What’s Next?

The Ujima Theater did not end up getting any of the ARP money originally allocated to them by the Buffalo Common Council. They recently received $49,000 from the $2.3 million pool of New York State Council on the Arts funds, which was imperative to the survival of the institution.

Michelle Sawyers, the recently appointed CEO of the YWCA of Western New York, sits down with Ekua Mends-Aidoo to discuss the YWCA’s impactful work that serves local women and families and her vision for the future of the YWCA.

PATH is a non-profit faith-based organization dedicated to ending human trafficking through education, prevention, and restoration. Julie Palmer discusses what PATH has been up to, and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

The International Institute of Buffalo has been integral in bringing refugees to the area with an official Refugee Status Determination from the United Nations. We welcome back Jennifer Rizzo-Choi, the Executive Director of the Institute.

We continue our series with the candidates for the upcoming Buffalo mayoral election. This edition, we welcome Judge James McLeod, a retired Buffalo City Court Judge.

We revisit conversations with Pastor Charles McCarley of the Tabernacle of Praise about the role that religious leaders play in the community, and with Jasmine Westbrook, a local healthcare advocate.

The “No New Jail” movement aims to fight Erie County’s decision to build a brand new $200 Million jail and focuses on advocating for better conditions in existing jails and how funds can be better allocated to community resources.

Rasheed Wyatt shares why he chose to run for mayor, the change he wants to see from City Hall, and how his background in finance can help the City of Buffalo navigate its problems.

Kelly Diane Galloway and Saladin Allah sit down with Jay Moran to discuss the FreeTHEM Gala and a trip they took to Tanzania/Zanzibar, where they led 21 people on a cultural excursion.

Sean Ryan discusses his plans for the city of Buffalo, including his timeline to fix key issues such as housing, small business ownership, and the revitalization of Downtown Buffalo.

Eann Robinson and Kiman Baldon, co-founders of Ear Quality LLC, share their mission to empower musicians. Henri Muhammad previews the Muhammad School of Music’s 25th-anniversary concert celebration.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie, Niagara, and the Southern Tier create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships between volunteer mentors and children ages 6 through young adulthood in Western New York.

Over 80% of 911 calls to Buffalo Police do not involve crime or violence, yet the police are always sent. Recently, the Partnership for the Public Good and its partners helped launch the Erie County Community Responders Program.

Jay Moran speaks with Jasmine Westbrook about healthcare advocacy and Dr. Monica Miles on sustainability efforts with Mother Earth Literacies, enhancing health and equity in WNY communities.

On today’s episode, we welcome a panel of key members of the AI initiative to the show. The five discuss the future of integrating AI and healthcare.

Former Buffalo Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield announced his candidacy for Buffalo Mayor. He recently became a voice on the national level for gun violence prevention and fighting white supremacy.

The Urban Think Tank released a report calling on the Buffalo Common Council to reevaluate its Bus Patrol Program, highlighting its concerns over the disproportionate impact the program has on economically disadvantaged residents.

Kelly Wolfe & Stephanie Pepper from the SPCA and Racheal Tarapacki from the resource council of WNY discuss an incubator grant awarded to the SPCA. Next, Dr. Karen Kwandrans and Rhonda Bivins-Talley discuss the work of the Levesque Institute.

We revisit two previous standout conversations: Thomas O’Neil-White and Sheri Scavone, CEO of the WNY Women’s Foundation, and Jay Moran's discussion with Tim Chen, Executive Director of Grassroots Garden WNY.

We celebrate Native American Heritage Month & discuss a recent Haudenosaunee flag raising in Buffalo, Native American boarding schools, and how Native people are represented throughout history and media.

We discuss suspensions in Buffalo Public Schools and the Buffalo Suspension Coalition from three different perspectives.

Dr. Meng Wang and Samantha Hidalgo discuss two new studies conducted to better understand the state of air quality in specific areas of Buffalo, as well as the state of Buffalo’s East Side’s Air Quality.

The Turtle Building in Niagara Falls is an important cultural landmark to the Western New York indigenous community. Today, the building stands vacant.

Today's conversations include the latest edition of Goodskills Career Builder and the recent lawsuit regarding the Kensington Expressway.

Buffalo PAL is dedicated to enriching young lives year-round with sports, educational, cultural, & enrichment programs. Nekia Kemp shares the full lineup of fall programs for Buffalo youth.

Pastor Charles McCarley discusses the role that religious leaders play in the community, & members of the YMCA Buffalo Niagara discuss the upcoming projects the YMCA is bringing to the East and West sides of Buffalo.

