Season 2! Listen and Watch!

On the season finale of The PowerPLAY Show - reopenings, closings, hybrid models - all things many business had to endure during this ongoing pandemic - but churches?

And as we near the end of year 2 of COVID and its variants, how do faith leaders pivot from the traditional church to what we now know as virtual ministry?

My guest co-host Bishop Lawrence Ward of the Abundant Life church joins me with a panel from the faith community to discuss Pivoting in Year 2  on the season finale of The PowerPLAY Show.

Seven years ago my grandmother, my second mother Frances S. Stedman passed away. I remember where I was and how I felt. I remember my mother’s pain slowly seeping through the tears she held back while keeping us all strong.

My grandmother was an extraordinary woman and several years before her passing, I had the remarkable opportunity to interview her. We discussed her childhood, becoming a mother and grandmother, and what she hoped for the next generations in the family.

My one on one with my grandmother, Nanny, Frances Stedman on a special edition of - The PowerPLAY Show.

It’s something – unfortunately – we all experience at some point in our lives whether you’re a man, woman, transgendered, straight, or LGBTQ+ – harassment in any form is a part of our lives. This week – we bring you Hollaback! – a global, people-powered movement to end harassment in all its forms. Their motto – we all deserved to be who we are, wherever we are.

On this PowerPLAY RePLAY - To say my guest today is multi-talented, is quite the understatement. Joseph Reitman has appeared in major motion pictures including The Perfect Storm, Money Monster, and Lady in the Water, to name a few. He is also known for his roles on television series: Happy, 37 Problems, and Ray Donovan. But I remember Joe break dancing with some of our other classmates on the streets near Brookline High School. 

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What I didn’t know was the one major battle we both have fought and can talk about today.

On this special Thanksgiving edition of the PowerPLAY Show - Edwin Sumpter has spent his career with the who’s who in Boston entertainment – even spending time in a limo with Stevie Wonder! This week, the entertainment journalist is on to discuss his latest project for the Music Museum of New England – A profile of Boston’s own Elma Lewis. Her life, her love, her contribution to the culture of Boston and why everyone should know her name. 

Fade up – cue music – dissolve still store – cut live – fade to black. Words my guest this week has uttered for decades – and he had a little cameo in front of the camera as well. For 40 years, Steve Lucas directed the major news stories that changed our world, and this week, he talks about his path, what he misses and doesn’t miss – and what’s next for the newly retired young man!

Medina Dixon, the top-ranked girls’ basketball prospect in the nation when she led Cambridge Rindge & Latin to a state title in 1981 -  died Monday morning from pancreatic cancer.

The 6-foot-3 Medina went on to win an NCAA title at Old Dominion in 1985, was the leading scorer on the 1992 Women’s Dream Team that won bronze at the Barcelona Summer Olympics, and played 10 years of pro basketball in Italy, Japan, and Russia.

In 1997, Medina Dixon was elected to the Cambridge Rindge & Latin Hall of Fame and in 2011, became the seventh women’s basketball player to have her number retired at Old Dominion.

Then this past Spring, Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School Retired Medina’s number, #44 in a ceremony with her past coaches, teammates and guests. Medina was unable to attend the ceremony live but thanked everyone virtually.

This week on a special edition of the PowerPLAY Show - we will hear again from some of her closest friends and teammates about the powerhouse everyone called The Ice Woman.

To Medina’s wife, family and friends, my greatest sympathies go out to you during this time. I’m so proud I was able to meet her, if only for a fraction of her life. I know she’s be truly missed.

My guests this week know what it means to be a power couple – and they’re using their power to influence a stronger, God-fearing generation of young people.

They work in ministering the next generation of youth – she is a best-selling author…he is, too!  And there's no stopping them! The Power Couple – Brandon and Crystal McLean!

Clennon King has spent much of his life as a journalist, documentarian, and social justice champion. His work transcends print, radio, and television. 

