AirGo
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091Since 2015, a podcast reshaping culture for the more liberatory and creative. Listen to longform humanizing conversations with artists, organizers, performers, comedians, scholars, and more who are reimagining Chicago and beyond toward liberation. Hosted by Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger.
Thu, April 17, 2025
Ep 369 - Stanley Howard, Chicago Police Torture Survivor Behind Abolition of IL's Death Penalty
Dame and Kiss have the honor and pleasure to talk with Stanley Howard, a survivor of torture at the hands of the Chicago Police Department and a brilliant force for justice in the struggles for both torture reparations and the abolition of the death penalty in IL. As a self-taught jailhouse lawyer Stanley created the Death Row 10, a group of torture survivors on death row who began the collective push for both their freedom and the end of state-sanctioned murder. Since getting out a little over a year ago, Stanley has been actively advocating for and supporting people on the inside through his work with the Uptown People's Law Center. Come learn from Stanley with us–this is a special one! SHOW NOTES Buy Stanley's book "Tortured by Blue" - https://www.semcoop.com/tortured-blue Sign up for Hazel's Seeds - https://www.respairmedia.com/help-this-garden-grow Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, April 10, 2025
Ep 368 - W. Kamau Bell, Legendary Comedian and United Shades of America Host
The guys get to chop it up with legendary comedian, author, producer, and commentator W. Kamau Bell on this episode! A renowned standup and TV creator, Kamau has been guiding USians through the nuances, dark corners, and contradictions of our relationship with racial difference and power. For seven seasons, he was the host and executive producer of the five-time Emmy Award-winning CNN docuseries United Shades of America, and won a Peabody Award for his Showtime docuseries We Need To Talk About Cosby. He's back on the road doing standup across the country, including in Chicago on April 25 and 26, and he took some time to talk with the guys about the relationship between standup and regressive politics, how he found his voice on stage, and much more. SHOW NOTES Buy tickets to see Kamau at the Den Theatre in Chicago 4/25-4/26 - https://thedentheatre.com/performances/2025/4/25/w-kamau-bell-the-den-theatre-comedy-club Follow him - https://www.instagram.com/wkamaubell Sign up for Hazel's Seeds - https://www.respairmedia.com/help-this-garden-grow Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, April 03, 2025
Ep 367 - Maya Schenwar & Kim Wilson, Abolitionist Parents and Editors of We Grow the World Together
How do our models of care and freedom inform, contradict, or help us understand what it means to raise young people? How does the experience of caring for young people fundamentally shift what we mean by abolition? You might be thinking "damn, those are good-ass questions–hopefully someone has compiled a beautiful anthology of writers and organizers reflecting on this!" If so, Maya Schenwar and Kim Wilson have got you covered. Both longtime abolitionist organizers, media-makers, and writers, they are the co-editors of We Grow the World Together, a new anthology exploring the intersections between caregiving and abolition. Featuring essays from a squad of brilliance including Beth Richie, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Dylan Rodriguez, Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, and many more, the book is available now from Haymarket Books. Maya and Kim join the show to talk about the project expanded their understanding of care, the ways nurturing should be at the center of our politic, and much more. SHOW NOTES Buy We Grow the World Together - https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2446-we-grow-the-world-together Listen to Beyond Prisons - https://www.beyond-prisons.com/ Check out Truthout - https://truthout.org/ Sign up for Hazel's Seeds - https://www.respairmedia.com/help-this-garden-grow Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, March 20, 2025
Ep 366 - Trina Reynolds-Tyler, Pulitzer-Winning Journalist Covering Missing Women & Police Misconduct
On this episode we popped over to the crib of AirGo fam Trina Reynolds-Tyler, who was last on the show back in 2019 (https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2019/4/25/episode-185-trina-reynolds-tyler). Over these past six years she has continued to be a vibrant, impactful force for justice and liberation in the city–from her work contributing the People's Grab'n'Go during the pandemic to her PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING project "Missing in Chicago," a seven-part investigative series from the Invisible Institute and City Bureau that reveals how Chicago police have routinely violated state law and police procedure, delaying and mishandling missing person cases. The report revealed a racial bias that disproportionately impacts Black women and girls, and how poor police data is making the problem harder to solve. Trina talks with Dame and Kiss about the project's unexpected teachings, what the recognition has made possible for her in her work, and what unanswered questions are driving her curiosity these days. SHOW NOTES Check out Missing in Chicago by Trina and Sarah Conway of City Bureau - https://chicagomissingpersons.com/ Peep Beneath the Surface, the overall data science project that investigates the intersections of gender-based violence and policing - https://www.btsurface.com/ Sign up for Hazel's Seeds - https://www.respairmedia.com/help-this-garden-grow Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, March 13, 2025
Ep 365 - Adom Getachew, Scholar of Decolonization and Worldmaking in 20th Century Africa
