Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys

C.J. FARLEY was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and grew up in Brockport, NY, with stops in Middle-earth, Xanth, Earthsea, and Narnia. Farley’s biography Aaliyah: More Than a Woman was a national best seller. A former editor of the Harvard Lampoon and a former music critic for Time, Farley is a blogger, columnist and senior editor at the Wall Street Journal. Game World is Farley’s first novel for young readers. 

Farley's newest book- Zero O'Clock: In early March 2020 in New Rochelle, New York, teenager Geth Montego is fumbling with the present and uncertain about her future. She only has three friends: her best friend Tovah, who’s been acting weird ever since they started applying to college; Diego, who she wants to ask to prom; and the K-pop band BTS, because the group always seems to be there for her when she needs them (at least in her head).

She could use some help now. Geth’s small city becomes one of the first COVID-19 containment zones in the US. As her community is upended by the virus and stirred up by the growing Black Lives Matter protests, Geth faces a choice and a question: Is she willing to risk everything to fight for her beliefs? And if so, what exactly does she believe in? C.J. Farley captures a moment in spring 2020 no teenager will ever forget. It sucks watching the world fall apart. But sometimes you have to start from zero.

Actress Michole Briana White can currently be seen as part of the four main leads ensemble on the highly anticipated series, “Black Mafia Family.” From executive producer Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson (“Power”/ “Power Book II: Ghost, For Life”) and writer/executive producer and Detroit native Randy Huggins (“Star”/ “Rebel”/ “Power”). “Black Mafia Family” is produced through Jackson’s G-Unit Film and Television in association with Starz and Lionsgate Television.  The show is inspired by the true story of two brothers who rose from the decaying streets of southwest Detroit in the late 1980’s and gave birth to one of the most influential crime families in this country. On the show, Michole portrays ‘Lucille,’ the strong-willed, dignified mother of Demetrius and Terry Flenory. “Black Mafia Family” premiered on September 26th, 2021 on Starz. The show has already been renewed for Season 2.

Michole can also be seen as part of the main ensemble principle cast in James Wan’s rated R horror film Malignant.

Finally, Michole has a recurring role in season four of “Goliath” playing ‘A.G. Herrera.’ The show stars Billy Bob Thorton and returned October 14th on Amazon Prime Video.

Marita Golden attended public schools in Washington, D.C. and graduated from American University and the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. She has been a faculty member in the MFA Creative Writing Programs at George Mason University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the MA Program in Creative Writing at Johns Hopkins University and a Writer-in-Residence at the University of the District of Columbia and Prince George’s Community College.

She has lectured and taught internationally, at universities in Israel, Turkey, and Spain. Her many awards include the Barnes and Noble Writers for Writers Award presented by Poets and Writers, Distinguished Service Award from the Authors Guild, Maryland Author Award from the Association of Maryland Librarians, Award for Fiction from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and induction into the International Literary Hall of Fame of Writers of African Descent at the Gwendolyn Brooks Center at Chicago State University.

The Strong Black Woman Syndrome. For generations, in response to systemic racism, Black women and African American culture created the persona of the Strong Black Woman, a woman who, motivated by service and sacrifice, handles, manages, and overcomes any problem, any obstacle.  The syndrome calls on Black women to be the problem-solvers and chief caretakers for everyone in their lives―never buckling, never feeling vulnerable, and never bothering with their pain.

Gregory S. Cooke is a career educator, documentary filmmaker, and World War II historian, dedicated to helping "relocate African Americans from the margins to the main pages of American and global history.” He is the Founder and President of the Basil and Becky Educational Foundation, a recipient of the Congressional Black Caucus, Veterans Braintrust Award (2019).

Gregory is the creator of Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II, a critically acclaimed feature-length documentary that explores the wartime experiences of 600,000 “Rosie the Riveters”- “hidden figures” - pioneers who courageously triumph over racism and sexism to create job opportunities in industry and government for themselves and future generations of African American women. Invisible Warriors is an inaugural recipient of the Better Angels/Lavine/Ken Burns Fellowship (2020), and also received the Congressional Black Caucus, Veterans Braintrust Award (2019).

Gregory is also the driving force behind the historical documentary, Choc’late Soldiers from the USA (CSUSA), the untold story of 140,000 African American men and women who cross a racial divide and form an unexpected bond with British civilians during World War II.

