Scribe Podcast

For Episode 2 of Scribe, our new host Jordon Chatmon sat down with Dr. Grace Carroll — known to the community as "Mama Grace" — a longtime researcher, educator, and the founder of Akira's Book Club. A lifelong family friend of Kingmakers of Oakland, Dr. Grace walked us through the origins of her 12-book children's series and its connection to Kingmakers' Jegna Early Literacy Program.

Drawing on decades of research into early childhood literacy, Dr. Grace explained why she built Akira's Book Club around high expectations, strong representation, and conscious choices about colorism — naming her lead character Akira and intentionally rendering her a darker shade of brown so that "chocolate children" could see themselves on the page. She traced her own love of reading back to her immigrant mother, who bought a set of encyclopedias so her children could "learn on their own" even though she didn't read English well herself.

The conversation moved into the Jegna Early Literacy Program, which places young Black men as mentors — "Jegnas" — in TK and kindergarten classrooms, addressing the near-total absence of Black male teachers in early education. Dr. Grace shared how the presence of a trusted mentor has driven suspension rates among Black boys down dramatically, and why that social-emotional connection matters as much as the books themselves. She also spoke candidly about funding cuts threatening the program's growth, her worries about screens and AI replacing human interaction for young children, and her hope that every Black child in Oakland comes to understand one truth: that there is genius in them.

Scribe is available now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Scribe, a podcast series by Kingmakers of Oakland dedicated to celebrating the brilliance, history, and impact of Black authors, writers, and filmmakers .

In this episode, we sit down with acclaimed author and retired UC Berkeley professor Cecil Brown to discuss his work, James Baldwin's World . Recorded live in West Oakland, the panel features Grammy-winning musician Roger Glenn and retired professor and poet Cecil Ciscrown .

Key Topics Covered:

• James Baldwin’s life in exile and his mastery of language
• Literary dynamics with Richard Wright, Norman Mailer, and William Styron
• The history and liberating impact of Black musicians and artists in Europe
• Tracing oral storytelling traditions from George Moses Horton to Tupac Shakur
• The ongoing mission of Kingmakers of Oakland to create safe spaces for youth

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction & Launch of Scribe

03:00 - James Baldwin's World & The Reality of Exile

09:00 - Baldwin’s Love of Language and Mastery of French

14:15 - Richard Wright, Norman Mailer, and Literary Rivalries

36:00 - Black Musicians in Europe & The Legacy of Jazz

54:00 - George Moses Horton, Tupac Shakur, and the Oral Tradition

1:04:00 - Safe Spaces: The Mission of Kingmakers of Oakland

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