Black Oxygen

This week's episode of Black Oxygen is a special call to action featuring Tracy Anderson, Community Outreach and Volunteer Manager of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County. Big Brothers Big Sisters empowers children to reach their full potential by creating and supporting strong and enduring one-on-one mentor relationships throughout Madison and Dane County.  There are currently nearly 200 child...

Drawn by our access to nature and overall cost of living, singer-songwriter Carisa moved to Madison from New York City two years ago. In this episode of Black Oxygen, Carisa discusses her love of nature, what she finds beautiful and the importance of slowing down.  We also discuss our mutual love of musicians Ahmad Jamal and Donny Hathaway.  Carisa will be performing throughout the city this summe...

Angela takes a break for Mother's Day, but she wanted to share what she's been thinking about on this special occasion.

Born and raised in Racine, Wi, Alicia Hazen is a Madison-based blogger, model and influencer covering the Midwest lifestyle, fashion and motherhood.  She is also on the Assistant Dean and Director of Career Services at UW-Madison's School of Human Ecology.  In this episode of Black Oxygen, Alicia discusses her journey into parenthood, the grief and shame one experiences after experiencing miscarri...

Cleveland James, a retired higher education professional, was one of the key architects of the UW-Madison PEOPLE program.  Originally from Charlotte North Carolina, Mr. James came to Wisconsin for graduate school and eventually ended up with a career in college and university admissions.  In this episode of Black Oxygen he discusses the history of the PEOPLE program, things for high school student...

Danielle Bly is the Vice President of Supplier Diversity for WEC Energy Group and is the creator of The Blylife Style blog.  On this episode of Black Oxygen, Danielle provides a 101 on the what and importance of supplier diversity, finding beauty in corporate life, and how her mother shaped her relationship with beauty. Of beauty she says, "beauty is more than just the outside … it's how things ma...

Chassitti Clark was recently named to the InBusiness 2023 class of 40 under 40, is the founder and curator of the social media account The Black Diner, is a Yelp Elite, is the Vice President of the Urban League of Greater Madison's Young Professional Group, and works for the Public Service Commission.  On this episode of Black Oxygen, we discuss Black hair and the crown act, the purpose of and vis...

This week, we're taking a breather. But while we work on the next episode in our season about Beauty, we wanted to give you all a few questions to ask yourself and/or a friend that are meant to explore your own relationship with beauty. Some things to think about, and we'll see you next week.

In the Fall of 2022, Noelle and Ade Adedoyin created Friendly Black Foodies - a social media account that profiles their journey through the local Dane County food scene. On this episode of Black Oxygen, Noelle and Ade discuss their journey to Madison, how they met on Hinge, some of their favorite restaurants in the area and share what more they'd like to see in this community. At the end of the e...

This week's episode is a panel Angela Russell moderated at this year's 365 Women's Leadership Summit titled "Unplug to Heal." Featuring Jihan Bekiri, Dr. Damira Grady, Kirby Toon, and Dulce Maria Danel. More panels like this one will be available soon on the 365 Leadership Summit Podcast, available where you're listening to this podcast. Subscribe today!

In 2019, Oby Nwabuzor created and founded Envision Growth, a Milwaukee-based real estate development firm focused on creating a positive community impact through urban regeneration. In addition to running Envision Growth, she is currently pursuing her DrPH with a focus on the intersection of economic inclusion, real estate and health & social equity, AND she's the Director of DEI at Landmark Credi...

According to 2022 report on home ownership by the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum, only 15% of Black households own their home in Madison,  compared to over 50% of White households. Nationwide, 42% of Black households own their homes, compared to 72% of white households. This episode of Black Oxygen features a conversation with Tiffany Malone a Realtor in Madison and the co-founder of Own It: B...

This week we are doing a podcast swap with Citycast Madison.  This conversation features an host Bianca Martin interviewing her big sister Monica Martin.  Monica Martin is a Chicago-born singer-songwriter who grew up in Baraboo Wisconsin. Bono recently compared Monica to Nina Simone.  While she lives in LA now,  in this episode she talks about her Wisconsin roots including growing up Black in Bara...

