Shows
Black History Mini Docs PodcastThe Dr. Lisa D. Delpit InterviewSend us a textNeema Barntette presents BHMD podcast hosted by Ah-Keisha McCants. Her guest is MacArthur “Genius” Award winner Dr. Lisa D. Delpit, the principal of the consulting firm Delpit Learning. Recently retired Felton G. Clark Distinguished Professor of Education at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Dr. Delpit is author of one of the best selling education books of 2013, “Multiplication is For White People”: Raising Standards for Other People’s Children. 2021-07-3042 minBlack History Mini Docs PodcastThe Regina Bain InterviewSend us a textNeema Barntette presents BHMD podcast hosted by Whole Body Literacy & Education (WHBLE) founder Ah-Keisha McCants. Her guest is Regina Bain, an artist and educator serving as the Executive Director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum. 2021-05-2832 min
Black History Mini Docs PodcastThe Alisha B. Wormsley InterviewSend us a textNeema Barnette presents BHMD Podcast hosted by Whole Body Literacy & Education (WHBLE) founder, Ah-Keisha McCants. Her guest is Alisha B. Wormsley, an interdisciplinary artist and cultural producer based in Pittsburgh PA.Her work is about collective memory and the synchronicity of time, specifically through the stories of women of color. She states her work is "the future, and the past, and the present, simultaneously. Wormsley has an MFA in Film and Video from Bard College and was awarded the Postdoctoral Research fellowship in art at Carnegie Mellon University.2020-10-3034 min
WHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCansEducation As Liberation Episode 17Our Students Are Not a Monolith
WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants speaks with Claremont Graduate University, PhD Candidate Kenya Marshall-Harper about the power of relationship-building in schools, leveraging the needs and assets of students and families, the problematic role of productivity in schools, and the importance of the talent development of underserved youth, including Black women and girls, and teachers.
Kenya R. Marshall-Harper is a PhD candidate in education at Claremont Graduate University. Her research interests include K-12 education, early preparation of gifted and talented students, and underserved populations. As a secondary English and English Language te...2020-10-0747 minWHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCansEducation As Liberation Episode 16Solving the Inequities that Divide
WHBLE’s CEO, award-winning writer and director, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with Kwame Sarfo-Mensah, founder of Identity Talk Consulting. A former math teacher in Philadelphia and Boston public schools, Kwame talks about the rampant and ignored racial and socioeconomic disparities in educational access, the reactionary approach of schools in the midst of the pandemic, and what might be gained in meeting the demand for alternative career pathway opportunities as a means of achievement and liberation for Black students and their peers.
Kwame Sarfo-Mensa is the founder of Identity Talk Consulting, LLC., an...2020-09-3042 minBlack History Mini Docs PodcastThe Spirit Tawfiq InterviewSend us a textNeema Barnette presents BHMD Podcast premieres a new episode hosted by Whole Body Literacy & Education (WHBLE) founder, Ah-Keisha McCants. Her guest is Spirit Tawfiq, founder of Roots of the Spirit, an organization created to uproot racism through Storytelling, Education and the Arts. Spirit is also daughter of Minnijean Brown-Trickey, one of the Little Rock Nine. Join us as she shares her story of learning about her mother’s legacy, her own experiences with racism as a child growing up in Canada, and the power in reclaiming Black history and the stories of resistance of...2020-09-2541 min
WHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCansEducation As Liberation Episode 15Framing Whiteness in Liberation pt. 1
WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with Applied Theatre Practitioner and Project Director at the CUNY Creative Arts Team (CAT) Mícheál Curtin about the surfacing the awareness of white identity, centering antiracism and history, the role of capitalism, the brilliance of arts educators, and the tensions around pedagogies and practices on the journey towards educational liberation.
