MHD Off the Record

On this episode, we speak with Chris Young, co-founder of Air West, an elite basketball run + youth clinic based in Los Angeles. Currently, they host a free weekly basketball clinic in Exposition Park for youth ages 5 to 13. Here, kids can work with expert trainers to help them develop their skills.  Chris has an extensive background in sports instruction and community engagement. He served a...

On this episode, we are doing our first posthumous highlight honoring Charlotta Spears Bass, a pioneering African American journalist and civil rights activist, best known for her work with the California Eagle, one of the oldest and longest-running African American newspapers in the United States. For this conversation, we speak with historian and author Susan Anderson. Susan is  the History Cura...

On this episode, we speak with Carlos Spivey and Mona Gotoy, Founder and co-Founder of Barber Gurus inc., a nonprofit dedicated to empowering young barbers through training, mentorship, and community service. Carlos, a seasoned barber and educator, founded the organization to nurture new talents and provide community support, including free haircuts for those in need. Mona, with her background in...

On this episode, MHD speaks with music icon, Patrice Rushen about her journey as a youth learning and performing music to becoming one of the most accomplished musicians in the world. She shares insights into how her musical education started in her early childhood and why it is important to continue to invest in youth arts education today. Patrice Rushen is an award-winning musician, composer, an...

For this episode, MHD talks basketball, entrepreneurship, voting and more with Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, Social Entrepreneur Karim Webb and guest host Nick Hamilton of The Nick Hamilton Experience. Nick Hamilton is the founder of Nitecast Media, a platform created to address the perspectives and needs of Black communities and other communities of color. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Nick's pas...

Connie Rice, is a lawyer and author renowned for coalition legal cases and campaigns that fight systemic injustice to advance multiracial democracy.  Her work has won over $10 billion in damages and policy changes that expanded safety and opportunity for millions in poor neighborhoods. Rice’s advocacy has earned over 50 major awards and prompted Los Angeles Magazine to call her “the voice for...

On this episode, Chavonne Taylor speaks with Tanisha Hall, founder of the White Hall Arts Academy, a performing and visual arts education facility here in South Los Angeles. Founded in 2011, the White Hall Arts Academy offers a blend of classical and contemporary arts training to children and adults. Tanisha is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with an instrumental focus on voice. She has bee...

The 1992 Los Angeles Uprising was sparked after a jury acquitted four LAPD officers who had been charged with using excessive force in the arrest and beating of Rodney King on April 29, 1992. For the anniversary of the civil unrest, MHD and his co-host, Chavonne Taylor, discuss new policing and public safety models with PUSH LA (Promoting Unity, Safety & Health in Los Angeles) convener Leslie...

On this episode, Chavonne Taylor speaks with the owners and founders of Word of Life Christian Bookstore. The bookstore was founded by Joseph and Evelyn Curtiss in 1961 following their move to South LA during the Great Migration. As the oldest operating Black Bookstore in Los Angeles, it has become a community pillar, managed and now owned by their son Jonathan Curtiss and his wife LaShalle, who c...

On this episode, MHD talks about the fascinating and rich history of the great City of Los Angeles with Evan Lovett. Evan Lovett is the dynamic creator of social media mainstay "L.A. in a Minute" and host of its engaging podcast, In a Minute with Evan Lovett.   He emerges from the community of North Hills, fueled by a profound love for Los Angeles. A UCLA journalism graduate, he has work...

On This episode, MHD talks with A New Way of Life founder, Susan Burton, about her journey to criminal justice activism and the ways we can support those who are coming home after being incarcerated. Susan Burton, an esteemed advocate for criminal justice reform and the founder of A New Way of Life, who has dedicated her life to supporting formerly incarcerated women by providing housing, legal se...

On this episode, MHD talks about education, family, and community with Inglewood's own D Smoke. Daniel “D Smoke” Farris is an acclaimed American rapper, singer, and songwriter who rose to fame after winning Netflix's "Rhythm + Flow" in 2019. Known for his seamless blend of rap, R&B, jazz, and gospel, and for incorporating both English and Spanish in his lyrics, D Smoke's music often tackles th...

