Listen Up!

Our host LUL President & CEO, Lyndon Pryor is joined again by the President of ⁠The Boys & Girls Club of Kentuckiana Daryle Unseld, Jr. The pair talk about the upcoming Great Futures Sneaker Ball , which is a fundraising event for the Club, its special guest Emmitt Smith, the effects of anti-DEI legislation, and future expansion plans to add more Boys & Girls Club locations. Listen to...

We are back after a short break with our host LUL President & CEO, Lyndon Pryor who is joined by Stephen Reily . Reily is the man behind one of the Louisville Urban League's most popular programs, The Reily Reentry Project , which provides free expungement services to those who qualify. He is an attorney, entrepreneur, and civic leader in Louisville, KY as well as an art collector and form...

Our host LUL President & CEO, Lyndon Pryor is joined by Shameka Parrish-Wright, Executive Director of VOCAL-KY whose mission includes ending the AIDS epidemic, the war on drugs, mass incarceration, and homelessness across the country. She also serves as ⁠Louisville Metro Councilperson for District 3⁠ a position held since November 2023. The duo discuss the recent anti-DEI legislation taking pl...

Our host LUL President & CEO, Lyndon Pryor is once again joined by LUL Policy Director Felicia Nu'Man to talk about the 2024 KY Legislative session. The General Assembly has hundreds of bills being proposed and voted on daily, and our duo highlights a few of those that will greatly affect the communities we serve; from anti-DEI to housing and education there is a lot to cover. We strongly...

Our host Lyndon Pryor, LUL President & CEO, is joined by Shemika Whiteside of Zora's Cradle , whose mission is to address the gaps in maternity health services facing Black women and women of lower socio-economic demographics. Zora's Cradle provides therapy services, access to financial and health supports, parenting classes and support groups, and operates the local milk bank. Their P...

Host Lyndon Pryor, LUL President & CEO, is joined by Ebony O'rea an educator, community organizer, social worker, and lover of people. The duo talk about non-traditional mental health services, community advocacy, and teaching conflict resolution skills to young adults in the community. O'rea is a graduate of the UofL Kent School of Social Work and has been an active organizer in the c...

In the first episode of season 2 our host LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor reflects on the history of the movement, the country, and the late Benjamin K Richmond . Pryor stresses the importance of understanding where we come from, but also to recognize that titans of the movement upon whose shoulders we stand are real, whole people.

This episode of Listen Up! features an excerpt of an interview from CEO Live Talks with Swannie Jett which featured LUL President & CEO Lyndon Pryor. The duo talk about Pryor's upbringing, education, and what led him to the Urban League. Watch the complete two-part interview on the PDCHC YouTube account part one and part two . Special thank you to Dr Swannie Jett and Juan Lambert of Park D...

Our host LUL President & CEO, Lyndon Pryor, is joined by Dr. John Marshall , ⁠ Chief Equity Officer for Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) ⁠. Our duo raps about the current state of public education, charter schools, parents' responsibility in school, and how JCPS is so close and so far from getting it right. Dr Marshall was born and raised in Louisville and completed his undergraduate...

Our host Interim LUL President & CEO, Lyndon Pryor, is joined by Dr. Deonte Hollowell, Program Director of African-American Studies at Spalding University . Our duo rap about the role of higher education in the revolution and how it is important to take the knowledge out of the classroom and back to the community. Hollowell is a native of Hopkinsville, Ky, and a graduate of the University of L...

Our host Interim LUL President & CEO, Lyndon Pryor, is joined by Von Barnes, the founder of Kentuckiana Backyard Farms ⁠ a micro-urban demonstration farm in the Louisville metro area. The duo discuss how to overcome the stigma of farming in Black communities, chicken math, and the politics of urban farming. Barnes is also a Lead Fellow in the League's Project Kilimo Urban Farming Initiativ...

Our host Interim LUL President & CEO, Lyndon Pryor, is joined by Lance Newman II aka Mr SpreadLove . Newman is a poet, visual artist, actor, educator, and playwright. He experienced bullying in his pre-teen years but used his words through poetry to fight back. The duo discuss how the arts are needed to help Louisville push forward to attract new residents and to keep natives. And how the lack...

Our host Lyndon Pryor, Interim LUL President & CEO, is joined by Ramona Dallum, Community Foundation of Louisville Vice President of Community Engagement . Dallum is a curious citizen, an artist, and a philanthropist. She grew up in Louisville, graduating from the Dupont Manual High School before striking out to Florida A&M University. The duo discusses what pushes Louisville's native...

