The Empowerment Zone
with Dr Ramona Houston - zoning in on African American and Latino empowerment: building economic, political, educational and social power; advocating for health, philanthropy and service; championing racial and social justice.
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Episodes
Monday Feb 27, 2023
Monday Feb 27, 2023
Joe Jennings: A cultural ambassador for African American classical music —
This week on the Empowerment Zone podcast, educator and musical extraordinaire Joe Jennings, joins me. The jazz musician, and former director of the Spelman Jazz Ensemble, contributions include being the founder and director of the Neighborhood Arts Ensemble, a 22-piece big Band in Atlanta, as well as the founder and director of the Metropolitan Atlanta Youth Ensemble, a jazz workshop for metropolitan youth.
In today’s episode, we discuss the role of jazz in the cultural evolution of African Americans, why we have to celebrate and position our own music in order for others to view it as important, and the opportunities that a career in music can bring. Joe also shares why you mustn’t doubt your innate abilities.
Highlights of our conversation include:
-Jazz and African-American history-Which musician influenced Joe to become a musician
-Jazz is part of the cultural evolution of African-Americans
-The influence of jazz
-Positioning our music
-The path of music education
-Joe talks about life as a performer
-Joe's Jazz Joint
-The legacy Joe wants to create-Where Joe learned about jazz music-Believing in yourself
RESOURCES:Website: https://www.joesjazzjoint.org/Facebook: FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083639521300
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Ramona Houston
Friday Feb 24, 2023
Friday Feb 24, 2023
Next episode available from Monday, February 27th with guest Joe Jennings
Celebrating Atlanta’s Local Black History and Jazz
Monday Feb 20, 2023
Monday Feb 20, 2023
Jay Bailey: The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs —
Join Ramona as she and Jay Bailey explore local Black History of Atlanta, by expounding upon the impactful life, leadership and legacy of businessman Herman J. Russell, Sr. In fact, Russell’s life continues to inspire a new generation of business owners through the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE). In their discussion Jay expounds upon Russell’s influence in the Atlanta community and discusses how RICE expands upon Russell’s legacy through its dedication to empowering Black entrepreneurs and small business owners. A native of Atlanta, Jay Bailey serves as President and CEO of RICE.
To learn more about Jay Bailey and the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs, visit https://russellcenter.org/.
Friday Feb 17, 2023
Friday Feb 17, 2023
Next episode available from Monday, February 20th with guest Jay Bailey
Honoring the legacy and visionary leadership of Herman J, Russell, Sr.
Monday Feb 13, 2023
Monday Feb 13, 2023
Dr. Sonya Ramsey: Highlighting the Life and legacy of Bertha Maxwell-Roddey —
In this episode, Ramona centers African American women’s history in her discussion with historian Dr. Sonya Ramsey about her new book Bertha Maxwell-Roddey: A Modern-Day Race Woman and the Power of Black Leadership. In her biography of Dr. Maxwell-Roddey, Dr. Ramsey modernizes the nineteenth-century term “race woman” to describe how educational activist and Black studies forerunner Dr. Bertha Maxwell-Roddey and her peers turned hard-won civil rights and feminist milestones into tangible accomplishments in North Carolina and nationwide from the 1960s to the 1990s.
According to Dr. Ramsey, Dr. Maxwell-Roddey made a local and national impact through her leadership in multiple capacities: as one of Charlotte’s first Black women principals of a white elementary school; founding director of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Africana Studies Department; co-founder of the Afro-American Cultural and Service Center, now the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Art + Culture; founder of the National Council for Black Studies; and the 20th National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Ramona and Dr. Ramsey’s discussion about Dr. Maxwell-Roddey highlights the importance of African American women in Black History. Dr. Sonya Ramsey is a Professor of History and Women’s and Gender Studies and the Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is also author of several other historical works.
Friday Feb 10, 2023
Friday Feb 10, 2023
Next episode available from Monday, February 13th with guest Dr. Sonya Ramsey
Centering Black Women in Black History
Monday Feb 06, 2023
Monday Feb 06, 2023
Ramona Houston: The Tragedy of Tyre Nichols —
Although “The Empowerment Zone” celebrates Black History all year, Ramona has decided to devote all episodes in February to recognizing Black History Month. Considering the recent tragedies in the US with the police beating and murder of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Ramona begins this month exploring racialized police violence in the United States. In this episode Ramona reads her recent blog post “Wicked Policing: A Reality in All Black Communities throughout America.”
Friday Feb 03, 2023
Friday Feb 03, 2023
Next episode available from Monday, February 6th, Ramona Houston's take on the recent tragedies in the US with the police beating and murder of Tyre Nichols in Memphis.
Wicked Policing: A Reality in All Black Communities throughout America
Monday Jan 30, 2023
Monday Jan 02, 2023
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