MHD Off the Record

Latest Episodes:

MHD OTR South LA Highlight: The Rightway Foundation May 01, 2023

Show notes

On this episode, Chavonne Taylor speaks with Franco Vega, founder and CEO of The RightWay Foundation, an organization that helps transition-age foster youth get and keep good jobs and stable housing despite the overwhelming trauma they have endured throughout their lives. They provide the support and tools youth need to build stability and a sustainable future for themselves. Franco has many years of experience in employment services, starting by teaching 'Rites of Passage' to transition age foster youth with the Department of Children & Family Services. He also created an employment center for recovering addicts and the homeless at the Midnight Mission on Skid Row.

Resources:

www.therightwayfoundation.org

www.instagram.com/therightwayfoundation

MHD OTR South LA Highlight: STEM to the Future Apr 17, 2023

Show notes

On this episode, Chavonne Taylor speaks with jacob adams, founder and executive director of STEM to the Future, a non-profit organization that uses Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math to support youth as they develop solutions to real world problems such as climate change, public safety, and poverty. Their mission is to inspire and motivate elementary and middle school Black and Latinx youth to use their passions to create the world they want and deserve. Prior to founding STTF, jacob was a Teach For America teacher in New York City where he was an elementary educator in Brooklyn and Harlem. jacob has 10+ years of experience in education and is using that experience to help students actualize their true potential as they use their gifts to uplift the community.

Resources:

www.stemtothefuture.org

MHD OTR South LA Highlight: Patrick Henry Johnson Apr 03, 2023

Show notes

On this episode, Chavonne Taylor speaks with Destination Crenshaw artist Patrick Henry Johnson. Patrick Henry Johnson is an internationally acclaimed visual artist based in Los Angeles. Johnson was born in Valdosta, Georgia Johnson attended The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Florida before moving to LA to further his career as an artist. In 1993, Johnson undertook a five-year apprenticeship with an international mural company where he learned the basics of mural making and began to hone his own unique style. Johnson’s artwork can be seen in various parts of Los Angeles including a 72 x 14-foot mural titled “Penta-Loom Ode to Soldiers” at 51st Street and Central Avenue depicting the cost of war to the human soul. He is also well known for his iconic mural “Elixir: The Rebirth” at Crenshaw Blvd. and Stocker St. and created original illustrations for Maryum Ali’s children’s book “I Shook Up the World: The Incredible Life of Muhammad Ali.”

Resources:

Instagram: @iampatrickhenryjohnson

www.DestinationCrenshaw.la

MHD OTR South LA Highlight: Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE) Mar 20, 2023

Show notes

On this episode, Chavonne Taylor speaks with Gloria Medina, Executive Director of Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education, also known as SCOPE. SCOPE's mission is to build grassroots power to create social and economic justice for low-income, immigrant, women, femme, Black, and Brown communities in Los Angeles. Their work includes civic education, coalition building, and developing campaigns around community needs. Gloria’s leadership has been instrumental in developing strategies for long-term systemic change to address economic inequities and climate impacts in South LA. SCOPE is also one of our CD8 Community Grant recipients!

Resources:

www.scopela.org

www.instagram.com/scope_la

Ep. 23: Who are the Forgotten Founders of LA? Feat. Dr. Jessica Kim and Esperanza Sanchez Mar 06, 2023

Show notes

On this Episode, MHD and co-host, Chavonne Taylor, speak with historians Dr. Jessica Kim and Esperanza Sanchez about the little-known African Ancestry of Los Pobladores, the founders of Los Angeles. Jessica Kim, PhD, is an associate professor of history at California State University, Northridge. She specializes in the history of the American West, the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, urban history, and public and digital history. Her book, Imperial Metropolis: Los Angeles, Mexico, and the Borderlands of American Empire, 1865-1941, was published by the University of North Carolina Press in 2019. The book explores the rise of Los Angeles and investment in Mexico. Esperanza Sanchez is the Associate Curator at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. She holds a Master of Arts in History with a focus on public history and a Bachelor of Arts in History with an emphasis on US, Europe, and Latin America foreign relations, and a minor in sociology, both from California State University, Northridge. She previously held archival, curatorial, and educational positions at the Autry Museum of the American West, the Museum of Latin American Art, and California State University, Northridge. In 2016, as part of the CSUN Public History Program, Professor Kim along with her students, including Esperanza at the time, collaborated with El Pueblo de Los Angeles, the USC-Huntington Institute on California and the West, as well as the National Parks Conservation Association on an exhibit that emphasized the role of individuals of African descent in the founding of Los Angeles. The exhibition, titled Forgotten Founders: The Hidden African Ancestry of Los Angeles, highlighted the unique, diverse, and often overlooked LA history. Resources: www.csun.edu/calendar/events/forgotten-founders-hidden-african-ancestry-la www.jessicamichellekim.com LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes exhibitions: LA Starts Here! (lapca.org/exhibition/la-starts-here/) afroLAtinidad: mi casa, my city (lapca.org/exhibition/afrolatinidad-mi-casa-my-city/)

