Race to Social Justice

Jessica Craft, herself a drummer, keeps a strong beat during this episode, through her tough adolescent years, band gigs and current billing as a dynamic leader of a non-profit organization that helps Philadelphia youth discover their own music selves and positive life directions.

Rabbi Greg Marx, a senior rabbi in suburban Philadelphia, and Frederick D. Strober, Esquire, a senior Philadelphia real estate lawyer, discuss increasingly acute Antisemitism facing the Jewish communities across the country.  Their compelling advocacy is rooted in fascinating, sometimes humorous, original stories and professional perspectives delivered in a lively discussion mixed with sensitivity...

Emily Richards, a dynamic Episcopal priest, speaks to her life experience, religious calling and social justice from three unique personal perspectives as a young woman growing up in White privilege in the South, severely disabled from youth, who became the mother of an adopted daughter of color.

E. Ethelbert Miller, a literary activist and prolific, award-winning poet, recounts his long history of racial justice advocacy with the same richness that imbues his poetry, some of which he reads. You will hear a blend of Black history, jazz, baseball and humor, filled with metaphors and stories, in this wide-ranging discussion.

Andrew Maraniss, a best-selling author of narrative fiction for adults and teens, leads a discussion about the intersection of sports and social justice. The jumping off point for this lively podcast is his incredibly well-researched, award-winning book about the life and times of Perry Wallace, the first Black basketball player in the Southeast Conference.

Nisha Anand, a self-professed progressive, builds bridges to find common ground through unlikely partnerships with conservatives. Her life’s mission is to create solutions that promote social and racial justice in three focused areas: criminal justice reform; green economy; and tech equity. This narrative of this storyteller, organizer and policy expert is hopeful and refreshing.

Dr. Nicholas V. Montalto, an expert in American immigration and ethnic history, is an accomplished manager, trainer, consultant, researcher, speaker and author. He talks to us about his life’s work helping Americans understand the value immigrants bring to our country and finding solutions to the policy challenges caused by our ever-changing diversity.

Jimmy Chong, a son of non-English speaking immigrant South Korean parents, fought his way through grade school in reaction to anti-Asian bullying. Now a busy lawyer, his fierce, thoughtful advocacy for racial harmony and honest opinions on violence against the AAPI community and “Model Minority” labeling are telling.

Jimmy Chong, a son of non-English speaking immigrant South Korean parents, fought his way through grade school in reaction to anti-Asian bullying. Now a busy lawyer, his fierce, thoughtful advocacy for racial harmony and honest opinions on violence against the AAPI community and “Model Minority” labeling are telling.

Dr. Warren Hilton and Russ Johnson, Board Chair and CEO, respectively, of HealthSpark Foundation, discuss how a Black/White leadership partnership is shaping transformative racial and social equity change in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Ray Solomon (Part II) shares diversity, equity and inclusion challenges he faced as dean of a law school and, from the perspective of a former president of a synagogue, his reactions to the Congregation Beth Israel hostage incident in Colleyville, Texas, just days before our podcast was recorded.

Ray Solomon, a legal history scholar, recounts his early years growing up in the Mississippi delta region of Arkansas, the location of a September 19, 1919 Elaine Massacre of 200 Black people, an event which generated a U.S. Supreme Court case that laid the foundation for the landmark U.S. Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education case.

Entrepreneur and equity consultant Jill Meriweather describes how her mother’s mentoring and early church education gave her pride in being a Black woman and the inspiration to apply to Harvard and dedicate her life’s work to childhood education. In the process, she gives us a tutorial on contemporary issues of race.

Eric Doherty, a law enforcement officer from Washington State takes you with him right into the neighborhood, sharing the choices he has to make in policing, and candidly describes what “reform” should look like in reaction to the “Defund the Police” narrative.

Ana Pujols McKee, M.D., a nationally-prominent physician executive whose Puerto Rican parents cherished her as a person of color, and The Honorable Theodore (“Ted”) McKee, a Black Chief Judge of the federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals, share how their respective education and career paths overcame discriminatory obstacles and how discriminatory practices continue to impact their respective prof...

Clinton Drees, an active member of the Philadelphia LGBTQ community and educator, speaks candidly about how as a young man he navigated within anti-gay environments and describes the variety of, and dynamics within, the “alphabet” of people in the LGBTQ community.

Sha Alheem, a/k/a “Goldie Pipes”, a singer/songwriter from Houston, describes how his rich music repertoire and varied style has: deep roots in his family; the gospel, soul, blues and rock music he heard growing up; and slavery and African drumming. Enjoy a few examples from his new album too!

Marion Biglan, an executive coach, talks candidly about growing up white in the south, her work as founding executive director of Teach for America in Chicago and her transformative work teaching white people about racism and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Tim Massaquoi, a retired NFL player and founding social worker at KIPP High School in Camden, NJ, shares his race experiences growing in a Black environment in Newark, NJ and a White environment in Allentown, PA and as an elite athlete and professional counselor to traumatized youth.

In tandem with the first podcast, Mr. White digs into the race-related personal and career experiences of John Kepner, a 75-year-old retired health care executive/consultant/lawyer who, though a progressive “child of the ’60’s, only recently has come to grips with the benefits of white privilege.

In this kick-off Race to Social Justice podcast, John Kepner, “The White Guy”, interviews Keva White, “The Black Guy”, exploring Keva’s early years in a tough Brooklyn neighborhood, the challenges of an all-white high school and college and other critical underpinnings of his calling to promote racial justice knowledge through education.