What’s Next?

On today’s three-part episode we first speak with the slam poet team of Pure Ink Poetry. Next, Sara Taylor of Eleversity joins the show to promote her organization’s Women of Color Summit which begins this week Friday and continues throughout the Summer. And finally, with Spring in the air, the Sanskriti Bengali Cultural Group of Western New York will be celebrating Basanta Utsav this weekend and their member Shuhartho Ghose comes on to break down the traditions and meanings around the festive celebration of renewal.

With the month of June being Pride Month and with the seemingly growing concern of Anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric permeating through our governmental bodies nationwide, we speak with Gi Swords and Faith Winship of GLYS of Western New York to help all of us understand the issues and needs of gender and sexual minority youth. The team from GLYS provide a number of peer interaction and educational outreach services, but today we’ll get a version of their Safe Space Training that normally helps educators create a safe space for LGBTQ+ students.

Since 1977 The Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier has been publishing the Afro-Americans in New York Life and History: An Interdisciplinary Journal. Charles Brandy, the President of the Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier, and Melvin Watkins, one of the group’s founding members, speak with Jay Moran about noteworthy moments from the Journal’s past as well as their continuing pursuit of scholarly research and African-American issues.

On today’s program we speak with CoNECT's founder and director Jessica Bauer Walker about the growing need to address the disproportionate rate of out-of-school suspensions in the Buffalo school system. Jessica is joined by her daughter, Serea, and fellow CoNECT staff member, Khadijah Hussein, to talk about the “Solutions not Suspensions” bill and what their group is doing to better tackle our students’ needs.

On this week’s Producers’ Picks highlights episode we revisit our previous conversations with: the Director of the Vive refugee shelter – Matt Tice, a mental health specialist with Best Self Behavioral Health – Cambria Daniels, and the organizers of a recent Buffalo Freedom Seder - Rabbi Brent Gutmann, Senior Rabbi at Temple Beth Zion, and Reverend Jonathan Staples, Senior Pastor of First Shiloh Baptist Church.

On this episode of Buffalo, What’s Next?, Angelea Preston converses with representatives from Buffalo S.N.U.G. (Should Never Use Guns). Adrienne Garr, a social worker, and La’Tryse Anderson, an outreach worker supervisor, are helping S.N.U.G. fulfill their goal of reducing gun violence in Buffalo.

Today on Buffalo, What’s Next? we speak with Gretchen Gonzalez and Maria Valeri from the Volunteer Lawyers Project. For 40 years, the group of pro bono attorneys has been helping members of our Western New York community by providing free civil law services to low income people and small not-for-profit groups.

One real estate development company, Barrett & Benitez Development, is attempting to construct much-needed residential and commercial properties on the East Side and they plan to do it with the backing of residents that will be directly benefiting from the projects. Afterwards, Lorenzo Rodriguez sits down with the recently named wellness coordinator for the Buffalo Police Department, Officer Matthew Cross.

We observe the one-year anniversary of our program’s inception by asking the show’s contributing members to share some of the more noteworthy interviews they’ve been a part of within the past eventful year.

We’re first joined by Terri Parks from the League of Women Voters Buffalo Niagara to discuss a candidate’s forum for those running for Buffalo Common Council. We’re also joined by Scott Behrand and Peter Johnson – two of the leading members of Road Less Traveled Productions.

Jay Moran is joined by Erie County Legislature Chairwoman April Baskin. We speak to Chairwoman Baskin about recent County initiatives.

First, we hear from Bishop Glenwood H. Young from Good Samaritan Church of God in Christ. Afterwards, the race for the Ellicott District Common Council seat is highly contested this year.

On today’s episode, we’re looking at the two major funds that formed after the May 14th racist shooting at Tops.

For this episode of Buffalo, What’s Next?: Producers’ Picks, we have an important panel discussion that was hosted at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Beyond Hate: A Panel Discussion” was moderated by the host of NPR’s The Takeaway, Melissa Harris-Perry, and the distinguished speakers on the panel included Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, President of Spelman College Dr. Helene Gayle, the Chancellor of the State University of New York Dr. John B. King Jr., and the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church the Most Reverend Michael Curry.

