interviewees
Karen
S1Ep1 + S1Ep6
Karen Young is a cultural organizer, taiko player, and teaching artist based in Boston. Karen combines taiko and creativity with community organizing strategies to empower, engage, and inspire people into action. As a 2018 Boston Artist in Residence, she used the arts to bolster the voice of elders concerned about street safety from BCYF Grove Hall Senior Center in Dorchester. Her project Older and Bolder continues today. Karen is also a Live Arts Boston awardee, 2019-2021 Boston Neighborhood Fellow, and a 2021 Brother Thomas Fellow. Through her projects Karen works to preserve and grow a vibrant, diverse arts ecosystem in Boston. https://karensusanyoung.com/
Mike
S1Ep1 + S1Ep7
Mike is the owner of North Hollow Farm in Rochester, VT. He is also a father and grandfather. http://vermontgrassfedbeef.weebly.com
Dianne
S1Ep1 + S1Ep8
Dayenne CB Walters (Voiceover: a friend of Coretta’s, Legacy of Love, Roberto Mighty, Director/Celestial Productions, WGBH Public TV) is a Boston-based actor and playwright. She recently appeared in the WGBH 2022 series, getting dot older (Roberto Mighty, Director/Celestial Productions). She played lead roles in several 2021 theatrical productions: Smoked Oysters, by Mary McCullough (Dawn Meredith Simmons, Director/Theatre at Hibernian Hall), the short film The Slave Narrative of Willie Mae, written and directed by Ifé Franklin (Rhythm Visions Productions/The Indigo Project), and the Boston 24-Hour Theatre Marathon production of 178 Ludlow Street, by Cayenne Douglas (Jess Ernst, Director/Sleeping Weazel Theater). Her play, The Outside World (Daniel Martin, Director) was part of the 2021 Road Theater Summer Playwrights Festival and selected as a Festival Favorite.
Allen
S1Ep4
Allen White is Vice President and Senior Fellow at the Tellus Institute and directs the Institute’s Program on Corporate Redesign. His work has included co-founding the Global Reporting Initiative in 1997 and Corporation 2020 in 2004. He has brought his expertise on sustainability strategy, policy, tools, and standards to projects for such multilateral organizations as the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank; foundations such as the Pew Charitable Trusts and the UN Foundation; numerous Fortune 500 companies; US EPA; and NGOs such as Oxfam and People4Earth. Dr. White has held faculty and research positions at the University of Connecticut, Clark University, and Battelle Laboratories, and is a former Fulbright Scholar in Peru. Dr. White received a PhD in Geography from Ohio State University. www.corporation2020.org
Bert
S1Ep5 + S1Ep12
University of Richmond. Dr. Bertram Ashe’s research focuses on late twentieth-century and early twenty-first century literature and culture. Twisted: My Dreadlock Chronicles (Agate, 2015), his current book, explores issues of black male identity, black vernacular culture, and black hair by narrating the journey of locking his hair while also exploring the history and cultural resonances of the dreadlock hairstyle in America.
