Breathe, Baby, Breathe: The Fresh Air of African Values Community Healing Network

Knowing our history is knowing ourselves; it is how we become more of ourselves.In this episode we explore Black love and Black humanity through a set of love letters exchanged between a young Black man and Black woman captured in Dear Mary, Dear Luther: A Courtship in Letters by Jill Marie Snyder. Snyder is the daughter of the young couple, Mary and Luther, and through the story of her parent's romance and courtship, she captures the truth of Black people, relationships, and the ...

"We can catch our own babies....We owe it to our ancestors to get all-the-way free." –Melanie FunchessIn love, Jackie Dozier, Melanie Funchess, aka "Mama Mel," and Sherita D. Bullock, aka "The Baby Lady," are leading the effort in Rochester, NY, to rebuild the Black "Village." Known as "Shermakie," a combination of their three names, Jackie, Melanie, and Sherita are self-described gatekeepers of the Black village. Jackie, Melanie, and Sherita are modern-day QueenMothers who ...

"Black love, provide the adequate electric for what is lapsed and lenient in us now. Rouse us from blur. Call us." –Gwendolyn Brooks "Love is both a noun and a verb....When we are in close proximity, love multiplies....When we come together our natural selves come through." –Dominic ColemanWhat does it mean to love? What does it mean to be loved? What does it mean for Black people to love each other? The journey towards emotional emancipation is a journey of courage fu...

We dedicate this episode to the late Ms. Cicely Tyson. We continue our conversations with Dr. Kelley Page Jibrell who is a recent doctoral graduate of African Studies and Adjunct Professor of International Business at Howard University. She is also a global strategy consultant with Sachem Global, LLC, and has worked in every region in Africa and across 25 countries worldwide. Dr. Jibrell is also known as QueenMother Akua Kalia Adayé of the Royal Brong Kingdom in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.

"We all have a contribution and a legacy." –QueenMother Akua Kalia AdayéIn this episode, we engage with Dr. Kelley Page Jibrell who is a recent doctoral graduate of African Studies and Adjunct Professor of International Business at Howard University. She is also a global strategy consultant with Sachem Global, LLC, and has worked in every region in Africa and across 25 countries worldwide. Dr. Jibrell is also known as QueenMother Akua Kalia Adayé of the Royal Brong Kingdom in Côte d’Ivoire an...

In episode five we talk with Dr. Nikitah Okembe-RA Imani, Professor of Black Studies at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, about becoming "we" people. How do we shift from the Western perspective of "I am" to the African perspective of "we are"? Join us on CHNConnect to continue this conversation as we connect, learn, heal, and grow together in the spirit of Ubuntu.