Black Like Me

Hear the inside story on the transition from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris as the presidential candidate from Ben Wikler, Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Ben considers how Harris has been active as the Vice President and making energetic appearances but the broader media has chosen not to report on this angle of Harris until her presidential candidacy.

They also discuss this year's Democratic National Convention and how it felt more joyful and stood out. Ben also explains the use of "weird" comments in the election process.

Dr. Gee and Ben also explore the role of Black women in the 2024 election and the impact of their engagement. Can Harris inspire other women of color to participate in politics?

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Dr. Gee has an in-depth conversation with University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin on what the university is doing to improve the sense of belonging for students of color. Their discussion covers Dr. Gee's participation in a committee working to recognize the universities history with students of color and what can be done moving forward. The committee will be releasing a report soon with their findings and recommendations. Chancellor Mnookin shares about her plans and initiatives in this role at the university and how she sees that they are developing so far.

Jennifer L. Mnookin is the 30th leader in the University of Wisconsin–Madison's 175-year history, and one of the nation's top legal scholars.

Chancellor Mnookin is dedicated to pushing boundaries to bring the university to new levels of excellence in research and education, and to energizing and expanding the Wisconsin Idea, UW–Madison's commitment to innovating for the public good.

She recently launched the largest cross-campus initiative in the university's history — called Wisconsin RISE (Research, Innovation, and Scholarly Excellence) — to expand educational opportunities and research at UW–Madison around significant, complex challenges affecting Wisconsin and the world.

Chancellor Mnookin is a nationally recognized scholar on the intersection of law and science, and recently co-chaired an expert report on facial recognition technologies for the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.

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Read more about Dr. Gee's Honorary Doctorate

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Dr. Gee kicks off the new season with his signature mic check episode. Season 10 is going to be big and he is saying it loud! Hear Dr. Gee unfiltered and get a preview of the season.

The Black Like Me Podcast is also creating some new opportunities for listeners to connect and interact with the show and other listeners. You can Join the Black Like Me Community Facebook Group. If you are one of the Patreon Supporters watch for the opportunity to join an exclusive online forum for the podcast as well. You can check out becoming a Patron Supporter here.

Learn more about The Center for Black Excellence and Culture

Read more about Dr. Gee's Honorary Doctorate

Watch Verlene Gee Moment at Farmer's Market

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This is the second in a series on Alzheimer's on both a personal and medical research level, focused on the impact on Black and Indigenous people. Hear about Dr. Gee's collaboration with University of Wisconsin-Madison's Alzheimer's Research Department, including his guests Dr. Carey Gleason, MD and Dr. Fabu Carter.

Dr. Carey Gleason shares the science behind Alzheimer's and the need for a diverse population of research participants. Dr. Fabu Carter discusses reaching out to the community and in particular the Black community.

Also, don't miss a special cross-cultural Black Ice Breakers segment with the week's guests.

UW-Madison - Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) https://www.adrc.wisc.edu/about

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This is the first in a series on Alzheimer's on both a personal and medical research level, focused on the impact on Black and Indigenous people. Rev. Lilada and Dr. Alex Gee share funny stories about their mother after the effects of Alzheimer's. They discuss some of the signposts of Alzheimer's for others dealing with those in their lives

They also tell about the process of discovering Alzheimer's with their mother and her journey, including finding home for assistance. Plus, Lilada finally gets in on the Black Ice Breakers.

Read an article Dr. Gee wrote about when he discovered his mother had alzheimer's: https://www.alexgee.com/my-mom-has-alzheimers-disease/

Help create the Verline Gee Senior Center: https://givebutter.com/xieAH6

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Dr. Gee welcomes Nolan Dunham, one of the founders of the Madison chapter of the Black Motorcycle Club. They connected while Nolan was working in the community. He explains the history of why the original Black motorcycle clubs were formed.

Nolan also talks about misrepresentations of motorcycle groups with the club's commitment to the community and the community service work they do. Don't miss Dr. Gee trying to convince Nolan into allowing him to have honorary membership in the Black Motorcycle Club.

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Justified Anger had drastically shifted the experiences and thinking of the white people who have become connected through the educational opportunities. Andrea Dearlove was an early attendee of Justified Anger's Black History for a New Day course and it drastically transformed her personal and professional priorities. She discovered that when white people step back in their power and influence, they are actually enriched and enlarged in their personal life.

Andrea's allyship journey has led her to a new perspective on racial dynamics in her community and also the state of DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) efforts in civic and organizational arenas. Dr. Gee discusses the system change efforts of Justified Anger and his experience with systemic racism.

Learn more about Justified Anger's leadership development.

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Dr. Gee talks with the experienced consultant, Jim Bower, about empowering visionary leaders to actually create the social change that they envision. Listen in on the ongoing conversation these two men have about how to approach the cross-cultural work of addressing racism in a local community, in particular through their work in developing The Center for Black Excellence and Culture.

Jim responded to the call to get to work on improving racial disparities in the community as a result of the original Justified Anger article. He helped approach the issues in the community as Complex Adaptive problems compared to technical problems. Racism is a problem that without a quick fix and eliminating racism requires a multi-layered approach, not just addressing one factor of the issue.

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Sandi Reinardy discusses how she and the Court Observer team have developed the program with the goal of holding the court accountable and advocating for a just system. Hear how it is unavoidable to see the impact of race in the courtroom and sentencing process. Sandi shares how the data they collect is used and how the system responds to information they gather. She also explains some of the biggest issues for those encountering a courtroom and what changes she would mandate for judges.

Aaron informs the conversation with his experience of being in front of a judge and having the decision impact the rest of his life. He shares passionately about the disparity in how bail is used to maintain class and race lines, where some are privileged over others. They also brainstorm how they can all build on what they are already doing and use their resources and networks to create systemic change.

Learn more about the Court Observers

Learn more about the Justified Anger Black History for a New Day Course

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What was it like to try to create systemic change after the release of Dr. Gee's Justified Anger article? Hear how the article was encroaching on white people's territory with pushback to maintain the system from guests Rev. Lilada Gee and Harry Hawkins.

Mr. Hawkins provides perspective on the release of the Justified Anger article from someone who had just moved to Madison and was seeing the environment with fresh eyes. They also discuss how language matters in race relations because it frames the issues and who has the power. Dr. Gee breaks down why he got labeled a "Black" leader and not just a community or civic leader.

Read Justified Anger's Our Madison Plan

The Center for Black Excellence and Culture

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