What happens when an international order comes to an end? What gets built in its shadow? This week's guest, Adom Getachew, digs deep with us into the attempts at worldmaking that were led by anticolonial leaders in the mid-20th century, who fought for different visions of liberation as they fought to dismantle Europe's colonial empires on the African continent and across the Caribbean. We break down what we can learn from these attempts at worldmaking, the range of different possibilities that were on the table, and how we might hold their determination to upend structural power in our work today from within the heart of 21st century empire. SHOW NOTES Buy Adom's book "Worldmaking After Empire: The Rise and Fall of Self-Determination" - https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691179155/worldmaking-after-empire Check out "Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica" at the Art Institute of Chicago until 3/30/25 - https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/10157/project-a-black-planet-the-art-and-culture-of-panafrica Sign up for Hazel's Seeds - https://www.respairmedia.com/help-this-garden-grow Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, March 06, 2025
Ep 364 - Fighting Through the Overwhelm with Asha Ransby-Sporn
AirGo is back, and we're kicking off our 2025 season by welcoming our pal Asha Ransby-Sporn back to the stu. Asha recently published an essay entitled "In the Face of Overwhelm," which serves as a sobering and pointed analysis of how we as a liberatory movement can make sense of and move through the inundation of structural dismantling and violence that the Trump/Musk conglomerate is reigning down on us everyday. We talk about what we can learn from our opposition, the value of studying those we disagree with, the complicated role of a movement home, and much more. SHOW NOTES Read the piece, copublished by In These Times and The Triibe - https://inthesetimes.com/article/billionaire-takeover-fight-overwhelm Sign up for Hazel's Seeds, our new EJ listening club launching April 8, 2025! - https://www.respairmedia.com/help-this-garden-grow Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles Associate Producer - Rocío Santos
Wed, January 08, 2025
Respair Presents: Carceral Fictions & Abolitionist Realities (Trailer)
Respair is kicking off the year by sharing a new project that we're proud to partner with and share with you! Welcome to Carceral Fictions & Abolitionist Realities, a series of narrative essays that reflect on emergent themes from conversations with Detroit-based organizers and futurists committed to abolition of police and prisons. Interweaving research with brief dispatches from speculative abolitionist futures, each episode draws together the voices of people working toward food justice, water access, educational equity, restorative justice, and Black liberation to connect thematic currents surrounding the abolition of police and prisons. In each episode, we look closely at the kinds of fictions that shape our current attachments to policing, prisons, and punishment to examine where they come from and how they affect us. At the same time, you’ll hear us explore abolitionist realities that counter these fictions and open up other ways of being. The series is presented in partnership with Making Room for Abolition, a body of work that imagines a world without police and prisons by making speculative worlds through the lens of a home. It was dreamed up, written and produced by Lauren Williams; essays were co-produced by Ayinde Jean-Baptiste; and the audio was engineered by Conor Anderson. Featured guests include Nick Buckingham, Curtis Renee, Tawana Petty, PG Watkins, Angel McKissic, Monica Lewis-Patrick, Nate Mullen, Sirrita Darby, Kim Sherrobi, Monique Thompson, and Myrtle Thompson-Curtis. Voice actors who read various excerpts from references are credited on each episode. Our theme music is the instrumentals from a song called Detroit Summer by Invincible and Waajeed, courtesy of Emergence Media. Full time-stamped transcripts are available at www.makingroom.online/essays. This show is presented in partnership with Respair Production & Media.
Wed, January 08, 2025
Respair Presents: Carceral Fictions & Abolitionist Realities - Episode 1
Respair is kicking off the year by sharing a new project that we're proud to partner with and share with you! Welcome to Carceral Fictions & Abolitionist Realities, a series of narrative essays that reflect on emergent themes from conversations with Detroit-based organizers and futurists committed to abolition of police and prisons. This is Episode 1, entitled Alienation from Ourselves, Each Other, and Our Needs. Joined by a chorus of voices and visionaries, Detroit-based artist Lauren Williams invites us to consider roadmaps to futures we hope for, through a focus on the everyday & the contradictions of neoliberal philosophy. Should everything really be for sale, will the market protect the worthy? First, a foundation: How do our ways of working separate us from our power and possibility? What exactly is neoliberalism, how did it become the dominant social and economic logic of U.S. civil society? What does any of this have to do with abolition? To answer that last question first, it comes down to criminalization and control. Detroit’s 2013 bankruptcy and civic fights about water access serve as examples of how accepting a logic of separation weakens our ability to challenge social problems that affect people in very connected ways. Williams illuminates the short path from privatization to deprivation, before limning the difference between the state’s compulsion to watch & the human need to be seen. The series is presented in partnership with Making Room for Abolition, a body of work that imagines a world without police and prisons by making speculative worlds through the lens of a home. It was dreamed up, written and produced by Lauren Williams; essays were co-produced by Ayinde Jean-Baptiste; and the audio was engineered by Conor Anderson. Featured guests include Nick Buckingham, Curtis Renee, Tawana Petty, PG Watkins, Angel McKissic, Monica Lewis-Patrick, Nate Mullen, Sirrita Darby, Kim Sherrobi, Monique Thompson, and Myrtle Thompson-Curtis. Voice actors who read various excerpts from references are credited on each episode. Our theme music is the instrumentals from a song called Detroit Summer by Invincible and Waajeed, courtesy of Emergence Media. Full time-stamped transcripts are available at www.makingroom.online/essays. This show is presented in partnership with Respair Production & Media.
