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Our host, LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor, is joined by Terrance Sullivan, Racial Justice Director of Amnesty International USA. Before joining Amnesty International, Sullivan was appointed Executive Director of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights in June 2020 during the height of the new age racial justice movement. Sullivan credits growing up as a "poor Black kid in a small white t...

Our host, LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor, is joined by Jeana Dunlap, an urbanist, well-known development and housing advocate, and founder of META Agency . META Agency works to co-create spaces and places where access and ambition prevail in the social, natural, and built environments. Dunlap previously served for over 15 years in the Louisville Metro Government, overseeing initiatives addre...

Our host, LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor, is joined by Anthony Smith, Executive Director for Cities United . Cities United takes a holistic public health approach to reducing gun violence and creating better communities. The duo discuss the steps other cities are taking in violence prevention and what Louisville can do to improve. Anthony previously appeared on the podcast in the episode How...

Our host, LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor, is joined by guest Maxwell Mitchell. Mitchell is a livestreamer and citizen journalist who rose to prominence following the 2020 protests in response to the murder of Breonna Taylor. The duo discusses the rise of livestreaming, the ethics of citizen journalism, and the changes in how we consume media. You can find his live streams on Facebook , Insta...

We are back for Season 3 with our host, LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor, and guest Trevin Bass⁠. Trevin is the newly elected JCPS Board Member representing District 4 (Shively area). A product of the JCPS system, he is passionate about using his voice to help others. The duo discusses the current Superintendent search, transportation issues, and new ways to make schools equitable for all. Bas...

Our host, LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor, is joined by Greg Vann of the JCPS Diversity, Equity, and Poverty Department . He is the Executive Administrator of External Equity, which is to say his job is to make sure that students feel supported regardless of ethnicity, race, color, national origin, age, different abilities, religion, marital or parental status, political affiliations or belie...

Our host, LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor, is joined by Lamont Chandler of Chandler Insurance Group . He is an insurance broker specializing in Medicare education and the senior community. The duo discuss the importance of insurance, navigating health benefits, and the effects of politics in healthcare. Chandler is a Louisville native and graduate of Louisville Male High School and the Univer...

Our host, LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor, is again joined by LUL Center for Justice and Policy Director, Hon. Felicia Nu'man, to talk about the upcoming election and the League's get-out-the-vote efforts. They talk in-depth about Amendment 2, the school voucher bill, which falsely claims to increase student choice and teacher pay. To learn more about the election, how and where to vote, and...

Our host, LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor, is joined by DeeDee Cummings, founder of the Louisville Book Festival . Founded in 2018 the festival's mission is to celebrate and promote the love and the benefits of reading, writing, and literacy. Cummings is a multi-talented author, therapist, and attorney. The duo talk about the power of literacy and the conspiracy of book banning, the evolu...

Our host, LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor, is joined by Simone Sibley, LUL Young Professionals President. The Young Professionals are an Urban League Auxillary group for persons 21-40 to develop the next generation of leaders through personal development and community involvement. The duo talk about establishing yourself in the city as a transplant, the current battle to suppress DEI initiati...

Our host, LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor, is joined by Kristen Williams, Play Cousins Collective Executive Director. Play Cousins Collective is a Black family collective with a mission to build a supportive village around children. The duo talk about raising strong Black children while navigating predominately white spaces, creating positive spaces, providing community healing, and the impor...

Our host, LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor, is joined by the Commonwealth Attorney for the 30th Judicial District of Kentucky Hon. Gerina Whethers. Whethers has served over 20 years of public service to the Commonwealth of Kentucky as a prosecuting attorney, Cabinet Secretary for the Kentucky Personnel Cabinet, Executive Director  for the Office of the Attorney General. The duo talk about the...

Our host, LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor, is joined by the Community Foundation of Louisville President & CEO Ron Gallo . Gallo has over 25 years of experience in community philanthropy as the head of several organizations across the U.S. The duo talk about the history of philanthropy, the role of racial equity, the changing landscape through technology, and the importance of advocacy. G...

