On this episode of #WeNeedToTalk, Malynda chats with Married at First Sight Alumni Ryan Oubre. They chat about race relations in this country, how trust and faith play a factor in his life, what he learned about himself through being on MAFS, the portrayal of Blackness of Reality TV and why understanding someone else's culture and personal journey is important when you enter into a relationship.

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On this episode of #WeNeedToTalk Malynda chats with Reverend Katey Zeh. They chat about her spiritual journey from being an evangelical to a progressive Christian, what led her to be an advocate for womens rights and her new book A Complicated Choice that details the truly complicated choice of choosing to get an abortion.

Rev. Katey Zeh is an ordained Baptist minister and the Chief Executive Officer of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. The Center for American Progress named her one of their top justice-seeking faith leaders to watch, and she is a member of the Clergy Advocacy Board of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She has written for many outlets including the Washington Post, Sojourners, Religion News Services, Rewire and Religion Dispatches, and her advocacy work has been featured in numerous outlets including CNN, The Nation, and VICE News. Katey is the co-host of the Kindreds podcast and the author of two books, A Complicated Choice: Making Space for Grief and Healing in the Pro-Choice Movement and Women Rise Up: Sacred Stories of Resistance for Today’s Revolution.

 

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On this weeks episode of #WeNeedToTalk, Malynda chats with Actress and Author Cerina Vincent. They chat about what sparked her to write her new childrens book about race, skin color and diversity, how it's important to start these conversations with children early, and what she is still learning about herself and how she can make a difference!

 

Born and raised in Las Vegas, NV, Cerina spent her formative years growing up in a large, loving Italian family and performing in stage productions, musicals and beauty pageants. After hanging up her crown as Miss Nevada Teen USA 1996, she moved to Hollywood and began working in film and television full time. With her radiant beauty, strong work ethic and ever-so charming personality, she was quick to be noticed by major casting directors.

 

Cerina’s first major role was starring in the #1 kid’s series in the world during the late 90’s – “Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy” as ‘Maya’ the Yellow Power Ranger. She quickly went from a TV superhero to a silver screen siren, picking up a Saturn Award Nomination for her performance in the horror sensation “Cabin Fever.” Swiftly becoming a world-renowned on screen ‘scream queen,’ she went on to star in the films “Not Another Teen Movie,” “Return to House on Haunted Hill,” “It Waits,” “Monika,” “Tales of Halloween,” a mini-series for AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” the short film “Darkened Room” (directed by David Lynch), “Killing Eleanor”, and dozens of other genre fan favorites. Beyond SyFy/Horror, her multi-faceted talent has led to guest roles on dozens of hit comedic shows, such as “Two and a Half Men,” “Mike and Molly,” “Workaholics,” and “Californication.”

 

Everybody Has a Belly Button is a timeless and delightful book for babies and toddlers that teaches our youngest readers about skin color, equality, and equity in the same way we teach our babies where their belly button, nose, eyes, and toes are.

Cerina Vincent's effortless rhymes and Zoi Hunter's digital watercolor designs illustrate that “every body” is the same. And the subtle differences in our bodies’ colors (eyes, hair, skin) is what makes us all beautiful and special, “like a rainbow.”

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On this Episode of #WeNeedToTalk Malynda chats with Author and Podcast Host Kimberley Johnson. The two talk about womens rights, her journey to becoming an active womens rights advocate, what she hopes for the Biden Administration and powerful women that are doing great work for the country.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland and raised in southern California, Kimberley A. Johnson is the host of the Start Me Up podcast, an author, an activist for women’s rights and has written for HuffPost. She is the the Director of Media and Public Relations Spokesperson for the national advocacy group We Are Woman. Her first foray into fiction is a Young Adult novel inspired by one of her favorite authors, Judy Blume, and is titled Peyton’s Choice.

 

Follow her at @AuthorKimberley

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On this episode of #WeNeedToTalk, Malynda chats with Author, Speaker and Human Rights Activist Asha Dahya. 

The two have an indepth discussion about choosing the life of an activist, differences in perception based on where you are from, having your voice heard as a female, why speaking out as Pro-choice is important and how people who want to use their voice can start. 

 

Asha Dahya is an author, TEDx speaker and founder of GirlTalkHQ.com Asha was born in the UK, raised in Australia, and now resides in Los Angeles, California. She has spent the last 16 years creating, producing and hosting content for networks such as MTV, MSN.com, Disney, ABC, Nickelodeon, Fox, Nine Network Australia and more.

Considered a voice of authority in the feminist media space, she has delivered keynote addresses for organizations such as Accenture, UCLA and March for Moms. Asha has also moderated panels for UN Women, Mount Saint Mary’s University, EmpowHer Institute, Women’s Voices Now Film Festival, rePRO Film Fest, and Continuum Collective. Asha is a recipient of the Awesome Without Borders grant from the Harnisch Foundation, and the 2022 Creative Power Award grant.