Thu, December 19, 2024
Ep 363 - Divest From Despair: EOY Check-in with the Respair Crew
We get topical with our last episode of the year. Dame and Kiss welcome a couple other members of the Respair squad. The crew talks about a lil’ Luigi Mangione gossip, the inspiring abolitionist projects we’ve seen on the road this year, how Trump’s election win has impacted us all, and much much more. SHOW NOTES Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, December 12, 2024
Ep 362 - Movement Journalism And The Fall Of Legacy Media, live @ Socialism Conference 2024
We're excited to bring you this convo from this year's Socialism Conference, held in September 2024 here in Chicago! The last few years of political turmoil have unearthed the longstanding lack of public trust in the news media. As journalists who work in, outside and against legacy media, we had the opportunity to be in convo with some brilliant peers about the long and deep legacy of movement journalism that expands transformative, abolitionist, and antiracist movement building through truthful reporting. The session was captained by friend of the pod Lewis Wallace, whose book The View from Somewhere is a must-read about how the myth of journalistic objectivity harms journalists and community. We also were in convo with Clarissa Brooks, who is Editor-in-Chief of The Forge; and Ryan Sorrell, Founder & Publisher of the Kansas City Defender. Get in tune! SHOW NOTES Learn about Lewis Raven Wallace - https://www.lewispants.com/about Dig into The Forge - https://forgeorganizing.org/ Peep the KC Defender - https://kansascitydefender.com/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, November 28, 2024
Ep 361 - Standing Rock from 2016 (Dig in the Crates)
This week we're digging in the AirGo crates and revisiting one of the most impactful moments in modern social movement history–the encampment at Standing Rock in 2016. Kiss and a cohort of other Chicago folks brought supplies from Freedom Square in November, and had the privilege to spend a few days there. Upon their return, Kiss sat down with Kristiana Colon, who had been with him on the trip, to talk about the experience. The episode also features selections from the podcast Voices of Standing Rock, reproduced with the creator's permission. SHOW NOTES: Listen to all of Voices of Standing Rock: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/voices-of-standing-rock/id1173368814 Get connected to Oceti Sakowin, a group that formed during the encampment and has led the fight for indigenous sovereignty and environmental justice: www.facebook.com/OcetiSakowinCamp
Thu, November 14, 2024
Ep 360 - Rashid Khalidi, Historian Of The Hundred Years' War On Palestine
On this episode, the guys turn to legendary historian Rashid Khalidi to help parse and understand how we got here–a moment fourteen months into the escalation of genocidal violence perpetrated on the people and land of Palestine. The author of many books, including most recently The Hundred Years' War On Palestine, Prof. Khalidi talks about how he moves between the mind and body while witnessing and fighting against the destruction of his people, what he's learned from those who have engaged with his work, and how we must understand this escalation in the context of colonial violence and anticolonial struggle. SHOW NOTES Read The Hundred Years' War On Palestine - https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781627798556/thehundredyearswaronpalestine Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, October 31, 2024
Ep 359 - Maurice Mitchell, Electoral Alternative & Director Of Working Families Party
In the fraught last week before the 2024 election, the guys search for some nuance with Maurice Mitchell, the National Director of the Working Families Party. A nationally-recognized social movement strategist, visionary leader in the Movement for Black Lives, and community organizer, Maurice breaks down the vision and approach of WFP’s strategy to electoral organizing and helps us parse the value and limitations of elections as a component of transformative change. We also learn that he is the cousin of the legendary MF DOOM–just a lil fun fact for y’all! SHOW NOTES Learn more about the WFP - https://workingfamilies.org/ Find your polling place in Chicago - https://chicagoelections.gov/voting/your-voter-information Check out the Injustice Watch Judicial Guide - https://interactives.injusticewatch.org/judicial-election-guide/2024-general/en/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, October 17, 2024
Ep 358 - Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, Reparations Reconsiderer And Liberation Philosopher
The guys welcome Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, a brilliant philosopher and movement thought leader, to the pod. Táíwò is the author of Reconsidering Reparations and Elite Capture, two staples of the emergent abolitionist canon that have helped shape emergent movement ideology over the last decade. He talks with Dame and Kiss about who we mean when we say "elite," how the debate around identity politics obscures the ways power is being consolidated against us, and how we all are constantly philosophizing in our work as changemakers and living, breathing humans. SHOW NOTES Get his books - http://www.olufemiotaiwo.com/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, October 10, 2024
Ep 357 - Talking Chicago Housing And The Tenant Trap w/ Alejandra & Maya Of Injustice Watch