Jessica
S1Ep11
Jessica Mink is a bicycling astronomer who normally rides year-round from the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston to the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory at Harvard, where she works. She is transgender, too. She has studied the universe from the Moon to ours and other solar systems to the structure of our galaxy to the large scale structure of everything, writing or co-authoring over 100 papers on the way. Because she bicycles every day, Jessica has been working for decades to make the world safer so more people want to join her, becoming involved in bicycle and open space efforts from neighborhood to national levels. Exploring her city on foot, photography, reading, theater, TV, and concerts take up some of the rest of her time. Divorced at transition, she remains the proud parent of a daughter who grew up going to meetings and after degrees in Peace and Global Studies and Arab Studies, educates her parents about race, ethnicity, and gender issues. http://www.jessicamink.com
Leslie & Jeff
S1Ep3
Leslie Salmon Jones is an Alvin-Ailey trained dancer, yoga instructor, wellness coach, and community activist co-founded Afro Flow Yoga® in 2008 with her husband, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and engineer Jeff W. Jones.She is also a co-creator and faculty member for the Omega Women's Leadership Intensive at The Omega Women's Leadership Center and serves on the Board of Directors for the Yoga Alliance. Jeff is a professional engineer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, and musical director whose musical roots stretch back through generations of Black musicians. For over four decades he has traveled the world and worked with musical greats including Little Richard, Al Green, and Zap Mama, to name just a few. Jeff’s special love for the bass and healing drums ground and center the yoga practice. www.afroflowyoga.com
Orin & Bernardo
S1Ep8
Orin Kennedy & Bernardo Puccio are a married couple in Beverly Hills. Orin is retired from the television/film industry. Bernardo is an interior designer and the author of 13 Pieces of Unmatched Luggage ...And My Poodle: A Story of Survival, available on Amazon.
Melvin
S1Ep12
Melvin Juanico is from the Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico. He is happily married to Marietta Juanico for 37 years, with three children and four grandchildren. Melvin attended St. Joseph Mission School, from 1971 to 1975, and graduated from St. Catherine Indian School in 1981. Melvin has served in the capacity of Tribal Government Leadership for the Pueblo of Acoma in past years. Melvin presently serves as the Sky City Cultural Center & Haak’u Museum Operations Manager. “I have lived on the Acoma Indian Reservation most of my life and I enjoy being a part of my native American culture and serving as an ambassador for my community in the tourism and hospitality industry”. My hobbies include trout fishing, hiking, and just being with family.
Karmen
S1Ep1 + S1Ep12
Karmen Zayas is an educator, artist, songwriter and singer who has taught children for thirty years. She earned a BA from the University of Puerto Rico, a diploma in Voice the the COnservatory of Music in Puerto Rico, a MM degree from New England Conservatory of Music, and pursued postgraduate studies at The Juilliard School of Music. Karmen is the founder of Tribeca Opera Company in New York.
Pat
S1Ep2
Pasquale is a restaurateur, husband, father and grandfather in Boston, Massachusetts
Inderpreet
S1Ep8
Inderpreet is an IT professional, a religious community leader, and a husband and Father in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
Catherine
S1Ep10
A native of Massachusetts, Catherine Marenghi is the author of Breaking Bread: Poems (2020) and Glad Farm: A Memoir (2016). Her award-winning poetry has appeared in international publications in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and other countries. Her memoir Glad Farm, which President Jimmy Carter called “inspiring,” tells of a life rooted in poverty on a former gladiolus farm, and the power of a house to change our destiny. She is active in the rich literary community of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where she has served on the board of the San Miguel Poetry Café and also co-founded Poetry Mesa, an international poetry community, along with poet Judyth Hill. She is currently working on an historic fiction, Our Good Name, based on her Italian immigrant ancestors; it is forthcoming in 2022 from Arch Street Press. She holds an M.A., B.A. summa cum laude in English from Tufts University and divides her time between San Miguel de Allende and Cape Cod, Massachusetts. www.marenghi.com
Joseph & Martha
S1Ep5 + S1Ep7
Martha Jay Hoover Senungetuk and Joseph Senungetuk are artists in Anchorage, Alaska. https://www.sinangituqarts.com
Kim
S1Ep1 + S1Ep13
Kim is an empty nester living in Newton, MA. Her daughter Michaela is married to Greg and they have 2 children Grayson (8) and Emma (6). They live on Ballston Lake in NY. Her daughter Hayley is an assistant buyer and lives in NYC. Kim is an ovarian cancer survivor surpassing all odds after major surgery and 2 years of chemotherapy. Kim loves tennis and skiing and winters and spends a lot of time in the Adirondacks . Kim just returned to work full time as a nursing home administrator . https://ocrahope.org/
Jan
S1Ep1 + S1Ep2
Jan is a retired executive, a husband and Father, a classic car enthusiast, and a singer/songwriter/guitarist. https://jazmusic.net/
Yulan
S1Ep4 + S1Ep8
Dr. Yu-Lan Lin has been a teacher/administrator for 42 years. She retired as the Senior Program Director of World Languages from the Boston Public School system in 2013. Lin served on various committees for the College Board’s AP Chinese Program from 2005 to 2015, she was the Executive Director of the Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools (CLASS) for twelve years, and was the President of the Massachusetts Foreign Language Association (MaFLA) in 2001. Additionally, Lin served on the Board of the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign languages (NECTFL) and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Lin is the recipient of MaFLA’s Distinguished Service Award, NECTFL’s Nelson H. Brooks Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Profession, and ACTFL’s Florence Steiner Award for Leadership in K-12 Foreign Language Education. Currently, she is enjoying her retirement and ballroom dancing, competing at local, regional, and national ballroom competitions.
