The Reading Circle with Marc Medley

Dwight C. Maxwell is an author, published poet, speaker and lecturer of English in the UK’s further education system. He has been in English education for over 25 years, beginning in the USA and moving to the UK in 2005. Dwight put forward innovative and anti-colonial models of education. He is interested in culture as a tool for social change and a pathway to self-awareness and knowledge of self.Culture is not ornamental; it is informational infrastructure.Adinkra symbols, long used by the Akan people to encode philosophy and moral knowledge, mirror what modern physics now recognizes as error-correcting systems: structures designed to preserve meaning under pressure.When culture is removed from education, learning becomes fragile. When culture is restored, learning becomes resilient, adaptive, and self-correcting. This is one of the central arguments in It’s Not Just About Grades; It’s About Culture and why culturally grounded pedagogy is not optional, but essential.

As an adolescent, and in his early years as an adult, True Khepra was on the wrong path in life. He performed poorly in school, stole cars, and sold drugs. After realizing that his future was doomed if he did not transform his life, he committed himself to furthering his education, becoming a community activist and better example to his children.  Now, True Khepra is a writer, author, speaker, and certified life coach with a mission to fight for social justice and share the power of personal development. He co-founded an organization called Extended Black Family Movement, wrote for NSPIRE magazine, and co-founded a youth program called “Liberation School”. True Khepra has made a lasting impact through his inspiring speeches at various institutions, including the Essex County Youth Correctional Facility, Pride Academy in East Orange, NJ, Hunter's World Mentorship Program, and many more. He has also had the privilege of speaking to a single classroom of students at Howard University Middle School of Mathematics & Science, personally connecting with the next generation of leaders. Now, he is taking his message to the airwaves with his podcast, Raw Success, where he shares his insights and expertise on achieving success and living a fulfilling life. With a passion for uplifting and educating, True Khepra's words have resonated deeply.True Khepra's message is rooted in his beliefs that by harnessing the power of the mind and learning to generate and create states of being aligned with our purpose, goals, and intentions, none of us are stuck.

Marquita M. Gammage is a Full Professor in the Africana Studies Department at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). She earned her Ph.D. in African American Studies from Temple University. Dr. Gammage's research examines the calculus of media effect on the sustainability of anti-African racist ideologies through the intersection of race, gender, and media. By analyzing current popular media productions (reality TV, television dramas, social media, etc.) paired with an Afrocentric historical and cultural lens, her research demonstrates how the continued misrepresentations of Black womanhood in the media and society, in general, can be predictive of future public policy initiatives that endanger the freedom and liberties of African Americans. Additionally, her research explores racial equity and the academic success of African American students, high-impact practices, and asset-based pedagogy.

Raised in Baltimore, Maryland, John Paul McGee, at the age of four withoutformal training, began playing familiar hymns and church songs by ear. Aware ofhis special gift, Dr. McGee's mother made the sacrifices necessary to ensure thatJohn received formal musical training and development. Dr. McGee studiedpiano and pipe organ at New Shiloh School of Music where the renownedheadmaster was the late great Dr. Nathan Carter, and graduated in 2002 frominternationally acclaimed arts preparatory high school Baltimore School for theArts with a certificate in piano and opera studies.John’s musical career has taken him around the globe as a keyboardist, vocalarranger, producer, and songwriter, collaborating with and appearing alongsidepopular gospel and secular artists from Patti Labelle to Najee, Stevie Wonder,the NFL players choir, and gospel legends Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin,Kim Burrell, Cory Henry, Vashawn Mitchell, Earnest Pugh, and many others. Hisinstrumental piano album, A Christmas with John Paul, released in 2014 withEPM records yielded him the #9 spot in the top 10 Billboard recording artists for.Along with the release of his first published book, John released an solo pianoalbum in 2019 instrumental entitled “Elevate.”Dr. John Paul McGee is the current assistant chair of piano at Berklee College ofMusic in Boston, Massachusetts and Artist-In-Residence at Yale University inNew Haven, Connecticut. Dr. JP earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music witha concentration in Piano Performance from Bethune Cookman University, aMaster of Arts in Religion Degree from Liberty University a Master of SacredMusic Degree with a concentration in Pipe Organ Performance from EmoryUniversity, and most recently a Doctorate of Ministry degree with a concentrationin Pastoral Care and Counseling from The Interdenominational TheologicalCenter in Atlanta, Ga. The groundbreaking research performed in hisdissertation, A Sound for Distressed Souls: Gospejazzical as an NTU Approachfor Coping with the Vocational Stressors of the Black Pastor, investigates thehealing and curative powers of his new pianistic genre, Gospejazzical.Gospejazzical is a signature sound that unites three powerful genres (Gospel,Jazz and Classical) into a unique fusion that entertains, uplifts, and inspires allwho hear. In 2022, John recorded and released the musical album“Gospejazzical” featuring the John Paul McGee trio, vocalists Wendi Henderson-Wyatt, Amber Bullock and Zebulon Ellis. In December 2022, the album washeard by the iconic musical legend Stevie Wonder who immediately invited Johnand the Trio to perform for his Annual House Of Toys Benefit Concert in LosAngeles, California before a sold out crowd of thousands.Through radio and streaming, John’s first mainstream album, GospejazzicalVolume 1, has reached hundreds of thousands of listeners across the world andmaintained its position in the top 100 Jazz Weekly charts for several weeks.OnNovember 16th,2023 he released his second holiday album, “A GospejazzicalChristmas,” and within two weeks of its release the album was #3 most added onJazz Weekly, and #34 on the Smooth Jazz Holiday Charts!In May 2023, Berklee’s Assistant Chair of Piano Dr. John Paul McGee receivedan endorsement by Yamaha Artist services and joined the Yamaha Artist family.This is an invitation-only designation bestowed by Yamaha to musical artistsconsidered to be critically acclaimed in their instruments or genres. It is stated byonline publication, The Urban Music Scene, that one experience with John’smasterful musicianship and the way one hears gospel, jazz, and classical willnever be the same.