The guys talk with Maya Dukmasova and Alejandra Cancino from Injustice Watch about their new multipart investigation The Tenant Trap. The series, which is available now and linked below, found that tenants are regularly facing eviction and informal displacement at buildings with histories of serious safety violations, while the court system puts property rights above the rights of the people who live there. We talk with the dynamic investigative duo about their learnings, the two-tiered system of eviction and foreclosure court proceedings, and some pathways to address this chronic disposal and disregard of renters across Chicago. SHOW NOTES Dig into the Tenant Trap - https://www.injusticewatch.org/projects/tenant-trap/ Check out Injustice Watch's Judicial Election Guide - https://interactives.injusticewatch.org/judicial-election-guide/2024-general/en/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, October 03, 2024
Ep 356 - Yohance Lacour, Award-Winning Podcast Host & Reflective Chicago Voice
The guys keep it within the medium, chopping it up with award-winning journalist and storyteller Yohance Lacour. Yohance is the host of You Didn’t See Nothin’, a Peabody and Pulitzer-winning podcast about a 1997 hate crime on the South Side of Chicago that introduced him to the world of investigative journalism, examining how its ripple effects have shaped Lacour’s own life over the past quarter-century. We talk about his relationship to the wonderful and challenging medium of audio, what he’s learned from bringing this project into the world, and a slew of Chicago gems that help us all see our city a little deeper. SHOW NOTES Subscribe to You Didn’t See Nothin’ - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/you-didnt-see-nothin/id1662015767 Follow Yohance and discover his leatherwork - https://www.instagram.com/yohancelacour/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, September 19, 2024
Ep 355 - Lester Spence, Hustle-Knocker And Scholar Of Black Neoliberalism
The guys lock in with Prof. Lester Spence, whose decades of scholarship about Black politic-building, hip-hop, and the sociopolitical turn toward neoliberalism help all of us make sense of the contradictions our culture, political system, and economy pretend don't exist. He's the author of Stare In the Darkness: The Limits of Hip-hop and Black Politics (2011), and Knocking the Hustle: Against the Neoliberal Turn in Black Politics (2015). A longtime professor at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Lester breaks down how the turn toward neoliberalism affects all of us, the ways hip hop is still a battlefield for transformation of our culture, and much more. SHOW NOTES Get in tune with Lester - https://www.lesterspence.com/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, September 12, 2024
Ep 354 - John Perkins, Economic Hitman And Forging Force For A Life Economy
On this episode, the guys welcome writer John Perkins. Best known for his politically and socially significant text Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, in which he describes playing a role in a process of economic colonization of Third World countries on behalf of what he portrays as a cabal of corporations, banks, and the United States government, John discusses how we can forge new systems of being and creating that prioritize long-term benefits for all life on the planet. He also breaks down the five questions that can help each of us as we figure out how to take action to transform our world. SHOW NOTES Get Confessions of an Economic Hitman - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/726382/confessions-of-an-economic-hit-man-3rd-edition-by-john-perkins/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, September 05, 2024
Ep 353 - Eric Williams, Silver Room Owner And Community Jewel
Sometimes a simple title doesn't even come close to encapsulating who someone is or why they are important to the fabric of our city. This episode's guest Eric Williams is definitely one of those people. He is the owner of The Silver Room, a Chicago institution and brand whose mission is to create a global community through art and culture, as well as the owner of delicious South Side restaurant Bronzeville Winery. He talks with the guys about creating the iconic Silver Room Block Party (one of the most remarkable cultural gatherings in Chicago history), his long path from sidewalk salesman to space-builder and curator, and the tenuous relationship between building for his people and participating in capitalism. SHOW NOTES Swing by the Silver Room - https://thesilverroom.com/pages/about-us Feast at the Bronzeville Winery - https://www.bronzevillewinery.com/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, August 29, 2024
Ep 352 - Rev. Tanya Lozano Washington, Holder Of Health For The Hood
This episode's guest is Rev. Tanya Lozano Washington, the co-founder of community health and care organization Healthy Hood Chicago. Tanya talks about how she came to understand the links between personal and communal health, the lineages she stewards as a member of one of Chicago's most impactful movement families, and the complicated relationships that generations of sacrifice to liberation create. SHOW NOTES Get in tune with Healthy Hood - https://www.healthyhoodchi.com/ Come to a Sunday Session - https://www.healthyhoodchi.com/sunday-sessionz Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, August 15, 2024
Ep 351 - Sheila Bedi, Lawyer For Liberation
As Chicago gears up for the 2024 Democratic National Convention, we get in tune with movement lawyer and professor Sheila Bedi, who breaks down some of the changes in CPD policy that Chicagoans engaging in direct action should know about. We also talk about the beautiful, challenging, and important ways Sheila has provided care and protection for both organizers facing state repression and the family members of those who have been murdered by the police. Plus, some laughs through it all! SHOW NOTES NLG HOTLINE for DNC protest legal support - (872) 465 4244 Thread of support materials from NLG - https://x.com/NLGChicago/status/1823723532783886702 Get in tune with Sheila -https://www.law.northwestern.edu/faculty/profiles/sheilabedi/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, August 08, 2024
