Black Oxygen

Brenda Moten moved to Wisconsin several years ago to be closer to her family. Her journey of living in the Midwest began when she moved from Shreveport, LA to Peoria, IL. She recently visited her 96 year old father back in Shreveport. This episode features a conversation with Brenda and her father Esther Monroe. They discuss their life journeys, progress on race relations in the United States, and offers wisdom on having a life well lived.

#BlackOxygenPodcast #BlackInWisconsin #DopeBlackPodcasts #WisconsinLife #Madison365 #ElderWisdom #BlackInMadison #BeautifulWisconsin #WisconsinIsBeautiful #RaceRelations

Angela Fitzgerald Ward is the Associate Dean of the School of Academic Achievement at Madison College, is the Creator and Host of the Wisconsin Series Why Race Matters, and the Host of Wisconsin Life on PBS Wisconsin. In 2014, Angela moved from Richmond, VA to Madison, WI and since then has worked to make Madison her home. In this episode of Black Oxygen Angela discusses her journey on intentionally creating community in Madison, what she's learned about Wisconsin by hosting Wisconsin life, the importance of representation in understanding and owning your own beauty, and much more.

#BlackOxygenPodcast #BlackInWisconsin #DopeBlackPodcasts #WisconsinLife #Madison365 #BlackRepresentationWisconsin #BlackInMadison #BeautifulWisconsin #WisconsinIsBeautiful

Links and Resources:

Why Race Matters PBS Wisconsin - https://pbswisconsin.org/why-race-matters/about/

Wisconsin Life PBS Wisconsin - https://wisconsinlife.org

The Honorable Rev Everett Mitchell is currently running to be on Wisconsin's Supreme Court. In this episode, Judge Mitchell discusses why he decided to run for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, his southern roots and its impact on his baking abilities, the codification of race within US history, his vision of how law can be a force for good, the role of beauty in changing the narrative and distortion of Black images, and much more.

#BlackOxygenPodcast #BlackInWisconsin #DopeBlackPodcasts #WisconsinSupremeCourt #Wisconsin #Madison365 #EverettMitchell #Law #Justice

Willie Jude II, Vice Chancellor of Advancement at UW-Parkside, was recently named as one of the most influential Black leaders in Wisconsin by Madison365. A native of Milwaukee, Willie returned back to Wisconsin in 2021 to join UW-Parkside. In this Black Oxygen episode, Willie discusses his journey into higher ed administration, the growth that can happen when you are outside of your comfort zone, and the beauty of fatherhood. Towards the end of this conversation, Willie reminds us that, "you are loved."

Links & Resources:

https://www.uwp.edu/explore/news/uwp-appoints-willie-jude-ii-as-new-vice-chancellor-for-advancement.cfm

https://madison365.com/its-only-10-minutes-december-22-2022/

Deirdra "Dee" Kendrix is an Intuitive Coach & Executive Strategist, who also happens to be a recovering corporate executive. Dee's personal mission is to create authentic spaces of Grace and Transformational Growth. Dee is also the CEO and Chief Strategist of DC Global Group; a boutique firm with a niche expertise in organizational (culture) behavior and leadership advisory & development.

In this episode of Black Oxygen, Dee discusses moving from the east coast to Wisconsin, her journey of discovering her inherent beauty, the connection between grace and beauty, the difference between being pretty and being beautiful and so much more. She says, "beauty is anything or anyone that creates marvel, wonder, joy, healing and curiosity."

Links & Resources:

DC Global Group - https://dcglobalgroup.com

Koffee & Grace - https://koffeeandgrace.com

Black is Beautiful: Deidre Kendrix - https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/black-is-beautiful-deirdra-kendrix

Charles Payne is a Madison transplant, a certified teacher, and self-taught social artist, originally from Michigan. Payne is a Shop One Educator/Artist Residency Finalist and a 2022 TMT New Play Development Playwright. Their play 'Da Classroom Ain't Enuf' was an American Players Theatre New Voices: Creating the Classics of Tomorrow semi-finalist and a Wisconsin Wrights 2022 New Play Development project finalist. Payne is an Isthmus contributor, a Madison Magazine contributor and the Arts + Literature Lab's inaugural ALL Originals Prize winner.

