Fresno's Best

In this episode, we meet D.J. Criner, pastor at Saint Rest Baptist Church. We talk about a lot of things, including growing up in Stockton, how our physical landscapes are related to equity and justice, Greek food, Baptist theology, and much more. Below are some notes from today's podcast and links to a few different ways you can support Fresno's Best.

Books mentioned in the podcast:

The New Jim Crow Michelle Alexander
Divided by Faith Michael O. Emerson
The Cost of Discipleship Dietrich Bonhoeffer 
When a Nation Forgets God Erwin W. Lutzer and Eric Metaxas
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership John C. Maxwell and Steven R. Covey

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In this episode, we talk with Rabbi Rick Winer. We cover a host of topics including bagels, the history of Jews in Fresno, anti-Semitism, modern misunderstandings about Judaism, and much more. 

In this episode, we speak with Natalie Caples and Kym Dildine, the co-CEO's of the Central California Food Bank. We talk about all things the sources of hunger in Fresno, the importance of cooking, and how they have navigated through the pandemic. 

In this episode, we hang out with Craig Scharton, one of the most knowledgeable people around about issues concerning downtown Fresno. We talk about many things including his political history, revitalization issues downtown, the brewery district, Bitwise, and much more. 

In this episode, we talk with D’Aungilique Jackson, the president of Fresno State's NAACP. We had a lot to talk about, so much that we ran out of time. After covering good places to eat, we talked about her fascinating childhood, what led her to Fresno, equity issues at Fresno State, recommended reading, and more. 

This was such a timely and wonderful episode! I originally asked Dr. Kytle to come on to talk about COVID after he wrote some articles about Fresno's experience with the Spanish Flu in 1918, but he also happens to be expert on the history of slavery and has written extensively about confederate memorials in the U.S. We ended up spending more time talking about protests and race relations in this episode. This was an amazing conversation and there is so much to be learned here. 

In this episode, we meet Danielle Bergstrom, a researcher, journalist, and urban planner working to improve our city. We talk about her journey toward urban planning, her experience working in advocacy and as a political advisor, eviction, and much more.  

In this episode, we talk with Deborah Bernal, Literacy Director of Fresno County Libraries. Deborah was, by far, our funniest guest so far, but beyond the humor we cover many topics including doing community organizing work in the Central Valley, inspiring a love for reading, getting things done in complex bureaucracies, how to interview your interviewers when looking for a job, and, of course, her favorite food in town. 

In this episode, we meet Aaron Foster, a community organizer working to end gun violence after tragically losing two of his own children. We discuss southwest Fresno, solutions to violence, political opposition to change, the role of education in solving this problem, and even frog legs. 

In this episode, we interview Alice Daniel, the news director at Valley Public Radio. In this wide ranging conversation, we cover a lot including print versus radio journalism, her time teaching in Ghana, memorable stories about the valley, Ethiopian food and much more. We know you'll enjoy this episode.