Black Like Me

Black Like Me with Dr. Alex Gee is a podcast that invites you to experience the world through the perspective of one Black man, one conversation, one story, or even one rant at a time.

S11 E210: “You Can Determine Your Future By How Much You Invest In Your Children”: Kaleem Caire Is Building For Our Children 09/02/2025

S11 E209: "You Cannot Dream For Another Person": Dr. Audrey Mukwavi Matimelo Empowers South Africans To Create Transformation 08/19/2025

S11 E208: "I Think They Will Be Coming From All Across The Country": Dr. Ruben Anthony Talks Madison's South Side Black Renaissance 08/05/2025

S11 E207: Dr. Gee’s Therapy Session With Dr. Chris Bass: Healing From Loss, Mourning, And Family Transitions 07/22/2025

S11 E206: "It Costs You Something To Navigate Whiteness" With Dr. Angela Byars-Winston 07/08/2025

S11 E205: "It Feels Out Of Control": How White People Are Processing This Political Moment With Jeremy Holiday And Eli Steenlage 06/24/2025

S11 E204: Wicked Pt.2 Conversation: How Black Womanhood Is Invested In The Elphaba Role With Lexi Gee 06/09/2025

S11 E203: A Burgeoning Movement Across The Country To Fight Back And Build Something Better: Ben Wikler Talks About What's Next 05/27/2025

S11 E202: "Now The Role Will ALWAYS Be Black!": - Revealing The True Colors Of Wicked With Broadway and TV Star Angela Robinson Whitehurst 05/13/2025

S11 E202: "Now The Role Will ALWAYS Be Black!": - Revealing The True Colors Of Wicked With Broadway and TV Star Angela Robinson Whitehurst Angela Robinson Whitehurst returns to the show to bring her Broadway experience to discussing Wicked and the translation from stage to screen. Dr. Gee and Angela discuss the timing of seeing race brought to the forefront of this version of Wicked, compared to when the stage musical was first a part of our culture. The power of fantasy and musical stories is that deep ideas about culture can be explored through an alternate version of our world. It allows us to see the realities of our world through a different lens. Angela also exposes the way that Black women were not allowed into the Alphoba role before the film version, but now that will be the standard as the significance of the character has been redefined by Blackness. They continue their conversation about Black voices and stories in Hollywood, including having to make representation happen for themselves. A native of Jacksonville, FL, Angela Robinson is best-known as The Ice Queen Veronica Harrington of Tyler Perry’s The Haves and The Have Nots. For her work as Veronica she is the 2015 recipient of the Gracie Award (Best Female Actress – One to Watch). Angela has worked on Broadway, off Broadway and on stages throughout the US and abroad. Broadway productions include The Color Purple with Fantasia, Wonderful Town, Bells Are Ringing, and Play On! She has participated in National Tours of The Color Purple, Dreamgirls, and The Wizard of Oz with Eartha Kitt. Her television/film credits include Law & Order: SVU, Another Bed and several regional and national commercials. She is the Winner of an Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) award for her work as Shug Avery in The Color Purple, Angela has been nominated twice for a Black Theatre Alliance Award (The Color Purple, Dreamgirls), and for an Audelco Award (Radiant Baby). She is also a member of the Tony Award winning Broadway Inspirational Voices. In 2008 Angela and her husband Scott founded the WhiteRobin Group. WhiteRobin Group is a consulting firm for aspiring and seasoned artists; providing training, inspiration and direction via acting workshops, private acting coaching, blogs and mentorship programs. Listen to Angela Robinson's podcast - Follow Angela Robinson: Support the Show: /episode/index/show/blacklikeme/id/36533750

S11 E201: Things That Make You Go... S*** With Lilada Gee 04/29/2025

S11 E200: Audacity: Season 11 Mic Check 04/15/2025

S10 E199: “Will The Report Change Anything?”: Dr. Angela Byers-Winston and Ray Allen Discuss Systemic Change For The Black Experience On A University Campus 01/14/2025

S10 E199: “Will The Report Change Anything?”: Dr. Angela Byers-Winston and Ray Allen Discuss Systemic Change For The Black Experience On A University Campus Dr. Gee returns to the discussion of his involvement in a university report on the Black Community Experience at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In episode 188 he discussed the upcoming report with UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and now that the report is public, he is joined by fellow board members on the ad hoc committee. Dr. Angela Byers-Winston and Ray Allen discuss the difference between good intentions and intentionality, when it comes to identifying and creating real change? The ad hoc study group worked to present their critical findings and strategic recommendations aimed at addressing the long-standing challenges faced by Black students, faculty, and staff on university campus. They discuss the question, “What is the systemic inertia to follow through on the recommendations?” Hear the unfiltered conversation about the report conducted by the UW by those that served on the board. All three speak honestly about the process, offering what made them angry or frustrated, and the hopes they have for change. They talk about how creating programs only can’t change the DEI issues, but it takes institutional and organizational change. Also, be sure to catch a double portion of the Black Ice Breakers segment. Dr. Angela Byars-Winston is a tenured faculty member in the Division of General Internal Medicine within the Department of Medicine. She is also the inaugural Chair of the University of Wisconsin , associate director in the , and faculty lead in the . Dr. Byars-Winston has received numerous awards for her research on advancing diversity goals and mentorship in STEM fields. In 2011, Dr. Byars-Winston was selected as a Champion of Change by the White House through President Obama's Winning the Future initiative for her research efforts to diversify science fields. In 2022, she was the recipient of the Innovation in Mentorship Research award from the Association of Clinical and Translational Research. Dr. Byars-Winston chaired the National Academies of Sciences’ 2019 consensus study report, . She is an elected Fellow in the American Psychological Association and is currently an appointed member of the NIH National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council. Over a career spanning nearly 50 years, Ray Allen has worked at the John Deere Company and served in a number of leadership roles in state government, including Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. He was elected to three terms on the Madison School Board from 1995 to 2004, has served as chair of the Madison Area Technical College Board, and is the former publisher and owner of weekly newspaper The Madison Times. In 2016 Allen was honored with the Outstanding Alumni of Color Award from the UW–Madison Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement. He currently serves on more than 10 corporate and community boards, including 100 Black Men, the Overture Center, UMOJA Magazine’s board of directors, United Way of Dane County, American Red Cross, Downtown Madison Inc., and Madison College. Support the Show: /episode/index/show/blacklikeme/id/34842040