Asha is currently in post production on a short documentary about later abortion, in development on a docu-series about global abortion laws with an award-winning UK production company, and hosts the rePRO Film Podcast interview series for the rePRO Film Fest. Asha is a board member of the Religious Coalition for Reproduction Choice (RCRC) since 2021.

Through her work, Asha focuses on reproductive rights, gender equality, and the representation of women in media. She is passionate about empowering women, girls and femmes to take up space, raise their voice and share their story with the world.

 

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On this episode of #WeNeedToTalk Malynda welcome Senior Pastor of Middle Church New York, Reverend Dr. Jacqui Lewis.   

They talk about her journey in affirming ministry, current struggles within the Christian faith,  reconciling with racism and white supremacy within the church being in an interracial relationship, and her new book Fierce love.

A powerful conversation that must be heard!

Rev. Jacqui Lewis, Ph.D. uses her gifts as author, activist, preacher, public theologian toward creating an antiracist, just, fully welcoming society in which everyone has enough. After graduating with an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1992, Jacqui fell in love with urban ministry, leading two churches in Trenton, New Jersey. Fascinated with how faith heals the soul—so we can heal the world—she returned to graduate school, for a Ph.D. in Psychology and Religion from Drew University (2004). Jacqui came to study Middle Church, received a call, and joined the staff in January 2004. Middle is the church of her dreams and prayers, a multiethnic rainbow coalition of love, justice, and worship that rocks her soul.

In her activism, preaching, speaking, writing, and teaching, Dr. Lewis advocates for racial equality, gun control, economic justice, equal rights for all sexual orientations/genders and marriage equality. Because of her dynamic leadership, Middle Church was featured in a national broadcast on CBS. A Bold New Love: Christmas Eve with Middle Collegiate Church aired on December 24, 2018 to more than 1,000,000 viewers. Dr. Lewis has been on the The Today Show, All In with Chris Hayes, AM Joy, The Melissa Harris Perry Show, NY1, ABC, NBC, PBS, CBS and WPIX, where she recently covered the Brooklyn memorial for George Floyd. Dr. Lewis has been interviewed on Through Her Eyes at Yahoo News, 30 Good Minutes, Grit TV, the New York Daily News, Here and Now with Sandra Bookman, and appeared on the History Channel H2 series, The Bible Rules.

 

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#WeNeedToTalk will Return on February 28th!

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Theme Song written and produced by Steven James

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On this episode of #WeNeedToTalk, Malynda chats with Activist, Organizer and Public Speaker Martin Henson. They chat about societal views of the Black community, different forms of activism, his work bridging the gap with Black Men and the Trans Community, how white supremacy fuels all aspects of soceity, and why he started his foundation BMEN that focuses on healthy conversations with Black men surrounding mental health, mascunlitiy, sexuality, homophobia and more.

Martin has spent the last 10 years advocating for black lives and addressing the systemic issues that affect black and marginalized groups, through both conventional and unconventional avenues. He is an activist, organizer, and uses his training as a mental health counselor to add nuance to the way we support the livelihood of black people. Martin has engaged thousands of people around prison abolition, fighting white supremacy, and supporting black communities, through seminars, training and curriculum development, community events, rallies, and his work with the Black Lives Matter Boston chapter.

Martin is the Executive Director of BMEN Foundation, a nonprofit he started in 2018, because of his passions for building effective support systems for black men, community improvement, and activism. His nonprofit brings black men together to actively discuss and work through issues specific to black men, including but not limited to: mental health, healthy masculinity, identity, sexuality, homophobia and sexual assault.

Martin is also a restorative justice coach working with various schools in Boston. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology, from the University of Central Arkansas.

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On this episode of #WeNeedToTalk, Malynda chats with Pediatrician and Social Impact Entrepreneur Dr. Omolara. They chat about the lack of Black female medical professionals, racism in the medical industry, obstacles she's faced and what led her to create Melanin and Medicine.

 

Dr. Omolara Thomas Uwemedimo is a business development and funding coach for women of color in healthcare and serial entrepreneur, growing 2 companies to multi-six figures in revenue in less than 18 months. During her intrapreneurial career as a pediatrician for over 15 years, researcher & professor for over a decade, she secured $2 million in grant funding and has led inter-professional teams to build and scale healthcare delivery and research programs to achieve health equity for marginalized youth and families. Her work has been defined by a passion for social justice, serving as an advocate and working as a global physician across sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.

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On Episode 4 of #WeNeedToTalk Malynda chats with Actor and Life Coach Eric Feltes. The two chat about spiritual growth, identity discovery, and how his experience with church trauma led him to create a safe space for other Gay men to free themselves and know that God loves them for who they are. Through creativity, courage and authenticity, Eric Feltes cultivates connection and tells stories in order to inspire others to love themselves and the world around them. In his professional life, he does this through acting and Life Coaching. Through his coaching program, Eric helps other gay men free themselves from Chursh shame, a topic in which he has a great deal of firsthand experience. Eric lives in Los Angeles with his dog Cadence and 20 houseplants. He enjoys hiking, reading, and writing. 

 

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