Allen Chukwuhdi is a psycho-historian who attended Fordham University where he received a B.A in both history and psychology. His journey in psychology began with organizationalbehavior, and then quickly moved to clinical and research psychology. He is currently in the‘Culture Program’ at (BGSP) the ‘Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis’. However, it washis enthusiasm for history, specifically African and African American history, and the trans-Atlantic slave trade that moved him to employ psychology and psychoanalysis. He is active inthe BGSP Student Association (2023) and the (APA) ‘American Psychological Association’ Div. 39 and Div. 9 (SPSSI) the ‘Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues’ where he served as the Graduate Student Committee’s (GSC) Diversity Officer (2021). Moreover, he was the recipient of the (NYSPA) New York State Psychological Association’s ‘Roy Aranda Student Social Justice Award in 2020’ and was the opening presenter at the University of Western Cape, in South Africa ‘Towards a De-Colonial Psychology: Theories from the Global South Conference in 2019’. He is interested in colonialism and by extension the coloniality of being, as well as the societal psychosis of racism. He is also interested in developing psychological interventions in Black communities that incorporate cultural solutions and using history to develop identity cohesion and to challenge constructed narratives.He is currently writing a psycho-historical account of colonialism in West Africa using theoverthrow of Kwame Nkrumah as an example entitled, ‘Kwame Nkrumah and The Language of Oppression’ and a book on the Lacanian psychoanalytic notion of ‘Mirror Stages’. One of his essays ‘Storming the Capital: An Exercise in the Patriot Right to Violence’ was recentlypublished in the book ‘Illmatic Consequences: The Clapback to Opponents of Critical RaceTheory’, and he is revising a paper entitled ‘Hauntings: Transgenerational Trauma and theUnfinished Business of a Nation’ for the ‘Journal of the Psychoanalysis of Culture and Society’, and his paper on identity entitled ‘The Myth of the Black Indian: A Collective Fantasy’ is going to be published in Volume 1 of the new journal ‘Psychoanalytic Inquiry’.In addition to all this he is a producing artist that has numerous credits on stage, in commercials and films.

