Black Men Speak Podcast

Today's episode is about When Crack Was King with author Donovan X. Ramsey. It's a book about the crack epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s. It is arguably the least examined crisis in American history and how it impacted the lives of four individuals, Elgin Swift, son of a crack-addicted father who turned their home into a “crack house”; Lennie Woodley, a former crack addict, and a sex worker; Kurt Schmoke, former mayor of Baltimore and an early advocate of decriminalization; and lastly, Shawn McCray, community activist, basketball prodigy, and a founding member of the Zoo Crew, Newark's most legendary group of drug traffickers. Donovan X. Ramsey is a journalist, author, and an indispensable voice on issues of identity, justice, and patterns of power in America. Ramsey’s writing career has been focused entirely on amplifying the remarkable unheard stories of Black America. He believes in people-first narratives that center individuals and communities—not just issues.

We discuss Darrin Bell's Graphic Novel "The Talk" which is a a conversation Black parents in the United States feel compelled to have with their children and teenagers about the dangers they face due to racism or unjust treatment from authority figures, law enforcement or other parties, and how to de-escalate them.

Darrin Bell who is black and Jewish, born in Los Angeles California, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American editorial cartoonist and comic strip creator known for the syndicated comic strips  Candorville and Rudy Park. He is a syndicated editorial cartoonist with King Features. 

We discuss Darrin Bell's Graphic Novel "The Talk" which is a a conversation Black parents in the United States feel compelled to have with their children and teenagers about the dangers they face due to racism or unjust treatment from authority figures, law enforcement or other parties, and how to de-escalate them.

Darrin Bell who is black and Jewish, born in Los Angeles California, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American editorial cartoonist and comic strip creator known for the syndicated comic strips  Candorville and Rudy Park. He is a syndicated editorial cartoonist with King Features. 

We will discuss the physical and mental health of black men, racism, how it impacts our health, and what we can do about it. with Dr. Derek Griffith. Dr. Griffith is the Founder and Director of the Center for Men’s Health EquityThe Center for Men’s Health Equity conducts research that helps men live healthier lives. While there is growing interest in how social and cultural factors shape men’s health, few researchers have comprehensively studied these influences.

In this special 4-part series, we'll examine the life of Jarvis Jay Masters born in Long Beach, California, in 1962. He is a widely published African-American Buddhist writer and the author of That Bird Has My Wings: The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row and Finding Freedom. 

Originally sent to San Quentin State Prison in 1981 for armed robbery, Jarvis was convicted of conspiracy to murder a prison guard in 1985 and sentenced to death in 1990. Because his case involved a correctional officer, he was placed in solitary confinement and endured there for twenty-one years, from 1985 to 2007. Jarvis exhausted his state appeals in 2019, and his case is currently headed to the federal courts. For more information on the growing campaign to exonerate him, go to www.freejarvis.org.

In this special 4-part series, we'll examine the life of Jarvis Jay Masters born in Long Beach, California, in 1962. He is a widely published African-American Buddhist writer and the author of That Bird Has My Wings: The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row and Finding Freedom. 

Originally sent to San Quentin State Prison in 1981 for armed robbery, Jarvis was convicted of conspiracy to murder a prison guard in 1985 and sentenced to death in 1990. Because his case involved a correctional officer, he was placed in solitary confinement and endured there for twenty-one years, from 1985 to 2007. Jarvis exhausted his state appeals in 2019, and his case is currently headed to the federal courts. For more information on the growing campaign to exonerate him, go to www.freejarvis.org.

In this special 4-part series, we'll examine the life of Jarvis Jay Masters born in Long Beach, California, in 1962. He is a widely published African-American Buddhist writer and the author of That Bird Has My Wings: The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row and Finding Freedom. 

Originally sent to San Quentin State Prison in 1981 for armed robbery, Jarvis was convicted of conspiracy to murder a prison guard in 1985 and sentenced to death in 1990. Because his case involved a correctional officer, he was placed in solitary confinement and endured there for twenty-one years, from 1985 to 2007. Jarvis exhausted his state appeals in 2019, and his case is currently headed to the federal courts. For more information on the growing campaign to exonerate him, go to www.freejarvis.org.

In this special 4-part series, we'll examine the life of Jarvis Jay Masters born in Long Beach, California, in 1962. He is a widely published African-American Buddhist writer and the author of That Bird Has My Wings: The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row and Finding Freedom. 

Originally sent to San Quentin State Prison in 1981 for armed robbery, Jarvis was convicted of conspiracy to murder a prison guard in 1985 and sentenced to death in 1990. Because his case involved a correctional officer, he was placed in solitary confinement and endured there for twenty-one years, from 1985 to 2007. Jarvis exhausted his state appeals in 2019, and his case is currently headed to the federal courts. For more information on the growing campaign to exonerate him, go to www.freejarvis.org.

In this episode, we will speak with Isaiah Jones, a Comedy Touring and Live Events Agent at United Talent Agency in New York. Initially from Dinwiddie, VA, we will talk about his passion for music and percussion and how that led him to serve as the Brand Manager and Speaking Agent for Marcus Johnson, an esteemed international jazz pianist, producer, entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist. Now growing as an Agent in Comedy Touring, Isaiah represents and books various talent for live events, including stand-up comedians, digital creators, podcasters, kids' character-based live stage shows, and more.

In 2020 Tyrese Allyene-Davis celebrated his 21st birthday alone in his NYU dorm room in the middle of a pandemic. It was a mere few days after his school’s closure, and a few weeks before the wave for racial justice would surge following the murder of George Floyd. Seven months later, still confined by a wheelchair and isolated with only his thoughts, he watches the documentary film “I Am Not Your Negro” by Raoul Peck and breaks down in verbal tears. With no one to talk to, Tyrese pours his visceral feelings into a live Facebook post with only audio, leaving his followers to reflect upon his present state of being, and the images behind those thoughts.

This experimental documentary short, In the Wake of Mourning by Adetoro Makinde is the visual amplification of Tyrese's words, bringing the viewer into his world, his trauma, and the awakening of a personal call to power.

Tyrese can be found on these social media platforms. 

Spencer Russell currently boasts over 550,000 followers on TikTok, two years ago, he was just a dad going through a career change and looking to give his son a head start. Now the owner of Toddlers CAN Read, Spencer teaches kids as early as 18 months a simple approach to reading. 

Deciding to teach his son how to read at such a young age stems from his experience feeling academically inadequate to his family members and peers in his youth. Russell knew from a young age that he was different from his siblings; school and education didn’t come as easy to him. In a family where everyone excelled — the Russell family tree is decorated with advanced degrees from Brown, Cornell, Princeton, Stanford, and Johns Hopkins — he learned early on that he would have to give extra effort in areas that seemed more natural to his four older siblings

In this special episode of Black Men Speak, Tierra Cunningham explores the meaningful topic of relationships from the point of view of a Georgetown student. Tierra interviews Chris Pitt, a junior track and field athlete as he discusses the rigors of being a college athlete while maintaining a sense of identity at the University.