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avery r. young has a talent that demands the biggest stage–after decades creating brilliant art and dedicatedly pouring into the young artists of Chicago, he finally got the stage he deserves. The city's inaugural poet laureate, avery recently premiered his original opera Safronia at Chicago's Lyric Opera House. The opera will be playing at the Court Theatre in Spring 2027. He rejoins the show about a decade after his first appearance (Ep 48!) to talk about the unique joy of this new piece, what it means to be "Unc" to so many of Chicago's brightest creatives, and how to be all of yourself in any room. The convo was too good to cut short so we broke it into two parts–hear part 1 here and check out the second half of the convo on the next episode! SHOW NOTES Follow avery - https://www.instagram.com/avery_r_young/?hl=en Get tickets for Safronia at the Court - https://www.courttheatre.org/season-tickets/2026-2027-season/safronia/ Photo by Sulyiman Stokes Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio bsky.app/profile/respairmedia.bsky.social Find us live! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - [email protected]  CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger  Associate Producers - Cin Pimentel & Rocío Santos Video Post-Production Producer - Troi Valles Lead Editor - Troi Valles Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker

Rich Wallace is a solid dude and brilliant organizer who has built EAT Chicago, a non-profit, community-led organization founded by and for post-incarcerated people, to build social and economic equity for Black workers engaged in the informal economy. He talks about his winding path to this revolutionary work, the joyous days as a member of legendary Chicago rap crew BBU, how to keep the work grounded toward reparation and healing, and how these nonprofits can end up screwing up that work for everyone. Plus, we break down the challenge of pants in this economy and ecology. SHOW NOTES Listen to Rich's first appearance on the show from 2019 - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-184-rich-wallace/id1016530091?i=1000435251670 Plug in with EAT Chicago - https://www.instagram.com/eatorgchicago/?hl=en Donate - https://eatchicago-bloom.kindful.com/?campaign=1267668 Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio bsky.app/profile/respairmedia.bsky.social Find us live! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - [email protected]  CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger  Associate Producers - Cin Pimentel & Rocío Santos Video Post-Production Producer - Troi Valles Lead Editor - Troi Valles Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker

No matter how politically focused AirGo gets, our roots are always in Chicago's music and arts community. As the scene shifts and new artists emerge, we try to keep an ear on who is making good music in our city, a task that's MUCH easier because of the excellent curation and coverage the Real Ones crew provides. A Chicago music discovery platform that produces events, hosts interviews, and covers the scene, Real Ones is a passion project driven by some very passionate curators and community members. We welcome a few of them–Ben, Alejandro, and Tyrel–to the studio to talk about the role of curation in this algo-driven world, the inherent coolness of being on tour, and the songs that make them feel alive. EPISODE PLAYLIST: Summer Love by Blackparty Distant Lover by Blackparty Acho Puñeta by Gomba Jahbari Sanguine Paradise by Lil Uzi Vert Hillbillies by Kendrick Lamar ft. Baby Keem Thank Allah by Niontay MOSHPIT by Baby Keem Retrograde by James Blake U Know How Dis Go - TyriqueOrDie Johnny P's Caddy by Benny the Butcher ft. J. Cole Percy by Mick Jenkins Numb Numb Juice by ScHoolboy Q Control by Big Sean ft. Kendrick Lamar & Jay Elctronica One Mic by Nas euphoria by Kendrick Lamar Yeah Right by Vince Staples ft. Kendrick Lamar Joanne and Julia by Stan Getz Chrono Trigger by Tommy Richman Heavy Metal by Paris, Texas Tezeta (Nostalgia) by Mulatu Asatke SHOW NOTES Plug in with Real Ones - https://www.instagram.com/realonesshow/?hl=en Find some new music on their Coldest in Chicago playlist - https://realonesshow.com/playlists Watch their interviews - https://www.youtube.com/@realonesshow Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio bsky.app/profile/respairmedia.bsky.social Find us live! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - [email protected]  CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger  Associate Producers - Cin Pimentel & Rocío Santos Video Post-Production Producer - Troi Valles Lead Editor - Troi Valles Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker

Tonika Lewis Johnson is about real repair. The photographer, social practice artist, and Macarthur genius grant recipient has spent the last decade building innovative, rooted projects that connect Chicagoans across racial divides, make legible the histories of structural violence, and create new versions of what healing can look like. She joins the guys to talk about how her art has moved from documentation to actual repair, the unlikely connections that emerge when Chicagoans gather, and the beautiful reality that is Unblocked Englewood, a groundbreaking partnership with the Chicago Bungalow Association that addresses the personal and systemic consequences of Chicago’s segregation. Through strategic home repairs, block beautification, and community-building, UnBlocked Englewood offers a powerful blueprint for restoring dignity and wealth to historically disinvested neighborhoods, and is one of the most tangible examples of community care and reparative culture-making we've ever seen. Plus, we get into some spicy AI debate at the end! SHOW NOTES Learn about UnBlocked Englewood - https://www.chicagobungalow.org/unblocked Follow Tonika on IG - https://www.instagram.com/tonikaj/?hl=en Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio bsky.app/profile/respairmedia.bsky.social Find us live! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - [email protected]  CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger  Associate Producers - Cin Pimentel & Rocío Santos Video Post-Production Producer - Troi Valles Lead Editor - Troi Valles Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker

How do most people learn about the world these days? And how do we, as a movement, make sure we're in their ears, gaze, and algorithm? Conscious Lee is an educator, facilitator, and content creator who has built a platform around direct, rooted critique of our culture. His work is rooted in transforming through consciousness-raising, using dialogue to uncover what needs to change. We talk about Black masculinity and feminism, how he's making sense of our moment of decay, and which debate archetypes JD Vance and Ben Shapiro are. SHOW NOTES Follow Conscious Lee - https://www.instagram.com/theconsciouslee Plug in on Substack - https://substack.com/@theconsciouslee?r=5gijv&utm_medium=ios Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio bsky.app/profile/respairmedia.bsky.social Find us live! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - [email protected]  CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger  Associate Producers - Cin Pimentel & Rocío Santos Video Post-Production Producer - Troi Valles Lead Editor - Troi Valles Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker

The histories of our city shape our lives as Chicagoans, whether we know it or not. City stalwart and self-taught historian Dilla has made a life and livelihood peeling back the layers of Chicago and showing us how dope and impactful the city has been around the world. He sheds light on the roots of his curiosity, what he discovered through doing his genetic ancestry testing, and some of the best hidden histories he's found about the Chicago phenomens we love and hate. SHOW NOTES Link with Dilla - https://www.instagram.com/6figga_dilla/ Sign up for one of his tours - https://www.chicagomahogany.com/ Photo by Ash Lane via the Triibe Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio bsky.app/profile/respairmedia.bsky.social Find us live! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - [email protected]  CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger  Associate Producers - Cin Pimentel & Rocío Santos Video Post-Production Producer - Troi Valles Lead Editor - Troi Valles Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker

