Ellen Marks lost the love of her life to suicide. Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States and the 11th leading cause of death in Georgia, yet suicide can be prevented. Volunteers from Atlanta are joining the thousands of people who are gathering this season in towns across the United States to promote suicide prevention. The annual Atlanta Out of the Darkness Community Walk, hosted by the Georgia Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP Georgia), will take place November 3 at 1:30 p.m. in Piedmont Park. This gathering will support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s education, research, and support for those affected by suicide. In addition to raising awareness and funds to fight suicide, the walks give those who attend a chance to connect with others and know they are not alone, whether they walk in memory or in support of a loved one or in honor of their own mental health journey. The Atlanta Out of the Darkness Community Walk is one of the hundreds of events being held nationwide this year.

Breast cancer survivor and fierce advocate for Black women’s health, April Love, is set to host the 6th annual Pink Awards on Saturday, October 12 at the TheaterPlex in Decatur, GA. This event goes beyond recognizing achievements; it’s a powerful platform that sheds light on the devastating impact of breast cancer within the African American community and highlight the urgency of providing equal care and treatment to Black women, who are often overlooked and underserved in the fight against breast cancer. April Love, a survivor herself, understands the unique challenges faced by Black women, who are twice as likely as their White counterparts to develop aggressive forms like triple-negative breast cancer.

Will America be able to keep its experiment in democratic republicanism going or will it slide into oligarchy, or worse? CIARA TORRES-SPELLISCY, Professor of Law at Stetson University, offers a chilling exposé of how corporations manipulate our political system for profit and offers concrete steps for consumers and investors committed to protecting our democracy in her new book, CORPORATOCRACY: How to Protect Democracy from Dark Money and Corrupt Politicians. In CORPORATOCRACY, Torres-Spelliscy explores how America’s privately funded campaign finance system, combined with corporate greed and a tilt towards authoritarianism within the Republican Party, have placed American democracy on a knife’s edge. Drawing on key Supreme Court cases, CORPORATOCRACY reveals how major US corporations have worked to undermine practices and laws upholding democratic principles like free and fair elections through shadowy tactics from bankrolling regressive politicians to funding ghost candidates with dark money. The motive? Profit.

My guest is Kenneth Braswell. He leads the nonprofit organization Fathers Incorporated. The group works collaboratively with organizations around the country to identify and advocate for social and legislative changes that lead to healthy father involvement with children, regardless of the father’s marital or economic status, or geographic location. Braswell recently penned an op ed for the Atlanta Journal Constitution about why Black dads must vote and their newest initiative, Black Dads Count.

Amari and the Despicable Wonders is the third and final book in his pitch-perfect middle grade fantasy series that puts a black girl at the heart of the action. The series has received tons of critical acclaim and the books have been #1 bestsellers and will soon be a major motion picture from Universal Pictures. Throughout the series, Amari grapples with what it means when entering a new magical world as the “chosen one” doesn’t erase the prejudice and discrimination she’s faced as a marginalized individual. Skillfully tackling social justice issues, including racism, classism, and prejudice, each book in the series has a thrilling fantasy-adventure plot with substance. My guest is the author B. B. Alston who originally planned to go to medical school, and leave his writing dreams behind him after a few years of querying agents to no avail. While waiting to fill out paperwork for a temporary job, he saw the #DVPit pitching event on Twitter, and pitched AMARI on a whim. His tweet got plenty of attention, and he eventually signed with an agent!

Will America be able to keep its experiment in democratic republicanism going or will it slide into oligarchy, or worse? My guest on Perspectives is Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, a professor of Law at Stetson University, Fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, and member of the board of directors of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. She offers a chilling exposé of how corporations manipulate our political system for profit and offers concrete steps on protecting our democracy in her new book, Corporatocracy: How to Protect Democracy from Dark Money and Corrupt Politicians. We discuss how America’s privately funded campaign finance system, combined with corporate greed and a tilt towards authoritarianism within the Republican Party, have placed American democracy on a knife’s edge. Drawing on key Supreme Court cases, CORPORATOCRACY reveals how major US corporations have worked to undermine practices and laws upholding democratic principles like free and fair elections through shadowy tactics from bankrolling regressive politicians to funding ghost candidates with dark money.

Now through September 19th, metro Atlantans can pause for a moment of self-care with a visit to The Unplugged for Self Care Exhibit at the Mable House Arts Center on Floyd Road in Mableton. The exhibit uitilizes the intersection of music, photography, and renowned voices to inspire individuals to relax and release more. Curators argue we need self-care especially during challenging times. Joining me for this conversation is producer and creative consultant Danese Turner. The exhibit is free and open to the public weekdays from 9am until 5pm. Next a conversation with Dr. Bernice King about the annual Beloved Community International Expo at the King Center September 7,

My guest on the show is New York Times best-selling author Ken Abraham. His book is No Address, a novel based on the soon to be released film of the same name. It vividly shows how homelessness can happen to anyone. This story offers hope, humanity and resilience as five characters - all based on real people experiencing homelessness navigate their journey. The story testifies to the enduring human spirit and the transformative power of community.

Everyone hopes to leave a legacy once life ends. What will yours be? Have you considered the gift of saving a life? LifeLink of Georgia, the state's largest organ procurement and education organizations has launched its "infinity campaign" as a new approach to motivating and registering organ donors. The idea is to register as an organ donor to continue your life legacy. More than 3000 Georgians are on the organ transplant list. Thousands more could benefit from tissue transplantation. More than half of the patients waiting on kidney donations are African American. Joining us on Perspectives are LifeLink's executive director Katie Payne and kidney recipient Idoreyin Obuda.

Max Mayblum is on a mission. When his aunt received a cancer diagnosis, his family moved - literally to provide her care. Max saw the impact her illness had on his family and was driven to make a difference. He thought there has to be a way for family members who provide care for loved ones to have access to some resources. He was right. Mayblum, a Emory University, Goizueta Business School graduate founded Givers because of the direct care worker shortage that exists. Givers seeks to ease that burden. His program finds state programs to hire, support and pay family caregivers. His company now employs six and has helped thousands of families. Max is part of the Forbes 30 under 30 class and he did share his plans for Givers with his aunt before her death.