Dr. Wade W. Nobles is the son of Annie Mae Cotton (1914b) and John Nobles (1900b). John Nobles' father was Mims Nobles who was born into the barbarism of American slavery in 1863. Mims' father was Wade Nobles who was born into the savagery of slavery in 1836. Wade Nobles was the oldest son of Candace/Agnes (Cilla) who was also born into captivity in Edgefield, South Carolina in 1810. Dr. Nobles is the namesake of his great grandfather, Agnes'oldest son. His mother and father named him Wade which means one who is able to tred through difficult matter like slavery, mud, snow, or ignorance. Dr. Nobles is a co-founding member and Past President (1994-95) of the Association of Black Psychologists and Professor Emeritus in Africana Studies and Black Psychology (Past Dept Chair, 1997 – 1999) at San Francisco State University. He is the founding Executive Director (retired) of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Black Family Life and Culture (est 1968) in Oakland where he spent over 40 years researching, documenting, publishing, designing and implementing African centered service and training programs. Dr. Nobles has studied classical African philosophy (Kemet, Twa & Nubian) and traditional African wisdom traditions (Akan, Yoruba, Bantu, Wolof, Dogon, Fon,Lebou, etc) as the grounding for the development of an authentic Black psychology. His professional career and life’s work has been no less than a formal engagement in the on-going theoretical development and programmatic application of African (Black) psychology, African centered thought, and cultural grounding to address the liberation and restoration of the African mind and world-wide development of African people. He has conducted eighty nationally funded community-based research, training and development projects. Dr. Nobles was Initiated into the IFA spiritual system of Nigeria in 1992 and named Ifágbemì Sàngódáre. An internationally recognized Pan Africanist, Dr. Nobles is the author of over one hundred (100)articles, chapters, research reports and books; the co-author of the seminal article in Black Psychology, Voodoo or IQ: An Introduction to African Psychology; the author of African Psychology: Toward its Reclamation, Reascension and Revitalization; Seeking the Sakhu: Foundational Writings in African Psychology, an anthology of over thirty years of African centered research and scholarship, The Island of Memes: Haiti’s Unfinished Revolution described by Dr. Theophile Obenga as perhaps the most important book of the last five decades, and his recent contribution, SKH, From Black Psychology to the Science of Being that traces the advent of Black psychology and its evolution to the science of being. His work has been translated into Spanish, Portuguese and French. Baba Dr. Nobles has served as a visiting professor in Salvador de Bahia and Sao Paulo in Brazil, England, Ghana, West Africa, and Capetown, South Africa. He currently serves as the chairperson of the ABPsi Pan African Black Psychology Global Initiative with members in Brazil, South Africa, Nigeria, Great Britain, Jamaica, Canada, Haiti, and Ghana. He served as the lead author of the African American Wellness Hub Complex Design Report (2017), for the Behavioral Health Care Services in Alameda County California and is the project director for the Interim Virtual Hub Project.

Rosie comes from a family of entertainers but has never considered her purpose entertainment. Rosie is the youngest of six children Pedro, Gustavo, Jenni , Lupillo and Juan. She is an entreprenuer, author and influential public figure with an active following of 3 million on her social media combined. Rosie uses her plaftorm to give hope to sexual abuse victims as a survivor and counselor. During her 9 year carreer as CEO of Jenni Rivera Enterprises, Rosie co-produced Mariposa de Barrio on Telemundo and Netflix. She has also co-hosted the top Spanish morning shows Despierta America and Hoy Dia, and co-hosts along side her husband Abel Flores a podcast called "The Power of Us" on Revolver. Rosie has written three books My Broken Pieces, Take Your Power Back, and God is Your Defender. All of her projects have the same purpose: spread the Good News oF Salvation and in healing in Christ. "Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice." Proverbs 31:9

Jai-Leta Colvard is a proud board member of Loving Arms Cancer Outreach. She has been donating to this amazing non-profit organization for over 5 years. Now, Jai-Leta is able to make a major impact to cancer survivors. Ms. Colvard is honored and blessed to serve the community while supporting cancer survivors.At Just Jai Wear™, the company Jai-Let leads, we believe in embracing positive energy, love, feeling comfortable in the skin you are in, and setting small health goals We hope our gear will magnify your desire to be your best fit and resonate across the globe.We look forward to partnering with you on your health journey by providing comfortable and stylish fitness apparel that fits like a soft glove and loungewear for the holidays. Our clothes can be worn throughout the day whether you are exercising, relaxing, or running errands.We are committed to encouraging, motivating, and inspiring the community to shape their life with fitness and good health in mind while spreading the word across the universe.Our discussion topics included:* Bouncing back from a mental health crisis* The transformative impact of grief* The importance of seeking and providing support during challenging times* Discuss the mission and vision of Space of Grace, Inc., highlighting its role in empowering individuals on their mental health journeys.

Carolyn Hickman is a self-publishing author, Intuitive Energy Healer + Herbalist who loves helping others heal their past and transcend their pain into their purpose. Carolyn reveals her unimaginable journey of not only losing her mother but losing almost everyone she had ever known all at the very same time through a series of painful events that left her breathless, betrayed, and broken. However, even in the most challenging and darkest of days, she discovered how to let go of the pain and resentment gracefully and overcome the resistance to forgive the people not willing to make things right or say “sorry.”