As an award-winning content creator, he has delivered stories most have never heard of: the passage at St. Augustine and the story of a 1960 lynching. In addition, he’s tackled some of our most important issues: like covid’s impact, voter suppression, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

At heart, he is a true champion of truth and justice in all its forms and I’m proud to have spent just a tiny bit of my career with him.

Mrs. Marion King was a young, pregnant mother who – while delivering clothes to jailed demonstrators in Camila Georgia on July 23 ,1962, was violented attacked by white police officers while her three young children watched in horror.

The attack on Mrs. King resulted in her losing her child. Her three children, Dr. Jonathan T. King, Dr. Edward Dubois King and Abena King have spent decades fighting to right the wrong done to their mother. Their hope is to put their mother’s attack in historical context and have the City of Camila recognize, own up and acknowledge what happened and make it right.

Diana DiZoglio is a Massachusetts state senator representing the 1st Essex District in the Massachusetts Senate since 2019. The district includes her home city of Methuen as well as Newburyport, Haverhill, Merrimac, Amesbury, Salisbury, and four of eight precincts in North Andover.

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Earlier this year, Senator DiZoglio announced her candidacy for Massachusetts state auditor.

As the daughter of a single mother, who had her at 17, Diana has always had to fight for the things that have mattered to her. 

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After serving in the legislature as an aide, and years of work for local nonprofits and community organizations, she won her first race for public office in 2012. In 2018 she was elected to the State Senate.

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Currently, Diana serves as the Chair of the Joint Committee on Export Development and Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, where she uses her experience as a champion for the people of Massachusetts to advocate for transparency and accountability in our government.

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She is running for higher office to make sure that no one — no matter their background — receives different treatment on Beacon Hill. 

O'Neil Anderson is a collegiate athlete with over 10 years of health and wellness experience. He holds a master’s degree in applied nutrition from the University of New England. He holds multiple nutrition and fitness certifications and has worked with over 100 clients to improve their overall health. 

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He is a certified transformational nutrition coach through the Institute of Transformational Nutrition, which focuses on functional medicine and nutrition healing protocols. 

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He has spent the past few years working directly with functional medicine doctors in their New York clinics, leading their functional nutrition programs. There, he has been able to guide patients and clients to reverse and improve digestive diseases including colitis, acid reflux, IBS, chronic constipation and the likes through his nutrition and lifestyle program. 

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With a depth of experience, knowledge, and continued learning he is equipped to support his clients' health from multiple angles. 

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O'Neil is deeply passionate about health and wellness, and it shows in his work and his personal life.

September is Suicide Awareness Month and it’s important to me to take some time to bring awareness and a voice for those healing from the loss of a loved one. For my two guests, it’s the unimaginable loss of a child. But through their work and faith, they are learning to heal and perhaps help others find some sense of purpose for those gone far too soon.

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Attorney Joseph Feaster, Jr. did what any parent would do with a sick child...he took care of him. But when his son, Joseph, III, succumbed to his illness, he made it his ministry to be an advocate for mental health.

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My husband drew closer to God and his faith. Through what was broken, he took his love for children and built an amazing space for children to learn and grow in their walk with God.

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And that’s exactly what these two men have in common…a faith and purpose to help heal and others heal.

Keith Mascoll is an Actor/Producer and Sneaker-head and is the Executive Director of the Triggered Project. Keith strives to use his art for social change in the black and brown community. He is committed to using his unique and innovative style to provoke love, laughter, and empathy in each story told.

His wife Roxann Mascoll is a staff psychotherapist at Brandeis University Counseling Center. She is also a lead clinical social worker at Boston Medical Center.  Roxann holds a Masters in Social Work and Certificate of Urban Leadership in Clinical Social Work from Simmons College and Masters’ degree from the University of Massachusetts in nonprofit management. Roxann is the immediate past President of the Greater Boston Chapter of the Association of Black Social Workers.  

Together -  they work to nurture the healing of men of color who have been sexually abused while bringing a social awareness to light about not only the experiences of male trauma survivors – but women too - who are often victim to implicit bias descriptions.

