A Black Man's Sketch
The podcast features Ujamaa men, who speak from the heart about many topics and how they navigate life.
Learn more at: ujamaaplace.org
An OMG Studios Productions
The podcast features Ujamaa men, who speak from the heart about many topics and how they navigate life.
Learn more at: ujamaaplace.org
An OMG Studios Productions
Monday Mar 06, 2023
Monday Mar 06, 2023
Monday Mar 06, 2023
A Black Man's Sketch Season 3, Episode 3: “FATHERHOOD”
Ujamaa Place brothers Bryant, Maurice, Kaylan, Antino, Julio and Wes discuss “Fatherhood” with Guy Bowling, Senior Manager of THE FATHER Project About Guy Bowling Guy Bowling is the Senior Manager of the FATHER Project, a program of Goodwill/Easter Seals Minnesota. In that role, he has overseen the successful implementation of 3 federally funded grants. Including a five-year $2.5 million annual grant project in 2012 funded through the federal Department of Health and Human Services, through the Office of Family Assistance (OFA). His specific area of focus is working with low-income, non-custodial, never married fathers and their families in culturally specific, multi-racial, multi-ethnic and rural communities. He received his B.A in Individualized Studies from Metro State University. He received his Master of Public Affairs degree (MPA) at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. He received the Outstanding Individual of the Year Award at the 2014 Minnesota Fathers and Families Network Annual Conference. Born in Chicago, Illinois Guy grew up in North Minneapolis, MN where he annually hosts the Festival of Fathers & Families event, the largest fatherhood convening’s statewide focused on building relationships, co-parenting, connecting, celebrating fatherhood and providing resources for Fathers, Men, Boys and Families. He was selected as a 2020 Bush Fellow through the Bush Foundation Fellowship Program. For more information about the Father Project, go to: https://www.goodwilleasterseals.org/services/family-stability/father This episode is dedicated to all Ujamaa Men who strive to be a good father and put in the work to connect with their family under the connect with family Theory of Transformation program requirement.
Saturday Feb 18, 2023
Saturday Feb 18, 2023
Saturday Feb 18, 2023
A Black Man’s Sketch podcast is brought you in part by Shared Influence.
Season 3, Episode 2: “COMMUNITY HARM REDUCTION”
Ujamaa Place brothers Bryant, Maurice, Kaylan, Antino, Julio and Wes discuss ways to reduce drugs and violence in all forms plaguing the community. They also share what Black History Month means to them.
This episode is dedicated to the loving memory of all our Ujamaa brothers lost to violence. Rest in power.
Music credits:
“On A Mission” by Ujamaa Music Group
“Young, Gift and Black” by Nina Simone performed by Thomasina Petrus
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Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
Recorded in 2018, A Minute In Black History was produced to honor Black History leaders, voiced by leaders in the community.
This year's Commemorate Black History & Culture theme of cultivating the BELOVED COMMUNITY is supported by Ujamaa Place, Saint Paul Public Library, MN Humanities Center and Public Art Saint, in partnership with The City of Saint Paul, MN Arts Council, Young Rembrandts and produced by OMG Studios.
For more information, go to: https://ujamaaplace.org/commemorate-black-history-culture/
Community Leaders:
Monique Linder, Booker T. Washington (founder/CEO OMG Media Solutions)
Otis Zanders, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (former CEO of Ujamaa Place)
Dr. Charles Morgan, Emmit Till (former CEO of Union Gospel Mission)
Bukola Oriola, Frederick Douglass (Entrepreneur/Talent)
Kaseem Abdul, Mass Incarceration (CEO at Abdur Razzaq Counseling)
Johnny Allen, Jr., Poor People's Campaign (owner Johnny Knuckles, Inc.)
Monday Jan 30, 2023
Monday Jan 30, 2023
Monday Jan 30, 2023
A Black Man’s Sketch Season 3, Episode 1 “ADDICTION” with special guest Rashad Hameed, Ujamaa Place Wellness
Coach Guest Bio: Rashad is a native of Harlem, New York and a recovering addict in long term sobriety. He has served the Twin Cities and surrounding areas for more than 30 years through his work as a Licensed Alcohol & Drug Counselor (LADC) and Manager in a culturally based treatment organization (African-American Family Services) and as a Supervisor in Adult and Juvenile Probation in Dakota and Ramsey counties respectively. Rashad holds a BA and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management & Communications from Concordia University. Through the lens of his work, Rashad brings a culturally specific perspective and a clarity of vision, empowering clients to reach needed milestones for their personal growth and development. Rashad is passionate about social justice and repairing the harm that institutional and systemic racism has created in the community he serves.”
If you have a question or a topic that you would like us to cover, please contact us at: ABMS@ujamaaplace.org
Ujamaa Place is partnering with @SharedInfluence to spread the word about how harm reduction programs can keep communities healthy.
Sunday Dec 11, 2022
Sunday Dec 11, 2022
Sunday Dec 11, 2022
A Black Man's Sketch Season 2, Episode 9
Reflections on Otis Zanders' Retirement with Commissioner of Public Safety John Harrington
About Commissioner John Harrington
John Harrington was appointed commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety by Gov. Tim Walz in January 2019. Prior to his appointment, Harrington served as the Metro Transit Chief of Police for the Twin Cities area, overseeing significant growth of the agency and increasing diversity of the department from 5 to 50 percent. In 1977, Harrington began at the St. Paul Police Department as a patrol officer, working his way up the chain of command. He was selected chief of police in 2004 and served in that role until 2010. As chief, he addressed some of St. Paul’s most difficult problems. This resulted in numerous successes, including the development of innovative programs that have greatly reduced domestic violence and gang involvement. Harrington served as a Minnesota state senator from the east side of St. Paul from 2010 to 2012. Harrington has been on the faculty at Metropolitan State University, Saint Mary’s University, and the University of St. Thomas, where he has taught Leadership, Demographics, Community Oriented Policing, and Gangs. Harrington is a founding member of the Asian-American and black police officer associations. He helped launch and currently chairs the board at Ujamaa Place, a non-profit agency that works with African-American men to transition them out of prison and gangs to become productive community members. Harrington was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He received his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth University and master’s degree from the University of St. Thomas. He is the father of five adult children and has 16 grandchildren, and currently resides in the Twin Cities.
