen, Ali discusses her story around abortion and reproductive health care,...

Jasmine Banks was born and raised in Madison and her family has been in this community for five generations. In this episode, Jasmine talks about growing up on Madison's near east side, working with emerging adults at Operation Fresh Start, and her love of nature - including birding and hiking. Near the end of our conversation she reminds us that with so much going on in the world right now that w...

Henry Sanders, founder and CEO of Madison 365, has been observing and studying leadership since he was a child growing up in Madison, Wisconsin. On this episode of Black Oxygen Henry discusses why leadership is important to him and lessons from great leaders. He also previews the upcoming 365 Leadership Summit, being held this year on November 6 and 7 in Madison, Wi. To learn more and register ple...

Cassaundra Thorpe is the Assistant Director of Career and Leadership for Wisconsin Athletics and is the co-host of the Madison based podcast MTZ Overflow. On this episode we discuss what drew Cassaundra to the Madison area, the intentionality she had to have in creating her community when moving to Wisconsin, her faith, how she has learned to live in her purpose, and some of the challenges that ar...

Born in Orange County, California and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Travis Beckum wants his life to be about making a positive impact. Travis is incredibly driven and passionate - and he has all the receipts to back it up.  He is a Super Bowl Champion, a DJ, a UW-Madison Hall of Fame inductee, and serves of the board of directors for the W Club and the Madison Areas Sports Commission. On this ep...

Kiba is a spray paint muralist based in Stevens Point. Carisa is a singer-songwriter based in Madison. They met this past Spring via Black Oxygen. On this episode, you'll learn how these two Wisconsin based artists met, how they inspire each other's creativity and how art making helps them process the unknown. This conversation also covers topics including Juneteenth and the increasing Black commu...

This episode of Black Oxygen features Nichelle Nichols, the President of the MMSD school board and System Leader in Residence for the National Equity Project. Although born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, for many years she thought that her life and profession would taking her to places much larger than Madison. Today, you'll learn how Nichelle began in education as a profession, what type of ed...

On September 20th, Letesha Nelson, the Executive Director of the Goodman Community Center, is hosting a community conversation on the evolving role of donors featuring Vu Le.  Vu is the author of the book Unicorns Unite: How nonprofits and foundations can build EPIC Partnerships and this the creator and author of the website Nonprofit AF. In this episode of Black Oxygen, Letesha, Vu and I talk abo...

On September 24th, Alex Booker and Charisse Daniels-Johnson are hosting Soulful Sunday Brunch at the Badger Rock Neighborhood Center.  The soulful brunch is a fundraiser to help send Black farmers from the Madison area to the Black Urban Growers Conference.  On this episode of Black Oxygen, we discuss the role of farming and healing, becoming an elder, making your own tea and so much more.  They b...

Mark Richardson, President of Unfinished Business, is the Senior Co-Chair of the Downtown Madison Inc (DMI) Board of Directors. Twenty years ago when Mark moved to Madison, while he liked the downtown area, he saw Black folks being tolerated downtown not celebrated.  In this episode of Black Oxygen Mark and I discuss his vision of what downtown could be, the role of DMI in creating a vibrant and i...

Angela is taking a few weeks off to restore.

On this week's episode of Black Oxygen, the tables are turned.  Regular Black Oxygen guest Ali Muldrow interviews Angela Russell.  The friendship vibes are on thick on this episode as they discuss when Angela first started noticing beauty, her relationship with beauty, and travel the 5 senses of beauty.  #BlackOxygenPodcast #BlackInMadison #BlackInWisconsin #Friends #DopeBlackPodcasts #BeautyAllAr...