George “Chip” Greenidge is one of the greatest minds of this generation.  Chip is a Ph.D candidate in sociology at Georgia State University. He holds a master’s Degree in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor’s in Political Science and International Studies from Morehouse College.

His is the founder and director of the “Greatest Minds” - a non-profit organization that works with college students and young professionals to become the next generation of civic leaders through mentoring, volunteering and participating.

Chip has served in many capacities throughout his career in the fields of non-profit, government, philanthropy, and education. Most recently, he was President of the Boston Empowerment Zone, a federally funded HUD initiative aimed at economic investment in U.S. urban neighborhoods and the Founder and Executive Director of the National Black College Alliance, Inc., a nonprofit focused on providing alumni mentors to college and high school students. His work as a convener has also been recognized locally and nationally by several organizations including the Aspen Institute, National Urban League, and the Independent Sector. 

But it’s his latest addition to his resume that he’s here to talk about today! Chip is now a visiting fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School in his home town of Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

He’s just a Kid from Cambridge, but his impact is being felt worldwide. 

Ruben Garcia is the very definition of a serial entrepreneur. 

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Ruben  studied business and real estate while balancing family and work. But after college, and almost 12 years at UPS, he decided to make an impactful change in his life and jumped right into his dream career: real estate. Since making this major step, Ruben has had major accomplishments in his field since the beginning of his real estate career in 2014.

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And there’s so much more to this visionary. 

In his book, Adult Conversations, my guest introduces a concept that he lives by which helps in communicating in any situation.

He writes, by learning more about the different egos and focusing on listening, he vastly improved his communication with others.

His book was based on something he read decades ago, “What do you say after you say hello?” by Eric Berne and it changed his life.

Well my guest today will break down this very simply technique to vastly improve any communication you have in any relationship. I’m so happy to introduce to you my guest this week, Robert Collins, Sr., - oh yeah, and he’s also my dad!

Amanda Smerage is the new Director Of Broadcast Production at Worcester Red Sox. She is a dynamic, multi-Emmy Award Winning Television Production Specialist with 20 years in the field. Adept at both Live- and Post-Production Broadcasts, Amanda primarily has worked as a Lead EVS Operator and Replay Specialist and is also a skilled Editor, Technical Director and Replay Producer. 

Leveraging an impressive body of work and expansive knowledge base, Amanda has changed the game in TV production – standing out firmly on her technical expertise and command for authority in one of the most anxiety driven industries.

Thomas Silcott, originally from Boston Mass., is a graduate of Salem State University in theatre and got his Masters in acting from New York University Tisch School Of The Arts. From there he went on to two Broadway tours of Bring In Da Noise Bring In The Funk. Tom has also done many regional shows from Merrimack Rep in Boston to The Mark Taper in Los Angeles and Berkeley Rep in San Francisco to The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. He’s also made an Off Broadway appearance at the Signature Theatre. Tom has also guest starred on a number of television shows and commercials over the years. His recent commercial running is for AARP.

Dominique Womack discusses her fundraising event, The Art Gallery of Hope and why giving back is her passion and fuels her for wanting to do more!

After not seeing each other for 34 years, Robert Ginyard and Tonia Magras pick up right where they left off discussing their lives, their struggles, and what they're up to now!

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Another day, another tragic reminder of the dangers Black and brown citizens face for being born into a world of hate that has branded them as suspects from day one.

On this week’s episode of the PowerPLAY Show – we will hear from those young voices – all of whom have witnessed – in large part to social media – the unending narrative of black and brown lives being lost way too soon.

Our Voices and police killings this week on The PowerPLAY Show!

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We know the man, we know the story, we know the accused and now we know the verdict.
 
As the nation learns the fate of Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin - we have a special presentation of The PowerPLAY Show!

The jury deliberated for less than 11 hours and returned a verdict of guilty on all charged  in the death of George Floyd.
Chauvin faces up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, up to 25 years for third-degree murder and up to 10 years for second-degree manslaughter.
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Joining me for tonight's discussion is Attorney Joseph Feaster, Bishop Lawrence Ward and Pastor Kenneth Young!

