Givens Foundation | Black Market Reads
Black Market Reads is a menu for Black literary consumption and all of its spin-offs. Featuring conversations with Black artists who love to read and write and engage in arts and culture. PRODUCER: The Givens Foundation for African American Literature PRODUCTION SERVICES: iDream.tv HOSTED BY Lissa Jones, INTRO/CLOSE Derek Emery ARTWORK courtesy of Ta-coumba Aiken BMR is made possible through the generous support of our individual donors and the voters of Minnesota, through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
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Episode 87 - Sarai Johnson, Grown Women
07/05/2024
Episode 87 - Sarai Johnson, Grown Women
In this episode of Black Market Reads: On Health Lissa and Bukata talk with author Sarai Johnson about her debut novel, Grown Women (Harper Collins 2024). Join us in this lively and thoughtful conversation about what it means to move on—or not move on—from trauma. What it means to ask for forgiveness, what true forgiveness means, how anger can manipulate our relationships, and what happens after the trauma and how it travels through bloodlines. Tracing four generations of remarkable black women, Johnson follows the family across the decades as they grapple with motherhood and daughterhood, inherited trauma, and the deeply ingrained wounds that divide them while they attempt to redefine happiness and healing for themselves. Exploring how race, gender, and class can influence familial relationships, and how pain—and hope—can be handed down from mother to daughter. Black Market Reads is produced by The Givens Foundation for African-American Literature in partnership with . Funding for Black Market Reads: On Health is provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, as part of Blue Cross’ long-term commitment to improving the health of Minnesota communities and ensuring that all people have opportunities to live the healthiest lives possible. For Go Deeper information and more episodes visit
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Episode 86 - Dr. Rachel Hardeman, Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity (CARHE)
06/01/2024
Episode 86 - Dr. Rachel Hardeman, Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity (CARHE)
1 In this episode of Black Market Reads: On Health, Lissa and Bukata talk with Dr. Rachel Hardeman. Dr. Rachel Hardeman is a Tenured Professor & Researcher, Speaker & Thought Leader, Educator & Author on all things health equity. As the , Dr. Hardeman’s goal is to manifest racial justice so that all people, especially Black women and girls, can live their full greatness and glory. As Founding Director of the (CARHE, pronounced "care") at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Hardeman’s work is centered on the notion that the work of antiracism is fueled by love. She was named as one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2024. Learn more in the GO DEEPER section of our website:
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BONUS Episode - Karen Nance: Ethel Ray, Living in the White, Gray, and Black
05/24/2024
BONUS Episode - Karen Nance: Ethel Ray, Living in the White, Gray, and Black
This episode of Black Market Reads was recorded before a live audience at the historic Capri Theater in North Minneapolis. Lissa talks with author Karen Felicia Nance about her latest book Ethel Ray: Living in the White, Gray and Black, the story of her grandmother's contributions to Civil Rights. Ethel Ray’s world was a white world. She was born and raised in Duluth, Minnesota, where her family lived a life filled with marginalization, prejudice, and racism. She experienced constant comparison to whiteness—a place that held no space for her Black Southern father, William Henry Ray, or her white Swedish mother, Inga Ray. Ethel Ray: Living in the White, Gray, and Black is a biography and coming-of-age story of Ethel and of her family’s life before, during, and after the horrific lynching of three young Black circus workers—Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Isaac McGhie—on June 15, 1920. Learn more, visit: for GO DEEPER content Black Market Reads is produced by The Givens Foundation for African American Literature in partnership with Black Market Reads is made possible through the generous support of our individual donors and the voters of Minnesota, through the Minnesota State Arts Board with support from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
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Episode 84 -Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Take My Hand
05/05/2024
Episode 84 -Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Take My Hand
In this episode Lissa and Bukata talk with Author Dolen Perkins-Valdez about her latest book Take My Hand. As a pre-eminent chronicler of American historical life, Dolen talks about her research, her passion for uplifting the authentic voice and the responsibility we have for the fallout of our good deeds. Inspired by true events that rocked the nation, a profoundly moving novel about a Black nurse in post-segregation Alabama who blows the whistle on a terrible wrong done to her patients, from the New York Times bestselling author of Wench. Black Market Reads is produced by The Givens Foundation for African-American Literature in partnership with . Funding for Black Market Reads: On Health is provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, as part of Blue Cross’ long-term commitment to improving the health of Minnesota communities and ensuring that all people have opportunities to live the healthiest lives possible.
