URL Media, the start up devoted to Black and Brown media sustainability, recently hosted a day trip to Montgomery, Alabama. We mobilized media stakeholders to visit the Legacy Museum, which tells the story of the African-American experience from the Middle Passage to mass incarceration. Today Sara and Mitra are joined by Leonor Ayala, URL Media’s Chief of Recruitment to discuss how the Legacy Museum has changed their lives. Their work centers on creating a more just and equitable media ecosystem that centers Black and Brown communities. The trip preceded the Online News Association's annual convention in Atlanta, and underscores the importance of centering the truth of American history during this contentious election season.

We’re fresh off the heels of the DNC in Chicago, where we captured a powerful conversation between URL Media CEO Mitra Kalita and two trailblazing Indian American politicians: Arvind Venkat, Pennsylvania Representative, and Shekhar Krishnan, New York City Council Member. As the first Indian Americans to hold their offices, Arvind and Shekhar bring their identities and fresh perspectives to elected office. Their conversation focuses on the power of public service and what’s really at stake in this year’s election of Harris- Walz versus Trump- Vance. This podcast is a collaboration between Epicenter NYC and URL Media. 

The news that President Biden is stepping down in favor of VP Kamala Harris on the 2024 Democratic ticket has electrified some Black and South Asian communities in the US. Sara Lomax and Mitra Kalita discuss what’s at stake. What contradictions exist in the Democratic Party and within VP Harris’ legacy? And what lessons can the American left learn from the global fight against the far right? Joining the discussion are Epicenter NYC editorial director Femi Redwood and Scroll’s politics editor Shoaib Daniyal.

Why is the Supreme Court rolling back the clock on our civil rights? In this episode of Twice as Good, Sara and Mitra are joined by two special guests, Madiba Dennie, author of the new book “The Originalism Trap: How Extremists Stole the Constitution And How We The People Can Take It Back,” and Brandon Tensley, the national politics reporter at Capital B News. Together they discuss the great retrenchment: the assault on Black political power, as well as the states fighting back. They invoke the wisdom of Frederick Douglass and affirm the importance of staying in the fight for equity and justice for all.

University journalism students have been the primary documentarians of campus protests for Gaza, and the resulting crackdowns nationwide. In this episode of Twice as Good, Sara and Mitra sit with Zain Shafi Khan, journalist and leader from University of Southern California’s Annenberg Media. Sara and Mitra connect with Zain over his mission to capture this moment with integrity, and reflect on the stories that swept their campuses as young journalists.

Dr. Mark Anthony Neal, Chair of the African American Studies Department at Duke University, joins Sara Lomax to discuss the latest rollback to DEI. In April, Duke University abruptly ended its Reginaldo Howard Scholarship program, an investment in Black student excellence with a proud 44 year legacy. Why are diversity, equity and inclusion efforts being dismantled on college campuses and what can be done to save them? 

Garry Pierre-Pierre, founder of The Haitian Times, joins Sara and Mitra to discuss the ongoing violence in Haiti and the roots of today’s chaos. They discuss how gangs have taken over the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and the foreign power that bankrupted the country in its early days of independence. What can peace look like and what solutions are Haitian experts proposing?
Learn more: https://url-media.com/twice-as-goodhaitis-worst-crisis-yet-and-the-centuries-of-colonial-legacy-that-got-us-here/

How are Muslims around the world experiencing the holy month of fasting amidst the war on Gaza? Sara and Mitra are joined by Ameer Al-Khatahtbeh, the founder and editor in chief of Muslim.co. The brand is a thriving digital space - with an audience of six million on Instagram and 2.4 million on TikTok. Ameer shares his mission, the spirituality of the month and how this year, all eyes are on Palestine.
https://url-media.com/twice-as-good-ramadan-gaza-and-what-now-an-interview-with-the-always-viral-muslim-cos-founder/

In episode three of the Twice as Good podcast, Sara and Mitra dive into the legacy of Bob Marley and the recently released film One Love. They're joined by special guest Lloyd Cummings. Lloyd is a DJ and WURD Radio host who interviewed Bob Marley in the 1970s, and has deep insight into the life and legacy of one of the greatest musicians of all time. Our show notes include bonus photos of Lloyd interviewing Bob Marley: https://url-media.com/twice-as-good-a-podcast-onbob-marley-black-liberation-and-the-film-one-love/

Sara and Mitra reflect on love as an action, and how they've integrated love for community into their media companies. They also discuss literary love - The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois written by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers. The 800 page masterpiece is a family saga that begins in the American South when it is indigenous land and stretches to contemporary times. Sara and Mitra reflect on the authors that shaped them, including the great 20th century scholar, W.E.B. DuBois.