In this episode of THE READING CIRCLE with Marc Medley, I interview Dr. Matthew Teutsch about his contribution to Illmatic Consequences: The Clapback to Opponents of 'Critical Race Theory' Dr. Teutsch wrote Chapter 15, Christian Nationalism and the Comic: Incognegro. During this interview we cover a lot of ground concerning the history of Christianity and it's role in systematic oppression. Be sure to take a listen. I found Dr. Teutsch to be very candid, vulnerable, insightful and informative. I also encourage you to get the book to read the compilation of essays concerning Critical Race Theory and why it must be taught to our young and not so young. We cannot act as if history did not happen.

Bijoun Eric Jordan is a high school English teacher just finishing his 19th year. His greatest professional pleasure is stoking enjoyment of words and ideas — and after school, making students world travelers. Bijoun studied education at New York University, followed by a gap year abroad, then a master's in English literature at Hunter College. His essay critiquing the right-wing's recent efforts to undermine racial justice initiatives through the "boogeyman" of critical race theory appears in the new collection Illmatic Consequences: The Clapback to Opponents of "Critical Race Theory," inspired by rapper Nas's debut album Illmatic. A self-professed nerd and staunch advocate of the Oxford comma, Jordan is also a consummate hip hop head and a recovering lyricism addict whose other passions include politics, culture, gaming, and creativity. He lives and loves in Brooklyn with his wife, daughter, and son.

Dr. LaTanya White is an inclusive scholar-practitioner working at the intersection of racial equity and entrepreneurship curriculum design. Over the course of her professional career, she has coached and consulted more than 600 Black urban entrepreneurs. A 2x author, TEDx Speaker, leader and strategist, Dr. White is the founder and principal consultant for Concept Creative Group, a technical assistance firm focused on business development, capacity building, and Dynastic Wealth™ transfer for Black entrepreneurs.Dr. White developed her expertise in the intersection of the racial wealth gap and Black entrepreneurship through her graduate studies at Antioch University’s Graduate School of Leadership and Change. As a result of her doctoral research on intergenerational wealth transfer and Black business families, Dr. White has designed an evidence-based entrepreneurship training model that specifically addresses the ancestral narrative and lived experience of Black entrepreneurs using a lens of racial equity.Dynastic Wealth™ is a comprehensive approach to the entrepreneurial process that cultivates quantitative and qualitative forms of wealth through the lens of racial equity. The model has implications for entrepreneurship education research, scholarship, and practice that require entrepreneurship training curricula to be redesigned through a lens of racial equity.She developed her own Foundation growing up in the Liberty City area of Miami, Florida and began to Evaluate her inner strength and resilience as a student at Florida A&M University’s School of Business and Industry. It wasn’t until she was completing an MBA-level internship in Buffalo, NY did Dr. White begin to Analyze the entrepreneurial skillset she had developed but it would take a 13,000-mile trek to Bali, Indonesia before she had been Retrained to accept her purpose as The Guide that so many minority entrepreneurs needed to get over their fear and launch their business.Through active service under the Economic Development Programmatic Thrust with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Dr. White hopes to Leverage her sorority’s global reach in an effort to recreate economic independence in communities of color.Her membership with the Glazer Kennedy Insider’s Circle helps her teach her village about Efficient Systems like brand development, copywriting and direct marketing that helped catapult her own business. Formerly enrolled in the Graduate School of Leadership and Change at Antioch University, Dr. White’s doctoral research produced a comprehensive, evidence-based curriculum for Black entrepreneurs to build Dynastic Wealth™, the most Sustainable method for Black economic independence and Black mobility.Bringing her cumulative expertise and passion for Black entrepreneurship education together, Dr. White is launching the Entrepreneurship Center for Black Dynastic Wealth™. The Center will be a membership-based entrepreneurial learning accelerator for Black and African American entrepreneurs who want to go beyond generational wealth to create Dynastic Wealth™. Dr. White has been featured in several media outlets including Ask.com, Essence Magazine, Florida A&M University magazine, Forbes.com and SiriusXM Radio. Click here to learn more about Dr. White’s past speaking engagements.

Kim Williams is an educator par excellence and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority sister, who shares her moving story about her diagnosis and being a survivor of ovarian cancer. Ms. Williams and I planned to go skydiving for her 50th birthday in celebration of her surviving and living to see 50 when COVID-19 waylaid our plans. It was a moving, inspirational and fun interview.