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Episode 83 -Linda Villarosa, UNDER THE SKIN: The Hidden Toll of Racism on Health in America
03/25/2024
Episode 83 -Linda Villarosa, UNDER THE SKIN: The Hidden Toll of Racism on Health in America
In this inaugural episode of Black Market Reads: On Health, Lissa Jones introduces her series co-host Bukata Hayes, Vice President and Chief Equity Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. Together they welcome their guest Linda Villarosa, a Pulitzer Prize Finalist and contributor to the NYT 1619 Project. There’s an alarming saying in medical circles that Black people in the US “live sicker and die quicker.” Linda Villarosa, explores this phenomenon in her book UNDER THE SKIN: The Hidden Toll of Racism on Health in America. Villarosa finds that erroneous beliefs about Black bodies, dating from the time of enslavement, continue to influence medical practices today. Coping with the daily stress of racism ages Black people prematurely. And racist beliefs held by doctors and other medical professionals often keep Black people from getting the care they need. Black Market Reads is produced by the Givens Foundation for African-American Literature in partnership with . Funding for this series is provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, as part of Blue Cross’ long-term commitment to improving the health of Minnesota communities and ensuring that all people have opportunities to live the healthiest lives possible. Series artwork created by Ta-coumba T. Aiken
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Episode 82 - Rose McGee, Can't Nobody Make a Sweet Potato Pie Like Our Mama
03/12/2024
Episode 82 - Rose McGee, Can't Nobody Make a Sweet Potato Pie Like Our Mama
In this episode Lissa welcomes co-host Bukata Hayes as they explore the power of storytelling and the nourishment of soulful food with author Rose McGee. ROSE MCGEE, founder of Sweet Potato Comfort Pie, travels across the United States to deliver pies and nurture relationships. She was featured in the 2015 PBS documentary A Few Good Pie Places. After George Floyd’s murder in 2020, her caring community pie baking and delivery gained recognition from NBC Nightly News, Ms McGee resides in Golden Valley, MiN, where she was named “Citizen of the Year”.
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Episode 81- Dr.Keith Mayes, The Unteachables
02/28/2024
Episode 81- Dr.Keith Mayes, The Unteachables
How special education used disability labels to marginalize Black students in public schools The Unteachables examines the overrepresentation of Black students in special education over the course of the twentieth century. Excavating the deep-seated racism embedded in both the public school system and public policy, it explores the discriminatory labeling of Black students, and how it indelibly contributed to special education disproportionality, to student discipline and push-out practices, and to the school-to-prison pipeline effect. Keith A. Mayes is associate professor of African American & African Studies and faculty affiliate in sociocultural studies in education at the University of Minnesota. He is author of Kwanzaa: Black Power and the Making of the African American Holiday Tradition. GO DEEPER www..BlackMarketReads.com
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Episode 80 - Seph Rodney, The Personalization of the Museum Visit
02/13/2024
Episode 80 - Seph Rodney, The Personalization of the Museum Visit
More About Seph Rodney Seph Rodney, PhD was born in Jamaica, and came of age in the Bronx, New York. He has an English degree from Long Island University, Brooklyn; a studio art MFA from the University of California, Irvine; and a PhD in museum studies from Birkbeck College, University of London. While in London, he created, produced, and hosted a radio show called The Thread. Seph Rodney, PhD, is a former senior critic and opinion editor for Hyperallergic. He has written for the New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, and other publications. He is featured on the podcast . His book, , was published by Routledge in 2019. In 2020 he won the Rabkin Arts Journalism Prize. In 2022 he won the Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant. THANKS TO: Walker Art Center Platform Arts
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Episode 79 - Rob Eschmann, When the Hood Comes Off: Racism and Resistance in the Digital Age
02/07/2024
Episode 79 - Rob Eschmann, When the Hood Comes Off: Racism and Resistance in the Digital Age
From cell phone footage of police killing unarmed Black people to leaked racist messages and even comments from friends and family on social media, online communication exposes how racism operates in a world that pretends to be colorblind. In When the Hood Comes Off, Rob Eschmann blends rigorous research and engaging personal narrative to examine the effects of online racism on communities of color and society, and the unexpected ways that digital technologies enable innovative everyday tools of antiracist resistance. In this episode Lissa talks with Dr. Rob Eschmann about When the Hood Comes Off: Racism and Resistance in the Digital Age (University of California Press, 2023), his book exploring racism in the digital age. Rob Eschmann is a writer, scholar, filmmaker, and educator from Chicago. He is Associate Professor of Social Work and a member of the Data Science Institute at Columbia University, as well as Faculty Associate at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society.
