Shows
Black America and CovidInterview 079 with Osumanu AdamuListen to Bronx native Osumanu Adamu share about living and working in New York City during the Covid-19 pandemic. He worked in-person from June 2020 until he caught the coronavirus at the end of 2020. He endured it for three months. When he finally recovered he went back to working in-person in 2021. He still works for his employer, which paid him while he was out sick for three months. He talks about what life was like working in-person and returning to college in-person during as the pandemic slowly ended.2023-05-0358 min
Black America and CovidInterview 078 with Ray WalkerListen to Bronx native Ray Walker—the founding director of New York City’s first urban boarding school for young men in Brooklyn, New York—share about living and working during the pandemic. He talks about his ancestors who trace back to Jamaican, Irish, and Scottish descent. He describes the opportunity to become a first-time homeowner in the pandemic, transitioning to focusing full-time on the mission of The Stokes Foundation, and overcoming Covid-19 twice.Time Stamps:1:24 Ray talks about his ancestry, family lineage, and growing up in The Bronx12:00 Ray talks about...2023-03-141h 16
Black America and CovidInterview 077 with Sean WaltrousListen to photographer Sean Waltrous whose family emigrated from The Caribbean—Trinidad, Barbados, and Jamaica—and who is from Brooklyn, New York share about his life at the beginning, middle, and (approaching the official) end of the pandemic. At the beginning of the 2020 lockdown Sean was tending to his sourdough starter and gardening and binge-watching television. Then, when the murder of George Floyd video came out, Sean documented the events of 2020 and 2021 and went outside… [The "Explicit" rating is for just a few cuss-words in this episode.]While listening to Sean take us on a photographic journey of pro...2023-02-091h 24
Black America and CovidInterview 076 with Kevaughn HunterListen to Adjunct Professor and writer Kevaughn Hunter who was born in The Bronx and raised in Brooklyn, New York share about living in New Jersey during the pandemic. His family is from the island of Jamaica and he identifies as either Black or African American. “I remember actually being in class teaching, and I think it must have been the beginning of spring semester, when the news was coming out. This is the earliest memory that I have, because I remember sitting on my desk in an English class and the students were talking ab...2023-02-0622 min
Black America and CovidInterview 075 with Jahmani Perry Listen to filmmaker, photographer, and writer Jahmani Perry of Brooklyn, New York—whose parents are from Jamaica, West Indies—share about living and working during the Covid-19 pandemic. He identifies as Black and Caribbean American. In early 2020 Jahmani was living on Long Island. When the coronavirus began spreading in March of 2020, he shared: “I was looking for a new place…to move into the city and…and then I was like, wait a second, ‘What's going on here?’ You know? They kept talking about shutting down the city…It was very disorienting, you know?” On photographing...2023-02-0530 min
Black America and Covid Interview 074 with Norma WilliamsInterview 074 with Norma W. Listen to retired educator Norma Williams of Queens, New York—whose parents are from Guyana and their ancestors are from Barbados—share about living, working, and retiring during the Covid-19 pandemic: “I was born a negro and then I became Black…I identify as Black or…Afro-Caribbean…and I’m first generation American. So, my parents came here in 1950. They got married here. They were both the first of their siblings to come here [the U.S.]… I’m American… I’m Black… I’m a New Yorker… which is a whole different thing in and...2023-01-2957 min
Black America and CovidInterview 073 with Lauren WListen to Caribbean-American Lauren W. of Queens, New York—whose parents are from the island of Jamaica—share about going to school in Washington D.C. during the Covid-19 pandemic. She talks about moving back home in the spring of 2020 during her sophomore year of university. She did her junior year online from her home in New York and she returned to D.C. for her senior year in 2022. On distance-learning during the pandemic:“I think I learned more in person. I think the interesting part was like, I guess was the will to lea...2023-01-2744 min
Black America and CovidInterview 072 with Sabine GedeonListen to Sabine Gedeon—who resides in San Diego, California, grew up in Connecticut, was born in Haiti, and migrated to the East Coast when she was 4-years-old—share about working in California during the Covid-19 pandemic. She identifies as Haitian: “Being born in Haiti and growing up in Haitian culture I’ve always identified or been very aware that I was Haitian…” She moved to Los Angeles in December of 2019 and worked in-person until the week before the shut-down in March of 2022 when she transitioned to working from home.On the virus, our mortality, and the murder of Ge...2023-01-2543 min
Black America and CovidInterview 071 with Chanel LListen to medical assistant and Black American Chanel L.— raised in New York and resided in Queens during the Covid-19 pandemic—share about working in-person as an essential worker during the pandemic. On working-from-home during the pandemic:“…At the beginning of the pandemic I was working at an urgent care and we were kind of at the center of the testing… We were swabbing people and really putting ourselves at risk… I worked the entire time. We never transitioned to working from home. So, at the beginning of 2020 when we got the stay-at-home order the ur...2023-01-1537 min
Black America and CovidInterview 070 with Daaimah MubashshirListen to playwright, professor, and Black American Daaimah Mubashshir, MFA from Columbia University — born in Alabama, raised in Texas, resided in New York during the Covid-19 pandemic — share about working from home during the pandemic, participating in a survey of Black people’s experiences working in theater, and experiencing racism when waiting in the very long lines to grocery shop in New York City.On working-from-home during the pandemic:“…It was beautiful. I got to work at home… I did a lot of walking. I took up hiking. I did a lot of resting. Um...2022-07-2726 min
Black America and CovidInterview 069 with Kia BarbeeListen to Black American Kia Barbee from Queens, New York share about living and working during the Covid-19 pandemic. She shares how her great-great grandmother on her maternal side was a slave and her grandmother’s dad was Indigenous American. She memorializes the life of a relative who was hospitalized in April of 2020 for a non-Covid-related ailment and then sadly passed away in November of 2020. On working from home:“I loved it. I thought it was great, because I felt secure that I still had an income and I didn’t have to go out...2022-06-2323 min