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Darrell Byers is the CEO of Interise – a company whose mission is to create an inclusive economy by supporting established small businesses that are located in low-income communities or are minority owned.

From this – Interise STRONG was established specifically to support the millions of entrepreneurs facing the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by delivering online programs designed to meet small businesses challenges right now. 

We’re going to get into all of this but first, let me tell you more about my guest. Darrell and I first met roaming the halls of WGBH. A Massachusetts native, Darrell has spent most of his career in non-profit, from Earth Justice to Easter seals to Habitat for Humanity before joining Interise. He said he joined Interise to help transform lives – a mission he has been doing his entire life.

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Michael J. Bobbitt has talked the talk because he’s walked the walk. He is a director, choreographer and playwright. Now Michael has cemented his dedication and contribution to the arts by being named the highest ranking cultural official when he took on the role as Executive Director of the Mass Cultural Council.

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What does the Council do and how will his new role continue the development of arts and culture projects in the state? I sit down with Michael to discuss arts, culture and what we can hope for in the months to come!

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Dr. Dorrance Kennedy is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a graduate of Hampton University; received his Master of Social Work from Southern University, a Master of Theological Studies degree from Covenant Seminary, and a Doctorate of Education from Fayetteville State University.

He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who was employed for several years as a public school social worker in Louisiana, Illinois, and Missouri. Currently, Dr. Kennedy is an Assistant professor of social work at Fayetteville State University. He is also an ordained minister.

He is the founder and CEO of Empower Your Purpose, a personal development corporation dedicated to bringing communities together. Over the last twenty years, he has spoken to a wide variety of audiences including schools, colleges, community organizations, churches and now, The PowerPLAY Show.

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My guest today is an award-winning writer and producer who’s worked for PBS, NBC, CBS and the Smithsonian Institute. She has won 9 Emmy Awards, 2 gold World Medals from the International Film and Television Festival of New York, A CEBA Award from the National Association of Black Journalists, and a Massachusetts Psychological Award for her contributions in broadcast media. With such award winning productions: Journey of courage, Ellington’s Sentimental Mood, Surviving the Odds: Being Young, Black and Male in America and The making of Africans in America, her work has always explored a deeper understanding of the black experience in America. Storytelling IS her first love. In 2014, she graduated from Grub Street’s Novel Incubator, a year-long advanced degree program and now is working on several novels which range from exploring the history of her ancestors in Barbados, to an intimate look at her mother’s life. She wrote, “Stories hold the power to transform our lives and will remain an integral part of the humanity for as long as we gather around campfires, open books, and stare at movie screens.” It’s hard to put into words exactly what this woman has done to inspire me. As a young girl, I marveled in her presence as she stood firmly producing, directing and being the head woman in charge. She took my sister and I on an adventure that has defined us to this day. She was strong when I was weak. She loved me through my pain. She looks up to me with such pride and affection not realizing – and I tell her this all the time – YOU MADE ME!

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I first met Lynn Scornavacca when I was a production assistant. I didn’t know much about anything back then. But I marveled at her skills and the way she stood up to the boys in television. As I sit back and think about the women who impacted me in my professional career, there’s no way I could leave Lynn out.

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Lynn began her professional career at Snow Sound in Hartford, Connecticut where she began honing her skills as an audio engineer.  She moved to Boston in the early 80s where she began working in sports broadcasting. In 1981 – there were no other women mixing audio. She was the first A1 working in sports in the Northeast. 

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Fast forward to where we met at WGBH-TV. There, she shifted her focus to field audio, working with two wonderful people who also impacted my life: Kathy Gleason and Howard Powell. 

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From Say Brother to Antiques Roadshow, to Evening At The Pops, and so much more, Lynn stood out as a true professional and skilled production engineer.  

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Finally, in 2004 – Lynn took another bold step and launched her own company, Silver Lake Productions, Inc. where she and her staff specialize in stories for nonprofits. 

Lynn is a woman I not only looked up to, but still call for advice to this day.