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Episode 78 - Tracy Clark, Fall (2nd in the Detective Harriet Foster series)
12/04/2023
Episode 78 - Tracy Clark, Fall (2nd in the Detective Harriet Foster series)
Two-time Sue Grafton Memorial Award-winner introduces readers to (Thomas & Mercer), a hard-boiled, page-turning thriller featuring Chicago Police Detective Harriet Foster, a Black woman in a male-dominated department who, with a new female partner, must stop a killer targeting Chicago aldermen.
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Episode 77 - Jody Lulich, In the Company of Grace: A Veterinarian's Memoir of Trauma and Healing
10/17/2023
Episode 77 - Jody Lulich, In the Company of Grace: A Veterinarian's Memoir of Trauma and Healing
Rising to accept a prestigious award, Jody Lulich wondered what to say. Explain how he’d been attracted to veterinary medicine? Describe how caring for helpless, voiceless animals in his own shame and pain provided a lifeline, a chance to heal himself as well? Lulich tells his story in In the Company of Grace, a memoir about finding courage in compassion and strength in healing—and power in finally confronting the darkness of his youth.
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Episode 76 - Keith Ellison, Break the Wheel: Ending the Cycle of Police Violence
10/16/2023
Episode 76 - Keith Ellison, Break the Wheel: Ending the Cycle of Police Violence
In this episode, presented with a live audience in partnership with Magers & Quinn Booksellers, Lissa talks with Minnesota Attorney General and author, Keith Ellison, about his latest book detailing the trial of Police Officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd exploring why this book is a vital contribution not just to the literature of the Floyd trial, but to that of police reform generally.
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Episode 75 - Sherrie Fernandez-Williams, Goddess of the Whole Self
09/22/2023
Episode 75 - Sherrie Fernandez-Williams, Goddess of the Whole Self
In this episode, Lissa talks with author Sherrie Fernandez-Williams about her latest book, Goddess of the Whole Self, inspirations and origin stories. Go Deeper at www.BlackMarketReads.com
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Episode 74 - Davu Underwood Seru, The Archie Givens, Sr. Collection of African American Literature and Life
08/30/2023
Episode 74 - Davu Underwood Seru, The Archie Givens, Sr. Collection of African American Literature and Life
In this episode Lissa sits down with Davu Underwood Seru, the newly appointed Curator of the Archie Givens Sr. Collection of African American Literature and Life at the University of Minnesota. This Collection includes novels, poetry, plays, short stories, essays, literary criticism, periodicals, and biographies that span nearly 250 years of American culture -with particular strength in the areas of the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement. With tens of thousands of archival and manuscript materials that document the history of black literature and culture, the Givens Collection is an invaluable community and scholarly resource. In this episode we explore the collection and meet Davu Seru, musician, composer, author and recently named Curator of the Givens Collection.
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From the Archives: Rachel Howzell Hall
07/01/2023
From the Archives: Rachel Howzell Hall
In this previously unpublished episode, Lissa talks with author Rachel Howzell Hall during her visit to the Loft's inaugural Wordplay Festival, exploring issues of crime and passion in her 2019 novel They All Fall Down (Forge Books). Rachel Howzell Hall is a noteworthy author from Los Angeles, The United States, who is famous for writing thriller, mystery, literature & fiction, and crime fiction novels. She has written 7 critically acclaimed novels in her career, which include the books of the Detective Elouise Norton novel series. The 3rd book of this series was the receiver of the coveted Kirkus Star. One more book from the same series was included in the list of the Los Angeles Times’ top books to read in the summer. The New York Times has praised the chief protagonist of the series, Elousie Norton, by describing her as a formidable fighter and a person that everyone would want to have by their side. In addition to writing this popular book series, author Hall has collaborated with James Patterson for writing the novel, The Good Sister. Hall is known to be a featured writer on the acclaimed series of the NPR. Author Hall has also served in AWP’s Writers’ Program in the role of a mentor. Currently, she is serving on the panel of the board of directors of the MWA. Author Hall was born in Los Angeles, California. During her childhood days, she used to always keep a pen with her and used to write everywhere, especially the places she felt like writing on. Hall used to fill her notebooks, loose leaf papers, her brother’s yearbook, and in church bulletins. She never used to write on freeway overpasses, buildings, or walls as she used to consider it as graffiti. For a period of 4 years, author Hall has lived in Santa Cruz. The episode also includes a brief conversation with founding director Steph Opitz, about the origins of the 1st Wordplay Festival.