Our host Lyndon Pryor, Interim LUL President & CEO, is joined by Ben Johnson Jr , Assistant Director of Recreation for Louisville Parks and Recreation. Johnson shares the vital role parks and recreation play in the community, his love of cooking, and how his time at Florida A&M University helped shape him into the man he is today. Johnson is committed to serving youth in the community, hav...

Our host Lyndon Pryor, Interim LUL President & CEO, is joined by Louisville's own Poet Laureate, Hannah Drake ⁠. Hannah is an author, spoken word artist, and activist who gained national attention in 2019 when her poem "All You Had to Do Was Play the Game, Boy" was shared by NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick in his public protest of police brutality against Black men and women. Th...

Our host Lyndon Pryor, Interim LUL President & CEO, is joined by  Amber Duke⁠, Executive Director of ACLU of Kentucky . The pair discuss strong leadership, mis- and disinformation, smart justice, and the struggle for civil rights in Kentucky. Amber Duke has spent her entire professional career finding ways to get into “good trouble,” by shining a light on systemic inequalities that disproporti...

This episode features a guest special to the Louisville Urban League. Over four years ago, Courtney Robinson came to the LUL seeking record expungement services. An old criminal infraction limited his employment choices resulting in a string of dead-end jobs. Robinson met with a Workforce Development Specialist who encouraged him to enter the Kentuckiana Builds program . He reluctantly agreed and...

Our host Lyndon Pryor, Interim LUL President & CEO, is joined by Rev Dr Corrie Shull, Pastor of Burnett Avenue Baptist Church and JCPS District 6 Board Member. Shull speaks on his education as a proud Fisk University alumnus, the joy of learning, and how so many of society's problems are thrust upon education. Shull is a lifelong champion of public education, and his record of community se...

Our host Lyndon Pryor, Interim LUL President & CEO, is joined by  Tim Findley Jr , Pastor of Kingdom Fellowship Christian Life Center , (the first Black) Executive Director of Elderserve , and proud son of the Newburg neighborhood. The duo speaks on the tribal nature of Louisville communities, the ethics of the Black church, and why Black seniors are the most marginalized group in America. Eld...

Our host Lyndon Pryor, Interim LUL President & CEO, is joined by  Stachelle Bussey , Executive Director of The Hope Buss . Bussey, a self-proclaimed proud West End-ian, speaks on growing up in the West End, the evolution of Louisville, the segregation of neighborhoods, and bottom-up solutions. The Hope Buss works to bridge the gap between local organizations and the needs of residents. The org...

Host Lyndon Pryor, Interim LUL President & CEO, is joined by Dr. Bria Henson , Executive Director of the Health Career Lab . Dr Henson speaks candidly on her non-traditional path including starting and dropping out of university, her military career, and crafting her own vision of working in the healthcare industry. The League partnered with the Health Career Lab to address the shortage of hea...

Our host, LUL Interim President & CEO Lyndon Pryor is joined by Councilman Jecorey Arthur . Jecorey shares his journey from a kid in the Parkland neighborhood who loved music to being a member of the Louisville Metro Council representing District 4 . Arthur talks about turning stories of shame into action, the challenges of the position, and how music influenced his life. Arthur is a classical...

Our host, LUL Interim President & CEO Lyndon Pryor is joined by Josh Poe of the Louisville Tenants Union. The duo talks about fair housing, the tenants' rights movement, government responsibility, and grassroots advocacy. Poe talks about how the dichotomy of NIMBY vs. YIMBY is really a smokescreen for real progress. Poe has over 20 years of experience with tenant organizing and housing pol...

Our host Interim LUL President & CEO, Lyndon Pryor welcomes Keturah Herron, KY State Representative for District 42 . The duo discuss grassroots activism, progressive youth-positive legislation, and the real work behind the curtain as a state legislator. Herron's organic rise from community activist to state representative earned her the title of Women of the Year in 2022 by USA Today. Kno...

Our host Lyndon Pryor, Interim LUL President & CEO, is joined by Ayisha Hayes Taylor, Director of the Wellington Kumon Learning Center. In support of our Education and Black Entrepreneurship work, the League partnered with Hayes Taylor to open a new Kumon Learning Center in a highly impacted community. Kumon Learning Centers have a long, evidenced-based history of helping students excel, but n...