Black America and CovidInterview 068 with Marilyn WilsonListen to Black American Marilyn Wilson, MSW — from St. Louis, Missouri, and currently living there — share about living and working there during the Covid-19 pandemic.“So the beginning of the pandemic was very scary for me. Very, very scary for me.” Marilyn recalls.“I want to acknowledge that this is something I've never ever experienced in my life, you know, and it's, it's funny. You're asking these questions because I'm still asking questions about it. When… 2020… the beginning of the pandemic came, as I recall, I left work, which my, my boss started that we were just gonn...2022-06-2023 min
Black America and CovidInterview 067 with Eryan Cobham Listen to Black American Eryan Cobham from Queens, New York and now living in Chicago, Illinois share about working-from-home and living with his wife and two children in 2020 and three children in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic. His parents are from Panama and he identifies as Black, African American, and Latin American. Eryan memorializes the lives of two Black Americans who sadly passed away during the pandemic: his cousin Ricky in February of 2020 and his prep school friend Jason Forde in March of 2022.2022-06-1533 min
Black America and CovidInterview 066 with Sonja and StarrListen to Black American Sonja Killebrew from the South Side of Jamaica, Queens, New York share about working as an online professor at City College of New York and briefly as a substitute teacher in New York City during the Covid-19 pandemic. Her father was African American and Indigenous American. Her mother is Jamaican American. Sonja and Starr Davis met in the MFA program at City College of New York.2022-06-0922 min
Black America and CovidInterview 065 with Jerome A. ParkerListen to Black American Jerome A. Parker — from The Bronx and living in Brooklyn, New York — share about moving his parents’ possessions from The Bronx, New York to North Carolina in 2020 because they contracted Coronavirus and they were quarantining in their new home. Jerome shares about sadly losing an aunt to the virus during the pandemic. “Covid has been an interesting time… It’s been a rollercoaster. But I think a lot of people feel that it wasn’t all negative. There was some treasure in that darkness.” Jerome shares. “We’re taking back our n...2022-06-0820 min
Black America and CovidInterview 064 with Erachie BrownListen to nurse Erachie Brown – born in Jamaica, Queens, New York – who is the descendant of a Foundational Black American share about her ancestry: her mother was from South Carolina and her family protected their land from the KKK; her father was from Jamaica, West Indies and he migrated to New York City where he met Erachie’s mom at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. On being a Foundational Black American:“We are called Foundational Black Americans, because we are the descendants of the African slaves who were brought here, early in the 1600s, and A...2022-06-0747 min
Black America and CovidInterview 063 with Kiki Orr (Part 2)Listen to Black American Kiki Orr – born and raised in Harlem, New York – share about her 2022 television debut on the family-friendly HBOMAX reality dating show: “My Mom, Your Dad” with host Yvonne Orji from “Insecure.” Hear Kiki interview a cast-mate from the show on her podcast: Just Bloom. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/just-bloom-w-kiki-orr/id1483512753 Watch her interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MvNIUjeir0s Kiki also memorializes her aunt who was a retired nurse who returned to work to train nurses and caught Covid-19 from one of her students: “I just want to...2022-06-0300 min
Black America and CovidInterview 063 with Kiki Orr (Part 1)Listen to Black American Kiki Orr – born and raised and residing in Harlem, New York – share about living in Harlem and working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic.Sonja: “And what would you like to share about your ancestry?”Kiki: “'You know it’s so interesting, because I was listening to one of the interviews that you did before, and I always get a little bit emotional at the question, because for me it feels like a constant reminder of how much I don't know about my ancestry…”“I'll always remember th...2022-06-0254 min
Black America and CovidInterview 062 with Heather Kollar Listen to Black American Heather Kollar — originally from The Bronx, New York and now living in Newark, New Jersey — share about living and working as an entrepreneur during the Covid-19 pandemic. Her company, h2ocleanse, specializes in state-of-the-art water and air purification. We are both alumna of Prep 9. Heather attended Philips Exeter Academy and I attended The Taft School.“I’ve always been an entrepreneur…" Heather shares. "So, I stopped working in my last corporate job, financial services, in April of 2019, and I had a company I had already that I was just growing, so… one reason o...2022-05-2821 min
Black America and CovidInterview 061 with Justin Jehriko TurnerListen to Black American Justin Jehriko Turner — from New York and living in New York — share about remote-teaching English to college students at City University of New York during the Covid-19 pandemic. He is an educator, writer, fashion photographer, publicist, and founder of Metropolitan Couture Media Group, a boutique Fashion PR Firm based in NYC. Justin also co-hosts the BDorm Podcast reminiscent of his conversations at Amherst College.“When COVID hit I was teaching English for City University of New York and as any educator would tell you it was a nightmare. Uh, just switching to remote learni...2022-05-2720 min
Black America and CovidInterview 060 with Carla M. CherryListen to African American Carla M. Cherry — a native of Bronx, New York — share about living and working as a New York City teacher and attending graduate school online during the Covid-19 pandemic. Carla and I met through the City College of New York MFA Reading Series where she performed her poetry. In 2020 I organized the reading series along with a few other MFA candidates: Kristine Esser Slentz, S.E. Hamlet, Dilan Schulte, and Matthew Gahler. Carla shares about her family ancestry: her father’s family is originally from North Carolina and they migrated to New York in the 1930s and...2022-05-2425 min
Black America and CovidInterview 059 with Dwight DaleListen to Jamaican American Dwight Dale — originally from Queens, New York and now living in Orlando, Florida — share about living with his wife and four daughters and running a business in Florida during the Covid-19 pandemic. “…All the news of COVID-19 started coming about roughly about March or so. The girls went on to spring break in March of 2020 and it was the longest spring break they've ever had in their life. It lasted about years, and they said, you know, we still we still joke about the longest spring break they've ever had…”2022-05-2019 min
Black America and CovidInterview 058 with Keisha Fullerton Listen to Jamerican Keisha Fullerton — originally from New York and now living in Atlanta, Georgia — share about working and running her business during the Covid-19 pandemic. Her parents are from the island of Jamaica. She is a designer and owner of her own apparel collection, Raiment. Keisha shares about pivoting to create fashionable and durable masks during the Covid-19 pandemic. I bought over a dozen masks from Keisha for me and my mom after seeing my sister post on Instagram about buying beautiful masks from a Black-owned, woman-owned business online. Keisha shares about her dad sadly losing a neighbor of 3...2022-05-1829 min
