Colorblind: Race Across Generations

We've celebrated another Black History Month and we're taking stock of what was or wasn't accomplished. Is Black History Month still relevant and has its purpose changed? We have a full panel taking on this topic. Social media influencer Ted Bogert of the Ted Show on Facebook Live; Hank Van Putten, Facilitator at the Peace and Justice Institute at Valencia College; Elizabeth Thompson, Executive Director of the Wells' Built Museum of African American History and Culture; Dr. Fon Gordon, Professor of Africana Studies at The University of Central Florida and Amy Selikoff, Writer and Performer of Somebody's History, a part spoken word, part comedy of African American History.

Author Gail Lukasik is a mystery writer who uncovered a mystery in her own family. As an adult, she discovered that her mother was passing, living her life as a white woman. Her mother's closely guarded secret came to light when Gail began a genealogy search and found her maternal grandfather's race listed as Black in census records in New Orleans. We talk to Gail about her discovery and her book, WHITE LIKE HER.

https://www.gaillukasik.com/

In this episode we take a trip through history as we unpack the fascination, the controversy and the hot topic of blackface. Why is it offensive? How is it that in 2019, some people still don't understand why it's offensive, insulting and hurtful. And how do we try to make sure the next generation learns the lesson. Joining us: Dr. Fon Gordon, a historian from The University of Central Florida; Rhetta Hussein, journalist for The Black Press and social activist Jenna Wright.

It started out as a topic for a Master's Thesis. But it's evolved into a television show pilot and a conversation about race in America. Meet Jason Gregory: creator, writer and producer of Waking Up White. And there's a "what would you do" question for everyone to answer.

We take a look at a Florida effort to get people to have what are sometimes uncomfortable conversations about race. But what happens after all the talking? Does it really matter or do any good? The Executive Director of Orlando Together, Nicole Higgins, joins us to talk about the next step. What happens after we make the effort to talk about race.

In 2019, is 11:00 Sunday morning still the most segregated hour of the week? In many Christian churches, the answer is yes. In this episode, we tackle the issue of racial reconciliation in the Christian church. Is it just a buzzword, how does it look and how much effort does it take? Our guests are two Florida Pastors who are actively involved in the issue in their community: Dr. Joel Hunter, who led Northland, a megachurch in Central Florida for more than three decades; Pastor Tim Johnson, Senior Pastor at Orlando World Outreach, with one of the most diverse congregations in the state. And our third guest is Brandon Nightingale, a graduate student at The University of Central Florida, whose thesis focuses on historically black churches and the Civil Rights Movement.

We’re as our friends across the Pond would say, “on holiday”. But we’ll be back strong again in January! In the meantime, this is a perfect time for you to catch up on episodes you may have missed. And in this holiday episode, Host Vanessa Echols and Technical Producers Keith and Ashley are reflecting on our first few months, interesting guests and some controversial topics we tackled. Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and we’ll see ya in January 2019!

It's a one woman show, a play, a performance, stand up comedy and spoken word all rolled into one. It's all about race in America from The Middle Passage to police brutality. And it's from a white woman on a journey to discover how much progress we HAVEN'T made on race in America. Today's guest: Amy Selikoff.

We can barely make it through the day without hearing about a case of racism. But do we really understand what the word means and what situations are actually a case of racism? And does one act of racism make one a racist? We unpack those issues in this episode with a diverse panel featuring Ted Bogert, Creator of the Ted Show; Rhetta Hussein, Journalist for The Black Press; Lauri Lott, Coordinator at The Peace and Justice Institute Academy and Hank Van Putten, Facilitator at The Peace and Justice Institute

Angela King's story is one of racist to redemption. She was once a skinhead and served time in prison for her part in a Florida hate crime. But it was in prison where a chance encounter led to her leave her racist past behind to become now a champion of racial reconciliation and redemption.