Blacklining Forum

Although we can never really know what’s in store for us in the future, AI is being embedded and pushed on us as the next big thing. We took a moment to think about various topics from this season - building community, investing differently, and planning and planting the seeds of liberation - to consider how AI could impact those. What will Black futures look like if AI is successfully integrated...

Moving with a loved one overseas to start a new life is a dream shared by lots of couples. But what would you do if the relationship ended after you moved? Would you stay in your new home, navigating in a new language and living in a new culture? That was a choice guest Nigel Lovell faced when he left Birmingham, UK for Barcelona, Spain. Not only did he sort out the details of his own life, but he...

Empire is global. There’s no outside place for anyone to escape. However, Joris Lechene offers seeds of hope and shares his thoughts on the places where we may begin to find antidotes to capitalist systems of control. But, he argues, we need to change how we perceive the world in order to recognize and build upon those creations. Join us on a conversation that spans the globe from Greenland to Pap...

In the two years that have passed since our first conversation with Sheena Collier from Boston While Black , the optimism that was buoyed by generous corporate and institutional support has evaporated under the scorched-earth tactics of people determined to erase progress and memory by every means available. But is that our fate? As Sheena and Derek discuss, we’ve been here before. So how do we pr...

A lot has been said about the potential impact Zohran Mamdani’s soon-to-be mayoralty will have on New York City’s wealthy. But what about his effect on New York City generally? It’s a big place with millions connected - and affected - by the ribbons of highways built by Robert Moses four generations ago. As those highways reach the ends of their lifespans, what are the opportunities Mayor Mamdani...

How do you reverse 400 years of economic disconnection? That’s the question Paul Laka’s work at Fuest Construction Brokers aims to address as he builds new collaborations between Africans in and from the diaspora with local communities, specifically in Cameroon.  Paul describes his efforts as a shift in the flow of capital away from charity and toward sustainable investments. But, with the world i...

Today's episode is brought to you by the number 3, and by the letter X. If that sounds vaguely familiar to you, you probably grew up watching Sesame Street.  In this episode, three Gen Xers cover a broad range of topics, from Larry Bird to LeVar Burton, and yes, Sesame Street, as well as how those collectively influenced Gen X to think about what community looks like.  Notes Blacklining Forum...

Joris Lechêne took us on an extraordinary journey of the mind and around the world! Although the conversation began modestly by talking about walls and healthy environments, it quickly expanded to encompass coloniality, decoloniality, and our current state of global Empire. However, Joris also suggested a way out of our current system, and named a very specific group of people who he believes are...

Scientific research. Public education. Public health. Civil rights protections. Voting rights protections? The list of milestones by which American society once measured democratic progress is steadily being eroded. As some reap the benefits of this changing social and political landscape, many others are asking what about us? Wilnelia Rivera shares her thoughts on how she's navigating and evo...

It's midsummer. You're going to a cookout. Who're you inviting? It's a simple question, but that decision could make or break your party. We used the idea of a cookout as a metaphor for a tight-knit gathering of community with whom we'd like to share stories, ideas, and dreams. Cousin Malia Lazu joins us again to expand the conversation by discussing what community is and how p...

Transformational experiences happen when you least expect them. Melony and Derek spent a week together visiting Barcelona, Spain. Later, after returning to Boston, Melony proclaimed that she had “been living a lie.” Gradually and quietly, previous conversations with Margo Gabriel, Karleen Porcena, sister sadada, Malia Lazu, and Adam Susaneck had compounded like interest that, when withdrawn in Bar...

Dance and joy take center stage today. There's a movement afoot in Black America in which dance is emerging as a revolutionary act - a subversive expression of joy and cultural memory. Melony and Derek begin by sharing personal reflections on the movement's roots to moments of community and survival. Returning guest, Malia Lazu, then expands the conversation to encompass broader themes of...

