Race to Social Justice

We talk to Verna Williams—a former dean and law professor and now CEO of Equal Justice Works— about the urgent need for access to legal aid and the role of public interest law in advancing equity for people without means.

Join us for a presentation to the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. recorded live on 3/5/26. Hear the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY and HOW behind our podcast, what we have learned so far and our ideas to expand its reach.

Emma Hertz, CEO, HealthSpark Foundation, explains how her philanthropic organization acts as a change agent to empower disenfranchised communities to thrive through innovative grant-making, mission-aligned investing, focused advocacy and collaboration with local government, businesses and other community stakeholders.

Ramisha Rafique, consultant and professor at Nottingham Trent University in England, explains her advocacy work to move higher education organizations and work forces beyond performative diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to meaningful, measurable action related to Islamophobia, decolonization and inclusive policy change.

Michael Langley, Executive Director of the Florida Justice Institute, offers a primer on how his organization uses litigation and other means to combat systemic injustices that impact homeless, incarcerated and disabled citizens.

Our first international guest, Dr. Ingrid Waldron, describes how racism impacts mental health. Our wide-ranging discussion includes multiple perspectives from her recently published book, "From the Enlightenment to Black Lives Matter", which traces experiences of racial trauma in black communities in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.

Adjoa Jones de Almeida and Sunanda Ghosh talk about their Philadelphia-based Forman Arts Initiative’s efforts to cultivate artists and empower communities to work together to advocate for justice and equity in creative new ways.

Rev. Carolyn C. Cavaness, a 3rd generation pastor, has translated her education in urban studies and economics into vibrant community-connected ministries. She shares what the Christian faith tradition teaches about racial and social justice, the historical role the Black clergy have played in advancing racial justice and how she puts her own faith into action.

Special Edition: John and Keva moderate a panel with nonprofit leaders and a college student with lived housing and food insecurity experience before a live audience attending Bucks-Mont Collaborative’s Impact and Innovation Summit at Gwynedd Mercy University on May 21, 2025.  Their combined stories, insights and ideas paint a vivid picture of how racial and social injustice impacts local governme...

Jenique Jones describes how WhyHunger, an organization founded and supported by legendary musicians and led by her with vision and fervor, helps grassroots communities find transformative solutions to tackle the root causes of hunger around the world.

Jacqueline Jones Royster, academic scholar and author, and Gene Kansas, cultural developer, preservationist and social entrepreneur, tell us how their collaborative talents are helping restore “Sweet Auburn”, an historic African-American community in Atlanta, Georgia.

Fr. Charles Oduke, PhD, is a Kenyan-born, Jesuit-trained, Kenya-India-USA- educated, world-traveled, university-founder and hospital mission-integrator, who conducts a clinic on Roman Catholic social teaching and doctrine rooted in human dignity and advancing common good as a basis for societal equity and justice.

Wynette Yao, an award-winning filmmaker, profiles her District of Second Chances documentary which chronicles the work of FAMM Foundation, an organization advocating for changes in extreme sentencing laws. Colie Levar Long, who is featured in the film and was released under a District of Columbia “second chance” law after serving over 20 years in prison, tells his story of redemption.

We discuss the importance of education and workforce development to the Black community with Steve Lewis, an expert in early childhood learning with deep operational and leadership experience in the Head Start program, and Steve’s mentor, Dr. Lorinzo Foxworth (aka “Leader Doc”), a noted work force development leadership coach, trainer, speaker and educator.

Convicted of a 1998 murder, 47-year-old Leon Benson, was released from prison on 3/9/23, fully exonerated after 24 years. Now a college student and recording artist, Mr. Benson shares a riveting account of how his false arrest and incarceration (including many years in solitary) transformed, rather than embittered, him and formed the foundation for his new life as a free man.

In this episode, we explore how local government can play a positive role in promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in the community. Hear our conversation with professional educator and consultant, Donna Richemond, who meets this challenge as DEI Chief for Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Imam Idris Abdul-Zahir, building on a family legacy as a young leader of a Muslim community in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia, explains how racial justice is integral to his ministry, interfaith collaboration and multimedia public persona.

Keva and John are joined by a University DEI director, an undergrad nursing student and graduate social work student, for a lively discussion about how diversity, equity and inclusion impact college experience, including barriers BIPOC, gay and non-binary and first-to-college students have to overcome to stay in school, graduate and get a good paying job.

Meet Apryll Adams and Mike DeCandido, two different looking middle-aged people (one a Black female professional, the other her former white senior executive).  Hear their unique story rooted in their discovery of similar values and beliefs leading to the co- founding of a nonprofit organization which promotes sustained individual and group communication channels which foster open dialogue and disc...

Lori Bezahler, President of Edward W. Hazen Foundation, and Marquetta Atkins-Woods, a community activist and Foundation grantee, describe how they have collaborated in creative ways to empower under-resourced youth in Wichita, Kansas realize better futures.

Dustin Timmerman, a transgender man, discusses his own transition and how it laid the foundation for his becoming a passionate advocate for LBBTQ+ rights, a topic of relevance now as our nation is embroiled in controversy with regard to the rights of transgender people in particular.

Jean Pfaelzer, PhD, a public historian, commentator and University of Delaware professor, describes how “progressive” California has, unbeknownst to many, hosted practices which have enslaved indigenous people, Alaska natives, plantation Blacks, Chinese and the incarcerated throughout its history.

Kenny Holdsman and Ameen Akbar (executive and mission leaders of Philadelphia Youth Basketball, respectively) tell us how their organization uses passionate mission-driven, entrepreneurial work and evidence-based practices which leverage the iconic game of basketball to help urban youth overcome the most urgent and systemic issues facing under-resourced communities.

David Mura (a Japanese-American and accomplished poet, writer, critic, and playwright) recounts his transformation from assimilation as a youth to embracing his own color as an adult and shares historical, literary and ethical narratives from his new book that unmask how white stories about race erase the brutality of the past and underpin systemic racism in the present.

BL Shirelle (a Black queer woman from Philly) and Fury Young (a white Jew from NYC), the powerhouse team behind Die Jim Crow Records, talk frankly about their quest to dismantle stereotypes around race and prison by amplifying the voices of talented incarcerated musicians. This episode features a clip of the song "Conspiracy" off of BL Shirelle's album Assata Troi, released in 2020 on Die Jim Crow...