Karl Shallowhorn is a mental health advocate and educator who has been talking about mental wellbeing in the Western New York area for years. Lorenzo Rodriguez sits down with Karl to discuss what the Buffalo community’s psyche might look like a year removed from the May 14th Tops shooting.

On today’s episode of “Buffalo, What’s Next?” we speak with Mark Talley - the son and surviving family member of Geraldine Talley, one of the lives taken in the May 14th racist attack at Tops. Mark talks to us about the book he authored 5/14: The Day the Devil Came to Buffalo and explains how the process of writing the book has helped him grieve the loss of his mother and cope with the tragedy of that day. We also hear from Mark about his Agents for Advocacy organization and the work he’s doing within the East Side of Buffalo.

If you’ve walked around Downtown Buffalo recently, you’ve probably spotted the bright yellow billboards and bus ads calling out City Hall. Jay Moran sits down with Harper Bishop and Ariel Aberg-Riger who are two of the organizers of the political action group Our City Action Buffalo. Afterwards, we’re joined by educator, scholar, and author Dr. Silvia Lloyd. Along with the challenges today’s school-aged children face, we speak to Silvia about her new book of spoken word poetry dealing with the Tops May 14th racist attack.

As we mark a year since the racist attacks at the Jefferson Avenue Tops Supermarket, Jay Moran sits down with the Poet Laureate of the City of Buffalo, Jillian Hanesworth, to help summarize our collective feelings and continue to heal.

Jay Moran sits down with “Buffalo, What’s Next?” Associate Producer, Charles Gilbert, to discuss his main takeaways and lingering thoughts from his journey down to Charleston, SC. We have one last stop on our Lost Stories of Black Charleston with Damon Fordham and it deals with a notable figure in the city’s complicated past – Denmark Vesey. And finally, Thomas O’Neil White shares a conversation with inspirational speaker and former baseball player Chris Singleton whose mother was killed in the racist attacks at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

WBFO multimedia reporter Holly Kirkpatrick is in Charleston, SC speaking with Reverend Jeremy Rutledge, Senior Minister at Circular Congregational Church in Charleston. Reverend Rutledge shares his experiences of the Charleston Area Justice Ministry, a coalition of congregations that has been campaigning against racial discrimination in police practices in the Charleston area. We also get more stops from our week-long audible tour of Charleston courtesy of Damon Fordham.

Thomas O’Neil-White chats with Victoria Hansen, a reporter with South Carolina Public Radio, to discuss how the local media covered the Mother Emanuel AME shooting.

WBFO reporter Holly Kirkpatrick is in Charleston, SC, speaking with Reverend Joseph Darby, who has been ministering at AME churches in South Carolina for over 40 years.

We begin our week of special episodes centered around the parallels between the racially-motivated shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina and the Tops shooting last year in Buffalo. Thomas O’Neil-White has an in-depth conversation with North Charleston pastor and community activist Thomas Dixon. We also hear from Damon Fordham as he gives his Lost Histories of Black Charleston Tour, which offers notable stories from around Charleston.

As we prepare to showcase a week of special episodes centered around the parallels between the racially-motivated shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina and the Tops shooting last year in Buffalo, we hold a roundtable discussion with the WBFO members that embarked on this project. Tom Berich, Charles Gilbert, Holly Kirkpatrick, and Thomas O’Neil-White sit down to have an open discussion about the lessons they learned by engaging with the people of Charleston nearly 8 years after their tragic event.

The program welcomes local community activist and leader, Ellen Harris-Harvey, to discuss her involvement within the Masten district in which she resides. As a heavily involved member of her neighborhood block and as head of her own outreach ministry, Ellen is aware of the needs and initiatives that are important to the area.

As we begin the month of May, Mental Health Awareness month, and in an effort to have a better understanding of the bereavement process, we speak with Gwen Mysiak, Executive Director at P.U.N.T. Pediatric Cancer Collaborative. She’s joined by WBFO’s Mark Wozniak, who has been involved with P.U.N.T. after having experienced his own personal loss, to highlight the important, compassionate work that the organization is doing for some of the most emotionally hurt members of our community.