Black America and CovidInterview 057 with Joseph Lemare JrListen to African-American Joseph Lemare Jr from Brooklyn, New York and now living in Shreveport, Louisiana share about working in retail in-person in New York City during the Covid-19 pandemic, catching Covid-19, and moving to Louisiana in 2022. He is of Haitian descent. He shares about catching Covid-19 and about sadly losing his frat brother to the virus.“…They were like, yeah, you're positive." Joseph recalls. "That was when Omicron came around. So it was Omicron that I caught. So, I'm saying that, like, in my own experience it was…it was surreal, because in a sense I knew t...2022-05-1725 min
Black America and CovidInterview 056 with Leslie Gilliam Listen to Black American Leslie Gilliam — originally from Wilmington, Delaware and now living in Los Angeles, California — share about living with her two kids (10 and 4) and working as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist during the Covid-19 pandemic.“It was incredibly stressful…Online school was hell. But we managed.” Leslie shares about her two children going to school online during the pandemic.On the summer of 2020, Leslie recalls: “I would go see my mom in the mask… Then George Floyd happened… and I remember seeing that.. and like going to my mom's house and watching that on the TV...2022-05-1131 min
Black America and CovidInterview 055 with Reverend Onaje CrawfordListen to Black American Reverend Onaje Crawford, M. Div., MSW, from North New Jersey share about living with his wife and children and working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic. Reverend Crawford is a pastor, educator, and social worker.He shares how 2021 was “interesting… So the drop off is typically early enough that I didn't have much work stuff to do, you know, dropping kids off at school at 7:45, 8:00, 8:15 in that range. So, there's not too much work stuff that early. But the pickup was interesting. I took a lot of meetings in the car where I had...2022-05-0828 min
Black America and CovidInterview 054 with Toni Ann JohnsonListen to Black American screenwriter and novelist Toni Ann Johnson — from upstate New York and a long-time resident of Los Angeles, California — share about working and living during the Covid-19 pandemic. Toni Ann shares:“I am technically mixed. So I have as much white European blood as Black, but I don't identify as a mixed race person. Although I look like a mixed race person. I identify as African American. I grew up in an all-white area where I was routinely called the N-word, and so I’m Black, and I now live in a mos...2022-05-061h 09
Black America and CovidInterview 053 with P.C. BrightListen to licensed real estate salesperson Peter-Charles Bright — born and residing in Brooklyn, New York — talk about living and working during the Covid-19 pandemic and having quality time with his daughter in 2020 when daycares and offices closed to prevent the spread of the virus.When asked if he identifies as Black, he responded: “I'd say Black, but I think over the past couple of years it's become more evident that Black is the name the police call you when they need you. So there's the idea of cultural Blackness… There's an idea of ethnic Blackness, and then there's...2022-05-0536 min
Black America and CovidInterview 052 with GinnyListen to Black American Ginny share about living and working in Shanghai, China during the Covid-19 pandemic. She identifies as Black, African American, and Caribbean American. Her mother’s family is from Jamaica, which is how we’re related. We’re cousins and we met when I was living in Shanghai in 2014. Her father’s side is from North Carolina and Virginia, which is her namesake. “Well, it's an interesting time that we're talking, Sonja, because of the way China has approached and treated the pandemic for the citizens and the people living in this country an...2022-05-0421 min
Black America and CovidInterview 051 with Dr. Daryl McCartney, MD, FAAFPListen to Dr. Daryl McCartney, MD, FAAFP, who is a family physician in Statesboro, Georgia share about working in a hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic. He is a graduate of Howard University College of Medicine.“At the time I was a Chief Medical Officer for a Health Center in southern Georgia and we had several meetings with regional, as well as internally, at the Health Center trying to brainstorm what exactly we knew of the of the virus at the time, what to expect when it came, and how we would tackle that situation… When it b...2022-05-0342 min
Black America and CovidInterview 050 with Dr. Gail Young, PhDListen to Dr. Gail Young, PhD in Health Behavior, share about living with her husband and two young children in Florida during the Covid-19 pandemic. She was born in Jamaica and lived there until she was 19-years-old when she matriculated to Howard University. She shares that part of her ancestry is Scottish descent, Indian (from India), and African. She identifies as Black Caribbean American. Dr. Young shares: “Twelve years ago I was a PhD graduate in public health… During the pandemic it was such a hard time for me, because everything that I had been trai...2022-05-0241 min
Black America and CovidInterview 049 with Dion FlynnListen to Black American Actor, Comedian, Impersonator, and Improv Specialist Dion Flynn, Master of Arts in Acting from NYU — who lived in Michigan until he was 2-years-old, then lived in Maryland until 17-years-old, and enlisted in the U.S. Army, then lived in Albany, New York, then New York City, and now currently lives in Brooklyn — share about his ancestry that he learned through 23 and Me, which is British, Irish, and Sub-Saharan African. He shares about founding “The Improviser’s Mindset” during the Covid-19 pandemic where Dion helps people connect with themselves and others using the powerful skills of improv.2022-04-2944 min
Black America and CovidInterview 048 with Melissa C. Potter Listen to Black American Melissa C. Potter — born in Jamaica, Queens, raised in Rockland County, New York, and residing in Westchester County — share about pivoting into social impact and strategy work in TV from the music industry. She shares about how the 2020 Q3 and Q4 was a gift and curse for a lot successful professional Black folks where companies were scrambling to hire heads of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Social Impact. She also talks about buying a home during the pandemic when interest rates were very low. Prior to the pandemic, “On the work front...2022-04-2829 min
Black America and CovidInterview 047 with Muhammad YasinListen to Black American Muhammad Yasin — from Ohio and living in Indiana — share about working as an executive in tech and the organic development of remote work for employees in his company that began in 2019. They asked questions like: “How do you collaborate when everyone’s not together?” “We found we were more productive in the six months following going home than we had ever been... I think a part of that was when you have control over nothing, you try to find something to get control over, and producing a thing or making a thing was th...2022-04-2739 min