John
S1Ep6
John Colvin: After graduating from Michigan State University in 1983 with a degree in Geology, I began working as a Health and Safety Professional. I obtained two professional certifications for this work in 1993; Certified Industrial Hygienist and Certified Safety Professional. I was employed by the Colorado Municipal Insurance Pool for 28 years before retiring and taking on two businesses as an entrepreneur. These include an art photography business and a real estate photography business. My greatest desire in my retirement is to see men freed up to know, serve, and be like Jesus. To actualize that desire, I serve as an Area Director for Man in the Mirror, serving the Denver Metro Area.
Steve
Rochelle
S1Ep6
Rochelle is a retired Social Investigator, an author, a widow, and a Mother.
Regge
S1Ep7
Founder of Global Film Network Inc., Producer/Director Regge Life is presently the Senior Distinguished Director in Residence at Emerson College. Prior to Emerson, he was on the faculty of Howard University. He is also a filmmaker with domestic and global credits. Residing in Japan from 1991 to 1995, he produced a trilogy of films and has been actively touring with these works in the United States, Japan and Europe. Screenings and lectures have taken place on the campuses of Harvard, Yale and numerous universities in the United States as well as at Keio and other top universities in Japan. His films on Japan are part of the permanent collection at over 800 colleges and universities worldwide.
In the area of Primetime US television, from 1986 to ’87, he served as a Director for “The Cosby Show” as well as Production Executive for the show. Following his work on “Cosby”, he helped launch “Generations”, the first and only daytime drama with an African American storyline, directed the situation comedies “A Different World”, “Sister Sister” and “Eve” and from 1998 to 2000, served as director for “Sesame Street”. He has been nominated for 3 Daytime Emmys. www.globalfilmnetwork.net
Bob
S1Ep4
Bob is a photographer, a retired educator, an entrepreneur, and a husband, father, and grandfather in Harvard, Massachusetts.
Carolyn
S1Ep2
Carolyn is retired from the legal field. She is a yoga instructor, wife, mother and grandmother in Kansas City, Missouri.
Judith
S1Ep3
Judith K. White came of age in rural Ohio and earned degrees at both Oberlin College and Ohio State University. A lifelong lover of language, Judith is fluent in French and Spanish and conversant in Dutch which she regularly refreshes during visits to the Netherlands. Her careers span Founder of Foreign Language for Young Children; Co-Founder/Co-Director of Global Child, Inc., and Director of Development of Latin American Health Institute. The following historical novel titles comprise Amsterdam Trilogy, based in the 17th century: The Seventh Etching, The New Worlds of Isabela Calderón, and The Rise of Dirck Becker. Judith’s memoir, Autumns of Our Joy - A Memoir of Romance, Stem Cells, and Rebirth was co-written with her husband, Allen L. White. The Carving: A Celebration of Womanhood in Stories and Skits explores the lives of 20th and 21st fictional American women. Parents of three grown children and grandparents of three, Judith and Allen live in the Boston area and Florida. They travel and speak frequently in both the U.S. and abroad. http://judithkwhite.com
Danny
S1Ep1 + S1Ep10
Danny is now retired from his waiter/bartending staffing business. He is still designing clothing for special occasions. Presently he is employed part-time as an actor at Northeastern University at the school of pharmacy. He enjoys preparing Sushi for friends. He also mentors a an amazing young man who he believes is destined for greatness. This summer Danny is looking forward to sitting on a panel for the Massachusetts Historical society, discussing his contribution to the state’s first black gay club.
