Passing the Mic! A Stanford Black Community Services Center Podcast

In our final episode of this season, Liyah Ernest ‘26 chats with some of her close friends about their time in Ghana. They share fond memories and discuss how their friendship nourished them then and now.

Welcome to the second season of Passing the Mic. We recorded this season during the 2024-2025 school year. In this episode, Liyah Ernest ‘26 speaks with Dr. Aileen Robinson & Eryn Michael ‘24 about the power of theater and arts in self and community care.

Welcome to the second season of Passing the Mic! In this episode, Liyah Ernest ‘26 talks with Marion Gill and Sandhya Rajan about their journey to the Stanford community and their experience balancing their identities with their positions at work. This episode was recorded during the 2024-2025 school year.

In Liyah's first solo episode she chats with current undergraduate students Kayla Williams '26, Lauren Green '26, and Nifemi Bankole '27. Kayla, Nifemi, and Lauren all have unique stories about their adjustment from their pre-Stanford lives to their current Stanford experiences. Each of them have also participated in the Black House’s Ernest Houston Johnson Scholars Program, a program offered by the Black Community Services Center honoring the first black graduate from Stanford. Our program introduces first year students to research concepts, career exploration, Stanford Black history, and a community that lasts beyond their first year at Stanford! Listen in as we discuss how Kayla, Nifemi, and Lauren have the audacity to adapt to Stanford life, and how their relationship with the Black House has helped with their transition.

In today’s episode we have Dr. Mona Hicks. Dr. Hicks serves as the senior associate vice provost and Dean of students at Stanford University, where she leads Residential Education, the Graduate Life Office, the Office of Accessible Education, Schwab Learning Center, and the Office of Community Standards. Dr. Mona Hicks exemplifies what it means to lead unapologetically and boldly in spaces that would rather see you shrink and disappear.  Today’s moderator is Dom Johnson, assistant dean and associate director of the Black House. Dom earned a BA in Child Development and American Studies, then went to the Boston College School of Social Work and earned a Master in Social Work, with a concentration in Child, Youth, and Family support.  Later, she returned to Tufts and earned a Masters in Diversity and Inclusion Leadership, with a concentration in Higher Education this past Spring. Mental health is very important to her, as is leadership development, so Dom created a career where she can support Black students at Predominantly White Institutions.  Since being at Stanford, she has been instrumental in organizing and elevating the Black Liberation Month Celebrations, starting the annual Black PopUp Shop on campus, and further diversifying the undergraduate staff of BCSC so more students will find themselves in the space! Join us as we listen in on Dom and Dr. Mona Hicks’s conversation as they discuss the direct impact of Dr. Mona Hicks’s work in the Stanford Community! Note: We already celebrated our 55th Anniversary!

Valerie Brown and DeLise Bernard are members of Stanford’s Ladies of ‘98. They, along with  the other ladies of ‘98 led a fundraising campaign to construct a teaching kitchen in the Black House’s Henry and Monique Brandon Family Community Room. Their imagination of what the Black Community Services Center could become will open new ways for our community to use the Black House. The first phase of this project will start this year with remodeling the main entrances to create an easy flow between  our community room, deck, and main building. Moderating today’s conversation with Valerie Brown and DeLise Benard is Josie Amoo. Josie is a junior from Scotts Bluff, Nebraska. They are majoring in Environmental Systems Engineering and African and African American studies. They are involved in Black Student Union, Stanford African Students Association, and Black Gender Marginalized Collective. Let’s listen in on Josie’s conversation with Valerie and DeLise, as they discuss how their experiences at the Black house provided them with the fuel they needed to make an impact both during their lives at Stanford and after graduating.   ---- Instagram: @blackhousesu Youtube: stanfordblackcommunityserv8606

In our first episode we sit down with Henry Brandon III to discuss to talk about “The Audacity to Give Back” in front of a live studio audience! Mr. Henry graduated from Stanford in 1978. He was active both on the tennis court and in the Black Community. We actually recorded this episode in the Henry and Monique Brandon family community room at the Black House, which his family helped fund.  Listen as we discuss the exposure Mr. Henry experienced at Stanford, his take on choosing a career path, and how he lives everyday with the mindset “today is my best day.”  Check out a teaser for our first episode!

In our first episode we sit down with Henry Brandon III to discuss "The Audacity to Give Back” in front of a live audience! Mr. Henry graduated from Stanford in 1978. He was active both on the tennis court and in the Black Community. We actually recorded this episode in the Henry and Monique Brandon family community room at the Black House, which his family helped fund.  Listen as we discuss the exposure Mr. Henry experienced at Stanford, his take on choosing a career path, and how he lives everyday with the mindset “today is my best day.”