Ep 350 - State Senator Robert Peters, Champion of Transformative Incrementalism
In this episode of AirGo, we sit down with State Senator Robert Peters for a deep dive into the current political landscape and the transformative initiatives he's championing. Senator Peters explores how he contributed to the abolition of cash bond in IL, his commitment to getting tangible policy passed in contribution to movement, and the approach of transformative incrementalism that can make participating in legislative process fruitful and worthwhile for those fighting for liberation. SHOW NOTES Get in tune with Robert - https://www.instagram.com/robertjamespeters Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, August 01, 2024
Ep 349 - Manasseh, Singer Of Circles And Smiles
Singer, songwriter, and dreamweaver Manasseh joins Dame and Kiss for this freewheeling kickback of an interview. A heartfelt vocalist with pipes that pierce through, Manasseh shares some vulnerable experiences that deromanticize the artist's life and show the day-to-day challenges of pursuing a life built around your craft. SHOW NOTES Get in tune with Manasseh - https://linktr.ee/yomanasseh Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, July 18, 2024
Ep 348 - Live with Akenya and Page May from 2019 (Dig in the Crates)
This episode we dig in the AirGo crates back to fall of 2019, when we had the joy of hosting a live episode of AirGo with the brilliant organizer Page May and multihyphenate musical superstar Akenya, who will be performing this weekend at the always chill and fun Pitchfork Festival right here in Chicago. Enjoy this goofy and wonderful live episode (featuring a cameo from a newborn kitten) and come through both Pitchfork and Akenya's official aftershow 7/18 at Constellation. SHOW NOTES Akenya's Pitchfork After-Show - https://www.instagram.com/p/C8uIwakg-No/?img_index=1 Lock in with Akenya - https://www.instagram.com/akenyamusic Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, July 11, 2024
Ep 347 - Ashley O'Shay, Unapologetic Director
Grounded visionary and dope filmmaker Ashley O'Shay joins Dame and Kiss on this episode of AirGo. Ashley is the director of Unapologetic, an impactful and loving feature documentary capturing two fierce abolitionists whose upbringing and experiences shape their activism and views on Black liberation. The film premiered at the BlackStar Film Festival, broadcast on PBS POV, and was shortlisted for the International Documentary Association Awards. She's currently working on Southmont Drive, a film reflecting on the legacy of her family from Tuskegee, Alabama that's centered on her late grandfather and the 17 children he raised. She talks about the process of building trust with the folks she films, the learning curve of making a film in the midst of movement, and the fight to save her family home in Tuskegee. SHOW NOTES Watch Unapologetic - https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B09P5R5JQD/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r Support Southmont Drive - https://www.instagram.com/southmontdrivefilm/ Get in tune w/ Ashley - https://www.instagram.com/ashley.oshay/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Ari Mejia Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, July 04, 2024
Ep 346 - Senite, The.BlkRoom Co-Founder and Emergent Star
The guys head over to The.BlkRoom, a Chicago-based organization and co-creation studio facilitating opportunities for BIPOC artists and creatives across the city, to chat with the effervescent and protagonistic Senite! The vocalist, songwriter, and co-founder of this transformative community space talks about the grief rituals she's been moving through, the ways that exploitation in the music scene pushed her to step away for a while, and how she's finding her way back to the joy of creating. SHOW NOTES Tap in with The.BlkRoom - https://www.theblkroom.org/ Follow Senite - https://instagram.com/_senite Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Fri, June 28, 2024
BONUS - How to Survive the End of the World w/ Autumn Brown & adrienne maree brown
We've got a little podswap for ya with our friends Autumn and adrienne maree brown of the How to Survive the End of the World podcast! Make sure you go click subscribe on their wonderful show and get in tune with this show that delves into the practices we need as a community, to move through endings and to come out whole on the other side, whatever that might be. Subscribe - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-survive-the-end-of-the-world/id1309300649
Thu, June 20, 2024
Ep 345 - Live @ Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution
The guys hop on stage at the Court Theatre in Hyde Park for a live conversation with writer Nambi E. Kelley and director Tasia A. Jones about their new play Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution. The production covers the life of visionary movement thinker and organizer Stokely Carmichael/Kwame Ture, whose work spans from the early work of SNCC across the southern US to decades of Pan-Africanist socialist organizing on the African continent. The creators behind the play talk about the frames they built for the story, the ways that Stokely's drive has impacted their lives, and the healing potential of the archive. SHOW NOTES Learn more about the play - https://tickets.courttheatre.org/Online/default.asp Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, June 13, 2024
One Million Experiments PSA #2 - Screenings in Twin Cities, Durham, Detroit, and Indianapolis!