Black America and CovidInterview 046 with Natasha HerringListen to Black American Natasha Herring, MFA, from The Lower East Side of New York City and now living in Harlem share about living in New York City during the Covid-19 pandemic and working for a part of an organization that trained homecare workers and nursing home workers. “So that was really tough and very dark.” Natasha recalls. “I was a manager. So, I was managing my team…Managing them…helping and assisting with our homecare workers and the nursing home workers and their losses…and then also my team who lost loved ones and trying to keep it together for...2022-04-2634 min
Black America and Covid Interview 045 with Sean FieldsListen to Black American Sean Fields — from Far Rockaway, Queens and now living in Rosedale, Queens, New York — share about living and working in-person during the Covid-19 pandemic. His family ancestry is African American. Sean shares about living in a multi-generational household and navigating protecting the seniors in the home, while commuting to work on the subway. He shares about family members contracting Covid-19 and recovering. He also shares about sadly losing someone to suicide during the pandemic. “A lot of my friends didn’t march. But they did contribute. They donated. Marching is a young ma...2022-04-2445 min
Black America and CovidInterview 044 with Lovey Roundtree OliffListen to Black American Lovey Roundtree Oliff — originally from Brooklyn and raised in Queens, New York — share about living in Exeter, New Hampshire with her husband and two sons during the Covid-19 pandemic. Her mother was born in Haiti and her father was born in Virginia. Lovey worked as a squash coach part-time and a physical fitness instructor while serving on The Select Board of the Town of Exeter, which functions as the mayor of the town. She was elected in March of 2020.“I am a Black woman raising two Black children living in the State...2022-04-2328 min
Black America and CovidInterview 043 with Michael Singleton Listen to eCommerce entrepreneur Michael Singleton from Queens, New York share his experience living in Manhattan, New York during the Covid-19 pandemic. He shares about gaining a roommate from Kazakhstan and also about losing a really good friend during the pandemic. Michael talks about spending time in the Hamptons, New York in 2020, driving to visit Bish Bash Falls in Massachusetts and waterfalls in Saratoga, New York in 2020 and 2021, and driving to Miami, Florida in 2021 to surprise-visit a friend.“It was the best of times for some people and the worst of times for some people.” Michael describes life...2022-04-2246 min
Black America and CovidInterview 042 with Lorna MartinListen to Black American Lorna Martin — from Brooklyn and now living in Queens, New York — talk about living as a retired New York City public school teacher during the Covid-19 pandemic. Her experience was “one of renewal: mind, body, and spirit.” She describes how learning to schedule her time using Google calendar allowed her to schedule poetry slams, poetry classes, book club events, and dance classes. She wrote a digital book with her grandchildren: “Conversations with G-Ma.” She scheduled weekly read-alouds with her grandchildren on her Google calendar. She also participated in “Art Across America” with friends and family, which included v...2022-04-2139 min
Black America and CovidInterview 041 with Akim St. OmerListen to Black American Akim St. Omer — born and raised and residing in Brooklyn, New York — whose grandparents migrated from Trinidad to Brooklyn in the 1960s/1970s talk about how working during the Covid-19 pandemic “has been the most challenging yet rewarding times professionally” for him. He shares about the “importance of being comfortable with change and being able to pivot” and about how his work shifted in 2020 after George Floyd’s murder when his organization asked him to co-chair an equity task force, which lead him to become the Director of Diversity at his organization.2022-04-2027 min
Black America and CovidInterview 040 with Shelly Listen to Black Caribbean American Shelly share about living in Shanghai, China during the Covid-19 pandemic. She describes buying masks in the winter of 2019 to wear while taking the metro to and from work. She shares about catching a flu-like virus in winter of 2019 and feeling very ill. She also describes the precautions the government took to stop the spread of Covid-19, which included closing the borders in March of 2020, requiring foreign visitors to quarantine in hotels for two weeks, and requiring everyone to use an app called AliPay (which allows people to pay for things with their cellphones...2022-04-1930 min
Black America and CovidInterview 039 with Taiquan ColemanListen to African American Taiquan Coleman — born and raised and residing in Brooklyn, New York — whose ancestors migrated to Brooklyn three generations ago, share about working for a New York State Senator in March of 2020 and giving out flyers about Covid-19 to seniors centers at the beginning of the pandemic in New York. He talks about speaking with hundreds of constituents as the Director of Constituent Services in 2020 and 2021 and connecting people with food and necessities, such as diapers through the nonprofit Little Essentials in Brooklyn, New York. He also talks about attending graduate school online during the pandemic and...2022-04-1828 min
Black America and Covid Interview 038 with Yolanda MorelandListen to microbiologist and science teacher Yolanda Moreland who identifies as Black and Panamanian American share about living in Arizona in 2019 and hearing about people experiencing the symptoms of Covid-19. She talks about teaching from home in her living room while her son was in school on the other side of their living room and having a drive-by birthday parties for her son in the summer of 2020. That year Yolanda began making Tik Tok videos to connect with her students. In 2021 she began teaching a hybrid of in-person and online science class where some students were in the classroom...2022-04-1742 min
Black America and CovidInterview 037 with Joshua BloodworthListen to African American attorney Joshua Bloodworth who also identifies as Black share about living and working from home in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York during the Covid-19 pandemic. He shares the positive outcomes of his two Black teenaged sons' 2020 transition to going to school online while at home and visiting their elders in their walk after school in their neighborhood. He also talks about sadly losing an older family member, Butch Jackson, during the pandemic.2022-04-1734 min
Black America and CovidInterview 036 with Farayi WileyListen to African American Farayi Wiley share about living in the San Francisco Bay Area of California during the Covid-19 pandemic. She shares about the joys of working from home in finance and gaining back three hours on weekdays from her commute to work. She studied economics and political science at Princeton University and her ancestors were slaves in Alabama and Georgia during American chattel slavery. Her grandparents were part of the Great Migration. They migrated up north to Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to work in the steel mills. We met working at Prep for Prep in New York...2022-04-121h 06