About Otis Zanders
Otis Zanders retired from his role as CEO of Ujamaa Place on September 30, 2022. Otis Zanders was raised during the Jim Crow era in Mississippi. He was the first in his family to graduate high school. His mother insisted he attend college, to which he obliged and was awarded an academic scholarship to Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, MN. Zanders credits his mother who instilled a value system based on his African ancestry of love, strength, determination and courage to fight for the most marginalized populations in society. Zanders’ internship with the Minnesota Department of Corrections during his final semester at Gustavus Adolphus College in January 1977, ignited his passion to serve his community by getting proximate to men involved in the criminal justice system and helping to transform their lives. During his nearly 35-year career with the Department of Corrections, Zanders served at various locations around Minnesota and retired as warden of the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Red Wing, MN at the end of 2011.In 2012, Zanders decided he was not quite ready to give up service altogether and accepted the role as President/CEO of Ujamaa Place.
Thursday Nov 03, 2022
Thursday Nov 03, 2022
Thursday Nov 03, 2022
Guest Bio: A Senior Grassroots Coordinator for Sphere, Senior Consultant to Alabama Power Company, and Founder/CEO of The Southern Youth Leadership Development Institute, Doris Dozier Crenshaw has over 60 years of community activist experience.
In 1955, at the age of 12, Doris served as vice president of the NAACP Youth Council, when Mrs. Rosa Parks was advisor to the Youth Council. After completing her degree at Clark College, she continued her community outreach in Chicago with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the Open Housing Campaign.
Doris began her professional career as Southern Field Representative for the National Council of Negro Women organizing chapters, designing rural economic programs (credit unions, quilting bees, grocery stores and pig banks), and health and housing programs.
In 1977, Doris joined the Carter White House Domestic Policy staff for the Small and Minority Business Issue Division, then moved on to serve as Deputy Director for the 1980 South East Region Carter Presidential Campaign. In the early 1980s, she was Special Assistant to Rev. Jesse Jackson and also served as his Mobilization Director for his Special Projects. In this capacity, Mrs. Crenshaw worked extensively in Washington, DC and nationwide with black businesses for the PUSH Trade Bureau. Doris then served as consultant to Vice President Walter Mondale and was later named National Political Director for the ‘Mondale for President Campaign’ in 1983.
In 1985, Doris was asked by Mrs. Coretta Scott King to serve as Director of Mobilization for the First National holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The holiday was officially celebrated in January 1986. Doris was then asked by Mrs. Dorothy Height to serve as the Director of the Mobilization for the First National Black Family Reunion, which was attended by more than 600,000 people, and then served as Director of Mobilization of the Black Family Reunion in Atlanta, Los Angeles and Detroit.
In 2008, Doris Crenshaw founded the Southern Youth Leadership Development Institute, SYLDI. SYLDI was created to address educational policy issues affecting our community. The organization has a national board of directors consisting of corporate, business, educational and government leaders that serve to engender interactive involvement and sponsorship. The National Board Members assist in identifying resources to promote program excellence and sustainability.
Over the years, Mrs. Crenshaw has been recognized and awarded various accolades from organizations around the country, such as, the Montgomery Improvement Association’s “Spirit of Humanity” Award (2005); the B. A. King “Appreciation Award” (2007); CEO Network’s “Cee Global Award of Ethics and Excellence Award (2007); the Perennial Strategy Group’s “Civil Rights Icon Award” (2008); the “Dr. Dorothy I. Height Award for Leadership” Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc (2011); “the Legacy Leadership Award for Humanity” Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (2012); and “the Alabama Shining Star Award” from Congresswoman Terry Sewell (2012); her most recent honor was to have life works read into the 2015 United States Congressional Record.
Mrs. Crenshaw is a life time member of the NAACP and a life time member of the National Council of Negro Women. She is also a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, First United Church of Christ and serves as an Advisor to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Non-violent Social Change.
The accomplishment that she is most proud of is her daughter, Dr. Kwanza (Mikki) Crenshaw.
Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
A Black Man's Sketch Season 2, Episode 7: Meet Interim CEO Michael Belton
Guest Bio
Belton has been a tireless advocate for the total elimination of racial and ethnic disparities and disproportions in Minnesota’s justice systems. He has encouraged focused-attention on creating culturally-rooted responses to youth of color, especially African American males.
Learn more about Ujamaa Place at: https://ujamaaplace.org.
Friday Sep 30, 2022
Friday Sep 30, 2022
Friday Sep 30, 2022
Ujamaa Place traveled to the deep South on its second annual Ujamaanomics Civil Rights Research Experience, confronting the history of slavery in America and the disparities that remain in place today. UCRRE 2022 explored “The Economics of Slavery and Lynching,” and how this history systemically perpetuates poverty and connects us to the present-day lynchings of George Floyd and Philando Castile, while navigating an economic system built on inequality that continues its linkage to the Transatlantic slave trade.
Ujamaa Men Mayo, Bryant and Royce host this episode honoring Otis Zanders at a special retirement luncheon at Equal Justice Initiative's Legacy Room in Montgomery, AL joined by a live audience.