Perspectives with Condace Pressley Condace Pressley

The issue of reproductive rights for women is on the ballot in the Georgia Primary race for Supreme Court Justice as well as for other candidates offering themselves for office in the aftermath of the Dobbs decision in June 2022. The nonprofit chromatic black along with other organizations and a group of concerned citizens are staging a series of public meetings to educate the community. The series is branded as "2024 & Beyond: Creating Our Shared Future” Town Hall – Reproductive Rights. The conversations center on shaping a more equitable future for all and seek to unpack "Project 2025" The Heritage Foundation's Vision for America, widely referred to as the MAGA Plan. The host of panelists will dive deep into Project 2025’s efforts to dismantle Roe vs. Wade and decades of women’s reproductive rights progress. “Project 2025 is a continuation of a calculated assault on our bodily autonomy, spearheaded by well-funded groups with deep ties to influential policymakers and Supreme Court justices,” says Abeni Bloodworth, chief executive officer and founder, chromatic black™. Bloodworth is my guest today on Perspectives.

The decisions we make now will define our economy and the health of our planet. My guest on the show today is Bob Keefe, author of the new book, "Clean Economy NOW: Stories from the Front Lines of an American Business Revolution,” in which Keefe offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the corridors of power in Congress, where pivotal climate policies are being crafted. From bustling assembly lines to dusty mines, Keefe takes readers on a journey through the very spaces where the foundation of a cleaner economy is being laid. However, he also sounds a point of caution, highlighting the potential consequences if we allow our elected officials to backtrack on these vital policies. The book includes detailed data from E2 about the more than 200 major clean energy projects announced in just the first year of the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, and insights from E2’s research into the economic impacts of these projects, including hundreds of thousands of jobs and more than $150 billion added to the U.S. GDP.

As another school year winds down, we are reminded of the teachers who've made a difference in our lives. Teacher Appreciation Week comes at the end of may and ABC News journalist Deborah Roberts has curated a collection of essays and musings from celebrity friends and colleagues who share how teachers changed them, imparted life lessons, and helped them to get where they are today. Contributors include dancer Misty Copeland, chef Rachel Ray, actors Brook Shields and Octavia Spencer as well as colleagues Robin Roberts, Jenna Bush-Hager and Oprah Winfrey.

Since 2015, the Annie . Casey Foundation has tracked neighborhood, education and economic data by rase to assess disparities in the community and to highlight solutions for policymakers, business and community leaders. Joining me for Perspectives is Kweku Forstall, director of the Foundation's Atlanta Civic Site. While the focus of the report primarily is Atlanta and Fulton County, the insights and impact of the Foundation's findings are far-reaching across metro Atlanta. Forstall shares where some progress is being made as well as the many opportunities which still lie ahead.

The Hurricane Agnes Flood of 1972 was the costliest in American history up to that time, with damage sweeping across eight states, and Tim Palmer, then a land-use planner in central Pennsylvania, lived at the storm’s epicenter. During the first day of torrential rain, he had no idea that the impending flood would inundate whole cities by surprise, overtop dams no one ever expected to fill, sever levees, and transform the place where he, and many others, had been living so peaceably into a war zone. In SEEK HIGHER GROUND: The Natural Solution to Our Urgent Flooding Crisis, Palmer, now an award-winning environmental writer and photographer, goes beyond his personal experience as a flood victim to focus on the larger—and critical—issue of flooding in America. Pairing historical perspectives with in-depth journalism, Palmer explores where we’ve gone wrong in our approach to managing flooding and what we must do differently as global warming continues to spur floods of greater intensity, duration, and frequency.

When last we talked with Archie L. Jones, he'd recently founded his NxGen COACH Network for leaders and its companion podcast. He's recently published a book, "The Treasure You Seek: A Guide to Developing and Leveraging Your Leadership Capital." He's also coaching and mentoring small business leaders including Terri-Nichelle Bradley who joins us on today's show. Bradley is founder of the Atlanta Based Brown Toy Box. Her female and minority-owned toy business has achieved great growth. She credits much of that success to the lessons learned and coaching from Jones. Together we discuss what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, seeing the blind spots that get in your own way and pathways to success. Jones' book is available wherever you buy books.