United Voice Oklahoma Podcast

This week we are excited to have the legendary Lee Roland BACK on the United Voice podcast. He was the guest on our second ever episode, and he's back today to talk with Wayland & Jon about his continuing voyage to impact children in our city. Lee is now the Executive Director of Hope United, a new organization in our city aiming to empower, resource and collaborate with local schools for the...

This episode features a conversation with Oklahoma State Representative Cyndi Munson. Cyndi represents Oklahoma City’s House District 85, and was recently selected to be the next House minority leader. When she was elected in 2015, Cyndi became the first Asian-American woman elected to the Oklahoma legislature. Wayland and Jon had a great conversation with Cyndi about the ways that race has played...

Today Wayland and Jon are joined by Thuan Nguyen and Sache Primeaux-Shaw, of OKC Tax Help, a local network of free tax resources that work to get citizens the refunds they are owed. They discuss the Earned Income Tax Credit that many people qualify for in our communities, and give some hands-on tips for claiming it. Money, race, poverty and taxes, it’s all on the table in this conversation. Make s...

We are excited to welcome Pastor Jon Middendorf of OKC First Church of the Nazarene to the podcast for a time as Wayland’s co-host. On this episode they catch up on the last year since Jon was a guest on the podcast (April of 2020), and talk about the state of our community right now when it comes to race. Start listening and join us for this new season of the podcast! Go to UnitedVoiceOK.org

This is part two of the special conversation our host Wayland Cubit recently recorded with his father Ardis Cubit for Black History Month. In this conclusion to the conversation, they talk about the perceptions Ardis had of law enforcement growing up, as well as how Wayland’s upbringing impacted how he sees the value of every person in the work he does now. UnitedVoiceOK.org

To kick off Season 2 of the United Voice podcast, we are starting off with a special interview our host Wayland Cubit recently recorded with his father Ardis Cubit for Black History Month. This is a great glimpse at the relationship between these two men, and how their response to the issue of race in society has shaped both their lives and continues to impact our community today. We also share ab...

We are wrapping up the United Voice Oklahoma podcast for 2020 with this episode where Cece & Wayland reflect on the past year, the election, our cultural moment, and new life transitions for both of them. Tune in to hear about Cece’s upcoming transition and possible future directions for the podcast. Learn more about United Voice Oklahoma by visiting https://unitedvoiceok.org/

Part two of our conversation with Dr. Karlos Hill, an expert on racism and race relations. In this episode we talk about the lynching of Claude Chandler, a black man who was taken from the Oklahoma County Jail by authorities and lynched 100 years ago. Dr. Karlos Hill's book — "Beyond the Rope: The Impact of Lynching on Black Culture and Memory" ( https://bit.ly/2SWZZPq )

Dr. Karlos Hill from OU is an expert on racism and race relations. He specializes in the history of lynching and the antilynching movement in America, and joins us for a two part conversation on the history and impact of lynching in Oklahoma. Dr. Karlos Hill's book — "Beyond the Rope: The Impact of Lynching on Black Culture and Memory" ( https://bit.ly/2SWZZPq )

In this final episode of our special four part series entitled “Race & Oklahoma History”, Dr. Bob Blackburn, Director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, joins Wayland to have a conversation primarily about the Tulsa Race Massacre. They examine the differing cultures of OKC & Tulsa in 1921, breakdown the events that led to the massacre, and talk about properly sharing history as we approac...

In this third episode of our special four part series entitled “Race & Oklahoma History”, Dr. Bob Blackburn, Director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, joins Wayland & Cece to share the stories of two Oklahoma women who are US Civil Rights pioneers. First they talk about the legacy of Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, who broke down the walls of segregation at the University of Oklahoma. They...

Dr. Bob Blackburn, Director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, joins Wayland & Cece for a special four parts series entitled “Race & Oklahoma History”. In this second episode, he shares a story titled “Crossroads of the Frontier: B.C. Franklin and the Merging of Two African American Communities." This story follows the journey of a pioneering African-American family’s journey through the...