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Episode 73 - Santi Elijah Holley, An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created
05/26/2023
Episode 73 - Santi Elijah Holley, An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created
In this episode Lissa talks with Santi Elijah Holley about his book An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created. An enlightening history of the rise and lasting impact of Black liberation groups in America, as seen through the Shakurs, one of the movement’s most prominent and fiercely creative families, home to Tupac and Assata, and a powerful incubator for today’s activism, scholarship, and artistry. They have been celebrated, glorified, and mythologized. They have been hailed as heroes, liberators, and freedom fighters. They have been condemned, pursued, imprisoned, exiled, and killed. But the true and complete story of the Shakur family—one of the most famous names in contemporary Black American history—has never been told. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY has reported for more than a decade on the intersection of culture, music, race, religion, and politics. His work has appeared in numerous national and international outlets, including The Atlantic, The New Republic, the Economist, the Guardian, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post. Holley is the recipient of grants from PEN America and the Robert B. Silvers Foundation, and he was awarded an Oregon Literary Fellowship for nonfiction. He lives in Los Angeles. Learn more
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Episode 72 - Charlayne Hunter-Gault, My People
04/15/2023
Episode 72 - Charlayne Hunter-Gault, My People
Charlayne Hunter-Gault is an American civil rights activist, journalist and former foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, CNN, and the Public Broadcasting Service. Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes were the first African-American students to attend the University of Georgia. In this episode she and Lissa discuss her life's work, her philosophy, and her latest book -My People: Five Decades Writing About Black Lives
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Episode 71 - Shaun M. Anderson, The Black Athlete Revolt: The Sport Justice Movement in the Age of #Black Lives Matter
02/27/2023
Episode 71 - Shaun M. Anderson, The Black Athlete Revolt: The Sport Justice Movement in the Age of #Black Lives Matter
In this episode Lissa talks with Dr. Shaun M. Anderson, about his debut publication The Black Athlete Revolt: The Sport Justice Movement in the Age of #Black Lives Matter (Rowman and Littlefield, 2023). The Black Athlete Revolt is the first book to take a historical and contemporary look at how Black athletes have used their influence to move beyond protests and create substantial change for Black Americans. Spanning from the civil rights movement to today, this book reveals the ever evolving and important role of Black athlete activism. Specifically, The Black Athlete Revolt explores the influence of black athletes since the late 19th century, through the Civil Rights Movement, and into today’s #BlackLivesMatter movement. As society fights to go from protest to policy reform, the revitalization of athlete activism in recent years has sparked a new platform: The Sport Justice Movement. This book details the ascension of this movement, where it is presently, and what’s next. Go Deeper - visit
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Episode 70 - Pearl Cleage, Blues for an Alabama Sky
02/21/2023
Episode 70 - Pearl Cleage, Blues for an Alabama Sky
In this episode Lissa talks with playwright and author Pearl Cleage about Blues for an Alabama Sky, her current work and references to inspirations and influencers including Langston Hughes, Stacey Abrams, Ntozake Shange, Viola Davis, audience development and more. Blues for an Alabama Sky is playing on the Wurtele Thrust stage at the Guthrie through March 12, 2023 Tickets: Go Deeper
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BONUS EPISODE: Dr. Clarence Lusane returns
02/14/2023
BONUS EPISODE: Dr. Clarence Lusane returns
In celebration of Black History Month, Lissa was invited by Books and Books to interview Dr. Clarence Lusane about his recent work. Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy, (City Lights 2023). Join us for this in depth conversation. Link to purchase the book:
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Episode 69 - Wanda M. Morris, Anywhere You Run
11/25/2022
Episode 69 - Wanda M. Morris, Anywhere You Run
Dripping with Southern atmosphere and blistering suspense, Wanda M. Morris’ sophomore outing proves she is a “writer to watch” (Publishers Weekly). About ANYWHERE YOU RUN: It’s the summer of 1964 and three innocent men are brutally murdered for trying to help Black Mississippians secure the right to vote. Against this backdrop, twenty-two year old Violet Richards finds herself in more trouble than she’s ever been in her life. Suffering a brutal attack of her own, she kills the man responsible. But with the color of Violet’s skin, there is no way she can escape Jim Crow justice in Jackson, Mississippi. Before anyone can find the body or finger her as the killer, she decides to run. With the help of her white beau, Violet escapes. But desperation and fear leads her to hide out in the small rural town of Chillicothe, Georgia, unaware that danger may be closer than she thinks. Back in Jackson, Marigold, Violet’s older sister, has dreams of attending law school. Working for the Mississippi Summer Project, she has been trying to use her smarts to further the cause of the Black vote. But Marigold is in a different kind of trouble: she’s pregnant and unmarried. After news of the murder brings the police to her door, Marigold sees no choice but to flee Jackson too. She heads North seeking the promise of a better life and no more segregation. But has she made a terrible choice that threatens her life and that of her unborn child? Two sisters on the run—one from the law, the other from social shame. What they don’t realize is that there’s a man hot on their trail. This man has his own brand of dark secrets and a disturbing motive for finding the sisters that is unknown to everyone but him . . .