According to the governor’s office, New York state schools saw over 50 falsified reports of a serious emergency or an active shooter in the month of March. Cambria Daniels, a mental health specialist and program director at Best Self Behavioral Health, joins the show to help us understand the mental trauma surrounding this issue. Later in the program we speak to Steven Haagsma from Housing Opportunities Made Equal to discuss fair housing practices and how his organization is helping new buyers, renters, and landlords alike.

We speak to Matt Tice who is the Director of Vive, a shelter for refugees and asylum seekers in Western New York. Afterwards, Angelea Preston and Emyle Watkins sit down to talk with Kasha Davis. Kasha is a drag artist in the Western New York area that engages in drag-themed reading hours.

On this week’s edition of Producers’ Picks, we’re showcasing two interviews from recent shows: Ann Breidenstein, a harm reduction counselor and clinical trainer, speaks about a new development that might make it easier for caregivers to help people suffering from an opioid overdose. After that, we’ll revisit our powerful conversation with Holocaust survivor, Grigory Shershnevsky.

On today’s program we’re focusing on the inspiring work of some of the participants of the Peaceprints of Western New York’s Project Blue in collaboration with Locust Street Art. This particular division of the program helps enrich the lives of men and women in the criminal justice system find purpose through art. Speaking from the Erie County Correctional Facility, Kahlil Peoples, Damon Coleman, and Marquis Shaw join Jay Moran to share their experiences, inspirations, and how the program has affected their lives.

Today's guests are Rabbi Brent Gutmann, Senior Rabbi at Temple Beth Zion, and Reverend Jonathan Staples, Senior Pastor of First Shiloh Baptist Church. Their respective congregations recently gathered for a Freedom Seder. They discuss the motivation behind the event, the lessons learned and offer broader perspectives on social justice and how to improve Buffalo.

Lorenzo Rodriguez speaks with founder and President Emeritus of the Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York, Casimiro Rodriguez. Afterwards, Tayrin Tapia details the work she’s doing empowering Latinas and helping to prepare entrepreneurs in the community to face the challenges of starting up businesses in the current and future landscapes.

Lorenzo sits down with Faustenia Morrow, the founder of The Monarch of Infinite Possibilities. A tireless environmental activist, Faustenia specializes in bringing BIPOC groups, corporate executives, and community leaders together in the name of conservation and global sustainability. On the heels of Earth Day 2023, we delve into the initiatives that the Monarch has helped spearhead and how the people of Western New York can come together to aid our planet.

On this week’s edition of Producers’ Picks, we’re showcasing three interviews from recent shows. Jay Moran speaks with Dr. Joe Stahlman, a research assistant professor of Archeology and member of the Seneca Nation, to discuss the recently repudiated Doctrine of Discovery. Filmmaker and storyteller Annette Daniels-Taylor retells an interesting story from early 20th century Buffalo that inspired one of her theater productions. Pearl Young's son Damon Young, and her close friend, Madge Whiskey, share their memories about Pearl’s unwavering commitment to charity and why that is driving them to create a soup kitchen and food pantry in her name.

With Ramadan coming to an end this week, Lorenzo Rodriguez sits down with Yemeni-American, Shareefa Albanna, to learn about the customs and traditions around the observance of Ramadan. We speak to Shareefa about the large concentration of Yemeni people in Western New York as well as the ongoing humanitarian crisis that is occurring in the country of Yemen.

Long-time friends turned entrepreneurs, Yanava Hawkins and Rayna Moncreiffe, sit down with Angelea Preston to discuss their Girl Gang Entertainment venture. The two turned their passion for event planning and putting together a good party into a company that’s promoting safe sexual health awareness in Buffalo’s black community. Afterwards, Jay Moran speaks to a notable name in the Western New York hip hop scene – he talks to Chris Simmons, also known as C-Saint, about his come up in the rap and freestyle battle rap scene.

In honor of Yom HaShoah, the Jewish Holocaust Remembrance Day, we are privileged to hear the account of survivor Grigory Shershnevsky. Grigory is joined by Lauren Bloomberg of the Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo and together they tell the story of how a courageous woman named Aleksandra Drezvetska helped protect him from persecution during one of the darkest times in human history.

