For those that don’t know the Gwinnett County Solicitor General is the top prosecutor in the county that handles the prosecution of all misdemeanors, traffic violations and ordinance violation. Felonies are managed by the District Attorney. In this episode our friend LisaMarie Bristol share’s with us why she is running for this position. The why starts at the very real beginning. She is a Canadian born emigrant and sees much of her birthplace in Gwinnett County. Gwinnett’s diversity and rising inclusion speak to her desire to serve in her chosen role, which is to be an advocate for and an implementer of the county’s justice. However, she sees the rising need for equity and that is where and why she has chosen to put her name on the ballot. Listen, and find out why Banana Bonds pointed the way on her journey of justice. Let’s Etch The Edges.

On this episode of Etch The Edges we lean deep into what many of us call Black Excellence. As a proud American-African (to explained more deeply in a later episode) it warms my heart to talk a tale of success and uplift. John Hurt owns eleven McDonald’s establishments on the South East side of the Metro Atlanta area. He’s also the President and CEO of a Sleep In & Suites in West Georgia. As we say on Etch The Edges stories matter, they humanize of course, but more importantly they inspire, and in a world where young people of color need to know that opportunities exist for them, that the American Dream though hard to achieve for anyone, but for them most especially must be achieved over the high barrier of inequity and still unrealized full equality, the dream can still be realized, unbought and fulfilled through knowing, sharing, acting, and paying some of it back in order to pay if forward. Listen as we talk the real with John. Let’s Etch The Edges.

On this episode of Etch The Edges we lean deep into the discomfort of a life made wondrous still, though birthed and grown through charged, hard fought challenge. Our very special guest is Michaela Cox. She shares with us the perspective of a person born into blindness, achieving as she would despite her disability, a divorce at age 26, and then the loss of her husband, the love of her life at 38. Now, as a single mother she continues to rise to the challenges of life, and shares how she faces these challenges, what she calls her 38DDD. Join us as she shares her story, and her wisdom. Let’s Etch The Edges.

On this episode we Etch The Edges with Karen Scott Greene. She’s running for Gwinnett County Superior Court Judge. As ever we engage in a real conversation with straight talk, listening to Karen’s story of who she is, where she’s from, and why does running for a judgeship matter, not just for the community, but for her personally. What does she seek to accomplish as a judge? We discuss the challenges of the justice system as it relates to equity, and how engaging in such a dialogue in this state, in this county, requires a higher level of transparency and a need to create trust, trust that she will be a judge for all of Gwinnett County, not just Black Gwinnett County. And of course, we talk about the importance on both sides of the edges on why it’s important to even have such a conversation. Join us on this episode and understand once again that all politics is local. Let’s etch the edges.

On this episode of Etch The Edges we have Alex Phillips, and we are so very glad he has taken the time to join us. Why? Because Alex is the founder of the American Priority Conference, which sponsors AMPFest, an event that hosts some of the biggest names in the MAGA movement. Now, given the mission of Etch The Edges it is clearly important and critical to our mandate that we take the time to talk to Alex, listen, then listen again, because listening is always so difficult and as a rule we spend too much time seeking the next word. We talk too much, instead of establishing a real dialogue. On this episode that is exactly what we do. We have a dialogue. We talk. We share stories. We share perspectives, we lean into discomfort, and we talk about the things that divide us, and we find common ground. Yes, we find common ground. Hopefully, we model a mode of behavior that many others would emulate. So please, find some time, get comfortable, hit play, and listen to Alex and DS Etch The Edges.

How does local government work? What purpose does your City Council serve? What things are they responsible for and how can you get involved? Why would you get involved? Does it matter? In this episode of Etch the Edges we lean into a great conversation with Councilwoman Heather Hall on what makes Suwanee, Georgia so great. Why planning is so important and what a community in the middle of what some consider to be some of the reddest most conservative parts of the state can accomplish when it is committed to inclusion and acceptance, duly responsible for and accountable to all its citizens. Heather shares with us why despite what you may have heard, Gwinnett is Great!

On this episode of Etch The Edges we have a powerful and energetic conversation with our friend, and we are proud to say a great American, Jeff Le. We’ll etch the edges on the American dream from an Asian-American perspective. Far too many of us do not take the time to listen to the story, and therefore cannot etch the edges, preventing us from closing the divide. Jeff will share with us his story, the Asian, particularly Vietnamese side of the American Dream and how the rise of irrational national hate in the age of COVID does more than hurt just Asians, it hurts us all, preventing us as a nation from realizing our best selves. Listen, as Jeff shares the story. Let’s Etch The Edges.

Read Jeff’s powerful thought provoking article on Politico here: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/04/03/asian-american-aapi-political-power-covid-19-478845

And read more of Jeff’s work here: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/08/02/asian-american-aapi-protect-seniors-women-business-500661

China is amazing. China has a rich and glorious history. China is a world of people and perspective that demands both our attention, and our respect. However, for far too many of us China is simply the latest villain on the world stage, geopolitical boogey man that we must fear, compete against, and in many ways defeat. Our special guest today is Jason Szeftel, author and host of the China Unraveled Podcast. With his insight and knowledge we’ll make sense of what’s happening in China and what that means for those of us with a western perspective.

Leaning into discomfort is what we are all about on Etch The Edges. We know without equivocation that it is the sharing of stories, truths that are difficult to digest that truly matter. That is the hard part of closing the gaps that divide us. We also understand that the stories are often so unbelievable that far too many of us that matter dismiss them out of hand. They just refuse to believe that they are true, and contribute to the continuation of the divide. Today our guest as Emory graduate Daniel Hamm. He’s on his way to Boston College to study law. We all know the truth is where you find it and today Daniel is going to show us the truth of CRT, in my humble opinion, in a story about systemic racism in the founding of American music. Let’s Etch The Edges.

When we lean into discomfort and etch the edges on the truth we realize we don't want small government any more than we want big government. What we want is government of the right size with the right budget making the right decisions and taking the right actions, all accountable to we the people. We need aspiring statesmen, not politicians. On this episode we interview Nicole Horn, candidate for Georgia Labor Commissioner. Listen as she shares her past, who she is, where she's been and why she feels the need to serve the public. She shares with us her perspective on what a Labor Commissioner is, who the office should be accountable to, and how one should effectively do the job for all the people.