S10 E198: Revealing The Secrets Of The Universe With Trailblazing Astronomer Eric Wilcots 01/02/2025

S10 E197: Ending The Cycle Of Police Violence With Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison 12/17/2024

S10 E197: Ending The Cycle Of Police Violence With Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Dr. Gee has an honest discussion with author and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. Their conversation starts with southern cooking and how food provides insights into our histories and continues into how race relations impact policing. Ellison has written a book about his experience leading the prosecution when the Derek Chauvin case came to trial involving the killing of George Floyd. Hear what he saw when he looked into the eyes of Derek Chauvin. They also discuss Ellison’s involvement in the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Read Keith Ellison's book: From 2007 to 2019, Keith Ellison represented Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he championed consumer, worker, environmental, and civil- and human-rights protections for Minnesotans. He served for 12 years on the House Financial Services Committee, where he helped oversee the financial services industry, the housing industry, and Wall Street, among others. Among his legislative accomplishments are passing provisions to protect credit-card holders from abusive practices and protect the rights of renters and tenants. While in Congress, he founded the Congressional Antitrust Caucus and the Congressional Consumer Justice Caucus. He also served as co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which he helped build to more than 100 members. Before being elected to Congress, Attorney General Ellison served four years in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Prior to entering elective office, he spent 16 years as an attorney specializing in civil-rights and defense law, including five years as executive director of the Legal Rights Center. As the leader of this public-interest law firm, he oversaw a team of attorneys focused on delivering justice for Minnesotans who had nowhere else to turn. He was also a noted community activist. Support the Show: /episode/index/show/blacklikeme/id/34477280

S10 E196: "I’m Not Going To Wait For Them To Write The History," Pulitzer Prize Winning Author And Cultural Commentator Leonard Pitts Discusses His New Novel 54 Miles 12/03/2024

S10 E195: A Letter To A Black Brother: Marquis Hunt Calls Young Black Men To A Greater Narrative 11/19/2024

S10 E194: "How Do I Operate In This Reality?": A Raw Post-Election Conversation With Dr. Gee and Jeremy Holiday 11/12/2024

S10 E193: The Shape Of My Eyes: Finding Cross Cultural Healing and Hope With Spiritual Leader and Author Dave Gibbons 11/05/2024

S10 E192: Live Event with Special Guests Bianca Martin and Lilada Gee 10/29/2024

S10 E191: "Grandma's Got A Gun!?": A Forceful History of Black Resistance with Author and Historian Dr. Kelli Carter Jackson 10/22/2024

S10 E191: "Grandma's Got A Gun!?": A Forceful History of Black Resistance with Author and Historian Dr. Kelli Carter Jackson Black resistance to white supremacy is often reduced to a simple binary between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolence and Malcolm X’s “by any means necessary.” Dr. Gee discuss how in her book, , historian Kellie Carter Jackson urges us to move past this false choice, offering an unflinching examination of the breadth of Black responses to white oppression, particularly those pioneered by Black women. Dr. Carter Jackson explains the dismissal of “Black violence” as an illegitimate form of resistance is itself a manifestation of white supremacy, a distraction from the insidious, unrelenting violence of structural racism. Dr. Gee and Dr. Carter Jackson also explore the fact that Black men are being killed in the streets but Black women are being killed in the private space of their own homes. Hear about how “Black flight" is connected to joy in that Black folks needs space to get away from regular white supremacist life. Finally, Dr. Carter Jackson also shows her enthusiasm for dolls, and especially Black dolls with their unique cultural significance. Kellie Carter Jackson is the Michael and Denise ‘68 Associate Professor of Africana Studies and the Chair of the Africana Studies Department Wellesley College. She is the author (Seal Press) and of the award winning book, . Force and Freedom was a finalist for the , a winner of the , and a finalist for the for 2019. The Washington Post listed Force and Freedom as one of on African American history. Her interview, on Slate’s What’s Next podcast was listed as one of the best of 2020. She has also given a Tedx talk on “.” Her essays have been published in The New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Times, The Nation, the Boston Globe, CNN, and a host of other outlets. She has been featured in numerous documentaries for Netflix ( and ), PBS, MSNBC, CNN, and AppleTV’s “.” She has also been interviewed on , , MSNBC, Democracy Now, SkyNews (UK) Time, Vox, The Huff Post, the BBC, Boston Public Radio, Al Jazeera International, Slate, and countless podcasts. Carter Jackson loves a good podcast and her Radiotopia family! She is Executive Producer and Host of the award winning “You Get a Podcast! The Study of the Queen of Talk,” formerly known as “” with co-host Leah Wright Rigueur and a co-host on the podcast, “” with Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer. Support the Show: /episode/index/show/blacklikeme/id/33550382