In early January, 2017, four African American teens kidnapped a special needs White American kid and tortured and beat him mercilessly simply because he was white. On June 17, 2015 Dylan Roof, a White American male, walked walked calmly into a historical African American church and murdered nine innocents because the were Black. Many have celebrated Roof's death sentence that was passed down on January 10. And many have celebrated that the four African American teens were caught and will most certainly be going to prison. Do the offenders in each instance deserve their punishment? I most certainly and unequivocally believe they do. Nevertheless, it's my strong opinion that neither form of punishment deserves to be celebrated. As a society, we need to search our collective soul and come to terms that we all have created the environment that watered such poisoned thinking, that cultivated these monsters. Solutions are to be celebrated, not tragedies. And it’s absolutely a tragedy that these young Americans—Roof and the four African American teens—have decided to choose their respective foolhardy and destructive paths. We feel for the victims in both cases but there can only be more such incidences if we don't abandon this finger pointing and side taking and find solutions to what is tearing us apart. Thanks for joining the conversation.

Lamin Jatta, Kunta Kinteh Foundation President and CEO and former Gambian Goodwill Ambassador to the United States, returns to the EOI podcast and drops unmitigated fire about race relations in America, the ascension of president-elect Donlad Trump as well as exercising his acute foreign policy chops regarding the current state of political unrest in his home nation of Gambia and how he is using his insider status with incoming president Adama Barrow to quell the agression by dictator Yahyah Jammeh who refuses to honor the results of the election. Buckle up.

This week we discuss the numerous conflicts of interest posed by President-Elect Trump's far flung global business empire.

Trump continues to upend the political establishment and geopolitical norms with the appointment of Exxon Mobile CEO Rex Tillerson, a man with zero political or international diplomatic experience while holding strong pro-Russia views, to the near sacred post of Secretary of State.

Everything seems normal. The world didn't explode after the November 8th election. But take another look ... nothing is the same. And we need to stand up and disrupt the new status quo to ensure it never is again.

In the EOI Season 2 premiere episode, we speak with Lamin Jatta and the humanitarian and activist speaks gracefully and forthrightly about the unique sense of legacy he feels as a direct descendant of his foundation's iconic and historical namesake. He also speaks of the whirlwind Emmy nomination process for the 2016 iteration of Roots, for which he acted as senior advisor. He addresses the riff between he and rapper Snoop Dogg regarding the significance of Roots for this generation as well as his partnership with heavyweights like Tyler Perry that are key in helping him move his mission forward. Most importantly, this is a man who simply wants the world to see one truth: that we are all one race, we feel the same things and love in the same manner. That these are things that should unite us, not divide us.

It's true that she possesses one of the most brilliant minds in todays burgeoning and overwrought technology industry. Even so, the presence that I encountered during the course of our time together is far more than the sum of her notable accomplishments. Daniela Luzi Tudor is a soul filled with kindness, love and empathy. Listen as she unabashedly shares how she rose from the dark and tenebrous depths of substance addiction to head Pala-linq, one of the most sought after and innovative startups in the nation. This episode was also broadcasted live on Periscope on 6.21.2016. Watch the video at: periscope.tv/alhtheauthor

He has a degree in psychology. He's coached athletics at the NCAA level. He served his country with honor after graduating from the Air Force Academy. And, as a gender fluid individual, he served in the military at a time when his sexual orientation meant he was persona non grata under the Don't Ask, Don't Tell rule of law. The conversation with Susty Entertainment CEO Justice Calo reign ran the gamut from how he came out to his parents, how he overcame the dogma of religion in order to be free to love and live his truth as a gay black man in America. We also touched on race relations and, as a member of the LGBT community, how the recent and senseless loss of life at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida has impacted him and the community he loves so much. Outstanding conversation with an exceptional individual. This episode was also broadcasted live on Periscope on 6.14.2016. Watch the video at: periscope.tv/alhtheauthor

If they choose to believe what they hear of you secondhand over what they know of you firsthand, burn it down. If you know they'd never say to your face the things they whisper in the shadows now, burn it down. As counterintuitive as it may seem, understand that some bridges are meant to be burned ... all the way down to the ground.

Time and circumstance sometimes causes us to outgrow relationships we once thought would last ... and that's okay. When the moment calls for it, stand back, smile through your tears and let it go.