Charles
A Bike Tour Leader and a longtime resident of Allston, MA, died on January 20, 2020 at the age of 73. An avid railroad fan, his death occurred during an extended train trip. Also a bicycle enthusiast, he led many bike tours and authored a guidebook to bicycling in the Lake Champlain area. After retiring from an IT career, he studied at MassArt.
Christie
S1Ep2
Christie is a professional artist, a former US Gold Medalist Ice Skater, an instructor at The Skating Club of Boston, and a Mother. http://allan-piper.com
Cori
S1Ep3
Cori is a ropes performer, competitive martial artist and a Mother in Texas.
Howard
S1Ep13
Howard is a filmmaker, college professor, husband, Dad and Father in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Jesseca
S1Ep9
Jesseca Ferguson is an artist working at the intersection of 19th century handmade photographic processes, collage, and artist books. Her images have been collected by museums and libraries in the US and Europe and have been published in numerous books and catalogues. She has received multiple grants and residencies to support her artistic and curatorial projects. Jesseca holds undergraduate degrees from Harvard University and Massachusetts College of Art and Design and an MFA from Tufts University (in conjunction with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston). Although she still offers workshops, she retired in 2021 from teaching studio art at various New England art schools and universities. Jesseca and her composer husband live in a co-operative artist building in the Fort Point Channel area of Boston, MA. www.museumofmemory.com
Mary
S1Ep5
Mary is an author, a pilot, a flight instructor, and a Mother in Maine. Over 22 years of flight experience including scenic flights, Part 135 Charter Service, and creating a flight school and Seaplane Base.
One of my proudest accomplishments is creating a vibrant aviation community in both the land and sea operations in the Lakes Region in Maine and Mt. Washington Valley, New Hampshire.
Her mission is to create professional land and sea flight training within the aviation community in Maine and motivate pilots to fly more often to maintain their skills.
Paul
S1Ep5
Paul is a photographer, filmmaker and veteran’s activist in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.
Rebecca
S1Ep4 + S1Ep9
Rebecca calls Pittsburgh, PA home and is a retired corporate executive whose work was in the finance and consulting industries. Her career was devoted to helping organizations and business leaders adapt and maximize their performance in response to political, social and technological change. She lived and worked in various cities throughout the US and after retiring spent a decade building an appraisal business and owned a furniture and curiosity shop. She now pursues traveling, life-long learning and free lance writing.
Sheila
S1Ep12
Retired after 14 years as Director of Educational Outreach, at Harvard Medical School in December 2020. Currently doing commercial acting & preparing to launch her podcast in May 2020; Pan Am Blackbirds. Conversations with African American diversity hires as result of civil rights act & their allies. What was it like to travel the world for Pan Am in the 1960-1970’s; the height of glamorous air travel?
Jeanne
S1Ep7
Jeanne Trubek moved to the Boston Area to attend graduate school in 1966 and never left. I received my PhD in mathematics 22 years later from Northeastern University. In those 22 years I also got married and had two children. I retired from teaching math at Emmanuel College in 2012 and since then have enjoyed studying German, bicycling, traveling, and volunteering at Massachusetts Peace Action to try to leave a world that is a bit better than the one we have now. http://masspeaceaction.org/
Michael
S1Ep6
Michael is a retired contractor, an avid golfer and cyclist. He is also a Widower, a Father and a Grandfather.