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If you haven’t heard the name Medina Dixon, well her story is the true definition of legendary. From the city of Cambridge to competing all around the world - Medina shattered records and earned dozens of honors including national championships and playing for the 1992 women’s basketball olympic team. But it’s her current fight which may be her biggest challenge. I sat down for a discussion with Medina Dixon with some of her closest friends and former teammates: Sharlene Blake, Katani Sumner, Rhonda Green and Ray Thomas of the Ray Thomas Variety Show Live.

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Rachel Foster has achieved what most women haven’t – a 303 pound squat, a 165 pound bench press, and a 374 pound deadlift – all just three weeks ago! AND almost reached a world record. 

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When she’s not performing her duties as Mayor of MetFit Training Facility in Natick Massachusetts – where she also trains to compete in powerlifting, Rachel is the Content Production Manager at PTC – where she leads a team through fast-paced pre & post-production editing to deliver high-quality content to their customers.

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She’s a proud auntie of three and she does all of this while still going to bed by 8:30pm every night. 

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Oh, and one last thing, although she doesn’t use this as a way to define herself, Rachel is a cancer survivor.

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My guest has made her mark in helping to understand the world’s most deadly infectious diseases. Adrianne Gladden-Young is a senior research associate in Pardis Sabeti’s lab at the Broad Institute and Harvard University where she conducts genomic studies of the viruses responsible for some of the world’s most severe and deadly infectious disease outbreaks. 

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She is currently leading benchwork efforts to use COVID genomic epidemiology as a tool to understand the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic. 

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Tania Blanco had dreams. Big dreams. As a single mother – it would have been easy to put those dreams to the side. But she persevered, with the love and support of so many others in her life. And last year, March 5, 2020, she made ONE of those dreams come true when she opened her own Insurance Agency.

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And in a field where men are more prominent, Tania never gave it a second thought, saying, I never cared about that and she tells us why.

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Lisa Olivieri worked in the television industry in a number of roles - including Associate Producer - for over 15 years. She has also worked with a number of independent filmmakers on various documentaries. Her work has aired on Discovery Channel, History Channel, Lifetime Network and PBS.  She was named one of the “Men and Women Who Make A Difference,” by Boston Spirit Magazine, for her work on BLINDSIDED.

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Blindsided is an hour-long documentary narrative of Patricia Livingstone, a deaf-blind lesbian artist facing a series of unimaginable losses and historic gains. The film weaves intimate, real time scenes, shot over the course of eight years, with home videos and photographs, to relay the story of a woman whose spark did not fade even in the face of great hardship and loss.

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Lisa is now working on her latest project, Recovery City, an intimate, unflinching portrait of four bold women who refuse to let themselves or their community give in to the stigma and despair of addiction.

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Sparkle W. Bass graduated North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where she received a BS in Electronic, Computer and Information Technology. She then received her MBA from Kaplan University.

Sparkle launched her career in North Carolina, where she worked with industry leading technology companies in the field of project management. This eventually led to her desire to own and manage her own company. 

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In 2014, Sparkle & her husband Travis, launched XII Enterprise, a transportation company. While assisting her drivers and owner operators in setting up their trucking business, XII Companies was born. XII Companies is a consulting firm that specialize in business start-ups, business finances, business taxes and insurance. XII Companies works with established businesses to create business plans, policies and procedures, obtain certified minority and women owned status certifications, business trademarks and more. 

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As a philanthropist, Sparkle’s desire is to see progression of others, especially the youth. With the help of her husband, Travis Bass, Sparkle co-founded a non-profit organization called the Cynthia Patterson Foundation (CPF), in honor of her mother who taught in North Carolina for over 20 years and was a paralyzed in a drive by shooting in 2005. The foundation’s focus is to assist the youth in the communities of North Carolina through providing resources, education, and career opportunities.

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Shaumba-Yandje Dibinga runs Shape Up with Shaumba dot com. ShapeUp with Shaumba works with school and programs throughout the year to get young people moving through dance and calisthenics. She also teaches children the importance of eating healthier and using their voice to relay how they are feeling. ShapeUp also runs smaller group programs which involve one on one and family involvement. Her background in training, teaching and performance experience includes all areas of dance: African, tap, hip-hop, swing, gospel, ballet, step, modern and jazz.