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Episode 68 - Dr. Clarence Lusane, Twenty Dollars and Change
11/10/2022
Episode 68 - Dr. Clarence Lusane, Twenty Dollars and Change
In Twenty Dollars and Change, Lusane offers a searing examination of what the fight to replace Andrew Jackson with Harriet Tubman on the twenty-dollar bill reveals about race, class, and social justice in America today. Lusane gives voice to the millions of Americans who mobilized for the “Tubman twenty,” becoming a part of the long legacy of people of color and women challenging symbols of patriarchy, racism, and white supremacy. He also discusses the movement that emerged in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, who was arrested for allegedly passing a counterfeit $20 bill. Lusane argues that while Andrew Jackson’s image represents a flawed vision of democracy that tolerates white supremacy, Harriet Tubman’s represents the demand for gender equity, racial justice, and the struggle of people working for social inclusion and economic fairness. With insight and urgency, Lusane explains how national symbols in support of social justice serve to unify and strengthen us as a people. Clarence Lusane is a Professor and former Chairman of Howard University’s Department of Political Science. For more than forty years, he has written about and been active in national and international human rights, anti-racism politics, Diaspora engagements, U.S. foreign policy, democracy building, and social justice issues such as education, criminal justice, and drug policy. He has served as a political consultant to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and many elected officials. He is also a former Commissioner on the DC Commission on African American Affairs. His most recent book, The Black History of the White House, received praise from , , and , among others. Dr. Lusane was also recently interviewed on .
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Episode 67 - Megan Giddings, The Women Could Fly
08/28/2022
Episode 67 - Megan Giddings, The Women Could Fly
Reminiscent of the works of Margaret Atwood, Shirley Jackson, and Octavia Butler, a biting social commentary from the acclaimed author of Lakewood that speaks to our times—a piercing dystopian novel about the unbreakable bond between a young woman and her mysterious mother, set in a world in which witches are real and single women are closely monitored. Megan Giddings has degrees from University of Michigan and Indiana University. In 2018, she was a recipient of a Barbara Deming Memorial fund grant for feminist fiction. Her novel, Lakewood, was published by in 2020. It was one of New York Magazine’s 10 best books of 2020, one of NPR’s best books of 2020, a Michigan Notable book for 2021, was a nominee for two NAACP Image Awards, and a finalist for a 2020 LA Times Book Prize in The Ray Bradbury Prize for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction category. In 2021, she was named one of Indiana University’s 20 under 40. In 2022, Megan has an essay in ) and her second novel, The Women Could Fly (Amistad), was published on August 9th, 2022. She lives in the Midwest. This episode was recorded before a live audience at Magers & Quinn Booksellers in Minneapolis, on August 9, 2022, celebrating the launch of The Women Could Fly.
