The Public Good

This week, we spotlight the esteemed Juneteenth Festival of Buffalo, recognized as one of the oldest and largest Juneteenth celebrations in the United States. With an impressive 48-year legacy, this festival holds a special place in the hearts of the community. It serves as a unifying force, bringing together people from diverse backgrounds, religions, and neighborhoods, fostering solidarity, and...

Erie County officials want to spend over $200 million planning and constructing a new county jail. In Erie County, a jail sentence becomes a death sentence every six months. Instead, No New Jail Roundtable members recommend investing this money in community solutions - mental health and substance use treatment, youth programs, housing, education, and all the other things we know keep us safe. On t...

In the wake of the devastating May 14th attack on our Black community, this week’s guest Kamilah Whitfield, granddaughter of Ruth E. Whitfield, who was tragically lost in the attack, sprang into action. She founded My Grandmother's Garden, an initiative to establish a community nutrition hub. Recognizing the persistent issue of food insecurity, particularly prevalent on Buffalo's East Side...

In February 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a $57 million commitment to upgrading McCarley Gardens, an affordable housing development just south of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. However, renovations did not go as expected for residents. Residents shared various concerns, including poor communication about renovation timelines, unsafe environments such as hanging electrical wires and no...

 It’s been nine years since the Flint water crisis began in April 2014. Yet many Flint residents are still fighting for justice and restitution. “Cullud Wattah,” a play by Erika Dickerson-Despenza, tells the story of Marion and her family, who experienced lead exposure due to the crisis. Joining host Dejia James from Ujima Theater Company are Gabriella McKinley, Program Director, and Brian Brown,...

The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations. Disparities are stark, with Black and Native American women facing rates up to three times higher than non-Hispanic whites. To address these issues, the Biden Administration is prioritizing Black Maternal Health and designates April 11-17 as Black Maternal Health Awareness Week . Locally, the Buffalo Prenatal Perina...

City Year is a national service program through AmeriCorps that allows young people to work in local schools and make a difference in students’ lives. Two guests from City Year Buffalo, Jeanmarie Cieslica, Executive Director and Managing Director, as well as Amelia Heiselman, a recruiter for City Year, join host Sarah Wooton to give a run-down on what City Year is, how the program works locally, a...

Our guests this week are two local business owners. Brandi Barrett is co-owner of Barrett and Benitez Development , a real estate development company focusing on equitable built spaces in cities. Annie Adams owns Second Chic , a boutique consignment shop with two locations, one in the Elmwood Village, and the other in Williamsville. They are both members of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage , a gro...

In this episode, we learn about two new initiatives Say Yes Buffalo offers. Gellenia Smallwood, Senior Director of Early Childhood Services at Say Yes and Stephanie Peet, Director of Workforce Development, will discuss the Little Scholars Program for 3-year-olds in the Buffalo Public Schools and the CareerWise apprenticeship program for Buffalo Public Schools graduates with host Colleen Kristich....

What happens when profits from a foreclosed property exceed what is owed on that property? In the past, the prior homeowner would get the remaining money, or surplus funds, returned to them. But this year, the City of Buffalo removed this policy and is keeping over $3.5 million in surplus funds from the 2019 auctions. Keisha Williams, Executive Director at the Western New York Law Center, and Kate...

In PPG’s new report, “Raising the Minimum Wage: The Impact of Women, People of Color, and Immigrants in Western New York,” Sam Magavern, Senior Policy Fellow at PPG, and Rusty Weaver, Director of Research at Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations Buffalo Co-Lab and today's guest, look at a New York State legislative proposal to raise the minimum wage and index it to inflation and wor...

This week's guests are Donna Latham-Edwards and Tim Chen of the Vacant Lots Task Force . Buffalo has thousands of city-owned vacant lots, especially on Buffalo's East Side. What are the next steps for positive, community-oriented development for these lots? PPG's Director of Community Research, Donna, and Tim discuss what community members want from the vacant land in their neighborhoo...