Black America and CovidInterview 035 with Courtney MartinListen to Courtney Martin talk about working in-person in San Diego, California throughout 2020 and 2021, while living with his wife and two elementary-school-age children and having backyard-outdoor gatherings with a diverse group of close friends with children. During the Covid-19 pandemic he discovered Twitch as a place to virtually enjoy live music with DJs all around the world. He shares about the process of buying a car during the pandemic, when car prices were on the rise, due to a chip shortage and a used-car shortage. Courtney talks about catching Covid-19 and quarantining in his bedroom and playing videogames and...2022-04-101h 31
Black America and CovidInterview 034 with Elisheba FowklesListen to Elisheba Fowkles, MFA, from Brooklyn, New York and now living on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois with her husband and two young children talk about living in the Midwest during the Covid-19 pandemic. She was laid off just before the stay-at-home orders in 2020 and she was able to stay home with her son when daycares closed while her husband who is a frontline worker continued to work in-person. She listened to updates from Dr. Arwady and Dr. Ngozi Ezike in the Chicago area.Elisheba and I are both alumni of Prep for Prep. She...2022-04-1036 min
Black America and CovidInterview 033 with Janèa TwineListen to Janèa Twine share about living and working in New York during the Covid-9 pandemic. She talks about working in person and following the New York Covid-19 office protocols. She shares how she and her boyfriend grew closer during the pandemic. Sadly, she lost her boyfriend’s dad at the beginning of the pandemic because the hospital didn’t have the resources to help the many patients coming in, in addition to the Covid-19 patients.2022-04-0516 min
Black America and Covid Interview 032 with Esosa OgbahonListen to Black American Esosa Ogbahon, M.Ed., — born in Nigeria, raised in Brooklyn — talk about living with his family in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, New York during the Covid-19 pandemic. He speaks about working as a school administrator and the process of transitioning to school online for New York City students. He recalls the loud fireworks going off at all hours in 2020 and how his two children acclimated to online learning.Esosa and I met in Prep 9 — a rigorous academic program that prepares students of color to attend boarding school — when we were 13-years-old. He attended The Hotc...2022-04-0300 min
Black America and Covid Interview 032 with Esosa Ogbahon (Part 1)Listen to Black American Esosa Ogbahon, M.Ed., — born in Nigeria, raised in Brooklyn — talk about living with his family in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, New York during the Covid-19 pandemic. He speaks about working as a school administrator and the process of transitioning to school online for New York City students. He recalls the loud fireworks going off at all hours in 2020 and how his two children acclimated to online learning. Esosa and I met in Prep 9 — a rigorous academic program that prepares students of color to attend boarding school — when we were 13-years-old. He attended The Hotc...2022-04-0333 min
Black America and CovidInterview 031 with Malene ChandlerListen to Malene Chandler – born on Long Island – resident of Rochdale Village, Queens, whose family is from Jamaica – talk about getting laid off from a job in 2019 and aiming to find remote work in 2019 for the flexibility to travel with her daughter who is a competitive tennis player. Malene identifies as Black culturally. She started remote work in February of 2020. In April of 2020 she and her family moved to her mother-in-law’s house in North Carolina. They went where they would have outdoor space to bike ride, and where their daughter was able to play tennis while going to school o...2022-04-0222 min
Black America and CovidInterview 030 with Iman NinosListen to Queens-native Iman Ninos share about her experience travelling in India in 2020 when the former president instituted a ban to prevent flights into the U.S. from Europe. Prior to the closing of all theaters when the stay-at-home orders were instituted in New York, Iman was working part-time at a theater. She began working remotely in 2020. In November of 2020 she flew to Aruba for a month with her mom and sister. Then, in 2021 Iman went to Mexico in June with her sister. In September of 2021 Iman flew to New Orleans with her sister for her birthday. In December...2022-04-0120 min
Black America and CovidInterview 029 with Kay BellListen to Kay Bell – born in Barbados, raised in New York City, now living in The South Bronx, New York – talk about working two jobs from home as a professor and an academic counselor while helping her two sons – ages 7 and 14 – go to school online during the pandemic. She shares about going to therapy during the pandemic to talk about the stress of living and working from home in 2020. In the fall of 2021 she began teaching hybrid in-person and online and her sons returned to school in-person. She trusted her husband to cut her hair when barbershops closed. 2022-03-3135 min
Black America and CovidInterview 028 with OliviaListen to Black American Olivia share about moving to Florence, Italy in October of 2020 with her twin boys. She talks about travelling internationally with her boys in 2020 and 2021: “I got clear with myself at a certain point that I was not going to allow fear to override my love to travel.” In February of 2021 she flew to Miami, Florida. In March and June of 2021 she flew to Colombia twice to visit her sister. She travelled to Rome and Croatia in July of 2021, Dubai in December 2021, London on New Year’s Eve December 31, 2021, Barcelona, Sevilla, Malaga Spain in January of 2022, and Be...2022-03-3052 min
Black America and CovidInterview 027 with Cicero Salmon IIIListen to business owner Cicero Salmon III, MBA, from The Bronx and now living in Covina, Los Angeles County, California talk about transitioning to working-from-home and spending time with his two children who were learning-from-home during the Covid-19 pandemic. He was able to earn income during the pandemic as an insurance agent. He’s aware that in the American capitalistic society his business grew because more people needed insurance. To avoid contracting the virus he kept a small network of friends and his kids had friends to play with when schools closed in 2020. Sadly, he has friends who passed aw...2022-03-2724 min
Black America and CovidInterview 026 with Janelle PoeListen to New Yorker and African American Janelle Poe, MFA, from Harlem who also identifies as Black, because she sees Black as a “diasporic, global, racial, cultural category.” Her parents are from New York. Her grandparents are from Alabama and Mississippi. Her grandfather was a sharecropper who dropped out of school in the sixth grade in Mississippi in order to help feed his family. Janelle is a first-generation-PhD candidate. She is an Assistant Professor of Black Studies and English at City College of New York. We met in the MFA program at City College when we were both pursuing our...2022-03-2700 min