Recently, Niagara University partnered with various local housing agencies and the City of Niagara Falls to develop a housing and community assessment of the Mid-City District.

“Resetting The Table” is a national effort to prevent political violence through collaborative discussion. Recently, various local religious and civic leaders joined the initiative.

We revisit a conversation with the Deputy Commissioner of the Erie County Board of Elections. Next, we go back to an installment of our Project 2025 series with guests from the Clementine Gold Group.

On today’s episode, we welcome back Morgan Williams-Bryant, the CEO of Leadership Buffalo, and environmental artist Chantal Calato, whose work has been featured at various exhibits.

What's Next? welcomes the newly appointed 13th President of SUNY Erie, Dr. Adiam Tsegai. Her appointment marks both the first African American and Woman President of SUNY Erie.

We sit with the owners of black-owned Black Rock bakery Radah Baked Goods to discuss their business & community efforts. Then, we welcome Howard Johnson to discuss the importance of voting.

Jay Moran, Thomas O'Neil-White, and Dr. Michael Niman discuss the overall goals of the project, the historical significance of the movement, and the impact the project could have through the lens of media.

On today's episode, we welcome back Duncan Kirkwood, a renowned national resilience trainer and the visionary behind the “Unleash Your Greatness” program, an initiative designed to empower students in Buffalo Public Schools. He’s joined by Katie Schuta, Principal of the Buffalo School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management, where this transformative program is being piloted. Together with host Jay Moran, they delve into the profound impact of resilience training on young minds, the unique challenges facing Buffalo schools, and the broader potential of fostering resilience as a core skill in education.

Today, we say farewell to our friend and host Thomas O’Neil-White. For his final interview he sits with Jay Moran to discuss his time as host of What’s Next? his career as a black journalist, and his best moments from his time at WBFO.

On today’s show, we feature two conversations. To start, Jay Moran sits down with Beth Machnica, the Director of Health and Well-Being at Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The two discuss the upcoming 4th annual “Food as Medicine” symposium, which aims to empower organizations and communities to promote wellness and close the disproportionate health gap in communities of color. For our second conversation, we go back to August when the “What’s Next?” crew attended the Black Business Block Party at the Exchange at Beverly Gray. The team collected interviews with various organizations in attendance and got their insight on the importance of the event.

We revisit two standout conversations. First Thomas O’Neil-White conversation with Buffalo’s first female historian Lindsey Lauren Visser. The two discuss the anniversary of the 19 amendment which gave women the right to vote, and the significant role Buffalo played in the suffragist movement. Then Jay Moran conversation with Licensed Master Social Worker Cheney Brockington. The two discuss generational patterns of trauma in Buffalo, along with the systemic barriers to education that results from them.

We continue our Project 2025 series as Jay Moran is joined by Ekua Mends-Aidoo and Kim LaVare from Clementine Gold Group. Together, they dive into a compelling discussion on the future of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the context of Project 2025. From fostering inclusive leadership to dismantling systemic barriers, the three sheds light on the role of DEI in shaping a more equitable and forward-thinking future.

On today’s show, we welcome Jessica Forgette, an English teacher at Niagara Falls High School. Jessica recently started the Native American Youth Club, a program meant to connect students at Niagara Falls High School to their Indigenous backgrounds by fostering an environment of education and cultural understanding. Alex Simone sat down with her to discuss the club’s mission, her journey with her own Indigenous roots, as well as dive into the world of Native American education in Western New York.

Today, on What’s Next? we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. First, Jay Moran speaks with Dinorah Baines from the Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY Inc. about the rich heritage of Hispanic culture in Western New York and the various celebrations happening throughout the month. Later, Jay Moran is joined by Valerie Cruz and Mykia Gibson from the Buffalo Prenatal Perinatal Network to discuss the critical work of the organization and its impact on the Hispanic community.

For today’s episode, we feature two conversations. To start, Jay Moran sits down with Liv Duke, the Programs & Services Coordinator at Arts Services Inc., and Tracy Synder, the Executive Director of The Theatre of Youth. The three discuss the Arts Access Initiative, a program designed to create wider access to arts and cultural events through transportation, language, and financial assistance. For our second segment, we welcome three members of the UB Center for Information Integrity. Jay Moran is joined by David Castillo, the Co-Director of the Center, along with E. Bruce Pitman and Jasmina Tacheva, who are two speakers for the center's upcoming film screening of “Coded Bias”, a film that discusses the pitfalls of generative AI.

