Black Oxygen

Bianca Martin returned to Wisconsin during the pandemic and is now embarking on a new adventure here in Madison. This month, tomorrow actually, Bianca will be the host of a new daily Madison based podcast called City Cast Madison. The goal of City Cast Madison is to help folks deepen their relationship to the city and to bring folks together. On this episode of Black Oxygen, Bianca shares her Wisc...

TR Williams, born and raised in Milwaukee, WI, knows that Wisconsin has the possibility to be a great state for everyone. In this episode of Black Oxygen, TR discusses her family's migration to Wisconsin, her journey back, and being a Black leader here. In this conversation, Williams reminds us that the US is in a pivotal moment in history and that we all have a role to play. #BlackOxygenPodcast #...

To actor Candace Thomas, Wisconsin feels like a second home.  Candace is currently part of the Forward Theater production Feeding Beatrice which runs through November 20, 2022 in Madison, WI.  In this episode of Black Oxygen, Candace discusses her connection to Wisconsin, her journey into acting, and the role of theater in teaching folks about empathy.  We also discuss her role in Feeding Beatrice...

Born and raised in Madison, WI, Jessi Evans Kendall is a bedside nurse and a diversity and cultural congruence resource nurse at UW Health. Earlier this year, Jessi was named as one of Madison's top nurses and received the Top Nurses 2022 Leadership Award from Madison Magazine. Of her path towards nursing she says, "I didn't originally think of myself as someone who could help others … I thought o...

Ja'Malik says, "I don't remember dance ever not being a part of my life." From being inspired by Michael Jackson's Thriller to being moved by Ulysses Dove's Urban Folk Dance performed by the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Ja'Malik knew as a child that he wanted to become a dancer and choreographer. As the new Artistic Director of the Madison Ballet he is one of three Black people in the US that runs a...

As a child growing up in a rural village in Togo, Hezouwe Walada saw the impact of malaria on his community. In seeing the death of many close to him, Hezouwe decided to become a doctor.  In this episode of Black Oxygen, Hezouwe describes his journey from Togo to Madison and the path towards becoming a physician. He describes how he's the first in his village to attend school, go to college and to...

Dr. Takiyah Ball is a Food Safety Microbiologist at Sargento Foods based in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. On this episode of Black Oxygen, Dr. Ball discusses so much including her journey to Wisconsin, the beginning of her interest in a science career, how eColi outbreaks related to lettuce occur, and SO much more. Towards the end of the episodes she encourage folks - particularly young folks - to star...

Jeff Patterson is the creator and founder of JP Hair Design, a barbershop and community hub on Madison's westside. Patterson, originally from Illinois, come to Wisconsin to study at UW-Whitewater. Always knowing that he wanted to become a barber, after graduating, he made his way to Madison to study barbering. In this episode of Black Oxygen we discuss Patterson's journey to barbering, the creatio...

"I've been an artist as long as I can remember," says Kiba. Originally from Chicago, IL, artist Stephon Kiba Freeman came to Wisconsin to study art at UW-Stevens Point. He is a spray paint artist and says, "spray painting is like trying to control chaos … I don't try to control everything that that includes the outcome." In this episode of Black Oxygen, Kiba discusses being an artist, being a fath...

Hi all! We're taking the week off to give ourselves some space to breathe. We'll be back with a new episode next week.

"Wisconsin is now positioned to save America," says Ali Muldrow. In this episode of Black Oxygen, Angela Lang and Ali discuss the upcoming elections of Mandela Barnes for US Senate and Everett Mitchell for Wisconsin Supreme Court. We cover a wide range of topics including, being a Black candidate for a statewide race in Wisconsin, the role of Black women in elections, and how electability is often...

Led by Saray Khumalo, the first African Black woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, Dineo Dowd climbed to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro in August. Dineo says, "it changed my life. I'm a different person." On this climb, Dineo learned about being patient, trusting her body, trusting the process and the importance of communication. As a result of this experience, she is planning an annual women's c...

