Let's Grab Coffee

On today’s episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Mary McConner, a scholar-practitioner in the field of higher education. Mary talks about diversity, equity, and inclusion – what it is and some common misunderstandings. She also describes how organizations can begin fostering inclusion. The show ends with Mary detailing what allyship is, why it’s important, and providing some ways that listeners can be allies in their everyday lives.

One year ago "Let's Grab Coffee" hit the WYXR airwaves. Since then SunAh has chatted with a wide range of experts and young professionals from topics like health and wellness to debt and wealth, gender attitudes, and immigration and so many conversations about food, including food science, food authenticity, and the importance of Black farmers. On this episode, SunAh takes a trip down memory lane, highlighting past guests.

On today’s episode SunAh welcomes Mia Saine, digital illustrator. They have collaborated with OisellexAllbirds, ACLU, and ThirtyThree; illustrated the Little People, Big Dreams book on Michelle Obama; and have been the featured illustrator for Memphis Magazine cover art, just to name a few of their works. Mia talks about the goals of their art, the power of representation, and their desire to create a space where people can learn and grow. They explain what it means to make art that is approachable but not comfortable.

On today’s episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Kimberly McKee, associate professor in integrative, religious, and intercultural studies at Grand Valley State University, and Taneka Jennings, Adoptee and immigrant rights advocate who is currently a Campaign Manager with Adoptees For Justice. They situate international adoption within broader histories of immigration and U.S. race relations. They also discuss how adoptee citizenship rights is linked to though often seen as separate from immigration rights more broadly.

On today’s episode, SunAh sits down with Katelyn Hemmeke to discuss “Blue Bayou,” a film that follows the fictional story of a Korean adoptee facing deportation. Katelyn talks about the controversies surrounding the film, including the appropriation of an actual adoptee’s story, the ethics of representation, and the inattention to current legislation around adoptee citizenship rights. Katelyn is a two-time Fulbright award recipient who holds an MA in English from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she studied birth family search and trauma in adoptee memoirs. She currently works for the HANA Center, a nonprofit organization in Chicago that serves and organizes Korean and multi-ethnic immigrant populations.

On today’s episode, SunAh is joined by Dominic Lawson, creator of The Start Up Life podcast and current podcast host, producer, and editor for Meadows Behavioral Healthcare. September 30th is International Podcast Day, a day to celebrate the power of podcasting, and Dominic shares how he has gone from taping podcast episodes in his closet to interviewing some of the most well-known entrepreneurs in the nation and now podcasting full-time. He also talks about how podcasting is going to help him leave a lasting legacy with his next podcast launching February 2022 – “Black is America,” a history podcast highlighting little-known African American figures and stories.

On today’s episode, SunAh sits down with Will Deyamport, III, Ed.D, a district instructional technologist for the Hattiesburg school district in Mississippi, serving grades K-12. He shares how he’s been implementing online instruction, the opportunities this format provides students and educators, and the possibilities for reimagining education. This conversation debunks myths that online learning is ineffective, low quality, or impersonal.

On today’s episode SunAh welcomes Ashley Aranmolate, MHA, BSN, RN, PMHNP-S, to discuss mental health and suicide prevention. Ashley offers a reframe of how we think about trauma, warning signs to be attuned to if someone is struggling with suicide, and what each of us can do if someone we know is having suicidal thoughts. She also shares some mental health wellness practices that everyone can use until you can access mental health care. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

On today’s episode, SunAh is joined by Dr. Michael Rosino, an assistant professor of Sociology at Molloy College in Long Island, NY. He talks about what his recent book, _Debating the Drug War: Race, Politics, and Media, _can tell us about contemporary attitudes around drug policy and drug reform. He shares the most common enduring myths around drug use and offers insights into where the drug war is headed.

On today’s episode, SunAh sits down with Cristina McCarter, foodpreneur and the creative mind behind many of Memphis’s favorite foodie events. She shares the how’s and why’s behind Memphis Dining Week, City Tasting Tours, and the Craft Food and Wine Festival. Cristina talks about her newest food venture with Lisa Brown - City Tasting Box, and how they are on a mission to bring the flavors of iconic food cities to food lovers across the nation. She also discusses how she has been able to center philanthropy in her businesses through giving back to the local food economy and other social organizations.