Someone You Need To Know with Rashanah Baldwin

In this week’s episode of “Someone You Need To Know”, Rashanah discusses the Black agenda for the Biden/Harris Administration, economic empowerment, political engagement, and social activism with Dr. Barbara Ransby, Historian, UIC Professor, Activist, and Author.

For years Dr. Ransby has been doing notable work not just nationally but internationally around social justice. “She was apart of the anti-Apartheid/ Free South Africa movement in the 1980s  She is a founding member of the national organization Scholars for Social Justice and works closely with The Movement for Black Lives and the multi-racial coalition, The Rising Majority.

Dr. Barbara Ransby is the John D. MacArthur Chair, and Distinguished Professor, in the Departments of African American Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, and History at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She also directs the campus-wide Social Justice Initiative, a project that promotes connections between academics and community organizers doing work on social justice. She is a graduate of Columbia University and the University of Michigan, where she was a Mellon Fellow.

Dr. Ransby is author of two award-winning books: Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision (2003); and Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson (2013). She is also author of a third book published in August 2018 entitled: Making All Black Lives Matter: Reimagining Freedom in the 21st Century.”

Have thoughts about the episode? Share on social media using the hashtag #SomoneYouNeedToKnow. Email [email protected] with feedback or questions! Be sure to subscribe to her youtube channel as well! @RashanahB

Follow @RashanahBaldwin everywhere – Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Want to see the showcase of Someone You Need To Know, visit www.rashanahbaldwin.com

In this week's episode of #SomeoneYouNeedToKnow, Rashanah revisits the conversation from the Summer of 2020 with Menia K. Johnson, Assistant Vice President of Lending at Renovo Financial. As the economy became unstable due to COVID-19, questions and concerns arose around community development, finances, and real estate investing.

In this episode,  Menia shares financial tips and best practices for real estate investors looking to investing these challenging times specifically ways Black investors could pivot during these uncertain times.

At Renovo Financial, Menia K. Johnson provides lending solutions to real estate entrepreneurs who desire reliable capital.  Renovo Financial is one of the fastest-growing private residential rehab lenders in the nation, focusing exclusively on short- and long-term residential real estate investors' needs. Understanding the needs of residential investors, their team is guided by three principles: - Be fast: we are well-capitalized, enabling them to deliver a 10-day-closing guarantee - Be reliable: a team is assembled for each project and is nimble enough to provide tailored customer service throughout the life of the loan - Be knowledgeable: their staff holds expertise across all disciplines, including financing, renovation, and property management.

Have thoughts about the episode? Share on social media using the hashtag #SomoneYouNeedToKnow. Email [email protected] with feedback or questions! Be sure to subscribe to her youtube channel as well! @RashanahB

Follow @RashanahBaldwin everywhere – Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

In this week's episode of "Someone You Need To Know", Rashanah chat's with entrepreneur and Chicagoan Chrishon Lampley who shares her experience of turning losses into wins by founding Love Cork Screw Wines and how she was able to pivot during COVID-19 in 2020 and now in 2021 expanding her wine brand nationally. Many businesses and specifically Black-owned businesses were forced to close their doors after the economic fall out from COVID-19, Chrishon did the complete opposite and she shares with Rashanah how she kept moving her businesses forward.

Can you mix different color wines together? How do you pair wine with your food? Can you put ice in wine? How long should you keep wine after opening? What exactly is vegan wine? Chrishon breaks down the need to know information about indulging in wines and the wine industry itself!

 Chrishon Lampley is a negociant, wine enthusiast, and founder of LCS Entertainment, LLC that features Love Cork Screw wines. Love Cork Screw is a lifestyle brand that launched six varietals in December 2013 in Chicago. Since its inception, the LCS brand has acquired over 300 locations including, Target, Mariano's, Binny's, Whole Foods, World Market, Walmart, and more. 

Lampley’s 15 years’ of experience in the industry has given her keen awareness of what the traditional wine novice and enthusiast enjoys and what the market is missing. Touching all senses, five wine-scented candles were added to the portfolio in 2014 available on Target.com, and online. LCS Entertainment, LLC provides consumers a line of Love Cork Screw wine varietals that offer the sophisticated and novice wine enthusiasts a range of choices for any palate. Each sleek wine bottle is colorful, whimsical, and fun. 

LCS Entertainment, LLC is a certified MBE (Minority Business Enterprise). Follow @RashanahBaldwin everywhere – Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Want to see the showcase of Someone You Need To Know, visit www.rashanahbaldwin.com Have thoughts about the episode? Share on social media using the hashtag #SomoneYouNeedToKnow. Email [email protected] with feedback or questions! Be sure to subscribe to her youtube channel as well! @RashanahB

In May 2020, Rashanah caught up with 15th Ward Alderman Raymond Lopez of Chicago to discuss the state of his ward, the temperament of Chicago, and how he was governing his ward during COVID-19.  During the interview, Rashanah and Alderman Lopez discuss very prominent events of how protestors stormed the U.S capital with A-K 47 guns to demand the reopening of the government and their fight for the protection of their 1st amendment rights. Fast forward to Jan. 6, 2021, we saw similar actions again at the capital which was the result of the Trump administration refusing to accept Joe Biden as the new President-Elect. They point out the differences between treatment and labeling for Whites who protest as oppose to how Black and Brown people who protest for their rights to equality are mistreated and met with violence.

Lopez also discusses the racial and ethnic health disparities that the Black and Brown communities face, the measures his office is taking to keep residents safe, food delivery to families, and why he believes Illinois legislators should be in Springfield working to pass laws to provide additional COVID-19 relief. Plus much more!

Follow @RashanahBaldwin everywhere – Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Want to see the showcase of Someone You Need To Know, visit www.rashanahbaldwin.com

Have thoughts about the episode? Share on social media using the hashtag #SomoneYouNeedToKnow. Email [email protected] with feedback or questions! Be sure to subscribe to her youtube channel as well! @RashanahB

Keeping the faith is one way to navigate the challenges the world faces in 2020 with the global pandemic of COVID-19 and recent national civil rest in the United States. This past summer Rashanah caught up with her dear friend and fellow Englewoodian Pastor Jonathan Brooks of Chicago on how he is keeping the peace in his home community of West Englewood, how residents are expressing their frustrations holistically through community activism, community organizing, and the policy changes needed to propel underserved communities forward. Pastah J, as he is affectionately called, is a sought-after speaker, writer, artist, and community activist.  He has contributed to numerous blogs, articles, and books and recently released the book Church Forsaken: Practicing Presence in Neglected Neighborhoods. Jonathan Brooks is a lifelong resident of Chicago and currently serves as Senior Pastor at Canaan Community Church in the West Englewood neighborhood and as an educator on many different levels.  As a firm believer in investing in your local community, Jonathan has a deep desire to impress this virtue on the students and young people in his congregation, classroom, and community.  His ministry focuses on youth development, holistic health, college scholarships, art and music training, and restorative justice practices and cares for the incarcerated and their families. 

Follow @RashanahBaldwin everywhere – Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Want to see the showcase of Someone You Need To Know, visit www.rashanahbaldwin.com

Have thoughts about the episode? Share on social media using the hashtag #SomoneYouNeedToKnow. Email [email protected] with feedback or questions! Be sure to subscribe to her youtube channel as well! @RashanahB