Part 2: From Cotton Fields to Basketball Glory: Spencer Haywood's Journey
Like It Is: 30 Minutes of Good Conversation
Release Date: 06/27/2024
Josephine Bolling McCall: The Lynching of Elmore McCall
Like It Is: 30 Minutes of Good Conversation
Josephine Bolling McCall reflects upon her father’s lynching in Lowndes County, Alabama- The Lynching of Elmore McCall. For decades, Elmore Bolling’s family believed myths perpetuated by white people, and even by Rosa Parks, about why he was killed: that he was involved in a love triangle or that he had insulted his assailant’s wife. Though Josephine Bolling McCall’s father was killed when she was 5 years old, it was not until she was 60 that she discovered an article in the Chicago Defender describing the real reason for her father’s killing: “Enraged whites jealous over the...
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Leon Von Brown: The Legacy of Clifford Brown
Like It Is: 30 Minutes of Good Conversation
Leon Von Brown is the uncle of the late and acclaimed jazz trumpeter, Clifford Brown. Leon shares memories of his uncle and efforts create a lasting legacy about him. Von Brown also talks about his amazing career. Brown has theater and dance credits to include singing, acting, dancing, and choreography. He has worked on set with Alfre Woodard, Laurence Fishburne and Malcolm Jamaal-Warner and co-starred with Samuel L. Jackson. He developed performances for the Atlanta Ballet, Agnes Scott College and Clark-Atlanta University. He recorded and toured with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir with shows...
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Part 1: Sonny Buxton: The Man Behind the mic at KCSM, “The Bay Area’s Jazz Station to the World”
Like It Is: 30 Minutes of Good Conversation
KCSM radio’s own Sonny Buxton has been selected by the Jazz Journalists Association to receive the 2013 Jazz Hero Award for his contributions and dedication to broadcasting. Buxton, along with 25 other musicians and educators from the United States and Canada will be honored May 5 at the Jazz Heritage Center in San Francisco. Initially, Buxton never considered a future in radio or television as a career. In the early 1950s, he landed an internship in Los Angeles at a small radio station. Soon after, as a member of the U.S. Air Force, he became a disc jockey for the Armed Forces Radio while...
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Part 2: Sonny Buxton: The Man Behind the mic at KCSM, “The Bay Area’s Jazz Station to the World”
Like It Is: 30 Minutes of Good Conversation
Sonny Buxton has met and worked with some of the greatest entertainers in history over the years, from Duke Ellington to Sarah Vaughn, Eartha Kitt, Ray Charles, Percy Sledge and Smokey Robinson. Buxton credits Leonard Russell in Seattle and Charles Sullivan for exposing him to the business side of radio and music by booking shows, clubs and concerts at the Fillmore and the Richmond Auditorium. Buxton proved his business worth again by co-owning several clubs in Seattle years later like The District, Checkmate and Anxious Asp. In San Francisco, Buxton also opened Milestones in 1984, and...
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Part 1: U.S. Criminal Justice or Criminal Injustice? An Interview with Bryan Stevenson
Like It Is: 30 Minutes of Good Conversation
In this compelling two-part interview with renowned attorney Bryan Stevenson, founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, we discuss the stark disparities within the criminal justice system. Stevenson shares his insights on how racial bias and economic status impact our U.S. justice system and create different realities for the "haves" and the "have-nots." He highlights the critical need for public defenders and the role lawyers play in creating hope and challenging injustice. He questions why, despite a surplus of lawyers, many people of color and the poor still lack...
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Part 2: U.S. Criminal Justice or Criminal Injustice? An Interview with Bryan Stevenson
Like It Is: 30 Minutes of Good Conversation
In this compelling two-part interview with renowned attorney Bryan Stevenson, founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, we discuss the stark disparities within the criminal justice system. Stevenson shares his insights on how racial bias and economic status impact our U.S. justice system and create different realities for the "haves" and the "have-nots." He highlights the critical need for public defenders and the role lawyers play in creating hope and challenging injustice. He questions why, despite a surplus of lawyers, many people of color and the poor still lack...
