What is "The Black Experience"? This is an interview in which a Black man (NPR’s Sonari Rhodes Glinton) concedes he is “mixed”: Half African and Half African-American. At first listen, the categorization sounds almost comical, but consider his viewpoint: one major factor in Ethnicity is culture… and no one can argue that Africans and African-Americans aren’t culturally distinct. What lies beneath the surface of blackness is a spectrum.

Are African-American parents that choose unique or African-sounding names putting their children at a disadvantage? Is society unduly predjudiced against such names?  

The movement to give African-American children names that reflect their heritage was based in the Black Power movement of the 1960s.  Is this noble purpose lost today? 

Host Audra Wilson breaks it down, Practically Speaking.

Ray has been an activist most of his life. He organized lunch counter sit-ins and participated in the March on Washington. When he was drafted to fight in Vietnam, he took his activism with him overseas. That's when his battle really began.

Ayana Contreras explores the motivation behind "playing the numbers", or the lottery.  Along the way, she tries to unpack the notions of luck, blessings, and destiny.

The Thirty Year Project was an attempt to collect narratives of East Chicago, IN Steelworkers on what it meant to reach thirty years of service at the mill (often a daunting task).  After thirty years, they could retire and collect their full pension; but many never got there (due to injury or bodily failings).  This thirty year plan was put into place by the union because, as Joe Gutierrez put it, "before, the average life span of retirees from the mill was six months to a year."

This is one Steelworker's story, whose story is like so many others: he met a girl....

Interview with Carlos Sanchez, former County Jail Inmate. Interview conducted by Jackie Serrato for 96 Acres. Audio produced by Vocalo's Ayana Contreras.

96 Acres is a series of community-engaged and site-responsive art projects that involve community stakeholders, residents, youth, educators, artists, and organizations around social and restorative justice issues. The projects examine the impact of incarceration at the Cook County Jail, located on Chicago's West Side.

Audra Wilson talks about the ongoing struggle for Voter's Rights in the United States, as some states are questioning the relevance of the Voters Righrt Act.
She also test drives an old Voter Literacy test. The tests were rife with pretzel logic; and were formulated to bar people of color from the polls. They were more commonly administered to people of color, versus their white counterparts.

This week, Ayana Contreras brings us vintage music from women whose careers were overshadowed by their associations with megastars. From the ex-wife of a jazz icon, to the partner of a glam rock god, these ladies gave us adventurous music that stood alone.

Reclaimed Soul featured an all-vinyl soundtrack.