Dr. Alex Gee

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Dr. Alex Gee has an insightful and honest conversation with two of his friends, fellow men of faith, and fathers of daughters, Dr. Efrem Smith and Rev. Adam Edgerly. Their conversation covers the spectrum of recent concerns for Black people, from patriotism, cross-cultural relationships, racial justice movements, to the future of the US racial landscape. The group also uses the recent film, Judas and The Black Messiah, to spark relevant connections with historical context. This is a powerful snapshot of Black perspective on current events. 

Pastor Efrem Smith is an internationally recognized leader who uses motivational speaking and preaching to equip people for a life of transformation. He consults on issues of multi-ethnicity, leadership, and community development. Pastor Smith is the former- president and CEO of World Impact, an urban mission, church planting and leadership-development organization. He is the current co-lead Pastor of Bayside Church, Midtown. He’s the author of several books, including his latest, “Killing Us Softly.” Pastor Smith is a graduate of Saint John’s University and Luther Theological Seminary. He received an honorary doctor of ministry degree from Ashland Theological Seminary.

Adam Edgerly, founding and lead pastor of Newsong Los Angeles Covenant Church, is the director of Covenant World Relief and Development (CWRD). Edgerly has served as the denomination’s associate director of global evangelism and Pacific Southwest Conference director of church planting. Edgerly also is the founder and CEO of Culture Consultants and has led workshops across five continents. He serves on the Board of Trustees at Biola University, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in intercultural studies, which included field research in leadership and language in Mali, West Africa. He earned a master of business administration at Emory University.

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Dr. Alex Gee talks with Joy Bailey-Bryant, Lord Cultural Resources President, about the importance of cultural spaces and innovative museums. Baily-Bryant is involved in supporting the development of The Center for Black Excellence and Culture in Madison, WI. They connect over shared Black culture and tell stories of the power of preserving culture, demonstrating the resilient power of culture that has space to speak into itself. You won’t want to miss a fun new edition of Black Ice Breakers.

As leader of cultural planning at the largest cultural consultancy in the world, Joy works with city officials, institutional leaders, and developers, in global municipalities like Chicago; New York; Dhaka, Bangladesh; and Dharan, Saudi Arabia to creatively plan cities and bring people (life!) to public institutions. Joy led the teams for institutional and cultural planning on remarkable projects like the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., reaching more than 1,000 stakeholders across the country to learn their expectations for the new museum; the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center, directing citywide engagement in locations as large as Chicago and small as Decatur, Georgia – speaking with thousands of individuals in meetings and on social media – to assess, project, and plan for their cultural needs; and planning and opening the expansion of the Albany Civil Rights Institute in Albany, Georgia—unearthing thousands of untold stories of the Southwest Georgia Civil Rights Movement.

A cultural planning specialist, certified interpretive planner, and outreach facilitator, Joy honed her specialized skill working in collaborative roles at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and notable cultural planning projects.

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To listen on Apple Podcasts, click here. To view on YouTube, click here.

Dr. Gee welcomes back Robin DiAngelo for a conversation about the racial atmosphere of the last year. Dr. Gee asks what DiAngelo would tell his white listeners that may feel like things will be better now in our country? What is the role of white progressives in the racial environment? DiAngelo gives some clarity to how systemic racism adapts and how a sense of complacency is dangerous.

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To listen on Apple Podcasts, click here. To view on YouTube, click here.

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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To listen on Apple Podcasts, click here. To view on YouTube, click here.

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.

patreon.com/blacklikeme

To listen on Apple Podcasts, click here. To view on YouTube, click here.

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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