Dr. Bob Blackburn, Director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, joins Wayland & Cece for a special four parts series entitled “Race & Oklahoma History”. In this first episode, he shares a story titled “From Slavery to Freedom: The First Kansas Colored Regiment Wins the Battle of Honey Springs in 1863." This gripping Civil War battle story highlights a monumental early victory in...

This week’s episode we talk with Anitra and Cort Thomas. This power couple is intentionally raising their 5 children in a NW OKC suburb where most people do not look like them. This conversation addresses their perspective and experience as a black family in a predominately white OKC suburb, why they chose to live there, and some opportunities for dialogue that have come out of the recent uph...

Our guest today is Chief M.T. Berry. In 1998 he became the 47th OKC Chief of Police, the first and only black man to ever hold that title. He was later the assistant city manager for more than 15 years and retired in 2019 after a 48-year career serving our city. He joins us on the podcast today to share stories from his pioneering career and his views on this current moment of racial uph...

It’s been 3 months since our last episode, but we are finally back with more episodes! Before we debut our new lineup of guests, Cece & Wayland take this episode to catch up on their lives and the state of our world. In the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police, the types of conversations we have on this podcast are happening around the world. Join us as we catch up and move forw...

On this episode Cece Jones-Davis is BACK! She and Wayland come together online (from the safety of their home offices) to catch up and talk about the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting their personal lives, and the race conversation here in our community. Listen in, and be encouraged! For more information about United Voice Oklahoma, visit: https://strongertogether.global/united-voice-ok...

This week, we have a multi-faceted conversation with Pastor Jon Middendorf of OKC First Church of the Nazarene. Jon has has taken an outspoken leadership role in our city in addressing racism and injustice, and we talk to him about his family history that led to this engagement, as well as some of his recent work centered around the Oklahoma County Jail. This episode is honest, productive, and has...

This episode we talk to the one and only H.E. ”Gene” Rainbolt, the founder of BancFirst, a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, and a dedicated supporter of many causes in our community. Mr. Rainbolt was born in 1929 , right here in Oklahoma, and shares with us his life experiences and views on poverty, race, and the inequality gap when it comes to resources for those on the margins of society. Fo...

In 1987, Perry Lott was arrested, convicted, and spent 31 years in prison for crimes he did not commit. Through the work of The Innocence Project he was proven innocent and released in 2018. In this episode Wayland and Perry dive into the issues of race and injustice in our criminal justice system as Perry shares his life story. https://strongertogether.global/united-voice-oklahoma/

This week our guest is Kel Pinkston. Kel is a Junior at Putnam City High School here in Oklahoma City, and founded a club at the school called “Brothers of Excellence”. Kel joins on the podcast today to discuss the idea of black excellence, what drove him to take a step into changing the narrative in his school and in our city, and also to hear more about what the club does and what his hopes and...

Today on the podcast Wayland chats with Dr. Andrea Benjamin. She’s a political scientist from OU who has focused some of her research specifically on race & politics, as well as local elections, voting behaviors, and public opinion. Join us for this great discussion about race and the many ways it plays into the politics of our society today at the local and national levels. Dr. Benjamin's web...

This week we are joined by Steve Buck. Steve has been a dedicated public servant working for the State of Oklahoma for the last 13 years, serving the Dept. of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, and as the Director of the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs. Wayland talks to Steve about the impact of race on our juvenile justice system, and his personal awakening as he began to intentional...

This week we talk with Ron Stidham. Ron leads a youth mentoring organization in NW OKC called Hope for Generations, and today on the podcast he shares about his experience as a black man “walking a tightrope” between the two worlds occupied by black Christians and white Christians. Ron has strong opinions about racial divides in our community, namely in the church, and this spirited conversation i...

This week’s podcast episode features a highly enlightening conversation with Sarah Adams-Cornell. Sarah is an advocate for Native American culture, education, and rights. She is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, and is involved in a number of leadership roles in our community. This conversation with Cece & Wayland about the ways that racism is expressed to Native Americans, as well...