MHD OTR South LA Highlight: Get in the Game Inc. Feb 20, 2023

Show notes

On this episode, Chavonne Taylor speaks with Marcus Savage, founder of Get In The Game Inc., a non-profit organization that mentors individuals in the construction industry. Get In The Game mentors are dedicated to empowering the community with the information needed to understand what it takes to be successful in the construction industry. Their workshops are designed to inform and teach interested community members about the job market, how to choose a career path, and what it takes to qualify for a specific industry or trade within construction.

Resources:

www.gitg.xyz

Ep. 22: How Do We Uplift Our Stories? Feat. Ayuko Babu Feb 06, 2023

Show notes

MHD and co-host Chavonne Taylor listen and learn as Ayuko Babu, co-founder of the Pan African Film and Arts Festival, shares his journey to becoming an activist and revolutionary force in Los Angeles.

Ayuko Babu is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Pan African Film Festival and an international cultural, political, and legal consultant specializing in Pan-African affairs. He has been the Executive Director of the Pan African Film & Arts Festival since its establishment in 1992. From 2016-2018, Mr. Babu served on the California Film Commission. In addition to PAFF, Mr. Babu currently serves as a permanent member of the jury of the annual Africa Movie Academy Awards, headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. Africa Movie Academy Awards is the world’s largest Pan-African film awards event, covering the continent of Africa and its worldwide diaspora.

Resources:

www.paff.org

Ep. 21: How Do We Buy Back the Block? Feat. Akil West Jan 23, 2023

Show notes

MHD and Cohost Chavonne Taylor sit down with Akil West to discuss he developed cooperative retail space for young designers, how he organized a community land trust in Leimert Park, and what it means to "buy back the block" in South LA.

Akil West is a Los Angeles native entrepreneur, master gardener, author, and community advocate. After being incarcerated for 15 years, West committed his life’s work to develop opportunities for people of color in his community. West is the founder of Black-owned and operated Community Land Trust, a community-based initiative dedicated to stabilizing predominantly Black and underserved neighborhoods through community leadership and awareness surrounding the issues of housing, transportation, recreation, and economic opportunity. West is also the CEO and founder of Leimert Park Village’s Sole Folks, a nonprofit retail hub dedicated to cultivating Black entrepreneurship and creativity through innovative programming, mentorship, and financial support. Currently, West is the Treasurer of the Leimert Park Village Merchants Association and Principal at New Black Wallstreet.

www.sole-folks.myshopify.com/pages/about-us

www.instagram.com/solefolks

MHD OTR South LA Highlight: Malik Books Jan 09, 2023

Show notes

On this episode, Chavonne Taylor speaks with Malik and April Muhammad, owners of Malik Books. Malik Books is a black-owned independent bookstore that specializes in African American books, calendars, and gifts full of cultural diversity. They specialize in acquiring and selling conscious, hard-to-find, and best-selling books of today. Their bookstores also offer a large selection of diverse children’s books. They are located in both the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall and The Culver City Westfield Mall but are also available online at MalikBooks.com

Founder and co-owner, Malik Muhammad, is first and foremost a book activist since 1990. He is originally from Washington DC but attended and graduated from USC here in South LA.

April Muhammad is Malik’s wife and co-owner of Malik Books. She is an LA native and registered nurse who actively promotes fitness and health as a coach.

Resources:

www.malikbooks.com

www.gofundme.com/f/support-us-during-this-pandemic

www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-maliks-bookshelf-88408005

MHD OTR South LA Highlight: The Tree Yoga Cooperative Dec 26, 2022

Show notes

On this episode, Chavonne Taylor sits down with Jana Johnson, co-founder and co-owner of The Tree Yoga cooperative, A yoga school & wellness hub in South Central LA. As a worker-owned cooperative, that is Women, Veteran, Black, Chicana & and immigrant-owned. Tree Yoga finds it important that Black and Brown folks know that they are in a safe space to practice, teach, and enjoy wellness services. Jana Johnson is a bilingual yoga instructor who also leads the programming and training programs at the studio. Jana was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma and also spent years living in New York City and Paraguay before moving to Los Angeles over 6 years ago. Jana has been practicing yoga since 2011 and is excited to continue to grow as a student of yoga and a student of life.

The Tree Yoga cooperative's mission is to be a hub of holistic wellness and community support. Their focus is to educate and empower through the transformative practice of yoga as an accessible, effective tool that allows for living in liberation.

Resources:

www.TheTreeYogaCoop.org

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