This episode of Black Oxygen features a conversation with the founder and CEO of Madison365, Henry Sanders.   In this episode Henry talks about key lessons he learned while leading Madison365 during a pandemic, the changing dynamics of leadership in the Madison community and parenthood - he specifically opens up about being a parent of a child with Down syndrome.  Towards the end of this episode H...

The theme of the 2022 YWCA Madison Racial Justice Summit is Weaving Our Pasts, Present and Emergent Futures for Racial Justice and Co-Liberation. The summit, being held September 28-30, 2022, will host a number of nationally known racial justice and civil rights activists. This episode of Black Oxygen features a conversation between Rudy Bankston and Linda Sarsour - two of the speakers who will be...

"Black men often suffer in silence," says Geraud Blanks. Geraud Blanks, Chief Innovation Officer of Milwaukee Film, is this week's featured guest on Black Oxygen. This week's nuanced and complex conversation covers a wide range of topics including public mourning and the civil rights movement, masculinity, grief and emotional health, Black identify and grief, and so much more. Geraud also discusse...

This week on Black Oxygen we look back at this conversation with Ali Muldrow and Savion Castro, President and Vice President of the MMSD School Board. We cover a broad range of education topics including their educational journey, the treatment and labeling of Black children, leading as a Black person in Madison and much more. This episode is filled with laughter, job and lots of wisdom. During th...

This week we're revisiting a favorite from Season 3 of Black Oxygen. It features Christopher Kilgour, the creator and founder of Color in the Outdoors. The purpose of Color in the Outdoors is to help connect BIPOC in Wisconsin to the outdoors. In this episode, we discuss Lake Ivanhoe, staying safe in the outdoors and some of Christopher's favorite outdoor places to explore in Wisconsin. Towards th...

On Thursday, July 28th, Dineo Dowd, Madison-based author and women's outdoor guide, started her journey to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.  In this episode of Black Oxygen, we discuss how Dineo made the decision to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, her year-long training to prepare for the climb, and balancing being a mother and having dreams on your own. She says the hardest part of her training was trying to be a p...

The BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin, founded by Dr. Jeff Galligan, Dexter Patterson, and Rita Flores Wiskowski, celebrates is inaugural anniversary this week. On this episode of Black Oxygen, we discuss the creation of the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin, the impacts of climate change on birds, the impact of birding on one's mental health, and how to get started birding. To get started birding, De...

Alex Booker, owner of Booker Botanicals and a Farmer Education Manager at Badger Rock Middle School, is second generation born and raised right here in Madison, Wisconsin.  He grew up on the east side and started his gardening and farming journey while attending the East Madison Community Center as a child. In this episode of Black Oxygen, Alex discusses his grandparents journey to Wisconsin, his...

On June 1, 2022, the Honorable Reverend Everett Mitchell officially launched his campaign to be on Wisconsin's Supreme Court. In this episode, Judge Mitchell discusses why he decided to run for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, leading with authenticity, living into your purpose, and much more. Our conversation ends with a quote that serves as his North Star, "do not follow the path that has been given...

Black Oxygen host Angela Russell checks back in to tell you what's coming up next week!

The Black Oxygen Podcast will return in June for Season 6! Season 6 will be all about Black folks exploring the outdoors. See you soon!

Mark Richardson is the Founder and President of Unfinished Business. Unfinished Business, based in Madison, Wi, focuses on career coaching, DEI consulting, and talent recruitment. In this episode of Black Oxygen we discuss Mark's journey to Wisconsin, the great resignation, and his journey through grief. He reminds us to, "find the good stuff during hard times." #BlackOxygen #GrievingWhileBlack #B...

DeVon Wilson, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the School of Letters and Science at UW-Madison, experienced deep loss and grief near the beginning of the pandemic with the passing of one of his best friends. He says, "grieving during a pandemic is difficult … I learned that I couldn't do it alone." In this episode of Black Oxygen, DeVon discusses his journey to Wisconsin, the...