In honor of Black History Month, MHD, co-host Chavonne Taylor, and special guest co-host, Maurice Johnson, speak with Dr. Lorn S. Foster about the history of the Black Church in Los Angeles. Professor Lorn S. Foster is an Emeritus Professor of Politics at Pomona College renowned for his research on race, community, and power, with a focus on the African American experience. His work has particular...

To kick off Black History Month, MHD and co-host Chavonne Taylor discuss the legacy and historical impact of Black Los Angeles with historian Larry Earl Jr.  Larry Earl Jr. is a Leimert Park resident and owner of 1619 Exhibits, a dynamic boutique arts firm that specializes in designing distinctive exhibitions, providing expert archival solutions, producing engaging public programming, and act...

In this episode, MHD and cohost Chavonne Taylor speak with chef and entrepreneur Keith Corbin about his journey growing up in Watts, navigating gang and drug culture to becoming a celebrated executive chef and co-owner of Alta Adams in South LA. His modern soul food restaurant was named one of the best new restaurants in the country by both Esquire and Thrillist, and has consistently been on the L...

MHD and Co-Host Chavonne Taylor speak with Naima Keith, Vice President of Education and Public Programs at LACMA, about the important role of Black Art in LA History. Naima J. Keith is the Vice President of Education and Public Programs at LACMA. Within her role, she oversees all aspects of and sets the vision for LACMA’s innovative and exhibition-driven educational programming that serves more th...

MHD and Co-host Chavonne Taylor speak with former mayor of Stockton, California Michael Tubbs about his rise in politics, the importance of addressing basic human needs to decrease violent crime, and how his pilot Guaranteed Basic Income program inspired other cities (including Los Angeles) to do the same. Michael Tubbs is the Founder of the non-profit organization, End Poverty in California (EPIC...

For this episode, Marqueece Harris-Dawson is joined by Martin Draluck, Chef de Cuisine at Post and Beam in South LA, formerly of Hatchet Hall in Culver City. You may know Chef Mark for his work on the Netflix docuseries 'High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America.' Resources: www.latimes.com/food/story/2021-12-07/chef-martin-draluck 

African Americans have a long and rich history in the development of Los Angeles and yet, it is only sparsely recognized. MHD and co-host, Chavonne Taylor, sit down with Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson, a historian who has not only researched and documented Black History in Los Angeles but has contributed to its official recognition in communities and cities throughout the county. She talks with MHD abo...

African American entrepreneurship has a long and fascinating history in Los Angeles. The period from the 1920s to the 1960s was the era of “race enterprises,” in which black entrepreneurs specifically catered to black consumers. Collectively these enterprises supported a growing middle class and one of the highest rates of African American homeownership in the country. As rich as this history is,...

On this episode, Los Angeles City Council District 8 staffer, Chavonne Taylor, speaks with Jay McAdams, Executive Director of the 24th STreet Theatre, a unique organization blending professional productions and world-class artists with quality arts education since 1997. Their mission is to engage, educate, and provoke young people and their families with excellent theatre and arts education. ...

On this episode, Chavonne Taylor speaks with Rudy and Ana Garcia, owners of Team Garcia Boxing Gym in South Central Los Angeles. TG Boxing Gym has experienced trainers and coaches who can help you reach your goal to compete as an amateur or pro boxer. Team Garcia also gives back to their local community by being a safe space for the local youth through their non-profit which provides sparring and...

On this episode, we speak with Yolanda Whittington, founder and Chief Executive Officer of SISTAHFRIENDS, a boutique mental health clinical practice committed to the emotional and psychological wellness of Black Women and Girls overcoming trauma in the presence of structural, systemic, and institutional racism, gender discrimination, social injustice, economic inequality, and health disparities to...

On this episode, Chavonne Taylor speaks with Hattie Mitchell, Founder of Crete Academy, a non-profit charter school in South Central Los Angeles, aimed at serving students experiencing homelessness. Crete provides gifted programming, special education, enrichment, and a rigorous academic model. The Crete Educational Model focuses on the immediate, basic needs of students and their long-term educat...

In this special edition of MHD Off the Record and in honor of the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop, MHD and Chavonne sit down to discuss the state of Hip-Hop and how LA's rich history played a significant role in its growth, development, and impact. MHD talks about the early days of Hip-Hop and the ways it shaped South LA even beyond just the music itself but also through it's messaging, discussion of...