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Facing the Reality of Racism: A Conversation with Tim Wise
Like It Is: 30 Minutes of Good Conversation
In this eye-opening episode, we explore the deep-seated and often unconscious biases that persist in the U.S. with Tim Wise, renowned author and anti-racism educator. Drawing from his book "White Like Me" and his recent speech, Wise sheds light on the pervasive racism that affects people of color and the collective denial that allows it to persist. Wise begins by addressing the crucial premise that combating racism is everyone's responsibility. He highlights the fundamental problem: White America, both corporately and collectively, has never truly been prepared to address the reality of the...
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Breaking the Barrier to Civil Rights: Ernest Green and the Little Rock Nine
Like It Is: 30 Minutes of Good Conversation
On this episode, we honor Ernest Green, a member of the historic Little Rock Nine, as he reflects on his experience as one of the first African-American students to attend Little Rock Central High School. Green shares his profound insights on the importance of Black History Month and the ongoing struggle for civil rights. Green delves into the critical moments of his journey, including the prejudice and bias that led to the erasure of African Americans from American history, depriving all Americans of a sound education. He discusses the significance of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the...
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Part 1: Here Comes the Sun: Reflections on Richie Havens’ Music that Shaped Our Nation
Like It Is: 30 Minutes of Good Conversation
Richie Havens was known for having the most iconic voices in American music. Join this memorable conversation with the late and great Havens, opening the door to his remarkable life and musical legacy which left an indelible mark on the world. Born Richard Pierce Havens on January 21, 1941, in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood surrounded by cultural diversity. His mother's roots in Barbados and his father's Blackfoot Native American heritage instilled in him a profound belief that "no one is any different than anyone else." Join us as we explore Havens' folk music circles of...
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Part 2: Here Comes the Sun: Reflections on Richie Havens’ Music that Shaped Our Nation
Like It Is: 30 Minutes of Good Conversation
Richie Havens was known for having the most iconic voices in American music. Join this memorable conversation with the late and great Havens, opening the door to his remarkable life and musical legacy which left an indelible mark on the world. Born Richard Pierce Havens on January 21, 1941, in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood surrounded by cultural diversity. His mother's roots in Barbados and his father's Blackfoot Native American heritage instilled in him a profound belief that "no one is any different than anyone else." Join us as we explore Havens' folk music circles of...
info_outlineJoin us for an inspiring and powerful episode as we sit down with Spencer Haywood, an NBA legend and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer. Born into the harsh realities of the segregated Mississippi Delta, Spencer was one of ten children growing up in a shantytown, picking cotton and facing the brutalities of racism and the KKK. Amidst the violence and oppression, Spencer's spiritual mother provided him with the strength and faith to rise above his circumstances.
In this candid interview, Spencer shares vivid memories of extreme poverty, including dumpster diving for toys and surviving on sugar-water for dinner. He recounts the terrifying experience of being jailed in high school for speaking too loudly at a country club and the heartbreak of his bus journey to Chicago, only to find his cousins living in similar poverty.
Despite these challenges, Spencer's basketball talent shone brightly. At Trinidad State Junior College, he averaged 28.2 points and 22.1 rebounds per game, earning a spot on the 1968 U.S. Olympic team at just 19 years old. Leading the team in scoring, he helped secure a gold medal and set a Team USA field goal percentage record.
Spencer's journey from the ABA to the NBA is legendary, overcoming league rules to join the Denver Rockets and becoming the youngest MVP in ABA history. His incredible performance continued with the Seattle SuperSonics and other NBA teams, despite facing personal battles with addiction.
Spencer’s story is not just about basketball but resilience, faith, and the unwavering support of his mother. Tune in to hear his remarkable journey from the cotton fields of Mississippi to the heights of professional basketball, and how he became an enduring symbol of hope and determination.
Don't miss this extraordinary episode of "From Cotton Fields to Basketball Glory: Spencer Haywood's Journey."