Building Opportunity in Delaware

Markevis Gideon uses the word "intentionality" to describe the work he does at NERDiT NOW. The organization is intentional about giving back and working to bridge the digital and wealth divides in the community. Gideon also discusses how his "life changed because of one computer" and the necessity of computers in today's modern times. Learn more about NERDiT NOW.

Ashley Christopher was working in the Wilmington mayor's office when she was tasked with developing an idea to engage Wilmington's underserved communities. She thought education was the path forward and the idea for HBCU Week came forth. Now the CEO of HBCU Week Foundation, Christopher and the organization have offered thousands of scholarships totaling millions of dollars to students looking to continue their education. She also touches on what it means to be in the HBCU community (as a two-time HBCU alum) and how the institutions can impact young people.

Dr. Rama Peri moved around the medical field when she first arrived in Delaware with her family, working at a local hospital, in private practice and even at a school. However, she wanted to balance her family life with her professional life while also working in the community, so she started The Rosa Health Center in 2015. In this episode, host Stuart Comstock-Gay talks with Dr. Peri about her past, how she got into medicine and also about the future of medicine and how she sees community doctors evolving. The two also briefly talk about the expansion project happening at The Rosa Health Center. 

The influences in one's life can be either positive or negative... For Adam Kramer, he had a lot of negative influences growing up, which led to a life of drug dealing and jail time. After getting out, and getting on the straight path, Kramer, a former felon, teamed up with a former FBI agent to try to bring some positive influences into the lives of young kids in Delaware through the Green Beret Project. He sits down with host Stuart Comstock-Gay to go through it all: his upbringing, his jail time and his path back to being a positive influence in kids' lives. 

India Colon-Diaz is the vice president of Nuestras Raices Delaware (NR Delaware), an organization dedicated to cultural inclusion, building positive connections, distributing resources, and encouraging social growth. She sits down with host Stuart Comstock-Gay to discuss her upbringing in Wilmington and the changes she's seen in the Hispanic community. They also take a deep dive into NR Delaware and the work they're doing to bring new leaders to the table in Delaware. Learn more about Nuestras Raices Delaware. 

Darryl Chambers, also known as "Wolfie" and "The Mayor of Wilmington," has been fighting the inequities in Wilmington to try and make the city better for all of its citizens. In this episode, Wolfie talks about why he started the Center for Structural Equity, the inequities that he sees, such as education, healthcare and employment in Wilmington and across Delaware, and what communities and their people have to do to combat such inequities. Learn more about the Center for Structural Equity. 

There are many ways to bring joy to a community, but Michelle Freeman has found that the arts are the best way for her community to experience joy. Freeman, the CEO of the Carl M. Freeman Companies, the president and chairperson of the Carl M. Freeman Foundation and the founder and CEO of the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation, sat down with host Stuart Comstock-Gay to discuss how the foundations she runs bring joy to the Delmarva area. They also discuss her ascension to these roles, after the passing of her father-in-law and husband, as well as other hardships she's faced in her life and how she's overcome them. Learn more about the Carl M. Freeman Foundation.

Erin Gruwell, author of the New York Times Bestseller The Freedom Writers' Diary, sits down with host Stuart Comstock-Gay to talk about how she learned to create a community of writers as a fresh-faced English teacher in Room 203. Gruwell discusses how she got her students to better their lives through reading and writing, with her students coining themselves the “Freedom Writers” after the “Freedom Riders” group as a way to show they were standing up to the violence and oppression in their lives. Now, over 20 years later, Gruwell continues to teach others how to create communities through storytelling, writing, listening to one another and giving light in dark places. The two also discuss her latest book, Dear Freedom Writer. Find out more information on the Freedom Writers by visiting the Freedom Writers Foundation.

Season 5 of Building Opportunity is coming next week! This season, host Stuart Comstock-Gay sits down with community leaders in education, tech, health and the arts to discuss communities, leadership, mentorship and passing the mic to the next generation. The season starts Nov. 1 with episodes available every Wednesday.

We’ve talked a lot about polarization this season – but what can we do about it? We welcome back all of our guests to each share one actionable thing anyone can do to reduce polarization – in our communities, in our daily lives, and in our interactions with others.