He's performed with the greatest jazz musicians: DIzzy Gillespie, Betty Buckley, Lou Rawls and many more. What drives Kenny Werner, artistic director of the Effortless Mastery Institute at Berklee College of Music is not playing the instrument, but becoming the instrument. His book, Becoming the Instrument: Lessons on Self-Mastery from Music to Life mixes his philosophical, spiritual perspective with his mastery of Jazz to create a life map. He argues if you clear away life's baggage and pull out the best within you and become as authentic as possible, you lift your performance in all aspects of life to the highest levels.

Thursday, January 6 at 8pm on ABC "Women of the Movement, a six-episode limited series event premiers. It is based on the true story of Emmett Till and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley. For many, it is an unknown story. Till was a 14 year old boy murdered in Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a white woman. The men arrested and charged with the crime were acquitted. Last year, the Justice Department closed the case of Till's murder. Last month, ABC screened the first 2 hours of the series and invited me to moderate a conversation featuring the series creator, co-author of the book with Till-Mobley, the actors in the production and members of Till's family. This is that conversation.

In America's Original Sin, author John Rhodehamel examines the life of John Wilkes Booth and his motive for the murder of President Abraham Lincoln. Rhodhamel argues Booth was a White Supremacist and his fear of the integration of a Black community under Lincoln threatened the life he and others like him enjoyed. Next we talk with Karen Comer Lowe, Executive Director and Chief Curator of Atlanta's Hammonds House Museum. On exhibit through the end of January is Exhibiting Culture: Highlights from the Hammonds House Museum Collection. At the center of the collection are 250 works collected by the home's former owner Dr. Otis Thrash Hammonds including work by master artist Romare Bearden and the oldest known painting by acclaimed landscape artist Robert S. Duncanson. There are also works on display showcasing the work of Black female artists including Elizabeth Catlett, Nellie Mae Rowe and Renee' Stout.

Following a year-plus of being stuck inside because of the pandemic, live theater is slowly returning. The Alliance Theatre took the year to reimagine and build a new set for the holiday classic A Christmas Carol on the Coca Cola stage now through December 24. Additionally, a filmed version of the production is available to stream beginning December 17. Another holiday tradition has returned to the stage at the Ferst Center for the Arts on the Georgia Tech Campus. Black Nativity is an African-American telling of the Nativity story, based on the Song Play written by acclaimed African-American poet and playwright Langston Hughes. The show opens in a modern day African-American church on Christmas day, filled with testifying deacons, sanctified ladies, and down-home preaching and ultimately recreates the journey of Mary and Joseph, resplendent in African costumes, to Bethlehem, accompanied by a rousing repertoire of old-fashioned spirituals. Today with talk with the directors of both shows as well as members of each cast.

Our friends in education tell me the pandemic has set learning - especially in our public schools back four years. That's not the half of it. New research from the Atlanta-based organization Learn 4 Life found the number of students applying for financial aid to go to college has fallen. The reason for fewer applications, the lack of personal interaction with a trusted adult to help a student complete the forms. The forms a complicated and require a student gather a great deal of information from their families such as IRS forms and more. Without a caring, trusted adult to help, students don't apply. There is a way to help. The United Way of Greater Atlanta will train interested adults how to fill out the forms and then point the adult to a school where their help is greatly needed. My guest is Learn4Life Executive Director Ken Zeff.

On this episode we conclude our conversation with educator and social media influencer Dr. Zackory Kirk with his thoughts on the debate over Critical Race Theory and the 1619 project. Next a conversation with Morehouse College senior Elisha Talley. This 25-year-old Chemistry major from Camden, New Jersey is more than a non-traditional student who benefited greatly from his UNCF scholarship. The Mayor's Masked Ball coming up on December 18 hosted by Lynn Whitfield and featuring entertainment from singer Anthony Hamilton raises money for the United Negro College fund. Because of COVID-19 protocols, the ball has limited in person tickets. A virtual component is also available. Visit www.uncf.org for more information.

Topical conversation with educator and influencer Dr. Zackory Kirk about current events including the Atlanta Mayoral election, the race for Georgia Governor, the 2022 midterm elections, the debate over Critical Race Theory and cancel culture. Kirk is a new content creator for Linked In's education hub.

Mission Role Call is a nonpartisan movement working to provide America's veterans a powerful and unified voice in Washington. The organization's top priorities are ending veteran suicide, providing easier access to health care and serving as an advocate for unserved veterans. The group is led by Atlanta resident Patrick Griffith. Next, a conversation with the Executive Director of Ahimsa House, Myra Resnick. Ahimsa House helps victims of domestic violence escape their situation and provides temporary shelter for their animals. The conversation is part of our raising awareness of Georgia Gives on Giving Tuesday.

November 30 is Giving Tuesday. It is Georgia's greatest day of generosity. After Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Shop Local Saturday and Cyber Monday, the community asks you go support the nonprofit organization that means something to you. For 130 years, Families First has been a change agent for families. This nonprofit seeks to accelerate families toward a permanent path of stability and success. Our vision focuses on two generations – the parent and the child – and combines critical Families First services like counseling, parenting skills and maternal health support with those of our partners in housing, education, hunger and workforce development.

Imagine making the decision to go into business for yourself. Imagine beginning the journey in early 2020. Charise M. Williams has spent much of her career working in the nonprofit sector. In early 2020 she decided to embrace entrepreneurship as a professional leadership coach. What Williams did not anticipate was the start of a global pandemic. Nonetheless she persisted and also wrote a book, The Joy of Thriving While Black. In adversity following the deaths of Ahmad Arbery, George Floyd, Brianna Taylor and too many others to mention, Williams decided that there were more Black stories to be told and she does so in this new book.