Black America and CovidInterview 026 with Janelle PoeListen to New Yorker and African American Janelle Poe, MFA, from Harlem who also identifies as Black, because she sees Black as a “diasporic, global, racial, cultural category.” Her parents are from New York. Her grandparents are from Alabama and Mississippi. Her grandfather was a sharecropper who dropped out of school in the sixth grade in Mississippi in order to help feed his family. Janelle is a first-generation-PhD candidate. She is an Assistant Professor of Black Studies and English at City College of New York. We met in the MFA program at City College when we were both pursuing our...2022-03-2746 min
Black America and CovidInterview 025 with Josiah JohnsonListen to Queens-native filmmaker Josiah Johnson who earned his MFA in filmmaking at City College of New York while I was there getting my MFA in creative writing. We both took Professor Marc Palmieri’s class on screenwriting. He identifies as Black. He said that his dad said that when he was growing up, if someone called someone Black, then those were fighting words. Josiah began shooting his first film the day before New York City shutdown and instituted the stay-at-home orders to prevent the spread of Covid-19. He learned how to edit video and sound out of necessity du...2022-03-2619 min
Black America and CovidInterview 024 with Quincy EvansListen to Quincy Evans, MBA, share his experience living on Long Island, New York with his family during the pandemic and working from home while his two young children went to school online in the spring of 2020, and then returned to in-person-classes in the fall of 2020. He worked for a financial institution that had the technology to allow him to easily work from home during the pandemic. He shares that the spring of 2020 was a lost academic time for children.Born and raised in The Bronx, Quincy speaks on how the Covid-19 pandemic illuminated socio-economic-racial divides in...2022-03-2524 min
Black America and CovidInterview 023 with SusanListen to Black American fashion designer Susan Higgins from Rochester, New York talk about living alone in Dallas, Texas during the Covid-19 pandemic and going on a journey across the U.S.A. in late 2021. Being immune compromised, she stayed home alone in Dallas in 2020 during the pandemic. She also worried about possibly exposing family members to the virus. She wore a mask and gloves the first time she went grocery-shopping during the pandemic. After that first trip, a friend of hers went grocery shopping for her and she ultimately began to order groceries through delivery services. The company...2022-03-2438 min
Black America and CovidInterview 022 with Dr. Travis J. Bristol, PhDListen to Brooklyn-New-York-native Dr. Travis J. Bristol, PhD in Education — parents from Guyana — who identifies as Black American and who lives in Oakland, California talk about living and working during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020 as an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkley he was able to work from home and have all of his meals with his wife – a U.C. Berkeley professor – and his two kids each day during the pandemic. He began homeschooling his 3rd grader and 7th grader when schools transitioned to remote-learning in 2020, which he said was challenging.He knew three people w...2022-03-2114 min
Black America and CovidInterview 021 with SokhnaListen to 21-year-old Sokhna — raised in Chicago, Illinois — share what it was like to participate in the Black Lives Matter protests in Indiana. Prior to the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, Sokhna was involved in the March for Our Lives protests against gun-violence. In the summer of 2019, she worked with the ACLU. She speaks on being 21 and fearless in the face of injustice, rubber bullets, and tear gas.Growing up Sokhna lived in Illinois, Indiana, and Italy. She identifies as Black, biracial. Her dad is Senegalese. Her mom is Polish-Irish-Italian white American. Sokhna’s mom is my best-friend from m...2022-03-2035 min
Black America and CovidInterview 020 with Makeba RobinsonListen to my cousin, Black American Makeba Robinson — whose parents are Jamaican American — who was born in Pennsylvania, raised in California, and then returned to Pennsylvania in her adolescence talk about working in-person at an events space and transitioning to facilitating online events for 100+ persons in 2020. She talks about leaving that job due to the difficulty in trying to facilitate 100+ people showing up on Zoom and conversing with each other. She also speaks about completing an album during the pandemic and not playing any virtual shows nor in-person performances in 2021. In 2022 she returned to performing live in-person.2022-03-2014 min
Black America and CovidInterview 019 with Shanina RobinsonListen to Black American Shanina Robinson who also identifies as Jamaican-American share what it was like to work-from-home in Queens, New York while raising two sons under six-years-old and how she engaged in active-compassionate communication with her husband during the State stay-at-home orders, which helped them in the process of buying a home during the pandemic. She grew up in South Jamaica, Queens.Shanina shares how she sadly lost her grandfather to Alzheimer’s a week after the stay-at-home orders to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus. She shares how she sadly lost her younger brother wh...2022-03-1821 min
Black America and CovidInterview 018 with Sierriena RobinsonListen to Black American Sierriena Robinson talk about living in Atlanta, Georgia and attending graduate school online during the Covid-19 pandemic. She shares that in 2020 she enrolled in a master’s degree program online in family therapy, which worked well for her during the pandemic. She had a virtual graduation in 2021, which her parents attended virtually. She talks about how she managed her daughter’s online school schedule, while Sierriena worked online in her vicinity. She discusses what a 24-hour-day during the pandemic was like for her and her daughter: going to school online, taking a walk after school, cook...2022-03-1836 min
Black America and CovidInterview 017 with Luther MasantoListen to Brooklyn-born first-generation Grenadian American Luther Masanto talk about completing graduate school at Syracuse University at the beginning of the Covid-19 stay-at-home orders in March of 2020 and losing his internship in California, leading him to make a strong pivot into grocery-shopping for Instacart. With a Bachelor of Science in environmental engineering, Luther talks about what it was like to face financial insecurity as the Covid-19 pandemic lasted months and he had to dip into his savings. At the end of the summer of 2020 Luther landed a new job working-from-home and was able to create music and to collaborate...2022-03-1724 min