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Episode 66 - Lynn Nottage, Sweat
08/15/2022
Episode 66 - Lynn Nottage, Sweat
In this episode Lynn Nottage speaks with BMR Host, Lissa Jones during the run of her play Sweat, performed at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Lynn Nottage is a playwright and a screenwriter. She is the first, and remains the only, woman to have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice. Her plays have been produced widely in the United States and throughout the world. Most recently, Nottage premiered MJ the Musical, directed by Christopher Wheeldon and featuring the music of Michael Jackson, more … http://www.lynnnottage.com/about.html
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Episode 65 -Kristin Henning, The Rage of Innocence
08/06/2022
Episode 65 -Kristin Henning, The Rage of Innocence
Kristin Henning is a nationally recognized legal scholar and activist in juvenile justice reform. As the Blume Professor of Law and Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at Georgetown, she advocates for reform in the juvenile and criminal legal systems to fight the criminalization of Black adolescence. Henning explores the devastating long-term consequences of racial bias and over-policing youth within communities of color and addresses how to change racial disparities within the legal system.
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Episode 64 -Andrea Jenkins, The T is Not Silent
05/18/2022
Episode 64 -Andrea Jenkins, The T is Not Silent
Andrea Jenkins is the first Black transgender woman to be elected to public office in the United States. She was elected to the Minneapolis City Council with 73% of the vote. She is a poet, and an artist as well as a public official. Andrea is the author of the poetry collection The T is Not Silent, New and Selected Poems, and contributor to the acclaimed anthologies, Queer Voices, Poetry, Prose, and Pride. A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota, and Blues Vision: African American writing from Minnesota. Jenkins is also an oral historian for the Transgender Oral History Project at the University of Minnesota Libraries documenting the lived experiences of transgender and gender non-conforming people in the upper Midwest and in the United States.
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Special Edition: Race to Write: Black Authors on America's Racial Reckoning
02/15/2022
Special Edition: Race to Write: Black Authors on America's Racial Reckoning
In this episode, the tables turn and Lissa Jones is in the spotlight. Lissa joins Dr. Vanessa Weaver, host of to discuss the role of Black authors and literature in the current racial reckoning in her hometown of Minneapolis and across the country. In this Episode The impact of poet Amanda Gorman The origin of “Black Market Reads” The role of literature in the Black experience How Black authors and literature have influenced Lissa’s approach to diversity and inclusion. How the racial reckoning in Minneapolis has shaped “Black Market Reads” How “Black Market Reads” has shaped the national conversation about race Gain fresh insights and learn actionable steps you can take to address the diversity, equity and inclusion challenges in your life. Each week on the Workin’ It Out Podcast, Alignment Strategies’ founder and CEO Dr. Vanessa Weaver interviews thought leaders about DE&I issues in society and the workplace and uncovers solutions that can move us forward. Workin’ It Out is underwritten by Alignment Strategies, LLC and DITV Media.
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Episode 63 - Wanda M. Morris, All Her Little Secrets
01/24/2022
Episode 63 - Wanda M. Morris, All Her Little Secrets
“Every lie you tell, every secret you keep, is a fragile little thing that must be protected and accounted for…” In this episode Lissa talks with author Wanda M. Morris about her crime thriller, debut novel, Morris is a corporate attorney who has worked in the legal departments for several Fortune 100 companies. An accomplished presenter and leader, Morris has previously served as the President of the Georgia Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel and is the founder of its Women's Initiative, an empowerment program for female in-house lawyers. An alumna of the Yale Writer's Workshop and Robert McKee's Story Seminar, she is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America and Crime Writers of Color.
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Special Edition: Team Up for Health Equity with Bukata Hayes
12/13/2021
Special Edition: Team Up for Health Equity with Bukata Hayes
In this Special Edition of Black Market Reads, in a live production at the Capri Theater, Lissa Jones sits down with Bukata Hayes to talk about the book he co-authored with Stacy Wells, and then hear from a panel of representatives Nneka Sederstrom/Chief Health Equity Officer Hennepin Healthcare, Chaz Sandifer/CEO theNEWmpls, and R.T. Rybak/President and CEO The Minneapolis Foundation.
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Episode 62 - Jayne Allen
10/14/2021
Episode 62 - Jayne Allen
Jaunice Sealey is a popular speaker, thought leader, seasoned business executive, and noted author who writes fiction under her chosen nom de plume, Jayne Allen. The Detroit native and L.A.-based writer began her career as an attorney in the music industry as an executive at Universal Music Group. She later served as a senior digital strategist and business development executive for Lady Gaga and as an attorney and strategist for Prince, whom she credits for teaching her how to truly be an artist.
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