For today’s episode, we feature two conversations. To start us off, we begin with the first episode of our Project 2025 series. The series aims to go in-depth as to what the impact of the Project would look like if implemented. For the first episode of the series, Thomas O’Neil-White is joined by returning guest Wil Green, the Assistant Dean of Outreach and Community Engagement at the Graduate School of Education at UB. The two discuss the potential impact of Project 2025 on education. For our second conversation, we welcome David Castillo, E. Bruce Pitman, and Jasmina Tacheva of the UB Center for Information Integrity. Jay Moran joins the three in a conversation about how misinformation and generative AI can affect access to reputable information on elections, as well as an upcoming film screening of “Coded Bias”, a film that discusses how certain facial recognition programs are not programmed to analyze dark-skinned faces accurately.

Today, we speak with two influential voices in the fight against Parkinson's disease. Nancy Nealon, Director of Education and Outreach for the Northeast Region of the National Parkinson’s Foundation, and Dr. Peggy Brooks-Bertram, President of the Uncrowned Queens Institute and National Parkinson’s Foundation volunteer. They discuss with Jay Moran the critical challenges facing African American communities. And they also discuss the historical exclusion from healthcare and research, and how it affects our understanding of Parkinson’s within these communities.

For today’s episode, we feature two conversations. To start us off, Thomas O’Neil-White is joined by Kelly Wolfe and Stephanie Pepper of the SCPA serving Erie County, as well as Racheal Tarapacki of the Resource Council of WNY. The four discuss a $100,000 incubator grant awarded to the SPCA, and how both groups plan on creating better access to veterinary resources in the East Side of Buffalo. For our second segment, Thomas O’Neil-White sits down with Sheri Scavone, the CEO of the Western New York Women’s Foundation. The two analyze a report from the foundation that details some of the issues that women in WNY are facing through data-driven metrics.

The 6th Annual Refugee Film Festival is more than just a series of screenings—it's a powerful platform that highlights the voices, stories, and resilience of refugees from across the globe. Running from this month through April 2025, the festival brings the lived experiences of displaced people into focus, sparking conversation and understanding. On today’s show, host Jay Moran sits down with two incredible guests: Theresa DeLuca, Chief Advancement Officer at Journey’s End Refugee Services, and Andy Cammarata, Director of Outreach and Volunteers at the organization. Together, they discuss the impact of the festival, and the mission behind their work.

The second annual FIG Fashion Festival is this Saturday at the iconic Seneca One Tower. The event looks to build off the promising launch of the event last year. On today’s show, we welcome back Dame Powell owner of DAME, a luxury leather goods brand in Buffalo. His mission “To empower & inspire our community by creating timeless pieces that blend urban edge with sophisticated elegance. We strive to bring a touch of luxury to the everyday, and to be a beacon of pride for our city and our culture. He sits with Jay Moran to discuss his thoughts his involvement in the first show and his return to for the second event.

People Against Trafficking Humans (PATH) is a faith-based nonprofit organization dedicated to ending human trafficking through education, prevention, and restoration. On today’s show, we’re joined by Julie Palmer, the Executive Director of PATH. Under her leadership, the organization has built a dedicated staff, established a survivor support fund, and increased public awareness of trafficking issues. Julie sits down with Jay Moran to discuss PATH’s work and the Enrichment Center, a safe space where survivors receive therapeutic support services, fostering healing and hope.

Recently, the Lackwanna School District implemented a cell phone ban for all its students. The ban aims to create fewer distractions and improve academic performance. On today’s show, we welcome Dr. Katheryne Leigh-Osroosh, an assistant professor of counseling, school and educational psychology at the University at Buffalo. She joins Jay Moran to talk about the pros and cons of the ban, including the psychological and social impact of the ban, particularly for students who rely on their phones or social media as key aspects of their identity.

Transportation inequality restricts access to jobs and key services for community members. Go Bike and the Coalition of Economic Justice are two groups that aim to change the system through their transit initiatives and legislative recommendations. On today’s show, we welcome Justin Booth, the executive director of Go Bike, Kevin Heffernan, the communications director of Go Bike, and Jamal Davis, a transit rider organizer for the Coalition of Economic Justice. The three sit down with Thomas O-Neil-White to discuss what better transportation safety looks like, and how better access to transportation can be achieved.

The Neighborhood Health Center is a vital healthcare provider in Buffalo dedicated to ensuring that every community member has access to quality medical services, regardless of their financial situation. Today we welcome Merlyn Hammer, the Senior Director of Public Health at Neighborhood Health Center. She sits down with Jay Moran to discuss the state of health equity in Buffalo, the challenges some residents face, and the solutions Neighborhood Health Center has developed to make healthcare accessible to all.