What’s Next?

On this episode we meet Nicholas Ramirez, a Civil Rights attorney with the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo. Nicholas specializes in criminal law but aids the public by advocating for and educating individuals in all things pertaining to social justice.

On this week’s Producers’ Picks highlights episode we revisit our previous conversations with: Na’Kya McCann from the Buffalo All-Star Extreme dance and cheer team, Dan White and Asman Ndayisabwa from Healing Grounds Coffee and Sanctuary, and the barbers and customers of Signature Cutz Barbershop.

We sit down with Christine Carr-Barmasse, Executive Director of Mission: Ignite, a group dedicated to promoting computer literacy. Discover her inspiring efforts to bridge the digital divide and empower students, teens, and adults with essential digital skills. Don't miss this enlightening conversation on the future of digital literacy and its role in shaping Buffalo's progress.

Ben Hilligas, the recently appointed Executive Director for the Buffalo Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) at the University at Buffalo, is bringing his background in social work to the position and hoping to expand the opportunities and capabilities of the long-running learning institution. Afterwards, with Pride month coming to a close, the President of Niagara Pride, Ronald Piaseczny talks to...

After his child’s Western New York school omitted Black History Month and DEI initiatives from their teaching plans, Ryan Howze set off to create a curriculum and supplemental history podcast to address this need. Ryan joins Lorenzo Rodriguez to discuss his curriculum program as well as some of the conversations that are currently consuming the public education landscape on a national scale.

Emyle Watkins spoke with Todd Vaarwerk, the Chief Policy Officer for Western New York Independent Living. Together they discussed the independent living movement and how New York State's 2023-2024 budget may impact residents with disabilities who rely on essential state services to live in their own homes as well as inpatient and outpatient mental health care. This episode was recorded shortly aft...

On this week’s Producers’ Picks highlights episode we revisit our previous conversations with: Adrienne Garr and La’Tryse Anderson from Buffalo S.N.U.G. (6/1), Charles Brandy and Melvin Watkins of the Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier (6/6), and Gi Swords and Faith Winship from GLYS of Western New York (6/7).

On today’s episode of Buffalo, What’s Next? Lorenzo Rodriguez has a conversation with Yanhong Baranski, an Asian-American member of the Buffalo community who served as the President of the Chinese Club of Western New York. Afterwards, Central Library is set to unveil a new statue in honor of one of Buffalo’s most noteworthy poets – the late Lucille Clifton. Barbara Cole, from Just Buffalo Literary...

Lorenzo Rodriguez sits down to discuss this year’s Toronto Caribbean Carnival with the festival’s CEO, Mischka Crichton. Afterwards, we hear from community leader, Marilyn Young, founder of W.A.V.E. – Women Against Violence Everywhere. She’s also an avid roller skater who’s been an integral part of the 716 Rollers, a local skate group that tasks itself with being a positive force in the East Side...

In observance of Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, Charles Gilbert hosts an open and honest discussion regarding the mounting psychological issues that plague the male population – specifically, men of color.

Thomas O’Neil-White takes us back to the first Buffalo Juneteenth along with one of the festival’s founding members, Judson Price. Afterwards, Jay Moran sits down with Buffalo NAACP President Mark Blue and his wife and Branch Executive Committee member Angela Blue to discuss the upcoming 55th annual Medgar Evers Awards Dinner.

On this week’s Producers’ Picks highlights episode we revisit our previous conversations with: Gretchen Gonzalez and Maria Valeri from the Volunteer Lawyers Project, newly appointed Buffalo Police Department Wellness Coordinator Matt Cross, and Scott Behrand and Peter Johnson from Road Less Traveled Productions.

As we approach this year’s Juneteenth celebration, we get a chance to chat with a Buffalonian who has become a renowned national children’s author – Alliah L. Agostini. We went into detail about the creation of her book, The Juneteenth Story, the national wave of book bans, as well as her strong ties to Buffalo’s Juneteenth movement. And with the weekend quickly approaching, the Buffalo, What’s Ne...