Architect and urban planner Adam Paul Susaneck returns to continue the conversation about the hardened lines that divided Americans spatially and racially in the 20th century, and grassroot efforts to undo and repair the damage in the 21st century. From the grandparents of Pope Leo XIV to the urban cores of Rochester, NY and Boston, MA, Melony, Derek, and Adam connect the dots between personal his...

Architect and urban planner Adam Susaneck joins Melony and Derek for a vivid examination of the profound impact urban planning has had on Black communities in the United States, from Jim Crow to the New Deal and into modern times. Using the histories of Miami and Los Angeles as the primary examples, they explore how informal practices to divide cities by race hardened to become permanent, real-wor...

This is an invitation to reimagine your relationship with agency, community, and the very systems that shape our lives. In this conversation, we uncover the nuanced differences between freedom and liberation, and free fall into the chasm between asserting control and letting go. Guest sister sadada, an embodied liberation teacher, enriches the discussion with insights on freeing oneself not just f...

We're back in Boston with an urgent broadcast. Thinking broadly about Black wealth, power and land, we take a moment to explore how ordinary citizens can respond to the political changes and growing repression sweeping the country. With dramatic shifts occurring at both a federal and community level, Melony and Derek discuss the growing necessity for dispersed grassroots action and strategize on h...

For our first episode in 2025, we're welcoming the new year contemplating questions about societal evolution, collective responsibility, and the possibility of genuine transformation of the Black middle class centered around the power of mutual support. Our discussion with guest Malia Lazu takes into consideration what a liberatory future might require, unpacks the capitalist desires of the Black...

Malia Lazu, a powerhouse in diversity and inclusion strategy, joins us for our first conversation after the 2024 U.S. presidential election. We chat about the importance of rest, the power of community, and what it means to truly love Black people—and ourselves—ferociously. In a world that feels uncertain, politically, socially, and environmentally, we're reminded of the lessons from our ancestors...

Melony and Derek get realer about the upcoming election and the pressing issues that are shaping it. The duo explore evolving sources of power, both political and natural. As climate change accelerates, they question the value of land and mobility, and how these elements shape Black freedom. It's a complex web of questions about capital, community, and the future of our environment. As they discus...

The Blacklining Forum is back with an October surprise. Melony and Derek delve into the 2024 U.S. presidential election (only 28 days away at the time of the recording) and its potential intersections on Black wealth, power, and land. They discuss the complexities of the political landscape, the tight race, and the potential implications for Black communities. Reflecting on past administrations, t...

Holla at us, Gen X! This episode is about you. Independent journalist and content creator, Gregory Ball, brings his wealth of knowledge and shares insights on the cultural and economic impact of hip hop and it's influence on Gen X, both of which are now in their 50s. Greg's conversation with Melony and Derek touches on the roots of hip hop as a form of resistance, resilience, expression, and aspir...

There's power inherent in crafting communities in your own likeness. In this episode, we begin by briefly comparing images and stories from the concurrent narratives of the Harlem Renaissance and the Great Migration. From there, our guest, Jay Cephas, an historian of architecture, landscapes, and cities, shares his insights and research on the overlooked - and suppressed - contributions of Bla...

Guest Kerry Reilly returns for a sobering-yet-important episode that takes a deeper dive into wills, trusts, and the importance of estate planning. The conversation addresses the worrying fact that a vast majority of Black Americans lack a legally-framed will, and how this oversight could prevent their participation in the largest wealth transfer in US history. Examples include high-profile celebr...

What's the difference between generational wealth and dynastic wealth? Dr. LaTanya White, a scholar-practitioner who specializes in the intersections of global competitiveness, equity, entrepreneurship, and the racial wealth gap, joins us to introduce the concept of dynastic wealth, breaking down its five key forms — financial, spiritual, intellectual, relational, and wealth of knowledge — and...

Who's an expat? Who's an immigrant? How does being a Black person from the United States, United Kingdom, or Canada complicate the idea of those identities when personal and societal experiences, perceptions, and feelings are factored in? Derek and Melony discuss the historical impacts and societal implications of these notions with guests Margo Gabriel, a journalist based in Portugal, and...