Mícheál Curtin is an applied theatre practitioner from Brooklyn, New York who specializes in drama-in-education, process drama, theatre of the oppressed, and devised theatre. His work centers on creating theatre in respo...2020-09-1647 minBlack History Mini Docs PodcastThe Tony Singletary InterviewSend us a textNeema Barnette presents BHMD Podcast hosted by Whole Body Literacy & Education (WHBLE) founder, Ah-Keisha McCants. Her guest will be Director and Executive Producer, Oji Singletary. Son of famed television director, Tony Singletary, Oji has forged his own path in the industry, with an impressive 15 year career as a director and producer of shows like, "The Braxton Family Values" and the documentary, 'Misguided Altruism." Oji's new special, "They Call Me Dad" premieres on OWN on Tuesday, September 15th at 9pm.2020-09-1527 minWHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCansEducation As Liberation Episode 13The Systems That Bind part. 1
WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with Research Analyst Donté McGuire about whiteness, white allyship and the redistribution of resources, the role of labels and the ways context and identity matter in navigating systems of oppression.
Donté McGuire serves as a Research Analyst at Higher Ed Insight. He has experience in various educational contexts including international education, high school re-entry and completion, college access, residence life and housing, program evaluation, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. He is a doctoral candidate in the University of Maryland’s Higher Education program and is earn...2020-09-0254 minWHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCansEducation As Liberation Episode 14The Systems That Bind pt. 2
WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with Educator and Assistant Principal at Boston Public Schools Gavin Smith about teacher messaging to students, encouraging agency and achievement within urban schools, the role of double consciousness in Black youth, and the reclamation of liberation in the face of systemic oppression.
Gavin Smith is an educator, and Assistant Principal in Boston Public Schools. He is the former runner up for Teacher of the Year in Massachusetts where he taught biology for 7 years. Gavin is of Jamaican origin and spent the majority of his childhood b...2020-09-0245 minWHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCansEducation As Liberation Episode 12Healing for Liberation pt. 2
WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with registered nurse and entrepreneur Tekita Bankhead about centering Black women and girls, the negative toll a culture of exceptionalism, order, and perfectionism has on mental health, the role of learning via technology during Covid19, honoring the experiences and emotional expressions of Black women, and where dialogue is situated in liberatory in education.
Tekita Bankhead is a registered nurse, entrepreneur, and Student Affairs professional. She currently serves as the Specialist in Education at the University of Illinois Counseling Center. She received her Master of Science degree i...2020-09-0241 minWHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCansEducation As Liberation Episode 11Healing for Liberation pt. 1
WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with actor, artist, educator, activist and CEO of Got to Stop, LLC Erika L. Ewing about engaging community activism through storytelling, COVID19’s impact on culture and education, and the role of forgiveness on the path to liberation.
Erika L Ewing is an actor and activist—a true"ARTIVIST" she has a gift and passion for empowering communities to believe in the power of the arts to heal, unite, and be a catalyst for social change and transformation. Erika co-produced two social justice public art installations. In J...2020-08-2650 minBlack History Mini Docs PodcastThe Dr. Kelli Morgan InterviewSend us a textNeema Barnette presents BHMD Podcast premieres a new episode hosted by Whole Body Literacy & Education (WHBLE) founder, Ah-Keisha McCants.Her guests will be Dr. Kelli Morgan is a curator, author, educator, and activist who specializes in critical-race curatorial analyses. She’s held curatorial positions at the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields.This conversation will premiere Saturday August 22, 2020 at 8:00pm EST on BuzzSprout, TuneIn Radio, Apple Podcast, iHeartRadio, Spotify, where ever you get Europe podcast with th...2020-08-2343 minWHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCansEducation As Liberation Episode 10Black Minds Matter pt. 2
WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with 2020 high school graduates, Alise Mackey and Reed McCants-Green as they reflect on their experiences as Black youth grappling with the weight of race and racism in the public school system, and the role of the arts and advocacy in finding joy and liberation.
Alise Mackey: Alise Mackey is an incoming freshman at Wesleyan University. For three years, she was a resident playwright for Philly Young Playwrights and has used writing as a tool to educate others and celebrate Blackness. She currently interns for The Conversationalist...2020-08-1257 minWHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCansEducation As Liberation Episode 9Black Minds Matter pt. 1
WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with Personnel Research Psychologist in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Dr. Alexis Brown about her experiences as a parent advocating for her Black children in public schools, the role of community connection, and the importance of teaching children to self-advocate.
