SoCal Voices

The rich legacy of Negro League Baseball was front and center at Moreno Valley's Woodland Park on May 31 during the Community Softball Game organized by James Harris, founder of the African American History presentation series, UnVeiled: History in Focus . SoCal Voices was on hand to cheer for the players, meet members of the community, and give away a Negro League Baseball Bomber Jacket.  In...

As a teenager, Kim Valentine found herself without a home. Today, she’s the founder and president of Operation Helping Hands SoCal, a nonprofit dedicated to helping the unhoused rebuild their lives. In this episode of SoCal Voices, Valentine opens up about her journey from surviving the streets to creating change—and calls on all of us to replace our judgement of homeless people with empathy and a...

For many Southern Californians, the January wildfires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena are like distant memories, but for those directly impacted, the devastation remains a daily reality. Recovery can be difficult and painfully slow.  Los Angeles filmmaker, writer, and photographer Shiloh Strong lost his home in a 2009 wildfire and struggled to get his life back on track. He rediscovered his sens...

Southern California is bursting with creative energy — and for many, there’s a book inside just waiting to be written. But getting it published can be a huge challenge. Redlands author Tracy Wise experienced this as she worked to find a publisher for her debut novella, Madame Sorel’s Lodger. In this episode of SoCal Voices, Wise describes her journey from writing the book to finding her publishing...

Have you thought about leaving corporate life to pursue your passion? In this episode of SoCal Voices you’ll meet a woman who experienced a major life-changing moment that led her to pivot from a corporate career to entrepreneurship, and she never looked back.  As founder of Women Podcasters Network and the Women Podcasters Awards, Jennifer Henczel has built a successful and fulfilling mission-dri...

A community softball game commemorating the iconic legacy of Negro League Baseball is happening Saturday, May 31, 1pm - 4pm, at Woodland Park in Moreno Valley. The game is being organized by returning SoCal Voices Podcast guest James Harris, known to many in the Inland Empire as author of the children’s book Corey’s Courtroom , emcee for a number of major local events, and presenter of the African...

As Founder of the California Society of Extraordinary Women , Shirley Coates is the powerhouse behind this Riverside-based nonprofit that’s changing girls’ lives and helping them thrive. Her Ignite Leadership & STEM Academy helps student participants see themselves in ways they may not have considered before, as extraordinary leaders, inspiring them to reach levels of educational, professional...

Foster adoption in Los Angeles County is, in a word, unpredictable. The process goes smoothly for some but for others it can be difficult, presenting political, legal and personal challenges that test patience and resolve. In his memoir A Family, Maybe: Two Dads, Two Babies, and the Court Cases that Brought Us Together, author Lane Igoudin chronicles the journey he and his husband, Jon, faced as t...

In January, the Palisades and Eaton fires killed at least 29 people and destroyed or damaged 18,000 structures valued at nearly $300 billion dollars. In the weeks since the fires, people who lost homes have been navigating displacement, insurance, government agencies and predatory developers, all while trying to decide whether to stay and rebuild or sell and leave. Southern California Journalist M...

Okay SoCal Fam. We’re going to estate planning class today. If you have avoided or delayed getting an estate plan, you’re not alone. Most of us don’t like thinking about the end of our lives or what’s going to happen with our property after we die. But it’s a reality we must face. If you have dependents and own a house, car, retirement accounts or other assets, neglecting estate planning can wreak...

Annie Korzen is an 86-year-old actor and comedian who had a recurring role playing the obnoxious Doris Klompus on the hit TV sitcom Seinfeld. Today, Korzen is a social media sensation, sharing pearls of wisdom with nearly half-a-million followers of all ages. She’s the author of The Book of Annie: Humor, Heart, and Chutzpah from an Accidental Influencer. In this episode of SoCal Voices, Korzen tal...

In her book, Plus Size: A Memoir of Pop Culture, Fatphobia, and Social Change , Los Angeles author and activist Mekdela Ejigu chronicles the body positivity movement through a collection of essays reflecting her journey as a target of fatphobia and its intersectionality with other ways people are marginalized in our society. In this episode of SoCal Voices, Ejigu shares the experiences that led he...

