Rev. Dr. Alex Gee's personal website: articles, audio, Black Like Me Podcast and videos, Madison Wisconsin
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Dr. Gee brings back his friend Justice Jill Karofsky to give perspective on recent events. They cover voter suppression, the Washington Capitol insurrection, and mass incarceration. Justice Karofsky gives honest views of how important mental health is to judicial decision-making, the vitality of all elections, and diversity on the bench.
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Anthony Cooper returns to the podcast to discuss his recent pardon by the WI state governor. Wisconsin State Public Defender Kelli Thompson also joins the conversation to comment on the importance of pardons in shifting the narrative on an individual’s life. Anthony Cooper, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Reentry Services, is always a passionate advocate of those pushed aside in society and not letting people’s mistakes define them.
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Dr. Gee brings Ben Wikler, Wisconsin Democratic Chair, back to the show for a conversation on elections. They cover the role of Black voters, the power of Black women organizing, voter suppression, and the vital position of Wisconsin in the election. This is the election and voter perspective that you aren’t going to hear other places.
Ben Wikler was raised in Madison, Wisconsin, where he now lives with his wife, Beth, and their three children. Ben has spent his life fighting for economic, social, and racial justice. In his work, most recently for the progressive group MoveOn.org, Ben has played a leadership role in some of the most critical political fights of recent years—from the successful battle to save the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, to the defense of Dreamers, immigrants, and refugees, to the rise of the Blue Wave of 2018. While working across the country, Ben has always stayed connected to his Wisconsin roots, recently working to help elect the Evers/Barnes ticket and sounding the alarm about the GOP power grab after their victory. Now the Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, he believes we can supercharge grassroots energy in every part of Wisconsin to fight for our progressive agenda, and secure Democratic victories all the way up and down the ticket for years to come.
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Dr. Eddie Moore Jr. returns to the show to catch up with Dr. Gee about a traumatic year for Black people. As Black men and husbands, they commiserate on self-care and family life during the pandemic and the racial unrest of 2020. Their conversation then moves towards the insurrection and “how white people need to clean up the mess they made.”
Also, don’t miss a short discussion about Eddie Moore Jr.’s National White Privilege Conference as guest speaker Robin Di’Angelo joins in.
Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr., currently serves as Director of The Privilege Institute (TPI) and The National White Privilege Conference (WPC), both founded under his direction to provide opportunities and possibilities for research, publications, speaking and collaborations by those committed to true social and institutional change. He received his Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies at the University of Iowa and under his direction and inclusive relationship model the White Privilege Conference has become one of the top national and international conferences for participants who want to move beyond dialogue and into action around issues of diversity, power, privilege, and leadership.
To listen on Apple Podcasts, click here. To view on YouTube, click here.
In a candid interview, American Family Insurance CEO and Chairman, Jack Salzwedel shares his racial equity journey with Dr. Gee. While exploring his leadership and career, Jack Salzwedel discusses witnessing redlining, creating inclusive company culture, and his own pursuit of equity. Listen to hear another open and insightful conversation from Dr. Gee.
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Dr. Gee discusses Dr. Jasmine Zapata’s involvement in the COVID-19 vaccine research at the University of Wisconsin under the leadership of Dr. William Hartman. Their conversation highlights the importance and rarity of including African Americans in the research process. This important topic explains the mistrust of the Black community for health care services and the impact of COVID on African Americans.
Dr. William Hartman is an anesthesiologist at UW Health and an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. He is the Medical Director for the UW Health Preanesthesia Assessment Clinic. He is leading a UW Health study looking at whether plasma transfusions from people who have recovered from COVID-19 will help others who are still fighting it.
Dr. Zapata is a dynamic author, physician, health educator, speaker, youth empowerment specialist, and community leader known both locally and internationally. She is a board-certified pediatrician as well as a preventive medicine/public health doctor. Her focus is on ways to get outside the clinic walls to impact health outcomes for children and families on a community-based level. Her research and community work focuses on racial disparities in infant mortality, upstream determinants of health, youth resilience, public health approaches to violence prevention, and innovative methods of community engagement and health promotion. She is the founder of the Beyond Beautiful International Youth Empowerment Movement as well as co-founder of the Madison Inspirational Youth Choir among other roles.