Come find the 1ME crew on tour over the next couple of weeks hosting screenings, performances, and conversations around our film One Million Experiments! We will be in Minneapolis on 6/19, Durham on 6/26, Detroit on 6/29, and Indianapolis on 6/30. Come say hi! Find all the info and RSVP at https://www.respairmedia.com/events
Thu, June 13, 2024
Ep 344 - Morgan Elise Johnson, Movement Journalism Leader & Co-Founder of The Triibe
We're joined by bonafide genius and bonafide friend Morgan Elise Johnson! Morgan's the publisher and cofounder of The Triibe, a digital media platform that is reshaping the narrative of Black Chicago and giving ownership back to the people. Their original works in journalism and documentary, alongside creative writing and video, capture the multifaceted essence of the Black experience in pursuit of truth and liberation. Morgan talks about the lessons she's learned pursuing acts of journalism in a media landscape that doesn't center integrity, the ways she's pushed herself and her colleagues to stay grounded in their values, and how she became one of the most influential figures in our city's political scene without striving for inclusion. SHOW NOTES Link with the Triibe - https://thetriibe.com/about/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, June 06, 2024
Ep 343 - Dylan Rodriguez, Pt. 2 - Insurgent Scholar-Activist
NOTE - this is the second part of our convo with Dylan Rodriguez. Hop back to the previous episode to catch the first half of the convo! The AirGo crew is joined by a longtime thought leader in the global movement for abolition, Dylan Rodriguez. Dylan is a teacher, scholar, organizer and collaborator who has maintained a day job as a Professor at the University of California-Riverside since 2001. His lifework focuses on liberationist, anticolonial, and abolitionist confrontations with the antiblack, colonial, and white supremacist violences that permeate the ongoing Civilization project. A founding committee member of transformative organization Critical Resistance, Dylan dives deep into the necessary work of insurgency, points to the ways that higher education feeds the colonial project, and provides some wisdom that we find really helpful in the midst of the Palestinian solidarity encampments that student organizers have been stewarding on college campuses across the country. SHOW NOTES Follow Dylan - https://www.instagram.com/dylanrodriguez73/ Read his book White Reconstruction: Domestic Warfare and the Logics of Genocide - https://www.fordhampress.com/9780823289394/white-reconstruction/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, May 30, 2024
Ep 342 - Dylan Rodriguez, Pt. 1 - Insurgent Scholar-Activist
The AirGo crew is joined by a longtime thought leader in the global movement for abolition, Dylan Rodriguez. Dylan is a teacher, scholar, organizer and collaborator who has maintained a day job as a Professor at the University of California-Riverside since 2001. His lifework focuses on liberationist, anticolonial, and abolitionist confrontations with the antiblack, colonial, and white supremacist violences that permeate the ongoing Civilization project. A founding committee member of transformative organization Critical Resistance, Dylan dives deep into the necessary work of insurgency, points to the ways that higher education feeds the colonial project, and provides some wisdom that we find really helpful in the midst of the Palestinian solidarity encampments that student organizers have been stewarding on college campuses across the country. Note–this convo is the first part of our convo. Catch the second half on the next episode! SHOW NOTES Follow Dylan - https://www.instagram.com/dylanrodriguez73/ Read his book White Reconstruction: Domestic Warfare and the Logics of Genocide - https://www.fordhampress.com/9780823289394/white-reconstruction/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, May 23, 2024
Ep 341 - Nicole Humphrey of NAHCreate, Advocate and Collaborator for Chicago's Creativity
This episode's guest is Nicole Humphrey, a thoughtful and consistent figure in the city's creative arts scene for the past decade. Nicole is an advocate and ambassador to the Chicago arts scene, and a talented artist in her own right too. She's the founder of NAHCreate, a marketing and strategy firm that offers innovative solutions for creative marketing and measuring impact through collaboration. She chops it up about the value of showing up as a volunteer, what she's learned moving in and out of different spaces with the same ethic of care, her new podcast Positioning Your Passion, and much more. SHOW NOTES Follow Nicole - https://www.instagram.com/childofgenius/ Follow NAHCreate - https://www.instagram.com/nahcreate/ Lock into Positioning Your Passion - https://www.instagram.com/positioningyourpassion/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, May 16, 2024
Ep 340 - Frsh Waters, PIVOT Gang Deacon and West Side Legend
The guys head to LA to talk with rapper, community presence, and Pivot Gang champion Frsh Waters. Frsh brings his whole self to the conversation, shares some remarkable Pivot stories from the early days of one of hip hop's best groups, and reflects on how incarceration shifted his relationship to community, artistry, and himself. SHOW NOTES Follow Frsh - https://www.instagram.com/frshwaters/ Listen to his music -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_1aeMCrxc0 Come through his 5/22 concert! - https://lh-st.com/shows/05-22-2024-kingtrey-frsh-waters/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, May 16, 2024
Ep 341 - Nicole Humphrey of NAHCreate