Is SoCal’s Inland Empire the land of the local news mirage? While news outlets cover the region, media observers say some elements of the IE’s local news coverage are a mirage, giving residents the illusion of vigorous local journalism when in fact, that coverage is absent. Thomas Corrigan is a communications professor at Cal State University San Bernardino and coordinator of the university’s Loca...

Southern California’s vibrance and abundance bely the fact that a number of our neighbors don’t have enough food to eat. Led by CEO Carolyn Fajardo, Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino, the region’s largest food bank, works daily to meet the food needs of the community. In this episode of SoCal Voices, Fajardo talks about the work Feeding America is doing to ensure Inland Empire residents w...

Alarming statistics reveal that Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. In this episode of SoCal Voices, Dana Sherrod, co-founder and executive director of the California Coalition for Black Birth Justice, helps us understand why this is happening, and what can be done to address these disparities and improve birth outcomes for...

Forty-million adults under 30 are eligible to vote in the November election. About eight million of them are first-time voters and they’re registering to vote in record numbers. While many young people between 18 - 30 say they intend to vote, some also say they are disillusioned by the binary nature of contemporary U.S. politics. How will young voters’ frustrations with the current system impact t...

People under 30 are registering to vote in record numbers. The uptick is attributed in part to “the switch” when President Joe Biden withdrew from the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination. Endorsements from Taylor Swift and other celebrities have also inspired many young people to register to vote, prompting predictions that young voters will have a major im...

The 2024 Presidential Election is underway and since President Joe Biden left the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic party’s nominee, young voters have responded to her candidacy with record breaking voter registrations, campaign volunteer signups and donations. Gen Z and young millennials make up one of the largest voting blocs this election cycle and could impact...

Community development is essential to how all the elements of where we live fit together and impact how we experience our communities. Eric Nelson is a 20-year community development expert who has impacted the lives of thousands of Southern Californians through his work in residential and commercial developments. He is Vice Chair of the Planning Commission at the City of Dana Point, a past Preside...

For more than 30 years, Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles has been helping former prisoners and ex-gang members redirect their lives to become productive, contributing members of the community. A human services agency offering legal, mental health, and education services and more, Homeboy Industries makes second chances possible by combining practical services and hope with an unconventional appro...

When she was 17 years old, San Diego author Jennifer Gasner was diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia or FA, a rare progressive neuromuscular disease. The impact of FA varies from person to person, but generally causes difficulty walking, a loss of coordination and impaired speech. Initially, Jennifer was shocked and in denial about her diagnosis and, at times, used alcohol as a way to cope, but ulti...

Born in China and raised in Los Angeles, certified life coach, podcaster, speaker and author Lucy Liu is a self-described ex-overachiever and recovering perfectionist who is thriving in Irvine. On this episode of SoCal Voices, she shares how she mastered the art of slowing down and how she helps women business owners, creatives, coaches and influencers transform their lives, boost their income, ha...

Long before podcasting and FM radio, AM radio ruled. And in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the biggest dog on the porch was THE MIGHTY 690. The 50,000-watt station was heard throughout SoCal. And its top-40 format was popular with teenagers and young adults. The story of the station — and a real-life contest it ran in the summer of 1981 — has been fictionalized in a fun new novel, The Mighty 690...

Tamaira “Miss Tee” Sandifer is having a strong impact on young people from SoCal and beyond as she helps youth develop critical life skills through exposure to the arts. She has developed some of Hollywood’s most sought-after young dancers, including the 2016 winner of “So You Think You Can Dance,” the 2018 “World of Dance” stars, and more. Her graduates have worked with artists like Justin Bieber...

Studies and surveys have shown that children start life with similar levels of confidence and self-esteem, but as girls become pre-teens, their confidence and self-esteem decline. LaTina McGhee-Simmons, a teacher at Virginia Primrose Elementary School in Fontana, aims to change that dynamic. She facilitates a mentoring program — the 20/20 Club  —  for upper elementary school girls to boost their c...