MHD Off the Record

MHD Off The Record’s 'City in All Directions' highlights the best places to eat, learn, and play throughout Los Angeles. From hidden gems to community favorites, this segment connects listeners with local spots, resources, and opportunities that enrich life across the city. For this episode of City in All Directions, we take a trip through Los Angeles Council District 3, represented by Council Pre...

MHD Off The Record’s 'City in All Directions' highlights the best places to eat, learn, and play throughout Los Angeles. From hidden gems to community favorites, this segment connects listeners with local spots, resources, and opportunities that enrich life across the city. For this episode of City in All Directions, we’re heading to the Westside of LA to explore Council District 11, represented b...

On this episode, Los Angeles City Council Staffer, Chavonne Taylor, speaks with Destination Crenshaw artist Patrick Henry Johnson. Patrick Henry Johnson is an internationally acclaimed visual artist based in Los Angeles. Johnson was born in Valdosta, Georgia Johnson attended The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Florida before moving to LA to further his career as an artist. In 1993, Johnson under...

MHD Off The Record’s 'City in All Directions' highlights the best places to eat, learn, and play throughout Los Angeles. From hidden gems to community favorites, this segment connects listeners with local spots, resources, and opportunities that enrich life across the city. For our first episode of City in All Directions, we’re heading to the heart of the San Fernando Valley to explore Council Dis...

On this episode, Los Angeles City Council staffer, Chavonne Taylor, speaks with Kellie Hart, founder of the RideWitUs LA Bike Store and Co-founder of the RideWitUs LA Bike Club, an organization dedicated to promoting cycling culture and community engagement. The Ridewitus Bike Club offers group rides, cycling education, and events that bring people together through their shared love of biking. The...

On this episode, we speak with Lisa Collins, founder and publisher of LA Focus, a monthly newspaper dedicated to highlighting news relevant to LA’s African American community. A passionate Los Angeles native, Lisa aims to equip Black Angelenos with essential information and resources, emphasizing the church's role in community empowerment. Before founding LA Focus, she served as the gospel editor...

On this episode, we speak with Jonathan Kinnard, co-founder of Coffee Del Mundo, a specialty coffee shop located in South Los Angeles. Originally from Tennessee, Jonathan transitioned from the insurance industry to coffee after studying roasting in Turkey. His café is dairy-free and supports Black and Latinx communities, promoting non-European coffee traditions and direct relationships with farmer...

On this episode, we speak with Chris Young, co-founder of Air West, an elite basketball run + youth clinic based in Los Angeles. Currently, they host a free weekly basketball clinic in Exposition Park for youth ages 5 to 13. Here, kids can work with expert trainers to help them develop their skills.  Chris has an extensive background in sports instruction and community engagement. He served a...

On this episode, we are doing our first posthumous highlight honoring Charlotta Spears Bass, a pioneering African American journalist and civil rights activist, best known for her work with the California Eagle, one of the oldest and longest-running African American newspapers in the United States. For this conversation, we speak with historian and author Susan Anderson. Susan is  the History Cura...

On this episode, we speak with Carlos Spivey and Mona Gotoy, Founder and co-Founder of Barber Gurus inc., a nonprofit dedicated to empowering young barbers through training, mentorship, and community service. Carlos, a seasoned barber and educator, founded the organization to nurture new talents and provide community support, including free haircuts for those in need. Mona, with her background in...

On this episode, MHD speaks with music icon, Patrice Rushen about her journey as a youth learning and performing music to becoming one of the most accomplished musicians in the world. She shares insights into how her musical education started in her early childhood and why it is important to continue to invest in youth arts education today. Patrice Rushen is an award-winning musician, composer, an...

For this episode, MHD talks basketball, entrepreneurship, voting and more with Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, Social Entrepreneur Karim Webb and guest host Nick Hamilton of The Nick Hamilton Experience. Nick Hamilton is the founder of Nitecast Media, a platform created to address the perspectives and needs of Black communities and other communities of color. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Nick's pas...

Connie Rice, is a lawyer and author renowned for coalition legal cases and campaigns that fight systemic injustice to advance multiracial democracy.  Her work has won over $10 billion in damages and policy changes that expanded safety and opportunity for millions in poor neighborhoods. Rice’s advocacy has earned over 50 major awards and prompted Los Angeles Magazine to call her “the voice for...