This episode's guest is Nicole Humphrey, a thoughtful and consistent figure in the city's creative arts scene for the past decade. Nicole is an advocate and ambassador to the Chicago arts scene, and a talented artist in her own right too. She's the founder of NAHCreate, a marketing and strategy firm that offers innovative solutions for creative marketing and measuring impact through collaboration. She chops it up about the value of showing up as a volunteer, what she's learned moving in and out of different spaces with the same ethic of care, her new podcast Positioning Your Passion, and much more. SHOW NOTES Follow Nicole - https://www.instagram.com/childofgenius/ Follow NAHCreate - https://www.instagram.com/nahcreate/ Lock into Positioning Your Passion - https://www.instagram.com/positioningyourpassion/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, May 09, 2024
Ep 339 - Kahari Rastafari, Visual Artist and Familial Collaborator
The AirGo crew is joined by pal and community stalwart Kahari Rastafari, a dope visual artist and wonderful soul who has been a participant in Chicago's creative and social movement communities for years. He is a part of the Mural Moves Paint crew which has designed and installed many large scale murals over the city of Chicago, and is a founder of Natty Bwoy Bikes & Boards, a free weekly youth program that leads and teaches skateboarding and basic bicycle mechanics to kids on the South Side. His art practice mainly comes from growing up in a creative household where visual art has always been a part of our shared passion and favorite form of personal expression many thanks to his mother Dorian Sylvain. He talks with the guys about the different forms he's enjoying, familial connection in his craft, and the Black arts lineages he stewards. SHOW NOTES Cop Kahari's work - https://kaharirastafari.format.com/ Follow him on IG - https://www.instagram.com/kaharirastafari/ Follow AirGo - instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, May 02, 2024
One Million Experiments - Bonus Ep! with Collective Justice
The crew snuck back into the lab for this bonus episode of One Million Experiments, which is being shared her on AirGo too! Dame and Kiss talk with Martina and Matt from Collective Justice, a Seattle-based restorative justice organization brought together by a diverse group of survivors and imprisoned community members in Washington State. Between their work with survivors of violence and survivors within the "belly of the beast" of jails and prisons, Collective Justice shows the revolutionary possibilities of connecting the different dots on the spectrum of harm and violence. SHOW NOTES Find One Million Experiments on tour! - https://www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com Connect with Collective Justice -https://www.collectivejusticenw.org/ RSVP for the Seattle screening of 1ME on 7/24/24! - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/one-million-experiments-screening-conversation-washington-hall-tickets-886455972677
Thu, April 25, 2024
Ep 338 - Angel Bat Dawid, Black American Music Oracle
AirGo gets interdimensional this episode with the multispacial multihyphenate Angel Bat Dawid, a Black American Composer, Improviser, Clarinetist, Pianist, Vocalist, Educator and DJ. An unabashed and unapologetic creative force in Chicago and beyond, Angel is a bandleader and performer in the tradition of experimental Black American music. She chats with the guys about ownership of lineages, dissonance on and off the mic, and how to move through the limitations of this-here three-dimensional realm. SHOW NOTES Connect with Angel - https://www.instagram.com/angeltheoracle/?hl=en Follow AirGo - http://instagram.com/airgoradio Find One Million Experiments on tour! - www.respairmedia.com/events Bring us to your community by hitting us up - contact@respairmedia.com CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, April 18, 2024
Ep 337 - Reginald Dwayne Betts Live!
This week's episode features a convo with poet and writer Reginald Dwayne Betts, recorded live at the Logan Center in Chicago. For more than twenty-years, he has used his poetry and essays to explore the world of prison and the effects of violence and incarceration on American society. The author of a memoir and three collections of poetry, he has transformed his latest collection of poetry, the American Book Award winning Felon, into a solo theater show that explores the post incarceration experience and lingering consequences of a criminal record through poetry, stories, and engaging with the timeless and transcendental art of paper-making. Dame and Kiss joined Betts on stage right after his performance of Felon to talk about liberation through recitation, how humor arms and disarms, and some excellent socks. This conversation was a part of Inside&Out, a convening about the humanities and mass incarceration hosted by Illinois Humanities. Thanks to them for inviting AirGo to participate! SHOW NOTES Read Felon by Reginald Dwayne Betts - https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393652147 Learn more about IL Humanities - https://ilhumanities.org/insideandout Bring One Million Experiments to your space by hitting us up at contact@respairmedia.com! - https://www.respairmedia.com/one-million-experiments Subscribe to AirGo - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Mon, April 15, 2024
One Million Experiments PSA - NYC Screening on 4/24 and more!
We've got a lil quick One Million Experiments-related PSA for y'all! We're going to be screening the film in NYC on 4/24–the event is at Starr Bar in Brooklyn at 8pm, and is free with RSVP! Sign up here - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/one-million-experiments-screening-conversation-starr-bar-tickets-873424996677 Hit us up to build a screening near you - contact@respairmedia.com Find all upcoming events - https://www.respairmedia.com/events Check out the trailer - https://www.respairmedia.com/one-million-experiments See you in the lab again soon!
