Conversation with Trey Joiner: Who Owns the Space? Black Voices, Urban Power, and the Fight Against Erasure

In this powerful episode of YANA: You Are Not Alone, host James Trice sits down with urban planner and community advocate Trey Joiner for a wide-ranging, deeply honest conversation about space, power, and Black survival. From biking through Minnesota winters to navigating predominantly white planning rooms, Trey shares what it means to be a Black man working inside systems that have historically displaced Black communities—from Rondo to Tulsa to 38th & Chicago. Together, James and Trey unpack how racism shows up not only through violence, but through “polite,” sophisticated processes like urban planning, engagement meetings, and development decisions made far from the people most impacted. This episode explores: How Black communities are removed from their own spaces—again and again Why “community engagement” often fails people of color What it’s like being the only Black voice in decision-making rooms How whiteness loses power when narratives are centered on lived experience The danger of complacency—and the responsibility to stay vigilant Why opening doors for other Black people is essential to our collective future