After her brother died while detained at the Erie County Holding Center, Monica Lynch decided to take prison reform in Erie County. Jay Moran discusses current conditions for inmates and the No New Jail movement that Monica is advocating for. Afterwards, Dan White and Asman Ndayisabwa join Thomas O’Neil-White to talk about the community space they’re creating in the West Side of Buffalo all center...

One of Western New York’s most prominent drag personalities, Vanna Deux, sits down with Angelea Preston to discuss her experiences within the world of drag. Afterwards, Jay Moran chats with local artist/poet/filmmaker Kaitlyn Lowe.

NPR’s podcast series, Embedded, recently chose to center a number of their episodes around the Buffalo All-Star Extreme cheerleading and dance team. One of the B.A.S.E.’s senior members and now coach, Na’Kya McCann, was tapped to host the podcast series and joins Buffalo, What’s Next? Na’Kya discusses the process of creating the NPR podcast as well as the eventful year the B.A.S.E. family endured.

On this week’s Producers’ Picks highlights episode we revisit our previous conversations with: Buffalo poet laureate Jillian Hanesworth, director of Agents for Advocacy and author Mark Talley, and mental health advocate Karl Shallowhorn.

On today’s three-part episode we first speak with the slam poet team of Pure Ink Poetry. Next, Sara Taylor of Eleversity joins the show to promote her organization’s Women of Color Summit which begins this week Friday and continues throughout the Summer. And finally, with Spring in the air, the Sanskriti Bengali Cultural Group of Western New York will be celebrating Basanta Utsav this weekend and...

With the month of June being Pride Month and with the seemingly growing concern of Anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric permeating through our governmental bodies nationwide, we speak with Gi Swords and Faith Winship of GLYS of Western New York to help all of us understand the issues and needs of gender and sexual minority youth. The team from GLYS provide a number of peer interaction and educational outreach ser...

Since 1977 The Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier has been publishing the Afro-Americans in New York Life and History: An Interdisciplinary Journal. Charles Brandy, the President of the Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier, and Melvin Watkins, one of the group’s founding members, speak with Jay Moran about noteworthy moments from the Journal’s past...

On today’s program we speak with CoNECT's founder and director Jessica Bauer Walker about the growing need to address the disproportionate rate of out-of-school suspensions in the Buffalo school system. Jessica is joined by her daughter, Serea, and fellow CoNECT staff member, Khadijah Hussein, to talk about the “Solutions not Suspensions” bill and what their group is doing to better tackle our stu...

On this week’s Producers’ Picks highlights episode we revisit our previous conversations with: the Director of the Vive refugee shelter – Matt Tice, a mental health specialist with Best Self Behavioral Health – Cambria Daniels, and the organizers of a recent Buffalo Freedom Seder - Rabbi Brent Gutmann, Senior Rabbi at Temple Beth Zion, and Reverend Jonathan Staples, Senior Pastor of First Shiloh B...

On this episode of Buffalo, What’s Next?, Angelea Preston converses with representatives from Buffalo S.N.U.G. (Should Never Use Guns). Adrienne Garr, a social worker, and La’Tryse Anderson, an outreach worker supervisor, are helping S.N.U.G. fulfill their goal of reducing gun violence in Buffalo.

Today on Buffalo, What’s Next? we speak with Gretchen Gonzalez and Maria Valeri from the Volunteer Lawyers Project. For 40 years, the group of pro bono attorneys has been helping members of our Western New York community by providing free civil law services to low income people and small not-for-profit groups.

One real estate development company, Barrett & Benitez Development, is attempting to construct much-needed residential and commercial properties on the East Side and they plan to do it with the backing of residents that will be directly benefiting from the projects. Afterwards, Lorenzo Rodriguez sits down with the recently named wellness coordinator for the Buffalo Police Department, Officer Matth...