Our host, LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor, is joined by St John Center Executive Director Ra'Shann Martin. Martin was named as a 2023 Nonprofit Visionary Leader by Louisville Business First. The duo talk about political violence like HB5 which criminalized homelessness, the lack of affordable housing and its effect on the city's ecosystem, and how to serve with dignity. Martin is a na...

Our host, LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor, is joined by Cynthia Brown, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, and Walter Baynard, Senior Business Advisor. Together, they dive into the dynamics of entrepreneurship, the challenges faced by new business owners, and the resources available to support emerging businesses. Cynthia Brown brings a wealth of knowledge and extensive experience in...

Our host, LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor, is again joined by Councilman , Professor , and artist Jecorey Arthur . Arthur shares insight as to why he chose not to run for re-election as District 4 Councilperson, the history behind Louisville Freedom Summer , and community issues. Jecorey Arthur is a West Louisville native and UofL graduate. He has performed around the world as a classically t...

Our host, LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor, is joined by Louisville Sports Commission President Greg Fante. The Louisville Sports Commission (LSC) is tasked with attracting, hosting, and creating sporting events and activities in the community to promote the economy while also fostering healthy and active lifestyles through sport. The duo discusses Louisville's evolution, the role that spo...

Our host LUL President & CEO, Lyndon Pryor, is joined by Jennie Jean Davidson & Dana Jackson, former Directors of Network Center for Community Change (NC3) . NC3 was an organization centering on social relationships, displacement, accountability, and resistance that developed a network of change agents within the affected community. The trio talks about the power of networking, the dirty w...

Our host LUL President & CEO, Lyndon Pryor, is joined by the creators behind Black Future Fest : Shauntrice Martin and SteVon Edwards. Black Future Fest aims to celebrate Black excellence, achievement, and possibility in Louisville with a long term goal of building a Black arts district in the West End. The trio talks about the fearlessness of Gen Z, how Louisville has changed over the last 30...

Our host LUL President & CEO, Lyndon Pryor, is joined by Jerald Henry Smith aka the S.T.E.A.M. Chemist. He combines science, technology, engineering, and the culinary arts to create an unforgettable learning experience for students. The pair talk about Jerald's early influences that guided him into science, working as a Chemist at Beam Suntory, and his foray into entrepreneurship. Born and...

Our host LUL President & CEO, Lyndon Pryor, is joined by the ⁠ Ronyale Smith, Owner Blak Koffee . Blak Koffee is a Black-owned cafe in the Russell neighborhood of West Louisville, 1219 West Jefferson Street at the Molo Village. The pair talk about Ronyale's entrepreneurship journey from nail tech to small business owner, the new store opening in the Goodwill West Louisville Opportunity Cen...

Our host LUL President & CEO, Lyndon Pryor, is joined by the LISC Executive Director Scott Love⁠ . LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that provides financial capital to help improve historically disinvested neighborhoods. LISC provides both business investment and affordable housing strategies to west Louisville. The pair talk a...

Our host LUL President & CEO, Lyndon Pryor, is joined by the Executive Director of the Louisville Downtown Partnership , Rebecca Fleischaker⁠. The pair talk about the current state of downtown Louisville, how changes impact the city as a whole, the role of business in politics, and what they can do to make a difference. Fleischaker is a Louisville native who served 2 decades in city government...

Our host LUL President & CEO, Lyndon Pryor is joined by Da'Marrion Fleming Executive Director of Sowing Seeds With Faith a youth enrichment and afterschool tutoring program. The pair talk about the current state of youth in the community, education, the rise in youth violence, and what we can do to make a difference. Da'Marrion is a Louisville native, veteran, and former JCPS teacher w...

Our host LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor is joined by Ameera Palacios & Jonathan Albers employees of HDR Inc. the design firm leading the Louisville Metro Reimagine 9th Street project. The project involves the transformation of three significant corridors: Ninth Street (from Jefferson to Broadway), Muhammad Ali Boulevard, and Chestnut Street. The goal is to make Ninth Street a pedestrian-...