The Perkins Platform

Join us on Wednesday, May 5 (6pm EST) for a conversation with keynote speaker and author Mark Greene.  Mark writes and consults on relational practices, diversity/inclusion and masculinity for organizations world wide. He writes, speaks, coaches and consults on the challenges we face as men raised in man box culture. He is the author of the groundbreaking The Little #MeToo Book for Men.  As a co-founder of ThinkPlay Partners and as a Senior Editor for the Good Men Project, Greene has spent over a decade deconstructing our binary-riddled dialogues around manhood and masculinity. He is uniquely positioned to help men, individually and in organizations, create a healthier more connecting vision of masculine culture and identity. Mark’s newest book, The Little #MeToo Book for Men has been called “a blueprint for men’s liberation.” He is the founder of the Remaking Manhood community, which is dedicated to expanding the conversation about masculinity.  Mark has written and spoken about men’s issues at Salon, Shriver Report, Huffington Post, HLN, BBC, and the New York Times.  Mark is also the author of Remaking Manhood, and co-author, along with Dr. Saliha Bava, of The Relational Book for Parenting.  This promises to be an amazing conversation:  Listen, Dial-In and Be a part of the discourse!

In celebration of the 100th broadcast of the Perkins Platform, special guest and former New Orleans Mayor, Mitch Landrieu, joins us to discuss his New York Times best-selling book and leadership in Louisiana. Mitch Landrieu was the 61st Mayor of New Orleans from 2010 to 2018 and elected when the city was still recovering from Hurricane Katrina and the BP Oil Spill. Under his leadership, New Orleans is widely recognized as one of the nation’s great comeback stories. Mitch went on to be named “Public Official of the Year” by Governing in 2015 and was voted “America’s top turnaround mayor” in 2016. He gained national prominence for his powerful decision to take down four Confederate monuments in New Orleans and earned him the prestigious John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. His book, In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History, Landrieu recounts his personal journey confronting racism, and tackles the broader history of slavery, race relations, and institutional inequalities that still plague America. Prior to serving as Mayor, Landrieu served two terms as lieutenant governor and 16 years in the state legislature. He also served as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Tune in on Wednesday, April 28 @ 6pm for this special broadcast!

Join us on Wednesday, April 21 @ 11:30pm EST for a two-part informative conversation.  First, my daughter, Arin, will join me to discuss the award-winning book, The Poisoned City, by Anna Clark.  Ms. Clark, a journalist living in Detroit lays out a compelling story layered with politics and history.  We will discuss the details of what Ms. Clark uncovered in her research. Then, the 2nd part of the hour will be spent with CEO of the National Center for African American Health Consciousness, E. Yvonne Lewis, to discuss her leadership in Flint, Michigan, with the public water crisis. Through the National Center, Yvonne facilitates community education and awareness efforts, serving in a leadership role, organizing and facilitating education and information sessions with a focus on improving the health and wellbeing of community residents.  She is the Co-Director of the Healthy Flint Research Coordinating Center, a Community/Academic Partnership with Community, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and Flint Campuses, focused on enhancing research efforts that will improve the health of our community. She is also the Community Co-Principal Investigator for the Flint Center for Health Equity Solutions, a National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)-funded Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center (TCC). Yvonne represents a community perspective on several committees and Boards at the local, state and national level including the National Mass Violence & Victimization Resource Center Advisory Council. Yvonne assisted in the development of and moderated the University of Michigan-Flint, Water Crisis Course. The Water Crisis Course focused on issues of the Flint Water Crisis and provided a platform for the voice of the community to be heard.

The Truancy Intervention Project  (TIP) is an organization that strives to decrease chronic absenteeism by pairing trained volunteers with children and their families to provide them with the advocacy, resources and services necessary to ensure good attendance and success in school. Executive Director, Jessica Pennington, joins us for a conversation to discuss how things have changed since COVID-19, given the increase in dropout numbers. Since 1995, Jessica has overseen education programs, legal services and community relations for the statewide organization at her time with TIP. She is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnae in Practice Award from the University of Georgia, School of Social Work and a Celebrating Service Pro Bono Award from the Atlanta Bar  Association. She is a past Policy Fellow with the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and a current Fellow with the Southern Education Foundation’s Policy & Practice Network. Jessica received her undergraduate degree from Georgia State University and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Georgia. She has worked in private child welfare and juvenile justice organizations for over thirty years, beginning her career working with children at the Council on Battered Women and Easter Seals of North Georgia. Residing in Atlanta, she is happily married to elementary school Principal, Caroline Brown, and has a teenage son. Tune in on Wednesday, April 14 @ 12pm EST!

Once a homeless teenage mother, Fatihah Abdur-Rahma is now living her dream as an Elementary School Principal in Camden. Join us on April 7 @ 12pm to hear her incredible and inspiring journey to principalship. Fatihah is a passionate and dedicated educational servant leader who is committed to academic excellence. She views education as a way to defy societal challenges that impact urban communities.  As a servant leader, she is called to serve those who experience many of the challenges she faced in her youth and overcame. She is an advocate for social justice and on a mission to change the narrative for the underserved. It is her belief that education equality and equity can and will be achieved for all. Her motto is No weapon formed against you will prosper. You are more than a conqueror.

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.