Chris Walker is the Director of the Division of Arts, a Professor of Dance and is the Founding Artistic Director of the First Wave Program at UW-Madison.  His Wisconsin journey is the embodiment of the Wisconsin Idea - and starts in Jamaica.  In this episode of Black Oxygen Chris discusses his Wisconsin journey, creating a culture of belonging at UW-Madison, and art as a healing mechanism. He says...

Brenda Moten moved to Wisconsin several years ago to be closer  to her family.  Her journey of living in the Midwest began when she moved from Shreveport, LA to Peoria, IL.  She recently visited her 96 year old father back in Shreveport.  This episode features a conversation with Brenda and her father Esther Monroe. They discuss their life journeys, progress on race relations in the United States,...

Angela Fitzgerald Ward is the Associate Dean of the School of Academic Achievement at Madison College, is the Creator and Host of the Wisconsin Series Why Race Matters, and the Host of Wisconsin Life on PBS Wisconsin.  In 2014, Angela moved from Richmond, VA to Madison, WI and since then has worked to make Madison her home. In this episode of Black Oxygen Angela discusses her journey on intentiona...

The Honorable Rev Everett Mitchell is currently running to be on Wisconsin's Supreme Court.   In this episode, Judge Mitchell discusses why he decided to run for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, his southern roots and its impact on his baking abilities, the codification of race within US history, his vision of how law can be a force for good, the role of beauty in changing the narrative and distortion...

Willie Jude II, Vice Chancellor of Advancement at UW-Parkside, was recently named as one of the most influential Black leaders in Wisconsin by Madison365. A native of Milwaukee, Willie returned back to Wisconsin in 2021 to join UW-Parkside. In this Black Oxygen episode, Willie discusses his journey into higher ed administration, the growth that can happen when you are outside of your comfort zone,...

Deirdra "Dee" Kendrix is an Intuitive Coach & Executive Strategist, who also happens to be a recovering corporate executive. Dee's personal mission is to create authentic spaces of Grace and Transformational Growth. Dee is also the CEO and Chief Strategist of DC Global Group; a boutique firm with a niche expertise in organizational (culture) behavior and leadership advisory & development. In this...

Charles Payne is a Madison transplant, a certified teacher, and self-taught social artist, originally from Michigan. Payne is a Shop One Educator/Artist Residency Finalist and a 2022 TMT New Play Development Playwright. Their play 'Da Classroom Ain't Enuf' was an American Players Theatre New Voices: Creating the Classics of Tomorrow semi-finalist and a Wisconsin Wrights 2022 New Play Development p...

Ali Muldrow says, "beauty is about reclaiming all the good in your life." In this episode of Black Oxygen, Ali discuss the conflation of beauty with perfection, her trip to a cabin in rural Wisconsin, developing and maintaining friendships as adults, when she first understood the depth of her own beauty and much and much more. #BlackOxygenPodcast #BlackInWisconsin #BlackWomenInWisconsin #BlackWome...

A message from Black Oxygen host Angela Russell about next season, which will be all about beauty. New episodes drop starting January 9th.

Originally from Kansas City, MO, Dr. Amy Lewis recently moved to Wisconsin to join UW-Madison as research associate as an Anna Julia Cooper Fellow in the Mead Witter School of Music. Granddaughter of Grammy nominated jazz pianist Jay McShann, Dr. Lewis grew up surrounded by music - but she didn't think she'd go into music education. In this episode of Black Oxygen, Dr. Lewis discusses her family's...

Madison-based writer Deshawn McKinney's book of poetry called "forgive me father" is riveting.  The poems explore the themes of masculinity, alcohol addiction, and the potential for forgiveness. In this episode of Black Oxygen, Deshawn discusses vulnerability, forgiveness, family,  the need to create spaces where people can feel like they belong and so much more. Born and raised in Milwaukee, now...

Keith Stanley, the founding Executive Director of Near West Side Partners, is leaving Wisconsin. In this episode, Keith discusses his family's journey to Wisconsin from Arkansas, provides an an incredible overview of the near west side of Milwaukee (including how Nat King Cole recorded an album there),  his opportunity to take on a new adventure in North Carolina and so much more.  His love for Mi...