Good Trouble with Embrace Boston

In this episode of Good Trouble, we sit down with Rixy, the Boston-based muralist and visual artist reshaping the city's public art landscape.

Known for her bold, narrative-driven work, Rixy talks about the responsibility of telling stories in public space — and what it means to create art that reflects the people, culture, and history of the communities it lives in. From being selected for the Rose Kennedy Greenway's Dewey Square Mural to building a body of work rooted in identity and visibility, he shares how art can challenge, affirm, and transform how a city sees itself.

We explore the intersection of art, community, and belonging — and why public art is more than aesthetic. It's memory, it's resistance, and it's a living conversation with the city.

Good Trouble is a podcast from Embrace Boston, produced in partnership with NBC10 Boston, featuring the thinkers and creators shaping our civic and cultural landscape.

Watch, listen, and experience the conversation.

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In this episode of Good Trouble, we sit down with Michael Curry, one of Massachusetts’ most influential voices for civil rights, health equity, and social justice.

A longtime advocate, former President of the Boston Branch of the NAACP, and nationally recognized leader in health and racial equity, Curry reflects on the challenges and opportunities facing communities today. From the fight for voting rights and economic justice to addressing disparities in healthcare and education, he shares lessons from decades of advocacy and coalition building.

Together, we explore what effective leadership looks like in moments of uncertainty, the importance of civic engagement, and why the work of justice requires both urgency and persistence. This is a conversation about power, accountability, and the collective responsibility of building a more equitable future.

Good Trouble is a podcast from Embrace Boston, produced in partnership with NBC10 Boston, featuring the thinkers, advocates, and leaders reshaping our civic and cultural landscape.

Watch, listen, and join the conversation.

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In this episode of Good Trouble, we sit down with Dr. Julie Chen, Chancellor of UMass Lowell, and Susu Wong, Founder and Chief Connector of Tomo360. Both leaders were honored at Embrace Honors MLK with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King Award.

This is a journey conversation where we discuss their backgrounds, what shaped their leadership, and the pivotal moments of their careers. From higher education research to building supportive networks for women, Julie and Susu discuss the work behind their titles and the values that keep them grounded in service of the community.

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In this episode of Good Trouble, we sit down with Rahsaan Hall, President and CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, to talk about civil rights, economic justice, and the fight for equity in Boston and beyond.

A longtime advocate and former Director of the Racial Justice Program at the ACLU of Massachusetts, Rahsaan brings decades of experience at the intersection of policy, law, and community organizing. We discuss the state of racial justice today, the urgent need for economic mobility, and what it takes to build systems that truly serve Black and brown communities.

This conversation challenges us to think beyond headlines and toward structural change — in housing, education, criminal justice, and wealth-building.

Good Trouble is a podcast from Embrace Boston, produced in partnership with NBC10 Boston, featuring the leaders and thinkers reshaping our civic and cultural landscape.

Watch, listen, and join the conversation.

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On this episode of Good Trouble, we talk with Jeff Thielman, President and CEO of the International Institute of New England and a longtime leader in youth development and immigrant advocacy. Jeff shares his journey from leading youth workforce initiatives to advancing opportunities for newcomers and families across the region. Together, we examine the connection between education, economic mobility, and belonging — and what it takes to build systems that truly serve the next generation. This conversation explores leadership, access, and the long arc of creating opportunity in Boston and beyond.

Good Trouble is a podcast from Embrace Boston, produced in partnership with NBC10 Boston, featuring the thinkers and leaders reshaping our civic and cultural landscape.

Best,

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In this episode of Good Trouble, we sit down with Rev. Liz Walker — pastor, public theologian, and longtime advocate for justice — to explore the intersection of faith and social change. From her years as a journalist to her leadership at Roxbury Presbyterian Church, Rev. Walker reflects on what it means to guide a community through division, grief, and renewal. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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What does it mean to build belonging — not in policy rooms, but in people’s lives?

In this episode of Good Trouble, we sit down with Bishop William E. Dickerson II and Lady Luella Dickerson, co-founders of Greater Love Tabernacle and longtime anchors of Boston’s faith and civic landscape. For more than three decades, the Embrace Honors 2026 honorees have led a ministry rooted in healing, justice, and radical compassion — walking with families through trauma, violence, recovery, incarceration, and transformation.

Bishop Dickerson traces his journey from youth minister and educator to senior pastor and civic leader. Lady Luella reflects on decades of quiet, powerful work supporting women navigating abuse, addiction, and life’s heaviest burdens — offering safety, dignity, and restoration when few others could.

Together, they’ve shaped the emotional and spiritual fabric of Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan, and beyond. This conversation explores faith as action, leadership as service, and belonging as a daily practice.

Good Trouble is a podcast from Embrace Boston, produced with NBC10 Boston, spotlighting leaders who move systems, shift culture, and expand what’s possible.

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How do you build a monument that changes how a city sees itself? And what does it take to move systems that were never built for everyone?

In this episode of Good Trouble, we sit down with Marie St. Fleur — the inaugural Executive Director of King Boston (now Embrace Boston) and a 2026 Embrace Honors awardee. Marie takes us inside the origin story of The Embrace memorial on Boston Common, unpacking the political hurdles, emotional stakes, and community vision behind honoring Dr. King and Coretta Scott King’s legacy.

We explore her three decades in public leadership: as the first Haitian-born person elected to state office in the U.S.; a driving force for early education reform; a cabinet chief in the Menino administration; and now a national strategist shaping policy, equity, and opportunity.

This is a conversation about courage, persistence, and the quiet, essential work of building a more just Boston — one decision, one partnership, one act of faith at a time.

Good Trouble is a podcast from Embrace Boston, produced with NBC10 Boston, featuring the thinkers and leaders reshaping our civic and cultural landscape.

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Who gets to tell the story of a city — and who gets left out? In this episode of Good Trouble, we talk with Amber Payne, Publisher and General Manager of The Emancipator, a reimagined newsroom. Now as an Embrace Boston Fellow, Amber shares her path as a journalist committed to reshaping narratives, elevating marginalized voices, and building media that serves community — not just headlines. We explore the challenges and possibilities of leading a newsroom in a polarized climate, the responsibility journalists hold in shaping public understanding, and what it takes to tell Boston’s story with depth, accuracy, and cultural fluency. This conversation is about narrative power, representation, and the work of building belonging through the stories we choose to tell. Good Trouble is a podcast from Embrace Boston, produced with NBC10 Boston, spotlighting leaders who challenge systems, elevate community, and expand what’s possible. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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What does it mean to make art that studies us back?

In this episode of Good Trouble, we sit down with playwright, anthropologist, and director Hortense Gerardo to explore the space where culture, movement, and meaning collide. From her roots in Boston’s creative community to her work leading the Anthropology, Performance & Technology program at UC San Diego, Hortense reveals how art can be both research and resistance.

Together, we unpack how stories become data, why performance can reveal truths science can’t, and how artists hold power in a world that often asks them to disappear.

Good Trouble is a podcast from Embrace Boston — produced in partnership with NBC 10 Boston — exploring the people, ideas, and movements shaping a more just and joyful future.

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