Bring It On! – WFHB

This program originally aired on February 12, 2024:

On today’s edition of Bring It On!, hosts, Clarence Boone and Liz Mitchell, spend the hour with Laurisa LeSure, the director of Better Homes: The Play. In the 1950s African American Studebaker workers from the South won out over Jim Crow in the North to build 22 homes in a white neighborhood and create a legacy. Their success demonstrates the decisive importance of fair housing for generations to come. It is a victory in a battle that has not been won yet since housing discrimination and redlining persist today.

This collective group was known as the  Better Homes of South Bend, and they built 22 homes on 1700-1800 blocks of North Elmer Street, creating a vibrant and peaceful community here in a formerly all-white neighborhood. And now, history is being transformed into a play based on the book by Gabrielle Robinson, Ph.D.

In honor of Black History Month, we felt it was important to shed light on this Indiana story of resilience. There is a historical marker on South Bend’s far northwest side where 22 Black families began a housing co-op in the 50s known as the “Better Homes of South Bend.” WNIT of South Bend will show the entire play along with talk-back segments from the cast & crew of “Better Homes: The Play” on Friday, February 23, at 9 PM and on Sunday, February 25, at 8 PM.

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On Bring It On! this week, hosts, Clarence Boone and Gloria Howell, take on the issue of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) with guests, Artina Carter, Chief of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for the Huron-Clinton Metroparks in Southeast Michigan, Monica Fleetwood Black, the Clinical Coordinator at the Youth Services Bureau of Monroe County, and Ellise Antoinette Smith, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Division of Student Affairs at Indiana University Indianapolis.

This hour focuses on establishing a rational, working definition for DEI amidst the radical right’s decision to use D.E.I. as a politically divisive or wedge issue now that Vice President Kamala Harris is leading or tied in the polls with Donald Trump in the current election of the next President of the United States.

The basic consensus among political analysts is that the radical right is attempting to diminish Harris’s popularity by trying to reframe her as an unqualified DEI hire throughout her public service career. In other words, the radical right is saying that she is in her position as Vice President and candidate for the President of the United States because of who she is, rather than because of her acumen and accomplishments.

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Bring It On! hosts, Clarence Boone and Gloria Howell, spend the hour with Dr. Charlie Nelms, veteran higher education administrator and chancellor emeritus of North Carolina Central University, and Beverly Calender-Andersen, former anchor of Bring it On! and former director of the City of Bloomington’s Community and Family Resources Department. Dr. Gloria Howell is the Director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center and tonight’s co-anchor. Centered on its impact on the Black Community, in the continuation of last week’s discussion, our guests talk about the state of the presidential election one week later and Kamala Harris’s spectacular rise since then.

Proof of this was immediately demonstrated by the Democratic presidential campaign raising $81 Million in 24 hours and Vice President Kamala Harris dramatically surpassing the threshold for needed electoral delegates in 48 hours. Per a Morning Consult poll, this positive reaction from democratic supporters has Harris now leading former President Trump 46 percent to 45 percent—the highest level of support recorded for Democrats since tracking began in 2022. She also leads Trump 40 percent to 38 percent among independent voters.

One pollster notes that her level of support at the start of her campaign exceeds the highest level of support ever gauged for Biden. In recent days, we have witnessed rousing and heart-warming speeches from both Vice President Harris and President Biden. Pundits attribute her entry into this race as the lone reason for the party becoming electrified and optimistic.

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Bring It On! hosts, Clarence Boone and Gloria Howell, spend the hour with current and former Bring It On! contributors: Eric Love, a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant with Love Force Consulting; and Roberta Radovich, newly appointed associate director for corporate and foundation relations with the IU School of Philanthropy. Dr. Gloria Howell is the Director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center and tonight’s co-anchor. Centered on its impact on the Black Community, they discuss the possible ramifications of President Joseph Biden’s decision to withdraw from the presidential race and his endorsement of his current Vice-President, Kamala Harris, to replace him in the U.S. presidential race.

Some may say that it was pressure from critics, including some from his own party, who said, due to his age, declining poll numbers, and poor debate performance against his Presidential rival, it was time to step down. Leading up to this past weekend, the political pundits and those in the know in D.C. were strongly suggesting that an announcement was imminent. If successful, Kamala Harris would become the first woman and first woman of color to become the President and Commander-In-Chief of the United States.

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On today’s edition of Bring It On!, hosts, Clarence Boone and Gloria Howell spend the evening with Artina Carter, the Chief of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for the Huron-Clinton MetroParks in Southeast Michigan. This is part two of a discussion that originally occurred on November 6, 2023 on woke-ism.