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She says, "In working with young people, I have had the opportunity to hear their stories about being called names by their parents, siblings, and friends with respect to their weight. I have also had the chance to help them figure out how to make them feel great about themselves and voice how they are feeling to those who are making them feel small".

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Zenda Walker - licensed cosmetologist, beauty marketing executive, and now author. Originally from New York, Zenda has been honing her skills in hair care with a focus on maintaining healthy practices when it comes to healthy hair care. Her website, knowyourhairitage.com will soon offer consulting, books on products to help with your hair care, as well as valuable resources.

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But Zenda is much more than the hair coach we all need. Her new, self-published book, Zara’s Wash Day, is a huge success! The book’s main character Zara, Zenda’s daughter, describes a day in which Zara must get her hair washed. Throughout the story, Zenda wonderfully describes the significance of our African American heritage. In it, Zenda writes, “Each strand tells our family’s story.” She also writes, our hair spirals, zigzags, and bends. It’s kinky, curvy and can sometimes coil. These are all characteristics of an ancestral link to people from African soil.”

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Actor, Producer, Director, Writer and may I add, high school classmate.

To say my guest today is multi-talented, is quite the understatement. Joseph Reitman has appeared in major motion pictures including The Perfect Storm, Money Monster, and Lady in the Water, to name a few. He is also known for his roles on television series: Happy, 37 Problems, and Ray Donovan. But I remember Joe break dancing with some of our other classmates on the streets near Brookline High School.

What I didn’t know was the one major battle we both have fought and can talk about today. 

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Michael Curry has recently taken on leading the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers – where he plans – among many other things – to manage the fears and inequities of communities of color when it comes to the access and dissemination of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Formerly, Mr. Curry worked as the Senior Policy Analyst at Blue Cross Blue Shield, where counseled on legislative and regulatory matters in the state.

He also served as president of the Boston Branch of the NAACP from 2011-2016 where Mr. Curry worked on revitalizing the chapter and recruiting new members.

Michael Curry has made it his career to advancing the lives of African American people – not just in Massachusetts, but throughout the country.

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From Breonna Taylor – a pandemic - to a new administration – this past year has been – well, challenging, to say the least.

We’ve seen protests, on both sides of the racial and political aisle – that has further divided us.

We’ve seen leaders use God for their idea of social justice, but not for the greater good of mankind or this country.

And with most churches closed – a pause in faith and purpose when it

comes to the body of Christ.

Pastor Kenneth Young - pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Haverhill, Massachusetts - says part of his mission is to carry his ministry to impoverished regions helping in the areas of education, employment and yes, understanding social justice.

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On January 20, 2021, history was made. President Joseph Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States along with his Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman, African American, and woman of South Asian descent to be elected to the office. It was a different inauguration from those in the past, but even so - it was a signal of a new day; a new era; and a new administration vowed to unite a divisive nation.

​Dr. Yvonne Spicer, Mayor of Framingham, Communications Director Darren Duarte, and Attorney and Chair of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts Joseph Feaster share their thoughts on this day in history.

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Our returning guest on The PowerPLAY is founder, President and Executive Director of Financial Education Associates Jacqueline Cooper. Financial Education Associates provides high quality financial education seminars, and home buying and ownership courses. FEA offers home buyer education and financial education classes both online and in person for Massachusetts homebuyers and homeowners.

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Jackie gives US a Money Class on the job market, the affect of a public health crisis, and why more and more people are looking to purchase homes in a pandemic!

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Our Season 2 premiere of the PowerPLAY kicks off exactly where we started last year with renown artist, Rob Stull. Rob has had an exciting year - as the first local artist to donned the Museum of Fine Arts. The exhibit, "Writing The Future: Basquiat and the Hip Hop Generation" illuminated the art, design, music and culture of Hip Hop.

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