Andrea Freeman is a Professor of Law at the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law. She is the recipient of the 2020-21 Fulbright King's College London Research Scholar Award. She writes and researches at the intersection of critical race theory and food policy, health, and consumer credit. She is the author of Skimmed: Breastfeeding, Race, and Injustice (Stanford University Press 2019) and over a dozen book chapters and law review articles, many of them exploring her pioneering theory of food oppression. 

 

Born into a tenant farming family in North Carolina in 1946, Mary Louise, Mary Ann, Mary Alice, and Mary Catherine were medical miracles. Annie Mae Fultz, a Black-Cherokee woman who lost her ability to hear and speak in childhood, became the mother of America's first surviving set of identical quadruplets. They were instant celebrities. Their White doctor named them after his own family members. He sold the rights to use the sisters for marketing purposes to the highest-bidding formula company.

 

Jabina G. Coleman, LSW, MSW, IBCLC, is a Licensed Social Worker and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant who has dedicated over a decade of her life to serving women, children, and families in Philadelphia. Jabina received her Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Policy & Practice. Jabina is the owner of Life House Lactation &Perinatal Services, LLC where she provides lactation consultation services, and psychotherapy with a concentration on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. She is also a published textbook author for Breastfeeding and Human Lactation 6th edition.

Rhashidah Perry-Jones, MPA, is an award-winning writer, communications strategist and parent education and coach. She is vice president and chief communications officer at SELF, Inc., a human services organization providing emergency and permanent supportive services and housing to individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia. Through her firm RPJ Global Enterprises, Rhashidah and her team design integrated communications and engagement strategies to help businesses and nonprofits deepen client relationships and connect with diverse communities. And through Lit Coaching, Rhashidah helps individuals and families create the lives they want through personal development. As a parent educator and coach her focus is providing strategies for family members raising children with ADHD.

Michelle Harris Price serves on the Board of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association for adults (ADDA).  She leveraged her early internet fascination into a digital marketing agency that launched her first client to NY Times best selling success. She became a popular speaker and trainer at the intersection of social media and expertise marketing for master coaches, consultants and trainers before she shut it all down to care for her parents.

Michelle works with the San Diego Diamond Business District on economic development for local entrepreneurs.

T. L. Huchu (he/him) has published previously (as Tendai Huchu) The Hairdresser of Harare and The Maestro, The Magistrate and the Mathematician, which have been translated into multiple languages and his short fiction has won awards. His newest book The Library of the Dead is just out in the UK and the US, and will be followed by a sequel, Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments, in early 2022. Huchu grew in up Zimbabwe but has lived in Edinburgh, Scotland for most of his adult life.

 

Follow him on Twitter @TendaiHuchu.

Shugri Said Salh was born in the Somali desert. In 1992, she immigrated to North America after civil war broke out in her home country. She attended nursing school at Pacific Union College and graduated with honors. Although The Last Nomad is her first book , Salh has been storytelling since she could talk. From her grandmother and the nomadic community in which she was raised, she heard stories and learned of their power to entertain, teach, and transform. When she isn't writing or telling stories, she works as an infusion nurse. She lives in Sonoma County with her husband and three children.

Myeloma survivor, and single father of three, Oya of Philadelphia, PA won’t let anything stand in his way as he prepares his kids for another challenging school year. “Myeloma is the most prevalent blood cancer among people of African descent and it is also one of the hematologic malignancies with the greatest racial disparities,” said Oya. “This population is not only twice as likely to develop this rare and incurable cancer when compared to white Americans and other racial groups, but they are also more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age.”

Jennifer Wilson LCSW-R, has been a Sr. Information Specialist at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) for 13 years. She responds to enquiries from patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals seeking information and support on blood cancers by providing accurate and up-to-date disease and treatment information, information on clinical trials, and providing financial and support resources. Jennifer is passionate about ensuring that all blood cancer patients have the information needed so that they can access the best possible care.

Yejide Kilanko was born in Ibadan, Nigeria. Her debut novel, Daughters Who Walk This Path, a Canadian national bestseller, was longlisted for the 2016 Nigeria Literature Prize. A writer of poetry and short fiction, Kilanko is also the author of a novella, Chasing Butterflies, two children’s picture books, There Is An Elephant In My Wardrobe, and Juba and The Fireball. Her next novel, A Good Name, is forthcoming in November 2021. Kilanko lives in Ontario, Canada, where she practices as a therapist in children’s mental health.