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This is a rebroadcast of a program that aired on June 24, 2024:

On this edition of Bring It On!, host, Clarence Boone, and, guest co-host, Aniya Boone, spend the hour with Marissa Baker, a graduating senior from Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School and 2024 participating filmmaker in the Indiana Youth Film Festival. She discusses her film, “Beautiful Roots,” which you can watch on YouTube here. They also talk about her experiences as a participant in the Indian Youth Film Festival.

On Saturday, June 22, the Indiana Youth Film Festival hosted a state-wide film festival for the young filmmakers of Indiana. Throughout the festival, they held filmmaker talkbacks, workshops, and question-and-answer sessions. It was run just like a typical film festival; there were film submissions that went through a screening process. Select filmmakers were able to showcase their films, have Q&A sessions, and potentially win awards for Best Comedy, Best Drama, or Audience Choice. In addition, the filmmakers could connect with other local creatives at a meet-and-greet, seeking advice, guidance, or potential collaboration.

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This is a rebroadcast that originally aired on February 1, 2021:

Today’s edition of Bring It On! is a broadcast of a show recorded immediately after the siege of the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, which led to the deaths of five people, including the murder of Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick. Hosts, Clarence Boone and William Hosea spend the hour with long-time Bring It On! contributor Eric Love, the Director of Staff Diversity and Inclusion for the University of Notre Dame, and Elizabeth (Liz) Watson, a labor attorney and the current executive director of the Progressive Caucus Action Fund, to examine the impact of the Capitol Hill siege on society, and its effects on the African-American community, in particular.

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On this edition of Bring It On!, host, Clarence Boone, and, guest co-host, Aniya Boone, spend the hour with Marissa Baker, a graduating senior from Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School and 2024 participating filmmaker in the Indiana Youth Film Festival. She discusses her film, “Beautiful Roots,” which you can watch on YouTube here. They also talk about her experiences as a participant in the Indian Youth Film Festival.

On Saturday, June 22, the Indiana Youth Film Festivalhosted a state-wide film festival for the young filmmakers of Indiana. Throughout the festival, they held filmmaker talk backs, workshops, and question and answer sessions. It was ran just like a typical film festival, there were film submissions that went through a screening process. Select filmmakers were able to showcase their films, have Q & A sessions, and potentially win awards for Best Comedy, Best Drama, or Audience Choice. In addition, the filmmakers were able to connect with other local creatives at a meet and greet, and seek advice, guidance, or potential collaboration. 

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On today’s edition of Bring It On!, host and executive producer, Clarence Boone speaks with Shatoyia Moss, Interim Director of the Community and Family Resources Department (CFRD) for the City of Bloomington, and, Dr. Gloria Howell, Director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center on the IU Bloomington campus. On Saturday, June 15th, the City of Bloomington hosted free food and activities at Switchyard Park to celebrate Juneteenth. On Wednesday, June 19th, The Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center will host free food, music, games, a cakewalk, arts, and crafts. Shatoyia Moss and Dr. Gloria Howell join Bring It On! this evening to discuss these celebratory activities in the City of Bloomington and on the IU-Bloomington campusCulture Center on the IU Bloomington campus.

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The first segment of this show originally aired on July 25, 2022.

In today’s edition of Bring It On!, hosts, Clarence Boone and Liz Mitchell spend the hour with Bryant Scott, the CEO of Tyscot Records, and John P. Kellogg, who is a Berklee Online music business instructor and the former assistant chair of the Music Business/Management Department at Berklee. Bryant and John are here to educate us on the ins and outs of the Gospel music industry.

John P. Kellogg is also a practicing entertainment lawyer who specializes in the music industry. He has represented clients such as LSG, the O’Jays, G. Dep, and the late Gerald Levert. Bryant Scott heads Tyscot Records, and Tyscot Films, the oldest African-American-owned international gospel record company in the world, Bryant has created opportunities, influenced lives, and launched careers.  He is credited for signing and developing major artists including John P. Kee, The GMWA Women Of Worship, Dr. Bobby Jones, Deitrick Haddon, The Rance Allen Group, The Anointed Pace Sisters, Carman, Bishop Noel Jones, Darwin Hobbs, Shirley Murdock, Ann Nesby, and most recently Anthony Brown and Casey J.

In the second segment of Bring It On!, Liz Micthell presents another exciting episode of Dark Past, Bright Future about African Americans in Indiana.

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