Advertise on podcast: Race to Social Justice

Emmy award-winning journalist and former San Francisco TV anchor, Dion Lim, joins Keva White and John Kepner for a wide-ranging discussion about anti-Asian racism and the appalling rise of anti-Asian hate and violence in America, amplified in her new book.

Keva White and John Kepner look back to the tumultuous 1960’s in this interview with Dr. Alford A. Young, Jr., University of Michigan Professor of Sociology, Afroamerican and African Studies and Public Policy about his paper entitled Revolt of the Privileged: The Coming Together of the Black Community at Wesleyan University – 1965-1975, written years later while attending Wesleyan.

We talk to Verna Williams—a former dean and law professor and now CEO of Equal Justice Works— about the urgent need for access to legal aid and the role of public interest law in advancing equity for people without means.

Join us for a presentation to the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. recorded live on 3/5/26. Hear the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY and HOW behind our podcast, what we have learned so far and our ideas to expand its reach.

Emma Hertz, CEO, HealthSpark Foundation, explains how her philanthropic organization acts as a change agent to empower disenfranchised communities to thrive through innovative grant-making, mission-aligned investing, focused advocacy and collaboration with local government, businesses and other community stakeholders.

Ramisha Rafique, consultant and professor at Nottingham Trent University in England, explains her advocacy work to move higher education organizations and work forces beyond performative diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to meaningful, measurable action related to Islamophobia, decolonization and inclusive policy change.

Michael Langley, Executive Director of the Florida Justice Institute, offers a primer on how his organization uses litigation and other means to combat systemic injustices that impact homeless, incarcerated and disabled citizens.

Our first international guest, Dr. Ingrid Waldron, describes how racism impacts mental health. Our wide-ranging discussion includes multiple perspectives from her recently published book, "From the Enlightenment to Black Lives Matter", which traces experiences of racial trauma in black communities in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.

Adjoa Jones de Almeida and Sunanda Ghosh talk about their Philadelphia-based Forman Arts Initiative’s efforts to cultivate artists and empower communities to work together to advocate for justice and equity in creative new ways.

Rev. Carolyn C. Cavaness, a 3rd generation pastor, has translated her education in urban studies and economics into vibrant community-connected ministries. She shares what the Christian faith tradition teaches about racial and social justice, the historical role the Black clergy have played in advancing racial justice and how she puts her own faith into action.

Special Edition: John and Keva moderate a panel with nonprofit leaders and a college student with lived housing and food insecurity experience before a live audience attending Bucks-Mont Collaborative’s Impact and Innovation Summit at Gwynedd Mercy University on May 21, 2025.  Their combined stories, insights and ideas paint a vivid picture of how racial and social injustice impacts local government and community efforts to address housing insecurity and homelessness and create affordable housing solutions.

Jenique Jones describes how WhyHunger, an organization founded and supported by legendary musicians and led by her with vision and fervor, helps grassroots communities find transformative solutions to tackle the root causes of hunger around the world.

Jacqueline Jones Royster, academic scholar and author, and Gene Kansas, cultural developer, preservationist and social entrepreneur, tell us how their collaborative talents are helping restore “Sweet Auburn”, an historic African-American community in Atlanta, Georgia.

Fr. Charles Oduke, PhD, is a Kenyan-born, Jesuit-trained, Kenya-India-USA- educated, world-traveled, university-founder and hospital mission-integrator, who conducts a clinic on Roman Catholic social teaching and doctrine rooted in human dignity and advancing common good as a basis for societal equity and justice.

Wynette Yao, an award-winning filmmaker, profiles her District of Second Chances documentary which chronicles the work of FAMM Foundation, an organization advocating for changes in extreme sentencing laws. Colie Levar Long, who is featured in the film and was released under a District of Columbia “second chance” law after serving over 20 years in prison, tells his story of redemption.