Black America and CovidInterview 017 with Luther MasantoListen to Brooklyn-born first-generation Grenadian American Luther Masanto talk about completing graduate school at Syracuse University at the beginning of the Covid-19 stay-at-home orders in March of 2020 and losing his internship in California, leading him to make a strong pivot into grocery-shop for Instacart. With a Bachelor of Science in environmental engineering, Luther talks about what it was like to face financial insecurity as the Covid-19 pandemic lasted months and he had to dip into his savings. At the end of the summer of 2020 Luther landed a new job working-from-home and was able to create music and to collaborate...2022-03-1724 min
Black America and CovidInterview 016 with Christine HughesListen to my 88-year-old neighbor Christine Hughes in Jamaica, Queens, New York share a little about what her life was life during the pandemic. In a nutshell: she stayed inside her house. Her daughter took her grocery shopping locally. Christine’s mother (Sarah Ryan) was from Montserrat and her father (Carl Ellis) was from St. Croix. Christine has two older sisters in their 90s: one in Arizona and one in Queens. They are all in good health with children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. This is my first in-person interview, which I recorded for both my oral history project an...2022-03-1608 min
Black America and CovidInterview 015 with Arisa WhiteListen to Black-Caribbean-African American poet Arisa White from Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, New York — now residing in Maine — share her experience working as a tenured-track professor from-home during the pandemic with her wife. Her experience as an adjunct professor teaching a hybrid-online-in-person course using Blackboard and Canvass prepared her to teach online in 2020. When Covid-19 spread and college campuses closed to prevent the spread of the virus, as a poetry professor Arisa focused on how to recognize the humanity of her students who were distance-learning on Zoom, without trying to teach them something: “How can we use this moment as an experi...2022-03-1640 min
Black America and CovidInterview 014 with Dwayne C. CobhamListen to teacher Dwayne C. Cobham — a first-generation Panamanian American born in Brooklyn, New York — talk about teaching ST.E.A.M. remotely to special needs students during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. In 2020 he was a head science teacher and he met on Zoom with his Teaching Assistant and teachers in his school. He often spent his lunch break on Zoom with students and with their parents in the background. He describes how on Zoom some students played with the mute-button and bombed the chat with gibberish and tilted their cameras up to the ceiling in defiance of keep...2022-03-1500 min
Black America and CovidInterview 014 with Dwayne C. CobhamListen to teacher Dwayne C. Cobham — a first-generation Panamanian American born in Brooklyn, New York — talk about teaching ST.E.A.M. remotely to special needs students during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. In 2020 he was a head science teacher and he met on Zoom with his Teaching Assistant and teachers in his school. He often spent his lunch break on Zoom with students and with their parents in the background. He describes how on Zoom some students played with the mute-button and bombed the chat with gibberish and tilted their cameras up to the ceiling in defiance of keep...2022-03-1547 min
Black America and CovidInterview 013 with Vanessa Norwood ClarkListen to Jamaican American, Montessori teacher Vanessa Norwood Clark in North Carolina talk about transitioning from hands-on learning in the classroom to the expectation to teach Montessori online. “Each day I said, ‘Vanessa, this is your new normal…You have to figure it out.’” Vanessa says she learned how to use Zoom, Google classroom, Google Meet, and SeeSaw in order to engage her students in distance-learning. She learned how to teach interactive lessons for students online and digital materials while simultaneously learning how to use new digital platforms. She shares how she, her son, and her husband had to learn how...2022-03-1320 min
Black America and CovidInterview 012 with Maurice WilsonListen to actor Maurice Wilson share his experience living in Brooklyn, New York during the Covid-19 pandemic. He describes how his jobs bartending and acting ended due to the closing of restaurants and the stay-at-home orders to stop the spread of the virus, which gave him time to learn French and to draw in 2020. Maurice shares how opportunities to act on Zoom opened up for him in 2020 and 2021. He acted in a few plays on Zoom, including The Brunch Club and The Portrait of Sissieretta Jones. He later performed The Portrait of Sissieretta Jones in-person...2022-03-1300 min
Black America and CovidInterview 012 with Maurice WilsonListen to actor Maurice Wilson share his experience living in Brooklyn, New York during the Covid-19 pandemic. He describes how his jobs bartending and acting ended due to the closing of restaurants and the stay-at-home orders to stop the spread of the virus, which gave him time to learn French and to draw in 2020. Maurice shares how opportunities to act on Zoom opened up for him in 2020 and 2021. He acted in a few plays on Zoom, including The Brunch Club and The Portrait of Sissieretta Jones. He later performed The Portrait of Sissieretta Jones in-person...2022-03-1340 min
Black America and CovidInterview 011 with Robert Anthony GibbonsListen to African American performance poet Robert Anthony Gibbons — a native Floridian who moved to New York City in 2007 — share how he sadly lost loved-ones in Florida to Covid-19. Robert and I met at City College of New York in the MFA program for creative writing. He is a published poet whose poems are transformative. He participates in the Zip Code Memory Project, which highlights social inequalities affecting communities of people of color and invites people to share their experience during the ongoing pandemic. Robert talks about his bachelor of arts degree in history where he s...2022-03-1221 min
Black America and CovidInterview 010 with Verneda Adele WhiteListen to Award-winning writer and Antiracism Consultant Verneda Adele White, MBA, share her experience living and working in Brooklyn, New York during the Covid-19 pandemic. She talks about being a creative — speaker, executive producer, writer — and how she pivoted from running in-person live events pre-pandemic to running virtual events during the pandemic on the social-media audio app — Clubhouse — which launched in April of 2020. Verneda has over 15,000 followers on Clubhouse where she hosts a weekly Club — “America’s Hot Sauce." Listen as she shares about losing someone she knew to Covid-19 and about her ex-boyfriend losing his father to...2022-03-111h 00
Black America and CovidInterview 009 with Frank Brown JrListen to Black American Frank Brown Jr., a television audio engineer, producer, and musician from New Jersey, share his remarkable account about a 105-year-old family-friend who catches Covid-19 and survives, because she was vaccinated. He also shares the sad account about a 51-year-old friend who was unvaccinated and who caught Covid-19 and sadly passed away. Frank also shares his personal experience catching Covid-19 and surviving.2022-03-1020 min
Black America and CovidInterview 008 with Tiffany-KayListen to Jamaican American Tiffany-Kay share her experience living, working, and going to school in Maryland during the Covid-19 pandemic. She talks about working in the financial industry and the transition from working in-person to working-from-home. She also speaks about being a Jamaican American and how some things got lost in translation as she began her Masters in Business Administration online with international students. Tiffany-Kay speaks about helping her mom set up Zoom on her computer in order to attend funerals online in 2020 and 2021. She also shares about sadly losing a friend of a friend.2022-02-2815 min
Black America and CovidInterview 007 with Dr. Marcia F. Robinson, SPHR, SCPListen to Dr. Marcia F. Robinson, SPHR, SCP who is a Doctor of Business Administration share her experience as a Black Jamaican American living and working in the Greater Philadelphia Area during the Covid-19 pandemic that caused her high blood pressure as an HR professional navigating leadership and staff. She asked questions like: “If this person can’t be here at this time, because they have to be homeschooling their children, what’s wrong with us splitting up the [work] day? Exactly why can’t we do that? We had to challenge a lot of what we took for granted…...2022-02-2732 min
Black America and CovidInterview 007 with Dr. Marcia F. Robinson, SPHR, SCPListen to Dr. Marcia F. Robinson, SPHR, SCP who is a Doctor of Business Administration share her experience as a Black Jamaican American living and working in the Greater Philadelphia Area during the Covid-19 pandemic that caused her high blood pressure as an HR professional navigating leadership and staff. She asked questions like: “If this person can’t be here at this time, because they have to be homeschooling their children, what’s wrong with us splitting up the [work] day? Exactly why can’t we do that? We had to challenge a lot of what we took for granted…...2022-02-2632 min
Black America and CovidInterview 006 with BranDi Listen to native New Yorker BranDi Mingo who identifies as Black American and Caribbean American share her experience living in Atlanta, Georgia during the Covid-19 pandemic. She talks about sheltering-at-home with her teenaged son and her mom. Her mom is Black American and her dad is Caribbean American. Her paternal grandparents are from Antigua and St. Marten. Her paternal great-grandparents are from The Dominican Republic. She talks about working in the airlines industry during the pandemic, taking a pay cut for 11 months, and taking a 4-month voluntary leave. She talks about getting Covid-19 and the effects of Long-Covid on...2022-02-2527 min
Black America and CovidInterview 005 with Yewande (Part 2)Listen to Part 2 of African American Yewande Salau's talk about what it was like to attend graduate school in Ithaca, New York when the Covid-19 pandemic spread in New York. This Queens native shares her thoughts on disparity in equity and how her experience living in Queens differed from living in Ithaca during the pandemic. She recalls the run on toilet paper, the loud fireworks, and the boarded-up businesses. In 2020 while there were thousands of deaths daily due to Covid-19, there were also demonstrations in the Black Lives Matter movement seeking social justice for the unwarranted killings of Black...2022-02-2415 min
Black America and CovidInterview 005 with Yewande (Part 1)Listen to African American Yewande Salau talk about what it was like to attend graduate school in Ithaca, New York when the Covid-19 pandemic spread in New York. This Queens native shares her thoughts on disparity in equity and how her experience living in Queens differed from living in Ithaca during the pandemic. She recalls the run on toilet paper, the loud fireworks, and the boarded-up businesses. In 2020 while there were thousands of deaths daily due to Covid-19, there were also demonstrations in the Black Lives Matter movement seeking social justice for the unwarranted killings of Black Americans by...2022-02-2412 min
Black America and CovidInterview 004 with SenaitListen to African-American Senait Kassahun talk about what it was like to plan a wedding in New York during the Covid-19 pandemic. She talks about her wedding and how the changing rules restricted her wedding guest list to 50. She tells what it felt like to honeymoon in the Maldives, get engaged in Turks and Caicos, and vacation in Iceland with her husband in 2020 and 2021. Take a listen to learn what it was like to live and work during the pandemic for this African American world-traveller.2022-02-2316 min
Black America and CovidInterview 003 with Sonja and LeahToday you will hear me, Sonja, be interviewed by my classmate, Leah. We met in our MFA program for creative writing at City College of New York in 2019. We both attended classes online in 2020. I actually wrote a dark comedy titled The Brunch Club, which was read by Naked Angels Theater on February 1st, 2021 (Thanks Naked Angels!). It’s about five college students from different walks of life who endure a stressed-out college professor (not me) while reading “Love in the Time of Cholera” in class on Zoom. I digress. This is part one of my int...2022-02-2009 min
Black America and CovidInterview 002 with Johan the AmericanIn this episode I am interviewing Johan the American. Johan does not hyphenate his identity as Black American, because he is American by definition of being born in the United States – in Jamaica, Queens. In the melodic cadence of a New Yorker, Johan answers questions about how he feels about the mask-mandate during the Covid-19 pandemic and how he feels about getting the vaccine. He delves into personal stories of losing friends, acquaintances, and loved ones to Covid-19 and to its ripple effects in his community. He tells his first-person experience about what it was like to work from ho...2022-02-1935 min
Black America and CovidInterview 001 with Starr Listen to poet Starr Davis from Ohio share what it was like to have a baby and move and change jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic. In my very first podcast episode I’m interviewing my friend, my colleague, and my MFA classmate: Starr. She is also an editor and an instructress.In the tradition of Zora Neale Hurston, I share the stories of Black Americans in their own voices and in their own words. I do not bleep out any of the four-letter words that the poet Starr uses in her conversation with me. I seek to pr...2022-02-1423 min
Black America and CovidHow have Black Americans been impacted by Covid-19?How have Black Americans been impacted by Covid-19? Are you a Black American who has lost someone during the Covid-19 pandemic? Do you know a Black American who lost their life due to Covid-19? Do you want to share your story about them? I want to tell your story. I want to provide a platform for people to hear your experience. My mission is to put a face and a voice and a name to the statistics that Black Americans are at a higher risk of infection and death due to Covid-19. How do you reach out to me...2022-02-1213 min