AirGo fam, check out this brand-new podcast from our friends over at the Court Theatre. Court Theatre’s Spotlight Reading series celebrates its 10th anniversary from August 7–22, 2026, with A Century of Black Progress, a festival exploring the past, present, and future of Black storytelling through the lens of Chicago's cultural ecosystem. Get an up-close look at the inspiration, process, and creators behind one of Court's most popular programs in the Spotlight Reading Series companion podcast, Spotlight Turns Ten. On this first episode, take a deep dive into how the Spotlight Reading Series began, featuring Aaron Mays (playwright, director, and Spotlight co-founder) and Kamilah Rashied (Director of Engagement, Court Theatre). Listen to episode 1 here and subscribe to Spotlight Turns 10 wherever you get your podcasts. Credits: Spotlight Turns 10 is a production of Court TheatreHosts: Aaron Mays and Kamilah RashiedProducer: Tribble, Ask Tribble Inc. Creative Consultants: Damon A. Williams and Daniel Kisslinger, Respair MediaLine Producer: Kelcie Beene Sound Engineer: Jimmy Bonks BuonforteMusic: Roy Kinsey - BLACK ft. Ifeanyi Elswith, from the album Dandelions: Gods Don't CrySpecial Thanks: Josh McCammon (Technical Director of Audio and Video, Court Theatre), Camille Oswald (Associate Director of Marketing for Content Creation, Court Theatre) Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio bsky.app/profile/respairmedia.bsky.social Find us live! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - [email protected]  CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger  Associate Producers - Cin Pimentel & Rocío Santos Video Post-Production Producer - Troi Valles Lead Editor - Troi Valles Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker

Do you ever feel daunted by the impending doom of climate collapse and social discombobulation? Relatable? Us too. That's why we were so glad to have Mikaela Loach on the show. Mikaela is a British climate justice activist, author and media personality. She has authored two books: "It's Not That Radical: Climate Action to Transform Our World" and "Climate is Just the Start," a companion for kids who want to face and address the climate crisis. She's also the cofounder of the AWETHU School of Organising, a transformative grassroots educational initiative based in the UK. She joins the guys to talk about what it feels like to organize for the diaspora from the metropole, the debts owed the global south, and what youth can and can't bring to the movement for climate action. SHOW NOTES Follow Mikaela - https://www.instagram.com/mikaelaloach/?hl=en Buy "It's Not That Radical" - https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2583-it-s-not-that-radical Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio bsky.app/profile/respairmedia.bsky.social Find us live! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - [email protected]  CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger  Associate Producers - Cin Pimentel & Rocío Santos Video Post-Production Producer - Troi Valles Lead Editor - Troi Valles Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is in the stu! A three-time AirGo guest (rarefied air) and longtime progressive presence in our city, Mayor Johnson reflects with the guys about how centering his values in the midst of the migrant crisis has made so much other good work possible, the lessons he's learned from the seat of power, and the ways his day-to-day policies are rooted in a politic of repair. We also get an EXCLUSIVE exposè on the origins of his frohawk... SHOW NOTES Check out our other convos with Brandon: From the campaign trail in 2023 - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-317-brandon-johnson-mayor-of-chicago-returns/id1016530091?i=1000598893440 From 2018 - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-132-brandon-johnson/id1016530091?i=1000408769419 Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio bsky.app/profile/respairmedia.bsky.social Find us live! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - [email protected]  CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger  Associate Producers - Cin Pimentel & Rocío Santos Video Post-Production Producer - Troi Valles Lead Editor - Troi Valles Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker

Zayd Ayers Dohrn is the child of AirGo alums and lifelong radicals Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn (yes, we've interviewed his parents too lol). You may remember him as the creator of the podcast Mother Country Radicals. Born underground, Zayd lived in fugitivity with his parents. All his life, they said his birth marked a clean break with violent revolutionary struggle, but in his new memoir, he discovers that story wasn’t entirely true.  We talk about the messiness and murkiness he uncovered as he dug deeper into his story, the contradictions he grew up in, and what it means to openly and honestly interrogate where and who you come from. SHOW NOTES Buy Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground - https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324089315 Listen to Mother Country Radicals - https://crooked.com/podcast-series/mother-country-radicals/ Check out our convo with Bill Ayers - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2026/2/12/ep-386-bill-ayers-legendary-leftist-and-teacher-for-liberation-returns Listen to our episode with Bernardine Dohrn - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2023/6/8/ep-322-bernardine-dohrn Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio bsky.app/profile/respairmedia.bsky.social Find us live! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - [email protected]  CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger  Associate Producers - Cin Pimentel & Rocío Santos Video Post-Production Producer - Troi Valles Lead Editor - Troi Valles Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker

Hey AirGo fam! We've got a new project we're hyped to share with you about a really big story happening right here in Chicago. Quantum Entanglements is a new multimedia investigative feature from Respair about South Side Chicago communities fighting for self-determination in response to potentially being poisoned, pushed out, and policed by an impending 9-billion dollar quantum computer on the shores of Lake Michigan. You can also check out the video version here: https://www.youtube.com/@respairmedia, and share the podcast with your people here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/respair-presents-quantum-entanglements/id1721426761 Over the four decades since the US Steel South Works steel mill shut its doors, the land it sat on has remained undeveloped as the surrounding communities heal from the physical, environmental, economic, and social wounds left behind by this industrial behemoth.  Now, a coalition of public and private power players from all levels of government and different sectors of industry is preparing to break ground on a "Quantum Campus"–a multi-billion dollar sprawling facility of next-generation technology and surveillance that could both release poisonous contamination and dismantle digital privacy around the globe.  As the next industrial revolution descends on a community still reeling from the destruction of deindustrialization, we talk with organizers and neighbors living alongside the site about how they're building power, demanding answers, making sense of the area’s history, and fighting for the ability to determine the future of their neighborhoods, livelihoods, and relationships to the land on which they live. Check out the video version here: https://www.youtube.com/@respairmedia Share the podcast with your people here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/respair-presents-quantum-entanglements/id1721426761 Get the Quantum Entanglements Listening Guide here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19sgxkK8Uf45YpsgjuGECzzuij4sBBoC8/view?usp=sharing Quantum Entanglements was recorded at Chicago Beyond and Kit Studios here in Chicago.  Find all of our work at http://respairmedia.com.  CREDITS Cohosts & Executive Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger.  Video Post-Production Supervisor - Troi Valles Lead Video Editor - Troi Valles Multimedia Producer - Troi Valles  Associate Audio Editors - Cin Pimentel & Rocio Santos   Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Additional Reporting - Kamari Patrick Artwork - Areanna Eggleston & Danbee Kim MUSIC Dubstep Next Left (feat. Tom Wilkinson) - Asthmatic Astronaut Funk Heaven - Ketsa China Town - Audiobinger Contemplate Jat - Katrah Quey Agua - Katrah Quey Sleeper Agent - Tab Anitek Outer Orbit - Revolution Void Dragon Drop - Darkstorm Diabolik Glass Harp - dustmotes Ascension (Leaving Earth Pt. 1) - Mr. Smith Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio bsky.app/profile/respairmedia.bsky.social Find us live! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - [email protected]  CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger  Associate Producers - Cin Pimentel & Rocío Santos Video Post-Production Producer - Troi Valles Lead Editor - Troi Valles Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker

Hey AirGo fam! Here's the trailer for a new project, dropping this Thursday 6/18/26, that we're hyped to share with you! Quantum Entanglements is a new multimedia investigative feature from Respair about South Side Chicago communities fighting for self-determination in response to potentially being poisoned, pushed out, and policed by an impending 9-billion dollar quantum computer on the shores of Lake Michigan. You can also check out the video version here: https://www.youtube.com/@respairmedia, and share the podcast with your people here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/respair-presents-quantum-entanglements/id1721426761 Over the four decades since the US Steel South Works steel mill shut its doors, the land it sat on has remained undeveloped as the surrounding communities heal from the physical, environmental, economic, and social wounds left behind by this industrial behemoth.  Now, a coalition of public and private power players from all levels of government and different sectors of industry is preparing to break ground on a "Quantum Campus"–a multi-billion dollar sprawling facility of next-generation technology and surveillance that could both release poisonous contamination and dismantle digital privacy around the globe.  As the next industrial revolution descends on a community still reeling from the destruction of deindustrialization, we talk with organizers and neighbors living alongside the site about how they're building power, demanding answers, making sense of the area’s history, and fighting for the ability to determine the future of their neighborhoods, livelihoods, and relationships to the land on which they live. Check out the video version here: https://www.youtube.com/@respairmedia Share the podcast with your people here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/respair-presents-quantum-entanglements/id1721426761 Get the Quantum Entanglements Listening Guide here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19sgxkK8Uf45YpsgjuGECzzuij4sBBoC8/view?usp=sharing Quantum Entanglements was recorded at Chicago Beyond and Kit Studios here in Chicago.  Find all of our work at http://respairmedia.com.  CREDITS Cohosts & Executive Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger.  Video Post-Production Supervisor - Troi Valles Lead Video Editor - Troi Valles Multimedia Producer - Troi Valles  Associate Audio Editors - Cin Pimentel & Rocio Santos   Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Additional Reporting - Kamari Patrick Artwork - Areanna Eggleston & Danbee Kim MUSIC Dubstep Next Left (feat. Tom Wilkinson) - Asthmatic Astronaut Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio bsky.app/profile/respairmedia.bsky.social Find us live! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - [email protected]  CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger  Associate Producers - Cin Pimentel & Rocío Santos Video Post-Production Producer - Troi Valles Lead Editor - Troi Valles Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker

If you live in the 33rd Ward on the Northwest Side of Chicago, you already know the political magic that's been built by this Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez and her comrades. For everyone else, it's pivotal to see how a group of grassroots socialist-leaning organizers have built power from the streets to the House of Representatives, while still doing the job of meeting people's everyday needs. Rossana returns to AirGo to talk about how this power base has been constructed brick-by-brick, the billionaire meddlers in Chicago's politics, and how she and so many others built new capacity for liberation in the face of ICE's so-called "Midway Blitz" last year. SHOW NOTES Listen to Rossana on AirGo in 2020 - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2020/4/15/episode-233-on-the-line-with-ald-rossana-rodriguez And again in 2023 - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2023/3/3/ep-318-rossana-rodriguez-returns Connect with her office - https://33rdward.org/ Link with the 33rd Ward Working Families IPO - https://www.workingfamilies33.org/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio bsky.app/profile/respairmedia.bsky.social Find us live! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - [email protected]  CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger  Associate Producers - Cin Pimentel & Rocío Santos Video Post-Production Producer - Troi Valles Lead Editor - Troi Valles Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker

On this episode the guys check in about living in a time of decay, dissonance, and maybe World War 3? They also dig deep into the new Louis Theroux docuseries Inside the Manosphere, and get into it about whether masculinity is savalgeable or whether we should scrap the whole concept to help humanity. Plus, some real topical takes about how good the movie Casablanca is. Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio bsky.app/profile/respairmedia.bsky.social Find us live! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - [email protected]  CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger  Associate Producers - Cin Pimentel & Rocío Santos Video Post-Production Producer - Troi Valles Lead Editor - Troi Valles Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker

We have the privilege of welcoming four youthful hope-givers and fellow Chicago podcasters to the AirGo stu–JJ, Allen, Abee, and Matt of hit show the JAAM Podcast. In a little over a year, the guys have built a vibrant and very successful show sharing a razor-sharp voice and perspective on what's happening in our city, the news cycle, and beyond. Their show has welcomed guests like Hasan Piker, Chance the Rapper, Mayor Brandon Johnson, Deante Kyle, and many more. Yet they'd never told the origin story of their show and work together–until now! We break down how being a digital native can shape your worldview, what it means to wrestle with masculinity as you come of age, and much more. Get into it! SHOW NOTES Tune in to the JAAM - https://www.youtube.com/@TheJAAMPod  Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio bsky.app/profile/respairmedia.bsky.social Find us live! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - [email protected]  CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger  Associate Producers - Cin Pimentel & Rocío Santos Video Post-Production Producer - Troi Valles Lead Editor - Troi Valles Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker