The Perkins Platform

Asian-American stereotypes have persisted since the early 1960s when the model minority stereotype first emerged.  This broadcast is dedicated to a conversation about how Asian-Americans as the fastest growing minority group in the United States are relatively invisible in various sectors of American policy in health, education and culture.  Our Guest, Varun Nikore, will dissect some of the myth and reality of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.For more than 25 years, Mr. Nikore is the executive director of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Progressive Action organization. He has been involved in national, state and local politics as a campaign strategist, fundraiser and policy advisor. In 1998, Mr. Nikore was appointed to serve in the Clinton Administration.  He is founder and past-President of the Indian American Leadership Initiative, the largest Indian American network of Democrats in the U.S. Varun also served as President of the Democratic Business Council of Northern Virginia from 2011-2013 and currently serves on their Board of Directors. In 2008, Varun served as a Transportation Policy Advisor for Obama for America. In 2012, he served as co-Chair of the Small Business Owners Council for the Democratic National Committee. Appointed by Governor Terry McAuliffe in 2015, Varun currently serves on the Board of the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority as well as the Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority.Join us on Wednesday, March 31 at 5pm EST for this important discussion.

Tune into this final in the series about how black children are oriented to American Society.  This broadcast features a panel of black women and mothers of girls to discuss their words of wisdom given to their daugthers.  Recently, the Talk that happens with Black Men has received a lot of attention, but this broadcast focuses on the equal and parrallel conversations that are happening between black mothers and their daughters.  Join us on Thursday, March 18 at 8pm EST for what promises to be part of a great conversation

Tune into this special 1-hour broadcast featuring a panel of incredible black men and fathers of boys to discuss the cautions and concerns about becoming a black man in America or what has been referred to as "the talk".  Black men in America have long been the target of unfair educational, judicial and social practices.  As the national conversation about black men, again, fades, systematic racism and oppression continue to push us and our efforts to back literally and figuratively.  Join us on Wednesday, March 17 @ 8pm EST for what is sure to be a powerful and informative conversation!

This broadcast features a special guest, author, editor and commentator, William F. Spivey.  We will discuss broadly the stunning relevance of Mr. Baldwin's writings nearly 60 years ago to today's racial context in America.  Additionally, we will compare and contrast national events during that time and examine the parallels of the discourse on race through Baldwinian lens.  Mr. Spivey is a profilic writer on the matters of politics, history, race and education. He is originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, an Alumni of the private historical Fisk University, inducted into the 73 -74 Fisk Bulldogs Basketball Hall of Fame, has three adult children, eight grandchildren, and currently resides in Florida.  Join us for Part 2 of an incredible 4-broadcast series - Tuesday, March 16, 8pm EST.

This broadcast is the first in a 4-part series using the critically acclaimed manuscript from James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time.  As part of their father-daughter book club, Dr. Perkins will introduce his daughter, Arin, as a regular contributor to the podcast.  Arin is a graduating Senior at The Ohio State University with a major in Sociology.  She will be attending the University of Utah Law School in September and is interested in serving historically disadvantaged and disenfranchised communities.  Read the text with us and join us for our conversation that will serve to frame the panels that will take place on Wednesday and Thursday of the same week at 8pm EST.  This broadcast will air live on Monday, March 15 at 8pm EST.

Tune in on Thursday, March 11 @ 12pm EST for another impactful conversation expanding on the data surrounding the increase in teen suicides in the US.  Dr. Crystal L. Barksdale, Chief of the Minority Mental Health Research Program for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), joins us to discuss how NIMH communicates with mental health providers and schools to address this growing issue.  Dr. Barksdale is responsible for providing guidance and expertise related to issues related to minority mental health and mental health disparities. She has also led implementation and evaluation efforts in the private sector related to the National CLAS Standards, provided cultural and linguistic competency training and technical assistance to health and health care organizations, and managed cultural and linguistic competency program development and evaluation efforts. She has worked on research projects exploring racial/ethnic disparities and disproportionality in child-serving systems, and that identified culturally appropriate mental health interventions for at-risk youth and their families. Dr. Barksdale, a licensed clinical psychologist and educator, received her doctorate in clinical psychology from George Washington University, her Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Join us on Wednesday, March 3 @ 12pm EST for an important conversation on millennial teacher and leader retention with special guest, Kami Lewis Levin.  Kami is an adult learning, education leadership and curriculum design consultant. Since 2011, she has served in district-level leadership positions supporting urban schools at New Visions for Public Schools, New Leaders, the Public Preparatory Network and Gradient Learning. She received her BA in American History and Dance from Barnard College, her MA from NYU in Secondary Social Studies Education and her Ed.D. from Teachers College in Adult Learning and Leadership. Kami is an accomplished instructional leader who is deeply invested in social emotional learning. She believes that adult learning drives equity, positive school culture and high student achievement.

Why have suicide rates increased among teens in U.S. since the start of the COVID-19 Global Pandemic? Licensed psychologist, Dr. Sandra M. Chafouleas, joins us for a discussion and to share her thoughts on the mental health struggle of teenagers in schools.  Dr Chafouleas works as a Distinguished Professor in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. She directs the UConn Collaboratory on School and Child Health (CSCH), and authors a Psychology Today blog on promoting student well-being. Her work focuses on assisting schools in implementation of evidence-informed policies and practices that support the whole child, with specific expertise in strategies to strengthen mental health and emotional well-being. Prior to becoming a university trainer, Dr. Chafouleas worked as a school psychologist and administrator in a variety of settings supporting the needs of children with behavior disorders.  Join us for this informative conversation on Wednesday, February 17 @ 12pm EST!

Trained in meditation, yoga, philosophy and natural health sciences in Australia, the Philippines and India,  Dada Gunamuktananda joins us for a special discussion on exploring meditation and consciousness.  Dada is a qualified meditation teacher of Ananda Marga and has taught all over the world in Australia, Asia, Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, the Far East and North America. Since 2015, he has also been the founding coordinator of the P.R. Sarkar Institute, a central resource library and forum for the research, development and distribution of P.R. Sarkar’s teachings.  Some of the events Dada has presented at include the Brisbane YogaFest, Woodford Folk Festival, Starlight Festival, TEDxNoosa, Dragon Dreaming, Adelaide Vegan Festival, Whole Life Expo, Bliss Festival, Body Mind Spirit, Gratitude Migration, the Annual International Medical Students (AIMS) meeting, and the online Planetary Leadership Training course.  Tune in on Wednesday, February 10 @ 7pm EST!

Join us on Tuesday, February 2 @ 5pm EST to hear the incredible story of special guest, Aaron Stark.  Aaron is a motivational speaker and outspoken advocate for mental health awareness.  His experience in public school and adolescence led him to a place of darkness, only to be saved by a simple act of kindness.  His Tedx Talk "I Was Almost a School Shooter" has over 12.1 million views, and he has been featured in the Washington Post along with MSNBC, ABC, Fox, and numerous other news programs.  He also runs the Facebook group YouAreNotAlone.  A proud husband and father of 4, he says that "being a dad is my favorite part of life." Tune in for this powerful conversation!