Dr. Brown joined the U.S. Office of Personnel Management as a Personnel Research Psychologist in the Assessment Services Branch of OPM in July 1999. She currently conducts research and provides guidance on programs that support Federal employees in maintaining a healthy work-life existence in t...2020-08-1252 minWHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCansEducation As Liberation Episode 8Representation, Literacies and the Role of the Multilingual Classroom pt. 2
WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants interviews Lisa Chong, doctoral student at Teachers College, Columbia University, and Adjunct Professor at Rider University. Lisa talks about her background with Asian American literacy, the role of dialogue, building critical consciousness, and the power of diverse literature and texts to engage students in transformative learning.
Lisa Chong lives in Princeton, New Jersey, with her husband and two boys. She has been teaching composition and research writing as an adjunct at Rider University, New Jersey, for the past 14 years and had...2020-08-0546 minWHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCansEducation As Liberation Episode 7Representation and the Role of the Multilingual Classroom pt. 1
WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with Sindy I. Castro, actress, teaching artist and co-founder of Jugando N Play, a multilingual theatre for young audiences. Sindy talks about the power in engaging a multilingual learning community, and creating space for using languages as assets.
Sindy Isabel Castro is an actress, educator, and theatre artist. She is co-founder of Jugando N Play, a multilingual theatre for young audiences. She graduated with her MA in Applied Theatre from CUNY’s Schools of Professional Studies. She is a teaching artist wi...2020-08-0547 minBlack History Mini Docs PodcastThe Hisham Tawfiq InterviewSend us a textIn this episode of BHMD Podcast, Ah-Keisha McCants, founder of WHBLE, talks with Hisham Tawfiq, star of NBC’s hit show “The Blacklist”. Tawfiq talks about his powerful journey as a Harlem-born, Black, Muslim, who served as a Marine in Desert Storm, and as a 20-year New York City Firefighter during 9/11, all while pursuing his career as an actor. He also shares some of his wisdom about Black history, and self-love.2020-08-0150 minWHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCansEducation As Liberation Episode 6Centering Restorative Culture pt. 2
WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with Universal Systems Coach at Madison Metropolitan School District Jocelyn Lepinski about nurturing community, care, restorative justice, student voice, and leadership modeling in education.
Jocelyn Lepinski is a Universal Systems Coach in the Madison Metropolitan School District. Prior to this, she was a Positive Behavior Support Coach, Instructional Coach, and Social Studies classroom teacher for at-risk 9th and 10th graders in Madison, WI. and is certified National trainer for Developmental Designs.
She received an undergraduate degree from UW-Madison in Sociology and Women’s Studies, a...2020-07-2945 minWHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCansEducation As Liberation Episode 5Centering Restorative Culture pt. 1
WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with Ph.D Candidate at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education Christopher Rogers about student advocacy in Philadelphia, the role of history in centering the experiences of students, and lessons in applying restorative, culturally-informed and dialogic practices that bridge learning and life.
Christopher Rogers was born and raised in Chester, PA and is now a Ph.D Candidate within the Reading/Writing/Literacy program at PennGSE. He is a core member of Teacher Action Group Philadelphia, whose work consists of organizing teachers and ot...2020-07-2946 minWHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCansEducation As Liberation Episode 4Applying Theatre pt. 2
WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with Applied Theatre educator, Ashleigh Bragg about the role of storytelling, embodying nature, health education, and BIPOC & LGBTQ youth representation as liberation within schools.
Ashleigh Estelle Bragg is originally from the West Coast, grew up in Southern California and later in Portland, Oregon where her family of origin currently resides. Ashleigh is an actor-teacher living in New York City for CUNY Creative Arts Team where she serves black and brown students in low income communities at four different high schools in both the Bronx...2020-07-2241 minWHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCansEducation As Liberation Episode 3Applying Theatre pt. 1
WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with Playwright and Theatre educator, Jarrett McCreary about the role of engaging in critical thinking, and affirmation of the identities, experiences and voices of BIPOC & LGBTQ students using theatre.
Jarrett McCreary is a writer and educator in the Philadelphia area. Artistically, he is a rising playwright which has included finishing the Interact Core Playwright Fellowship in 2019 and having his work professionally produced by The Neighborhood Theater Group in Chicago. Educationally, Jarrett has spent years as a Theater Teaching Artist, teaching at various Philadelphia schools. C...2020-07-2245 minBlack History Mini Docs PodcastBHMD PodcastSend us a textIn this first of a two-parter hosted by Whole Body Literacy & Education (WHBLE) founder, Ah-Keisha McCants welcomes Nia Evans, Director of the Boston Ujima Project and Cierra Michele Peters, their Director of Communications. The Ujima Project is a cooperative business, arts and investment ecosystem, including a democratically governed investment fund based in Boston, MA. Featured in Inside Philanthropy and Forbes for their revolutionary approach to business investment meets community growth, The Ujima Project is a cooperative business, arts and investment ecosystem, including a democratically governed investment fund. 2020-07-2120 minBlack History Mini Docs PodcastBHMD PodcastSend us a textIn this second episode of a two parter hosted by Whole Body Literacy & Education (WHBLE) founder, Ah-Keisha McCants continues her conversation with guests Nia Evans, Director of the Boston Ujima Project and Cierra Michele Peters, their Director of Communications. The Ujima Project is a cooperative business, arts and investment ecosystem, including a democratically governed investment fund based in Boston, MA. Featured in Inside Philanthropy and Forbes for their revolutionary approach to business investment meets community growth, The Ujima Project is a cooperative business, arts and investment ecosystem, including a democratically governed investment fund. 2020-07-2123 minWHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCansEducation As Liberation Episode 2Decolonizing Education pt. 2
WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with playwright, stage director, performance artist, documentary filmmaker, educator, and activist Dr. H. "Herukhuti" Sharif Williams about what he calls, “Erotic epistemology” as well as transformative and revolutionary practices and the power of embodied learning techniques and liberatory traditions in decolonizing education.
H. "Herukhuti" Sharif Williams is a playwright, stage director, performance artist, documentary filmmaker, educator, and activist. His work has been performed at the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, New York International Fringe Theatre Festival, and The Village of Arts and Humanities. He i...2020-07-1453 minWHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCansEducation As Liberation Episode 1Decolonizing Education pt. 1
WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with Teacher, Founder and CEO of The Lesesne Collective Corp d/b/a Sisters in Education Circle (SIEC) and the SIEC Retreat Host, Dr. Akosua Lesesne about the Black teaching tradition and education for Black liberation.
Akosua Lesesne, is an educational design leader with expertise in education for Black liberation, grades 6-12 and the Black teaching tradition. She began her career as a high school social studies instructor and has 17 years of teaching, instructional coaching and district level leadership experience within five major, predominantly...2020-07-1350 min
Black History Mini Docs PodcastThe Erika L. Ewing InterviewSend us a textWhole Body Literacy & Education (WHBLE) founder, writer, Ah-Keisha McCants, guest hosts this conversation with Erika L. Ewing, CEO, Founder and Creative at Got To Stop, LLC. Got To Stop is a social impact consulting company and fashion lifestyle brand that uses the arts, advocacy, and education to raise awareness about injustice.In this History Made episode, Erika speaks about the monumental Black Lives Matter Mural Event happening in Harlem beginning Wednesday, July 2nd, through Saturday, July 4th, Got To Stop, LLC will join a number of outstanding community organizations in Harlem...2020-07-0134 min
Brooklyn, USA11 | This Day That We Had TogetherWhat’s the deal with women and audio? *** Brooklyn, USA is produced by Sachar Mathias and Emily Boghossian. Thanks again to Annie Rose Malamet, Keisha “TK” Dutes, Paola Messina and Ah-Keisha McCants for putting this workshop together with us, and to TK for producing and editing all of the audio recorded therein. Annie hosts and produces a podcast called Relevant, over at Posture Magazine: https://bit.ly/2R8Ngq0 TK hosts the Bondfire Radio morning show “TK In The AM” on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: https://apple.co/2iGz07R For more information on Sound Thinking NYC, visit https://bit.ly/2R2...2018-11-2515 min