Speak Up St. Louis

Quinton sits with Ronald Young, artist, former educator, and recipient of the Great Rivers Biennial award (GRB). Ron celebrates the resiliency of disenfranchised communities, calling attention to these sites before all memory of their existence is erased.

Quinton sits with Heather Beal, honoree of the St. Louis Visionary Awards for Outstanding Working Artist. She is a certified Dunham Technique instructor, touring worldwide in service as a renowned dancer, choreographer, actress, director, curator, and educator. Follow us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupstlouis/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/speakupstlouis/ LinkedIn: https://www.l...

Quinton sits with Daniel Puma, former associate editor for Feast Magazine in St. Louis. Follow us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupstlouis/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/speakupstlouis/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/speakupstlouis/ Buzzsprout: https://speakupstlouis.buzzsprout.com

Dr. Bill’s acute awareness of being “different” inspired him to explore and subvert constructs of gender, sexuality, culture, and individual identity. Early influences of folk and fiber art traditions were passed down from his grandmother. He worked on trash trucks, switched trains on the Santa Fe Railroad, made a living as an archaeologist at the Cahokia Mounds, and restored historic architecture...

Tyler Small is a St. Louis based event photographer, digital producer at SLAM! Agency, board member of The Village Path, and, greatest of all, a proud father of two beautiful daughters.

New York-based artist, writer, and publisher Paul Chan came to prominence in the early 2000s with vibrant moving image works that touched upon aspects of war, religion, pleasure, and politics. Around 2009, following a decade of art-making, Chan embarked on a self-imposed break, turning his attention to experimental publishing and the economics of information by founding the press Badlands Unlimite...

Culture curator and music business coach Julian Keaton is one of the leading voices in the St. Louis music community. For the past 15 years, Julian has worked with award-winning talent and organizations across the country as an artist, talent manager, radio show host/producer, blog contributor, event & festival curator, consultant, brand ambassador, and founder of music business education and...

Herman "Lee" Jimerson II owns a wealth management practice in Saint Louis, MO in the Chesterfield area. He started his practice in 2017 and only 5 years later was nationally recognized as not just one of the fastest growing advisor practices, but a qualifying member of the Million Dollar Round Table. An organization that recognizes the top 1% of advisors in the industry. Lee shares with...

Alexa Seda, who will receive this year’s Emerging Artist award, is considered a rising star in the St. Louis arts scene. She weaves together her passion for theatre and urban design. As a co-producer at EncoreSTL, a platform that creates opportunities for Black and Brown artists through theatre and youth programs, she has also spearheaded the organization’s Cuéntame storytelling initiative, in col...

Lisa Melandri is the executive director of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.

Artist, Designer, Producer, Patrick Gutierrez has his hand in many different creative outlets most notably through UVA a brand that Patrick started. He also serves as a Co-Manager of House of Vision (HOV).  An innovative "retail space selling apparel, art, books, and other youth and community member-created local products. Serving as a catalyst and entry point into successful entrepreneurship...

Harvey E. A. Lockhart is a Grammy nominated music educator, saxophonist, and composer. He is also the Founder, Executive and Artistic Director for HEAL Center for the Arts in St. Louis, MO, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and multi-disciplinary center of music, arts learning, and performance.

Leon Hite, III, affectionately known as Coach Hite, is an energetic, innovative, and compassionate inspirational speaker! His gift for inspiring others has enabled him to speak to, coach, and mentor over 10 thousand people of all ages in both the corporate world and educational institutions. Currently, Coach Hite is the Director of Safety and Security for Jennings School District and the administr...

Artist, educator, and speaker Katie Banister works  to educate and empower others through motivational speaking and disability education.  As the Co-founder  of Acces-4-All she and her partner Steve strive to fulfill the vision of full inclusion where everyone counts and has access to a fulfilled and truly accessible life.  https://access-4-all.com/

From engineering and party promoting to entrepreneurship, Ono Ikanone has sprouted his St. Louis roots to create a legacy within the city's cultural fabric. In the heart of downtown St. Louis, Ono has tried his hand at his latest and greatest venture yet as restaurateur. Meet the founder of Levels Nigerian Cuisine. https://www.levelsstl.com/

An artist and writer, Dominic Chambers composes contemplative narratives which pull inspiration from critical voices within the Black literary canon. He introduces the figurative subject to create a new discourse around identity and perception. Combining both a vibrant and a near-monochromatic palette, Chambers sees color as a protagonist in his paintings. Dominic received his BFA from Milwaukee I...

Jacqueline “Jackie” Hamilton, MBA, CFRE, currently serves as Assistant Director of Advancement for St. Louis County Library (SLCL). As the Library’s Chief Fundraiser, she leads SLCL’s  Foundation team of four, which is responsible for planning, developing, and implementing strategic fundraising revenue generating programs to support the library’s commitment to the community. Hamilton has over 15 y...

MyCol (Meta MyCol Martin) is a self-motivated multidisciplinary actor, artist, and visionary of a production company, DLiNX. His work derives from his admiration of the fine arts, education, and Hip-Hop. He studies cultural television, film, and music to blend community and activism throughout his craft.

Sara Burke is recognized as a Woman of Achievement. First as a dancer in East St. Louis with The Dunham Company and then as a working artist in St. Louis, she has fostered inclusiveness in the arts and provided numerous opportunities to minorities and those in underserved communities.

Jorge is a non-profit management professional who, for the last three years, has led Delmar Divine, a transformative project in North St. Louis City that provides shared space and myriad capacity building tools to 33 nonprofit organizations that collectively serve over 250,000 in the St. Louis MSA. He began his nonprofit career as CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro St. Louis which, d...

Tyrell Manning is a public health specialist working to end the HIV epidemic. Appointed by St. Louis City mayor Tishaura Jones, Manning is an active member of the LGBTQIA Advisory Board in pursuit of bringing the LGBTQIA+ communities and the larger St. Louis community together through long-range projects. Additionally, he was a regional integration specialist and site coordinator of Rustin’s Place...

Lois Conley is the Founder/President and CEO of the Griot Museum of Black History. She has dedicated many years toward researching African-American history, with particular emphasis on the Underground Railroad and Westward Expansion. Conley consulted for the Royal Tropical Museum in Amsterdam for its exhibition on slavery, was a member of the Neighborhood Leadership Team for St. Louis’ 5th Ward Su...

Ashley Winters is a St. Louis native reporting for the St. Louis American, covering news impacting African Americans in the St. Louis metro area which includes education, business and entertainment. She is a two-time award recipient of the Excellence in Poverty Journalism Award and in 2019 she published her first children’s book, called Memories Of A Bunny Rabbit, and received a Mission Attempt aw...

Welcome back to the Speak Up St. Louis Podcast as it launches season 2! Quinton Ward (Co-creator/Host), Tré Alexander (Executive Producer), and Michelle Dezember lay the ground-work for the upcoming season, sharing their thoughts and hopes for St. Louis. Thank you for listening!

Mark Saxon is a local baseball writer who covers the St. Louis Cardinals. He's worked for decades in the industry as a beat reporter with organizations such as The Athletic and ESPN, and is a frequent contributor on local sports radio. Mark joins the podcast to have a "meta" discussion about Cardinals Baseball. Beyond just the day-to-day tactics of the team, Mark outlines the histor...