As the scourge of substance abuse continues to ravage our communities, a new development might make it easier for caregivers to help people suffering from opioid addiction. Jay Moran sits down with Ann Breidenstein, a harm reduction counselor and clinical trainer, who has worked with that part of the population that’s so often maligned. She speaks about her experiences and the knowledge acquired through her career as well as the FDA’s ruling to allow Narcan, a valuable overdose reversal medication, to be sold over the counter.

In this weekly “Producers’ Picks” episode - where we highlight past standout interview segments - we feature: Local Hispanic community activist, Alex Burgos; we revisit our sit-down with some participants of the 4-H after-school youth program through Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County; and finally, we go back to VillaCon with our tour guide from the Wakanda Alliance, Anthony Pierce.

Angelea Preston speaks with some of the loved ones that knew Pearl Young best. Damon Young, Pearl’s son, and fellow parishioner, Sister Madge Whiskey, talk about Pearl, one of the lives taken in the May 14 Tops Shooting, and contagious energy that she radiated. Her son and good friend have taken up her cause of championing goodwill in their community and are establishing a food pantry and soup kitchen in her name. Afterward, Lorenzo Rodriguez speaks with army veteran, John Sanabria, to honor the memory of the US military’s only all-Puerto-Rican infantry, the Borinqueneers.

Jay Moran speaks with Dr. Joe Stahlman, a research assistant professor of Archeology and member of the Seneca Nation, to discuss the recently repudiated Doctrine of Discovery. Afterwards, Angelea Preston sits down with the founder of the Topsy Curvy Movement, Julia Stevens.

Members of Erie County's Office of Health Equity talk about the efforts taken to address the spread of diseases and health conditions prevalent in the minority and disadvantaged communities of WNY. Next, Jay speaks with Buffalo-born filmmaker, Addison Henderson, about his journey to Hollywood and how his upbringing fueled his career.

On today’s Buffalo What’s Next, we speak with author and actor Annette Daniels-Taylor. She shares her experience in Buffalo theater and the local historical research that informed her writing. And Villa Maria College President Dr. Matt Giordano talks about his school’s position at the most racially-diverse private education institution in the region.

In our weekly “Producers’ Picks” episode we bring you highlights of recent important interviews with: Dietitian and consultant Jessica Wilson, Black Boys Read Too co-founders Jelicia Jimenez and Ruqayyah Simmons and local Buffalo artist and entrepreneur Aitina Fareed-Cooke.

This Buffalo, What's Next? features two candidates in this year's Common Council races. Thomas O'Neill-White speaks with Kathryn Franco, the social worker and public health advocate who is challenging for the seat in the University District. And we'll also hear from Matt Dearing, the former state Assembly staffer who is seeking the seat in the Ellicott District where Council President Darius Pridgen is not seeking re-election.

From city-owned vacant lots to an emerging housing crisis to neighborhood gentrification, a variety issues need addressing by Buffalo leaders. Dr. Jason Knight, Associate Professor of Geography and Planning at Buffalo State, offers his critique of current policies and approaches.

A visit to VillaCon with the Afro-futurist group, the Wakanda Alliance. And, live in studio will be Alexandre Burgos, a Hispanic Community leader and member of the Buffalo Democratic Committee.

A visit to the weekly after-school program put together by the 4-H program through Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County and the Erie County Restorative Justice Coalition. Young people of Buffalo will share their thoughts on race, their city and their futures. And we'll be joined live by India Walton, candidate for the Masten District Common Council seat.

On today’s episode of Buffalo, What’s Next? we highlight two segments from two different episodes (January 12 and 26 of this year) with Cariol Horne and Eric Boerdner.

In our weekly “Producers’ Picks” episode we bring you highlights of recent important interviews with: three vendors from the Broadway Market’s Buy Black Buffalo initiative (Alisa Officer of Unapologetic Coffee, Lynette Elliot of E-Scent-ials Body Care and Shawn Thurmond from Glamorous Embellishments, NAACP President Mark Blue, and artist Julia Bottoms.