In this episode of Black Oxygen Payne discusses their experience in Madison, mental health, body dysmorphia, and the beauty in storytelling. Near the end of our conversation, they remind us to take time to reflect on our lived experience.

#BlackOxygenPodcast #BlackInWisconsin #Madison365 #DopeBlackPodcasts #CharlesEdwardPayne #BlackLeadership #BlackLeadershipInWisconsin #BeautifulWisconsin #WisconsinIsBeautiful #Storytelling #BlackStorytellers #BlackPoets #BlackTheatre #BodyDysmorphia #MentalHealthConversations #MentalHealthCare

Links & Resources:

Water mark - an essay: https://isthmus.com/news/community/water-mark/

Up went my hands: https://www.channel3000.com/guest-essay-up-went-my-hands/

Little Books of Wisconsin: https://www.littlebookwi.com/blog/artist-profile-charles-payne

Arts + Literature Lab: https://artlitlab.org/artists/charles-payne

For more information on suicide or to connect with someone regarding mental health concerns please check our the resources below

National Suicide Prevention Hotline - 800-273-8255 - https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Anesis Therapy Center - https://anesistherapycenter.com

Journey Mental Health - https://journeymhc.org

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help

Ali Muldrow says, "beauty is about reclaiming all the good in your life." In this episode of Black Oxygen, Ali discuss the conflation of beauty with perfection, her trip to a cabin in rural Wisconsin, developing and maintaining friendships as adults, when she first understood the depth of her own beauty and much and much more.

#BlackOxygenPodcast #BlackInWisconsin #BlackWomenInWisconsin #BlackWomenDroppingGems #BlackWomen #Madison365 #DopeBlackPodcasts #AliMuldrow #BlackLeadership #BlackLeadershipInWisconsin #BeautifulWisconsin #WisconsinIsBeautiful #Doula

A message from Black Oxygen host Angela Russell about next season, which will be all about beauty. New episodes drop starting January 9th.

Originally from Kansas City, MO, Dr. Amy Lewis recently moved to Wisconsin to join UW-Madison as research associate as an Anna Julia Cooper Fellow in the Mead Witter School of Music. Granddaughter of Grammy nominated jazz pianist Jay McShann, Dr. Lewis grew up surrounded by music - but she didn't think she'd go into music education. In this episode of Black Oxygen, Dr. Lewis discusses her family's history in music, her research on systemic oppression and racism within music education, and the role of experiencing joy as a part of liberation. She says, "if we can't create spaces that bring us joy it will be hard to get to liberation."

Links:

https://music.wisc.edu/2022/09/29/school-of-music-welcomes-new-faculty/

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/206173/freedom-dreams-by-robin-dg-kelley/

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622408/we-want-to-do-more-than-survive-by-bettina-love/

Madison-based writer Deshawn McKinney's book of poetry called "forgive me father" is riveting. The poems explore the themes of masculinity, alcohol addiction, and the potential for forgiveness. In this episode of Black Oxygen, Deshawn discusses vulnerability, forgiveness, family, the need to create spaces where people can feel like they belong and so much more. Born and raised in Milwaukee, now living in Madison, DeShawn encourages us to see beyond our bubbles and says that good public discourse can help shatter our bubbles.

#BlackOxygenPodcast #Madison365 #DeshwanMcKinneyn #onforgiveness #fogivemefather #MilwaukeeBorn #MilwaukeeRaised #414 #Wisconsin #DopeBlackPodcasts #BlackPodcasts #BlackPoets #CivilDiscourse #BlackInWisconsin #BlackInWisconsin #BlackWriters #FirstWave

Links:

https://deshawnmckinney.com

https://deshawnmckinney.com/about/

https://wisconsinlife.org/story/forgiveness-explored-in-milwaukee-writer-deshawn-mckinneys-new-poetry-book/