68th St‪.‬ Dr. Kwame Agyemang

In this interview, Dr. Kwame Agyemang speaks to King Osei Gyan. King is currently the Director of Purpose at Right to Dream Academy in Ghana. He also recently founded Amin Nima, a purpose-driven organization dedicated to reimagining how people view Nima. Dr. Agyemang and King discuss King’s upbringing and his journey to his current roles.
Right to Dream Academy: https://www.righttodream.com/
Amin Nima (IG): https://www.instagram.com/aminima.gh/
Music in intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e79KARQZJc
Music in outro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaUmzG615aM

Is it really "inclusion" if you're inviting a black faculty member into a culture of white supremacy? How race neutral (or not) is academia and the departments within them? Why do people devalue or criticize senior positions focusing on diversity and inclusion? 

These are some of the questions we tackle in the season one finale of 68th St. In this episode, I chat with my former Ph.D. advisor from my time at Texas A&M University, Dr. John N. Singer. He's currently an Associate Professor of Sport Management at Texas A&M University and also serves as an Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion within the College of Education and Human Development. We begin our conversation by recalling our first "racialized" experiences, then moving on to converse about a number of things concerning race in academia. This includes both of our experiences as students and faculty at predominantly white institutions of higher education. One highlight is the different set of "rules" that black faculty and other persons of color often experience in academia. Given his role as an Associate Dean, Dr. Singer also explains how we can move forward in academia, while discussing how recent athlete protests impacts his role in leadership.

Music: District Four by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3662-district-four

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I chat with Hollywood actor, producer, and founder/co-artistic director of Saudade Theatre, Filipe Valle Costa. You may remember him as "Pedro Nava" in FX's Snowfall. We discuss his upbringing in his native Portugal, how he came to be interested in an acting career, and his own experience being "raced" in the United States and in Hollywood. We also chat about how Hollywood views actors that don't fit into the mold of a "typical" actor and how these perceptions affect the roles they get. Moreover, Filipe speaks about the experience of his Black friends in Hollywood, the hardships they confront, and how creatives, like himself, can help make Hollywood more inclusive.
Music: District Four by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3662-district-four
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In part 2 of my conversation with Aba Kwawu, we discuss her entrepreneurship journey and starting TAA PR. This includes the challenges of having African parents while trying to pursue a career in creative industries, being miserable in her former career, graduate school in London, and representing Cirque du Soleil, among others!
Music: https://www.purple-planet.com/

In part 1 of my conversation with TAA PR founder Aba Kwawu, we discuss the recent flurry of statements coming from corporate brands in support of the black lives matter movement. Are they authentic? What can we, as consumers, do to hold corporations accountable? We discuss this and more. 

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com/

Did Roger Goodell and the NFL purposely not mention Colin Kaepernick's name when Goodell admitted the league was wrong to not listen to their players about racism? Will Kaepernick ever find employment in the NFL? Kwame interviews renowned sports journalist, Dave Zirin, to better understand these questions and more.
Music: https://www.purple-planet.com