The Chopping BLOCK

Season 4, Episode 3: Brittany Harlow, Founder, Director, & Lead Journalist, Verified News Network (VNN)

Brittany Harlow is the founder, director, and lead journalist for Verified News Network. On Episode three of this season's chopping Block, Brittany talks about her journey into adulthood as a youth whose desire for change and truth propelled her to start one of the leading independent news networks in all of Oklahoma. Join us as we talk representation, Indigeneity, and the importance of honest reporting.

Season 4, Episode 2: Jay Carey, LICSW - Psychoanalyst; Mental Health Clinician, Salem State University

Mental Health Clinician and Licensed Social Worker, Jay Carey, enters the Chopping Block to talk about therapy, psychoanalysis, and the importance of mental health within the Black community. Jay shares with us his journey from masculinity to manhood as a youth growing up in Albany, New York with an uncertain future to becoming the staple of Fatherhood and Black masculinity that inspired many boys and young men, alike. You won't want to miss this one!

Season 4, Episode 1: Rebecca Ballenger - Associate Director, Worlds of Words, University of Arizona

Rebecca Ballenger is the Associate Director of Worlds of Words at the University of Arizona. In this episode, Rebecca takes us on a journey through her life en route to tackling the presence of DEI and justice in the world of literature. Engaging the discussion from the perspective of all literary audience, Rebecca helps us challenge the ways we think about diversity, equity, & inclusion in books, stories, and other narrative driven works.

Seasn 3, Episode 6: Jamal Givens - President of LPKNC

In 2018, Jamal K. Givens founded LPKNC as a nonprofit organization. The organization’s government name is Liberty Partnership Community Council and does business as LPKNC. The mission of the organization is different from the coalition’s mission in that the organization does not just focus on the south side of Tucson. LPKNC, the organization, works with any residents, organizations, and agencies that are committed to serving, fostering, and maintaining drug-free communities. This is Jamal's second time on the Chopping Block!

Season 3, Episode 5: Austin Ashe - Senior Associate Director of Belonging & Culture, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Austin Ashe serves as the Senior Associate Director of Belonging & Culture, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Sloan School of Management. In this episode, Austin talks a bit about Hip Hop education and its transformative impact in institutions of higher education, as well as the realities of race in America.

 

 

 

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Season 3, Episode 4: Kristen Garcia-Hernandez, CEO of Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona

Kristen Garcia-Hernandez is the CEO of Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona. On this episode of the Chopping Block, Kristen talks about life growing up in Tucson, AZ, and explores the ways in which the city has changed during her lifetime. She also tackles the roles and responsibilities of gender-based organizations, like Girl Scouts, in issues of race, gender, and class.

Season 3, Episode 3: Dr. Eric House - Assistant Professor

Dr. Eric House is an Assistant Professor of Critical Composition and Writing Studies at New Mexico State University. In this episode, Dr. House talks about the state of Hip Hop in America and the role it plays in Black culture today. Dr. House examines feminism through the responsibility of straight Black men and provides some much-needed insight on Critical Race Theory.

Season 3, Episode 2: Mukala Kabongo - News Director

Mukala Kabongo serves as the News Director for Lynn Community Television in Lynn, Massachusetts. Entering the Chopping BLOCK, Mukala talks about his move to the United States from the Congo as a young boy and the challenges he faced as an international student assimilating to life in the United States. Mukala also talks about the roles race, class, and gender play in media advocacy and social justice.

Season 3, Episode 1: Lexy Reyelts Salas - Labor Organizer

Lexy Reyelts Salas is a labor organizer who was born and raised in Yuma, Arizona. As a student and student worker at the University of Arizona, Lexy took part in many endeavors that started her on her path to organizing and to becoming the woman she is today. In this episode of the Chopping BLOCK, Lexy talks about the roles race, class, gender, and sexuality have played not only in her life, but I'm society, alone. She also talks about her perspective on colleges & universities as businesses-minded entities, her advocacy for socialist ideologies and the troubles with a capitalistic society.

Season 2, Episode 10: Prof. Smadar Naoz - Associate Professor of Astronomy, UCLA

Prof. Smadar Naoz is an Associate Professor of Astronomy at UCLA. On this podcast, Prf. Naoz talks about her life as a young girl in Israel, her first introduction to space science and her journey to tenure in the United States.