On this episode, Chavonne Taylor speaks with Tanisha Hall, founder of the White Hall Arts Academy, a performing and visual arts education facility here in South Los Angeles. Founded in 2011, the White Hall Arts Academy offers a blend of classical and contemporary arts training to children and adults. Tanisha is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with an instrumental focus on voice. She has bee...

The 1992 Los Angeles Uprising was sparked after a jury acquitted four LAPD officers who had been charged with using excessive force in the arrest and beating of Rodney King on April 29, 1992. For the anniversary of the civil unrest, MHD and his co-host, Chavonne Taylor, discuss new policing and public safety models with PUSH LA (Promoting Unity, Safety & Health in Los Angeles) convener Leslie...

On this episode, Chavonne Taylor speaks with the owners and founders of Word of Life Christian Bookstore. The bookstore was founded by Joseph and Evelyn Curtiss in 1961 following their move to South LA during the Great Migration. As the oldest operating Black Bookstore in Los Angeles, it has become a community pillar, managed and now owned by their son Jonathan Curtiss and his wife LaShalle, who c...

On this episode, MHD talks about the fascinating and rich history of the great City of Los Angeles with Evan Lovett. Evan Lovett is the dynamic creator of social media mainstay "L.A. in a Minute" and host of its engaging podcast, In a Minute with Evan Lovett.   He emerges from the community of North Hills, fueled by a profound love for Los Angeles. A UCLA journalism graduate, he has work...

On This episode, MHD talks with A New Way of Life founder, Susan Burton, about her journey to criminal justice activism and the ways we can support those who are coming home after being incarcerated. Susan Burton, an esteemed advocate for criminal justice reform and the founder of A New Way of Life, who has dedicated her life to supporting formerly incarcerated women by providing housing, legal se...

On this episode, MHD talks about education, family, and community with Inglewood's own D Smoke. Daniel “D Smoke” Farris is an acclaimed American rapper, singer, and songwriter who rose to fame after winning Netflix's "Rhythm + Flow" in 2019. Known for his seamless blend of rap, R&B, jazz, and gospel, and for incorporating both English and Spanish in his lyrics, D Smoke's music often tackles th...

In honor of Black History Month, MHD, co-host Chavonne Taylor, and special guest co-host, Maurice Johnson, speak with Dr. Lorn S. Foster about the history of the Black Church in Los Angeles. Professor Lorn S. Foster is an Emeritus Professor of Politics at Pomona College renowned for his research on race, community, and power, with a focus on the African American experience. His work has particular...

To kick off Black History Month, MHD and co-host Chavonne Taylor discuss the legacy and historical impact of Black Los Angeles with historian Larry Earl Jr.  Larry Earl Jr. is a Leimert Park resident and owner of 1619 Exhibits, a dynamic boutique arts firm that specializes in designing distinctive exhibitions, providing expert archival solutions, producing engaging public programming, and act...

In this episode, MHD and cohost Chavonne Taylor speak with chef and entrepreneur Keith Corbin about his journey growing up in Watts, navigating gang and drug culture to becoming a celebrated executive chef and co-owner of Alta Adams in South LA. His modern soul food restaurant was named one of the best new restaurants in the country by both Esquire and Thrillist, and has consistently been on the L...

MHD and Co-Host Chavonne Taylor speak with Naima Keith, Vice President of Education and Public Programs at LACMA, about the important role of Black Art in LA History. Naima J. Keith is the Vice President of Education and Public Programs at LACMA. Within her role, she oversees all aspects of and sets the vision for LACMA’s innovative and exhibition-driven educational programming that serves more th...

MHD and Co-host Chavonne Taylor speak with former mayor of Stockton, California Michael Tubbs about his rise in politics, the importance of addressing basic human needs to decrease violent crime, and how his pilot Guaranteed Basic Income program inspired other cities (including Los Angeles) to do the same. Michael Tubbs is the Founder of the non-profit organization, End Poverty in California (EPIC...

For this episode, Marqueece Harris-Dawson is joined by Martin Draluck, Chef de Cuisine at Post and Beam in South LA, formerly of Hatchet Hall in Culver City. You may know Chef Mark for his work on the Netflix docuseries 'High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America.' Resources: www.latimes.com/food/story/2021-12-07/chef-martin-draluck