Thu, April 11, 2024
Ep 336 - Rabbi Brant Rosen, Jewish Anti-Zionist Spiritual and Political North Star
This week's guest, Rabbi Brant Rosen, is the founding rabbi of Tzedek Chicago, a "Jewish congregation based on core values of justice, equity and solidarity." In the almost-decade of the reconstructionist congregation's existence, Tzedek has worked to build a Judaism beyond nationalism that centers solidarity, nonviolence, and spiritual freedom. Brant is also co-founder of Jewish Voice for Peace's Rabbinical Council, and a long-time spiritual and political leader in the struggle against the structural violence made possible by flattening Jewish life in service of white supremacy at home and in Israel/Palestine. He talks about his path to his politic, the heartbreak and resolve he's held since October, and the vision of Judaism that guides Tzedek forward. SHOW NOTES Learn more about Tzedek - https://www.tzedekchicago.org/ Check out Brant's writings - https://rabbibrant.com/ Bring One Million Experiments to your space by hitting us up at contact@respairmedia.com! - https://www.respairmedia.com/one-million-experiments Subscribe to AirGo - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, April 04, 2024
Ep 335 - Robin DG Kelley, Movement Mentor and Brilliant Scholar-Organizer, Returns
The guys welcome back movement mentor and brilliant scholar-organizer Robin DG Kelley back to the show. Robin is a Professor of American History at UCLA and the author of seminal texts Hammer & Hoe, Freedom Dreams, and other offerings to the radical canon. He joins the show to talk about his personal path to his politic, the ebbs and flows of movement, and the reality of Palestinian solidarity in the belly of empire. SHOW NOTES Bring One Million Experiments to your space by hitting us up at contact@respairmedia.com! - https://www.respairmedia.com/one-million-experiments Subscribe to AirGo - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, March 28, 2024
Ep 334 - Shawnee Dez, Community Luminary and Vibrant Musical Artist, Returns
The AirGo stu is blessed by the presence of community luminary and vibrant musical artist Shawnee Dez. Shawnee, who recently released her full-length project Moody Umbra, talks about finding the trust to show all of her creative impulses, the joy of playing for her people, the unexpected power of her project the Black JoyRide, and much more! SHOW NOTES Listen to Moody Umbra now - https://unitedmasters.com/m/63d1c88150866754bd51dcf6 Link with the Black JoyRide - https://www.instagram.com/blackjoyride/ Follow Shawnee - https://www.instagram.com/shawnee_dez/ Bring One Million Experiments to your space by hitting us up at contact@respairmedia.com! - www.respairmedia.com/one-million-experiments Subscribe to AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, March 21, 2024
Ep 333 - Prentis Hemphill, Voice for Embodiment and Politicized Healer
We're fangirling pretty damn hard over here because we have the one and only Prentis Hemphill on this week's episode! Prentis is a therapist, somatics teacher and facilitator, political organizer, writer and the founder of The Embodiment Institute who has been a centering and leading voice in the work to create new pathways to healing conflict and harm. Their work is to disrupt the complacency and comfort of mainstream healing and therapeutic models and infuse what we know of justice, repair, and accountability into our deepest work of transformation. So, you know, kinda the type of thing we stay talking about on AirGo! They talk about the language we've gained around collective healing, the challenges it contains, the rituals we've lost and must reclaim, and so much more. SHOW NOTES Make sure to preorder Prentis' new book What It Takes to Heal now! - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/726173/what-it-takes-to-heal-by-prentis-hemphill/ Link with the Embodiment Institute - https://www.theembodimentinstitute.org/ Subscribe to Finding Our Way - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finding-our-way/id1519965068 Bring One Million Experiments to your space by hitting us up at contact@respairmedia.com! - https://www.respairmedia.com/one-million-experiments Subscribe to AirGo - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, March 14, 2024
Ep 332 - Kennedy Bartley, Don Dada of Chicago Progressive Politics
The Don Dada is on the air! We're thrilled to be rocking with Kennedy Bartley, who has been a steadfast leader through Chicago's progressive political victories as the Executive Director of United Working Families. Kennedy breaks down her Waukegan backstory, how she imagines electoral work as part of the fight for a public good, and a whole lot more. SHOW NOTES Find your Chicago election voting site - https://chicagoelections.gov/voting/your-voter-information Kennedy on Through the Portal - https://soundcloud.com/airgoradio/through-the-portal-episode-4-grassroots-organizing-with-kennedy-bartley United Working Families - https://www.unitedworkingfamilies.org/ Bring One Million Experiments to your space by hitting us up at contact@respairmedia.com! - https://www.respairmedia.com/one-million-experiments Subscribe to AirGo - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 CREDITS Hosts & Exec. Producers - Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger Associate Producer - Rocío Santos Engagement Producer - Rivka Yeker Digital Media Producer - Troi Valles
Thu, March 07, 2024
Ep 331 - Bring Chicago Home with Brian Rodgers and Tynetta Hill-Muhammad
AirGo's so excited to be back in full effect and regular flow of conversations reshaping culture for the more liberatory and creative! With the Chicago municipal election coming up on 3/19 (early voting is open now!), we're starting off with a call to Bring Chicago Home, a referendum aiming to restructure the Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT), a one-time tax on properties when they are sold to create a substantial and legally dedicated revenue stream to provide permanent affordable housing for people experiencing homelessness. Campaign organizers Brian Rodgers and Tynetta Hill-Muhammad break down how their personal experiences brought them to the campaign, how housing justice is at the nexus of all issues, and how to combat the misinformation around BCH created by the real estate lobby. SHOW NOTES Find your voting site - https://chicagoelections.gov/voting/your-voter-information Support Bring Chicago Home - https://www.bringchicagohome.org/ Check out Respair Production & Media, our new movement media organization - https://www.respairmedia.com/ Subscribe to AirGo - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, January 25, 2024
Ep 330 - One Million Experiments Part 20 - The Conclusion with Mariame Kaba
This is it! We've reached the end of Season 2, and the last episode of 1ME (for now). And who better to close us out than our OG partner in decriminalization and 1ME creator Mariame Kaba. Mariame returns to the show to discuss what she's learned across twenty episodes of the show, the importance of movement-led archival work, how she understands the shifts in our political landscape since 2020, and the importance of the choir. Let's go out in style! SHOW NOTES Book a screening of the 1ME film! Hit us up at contact@respairmedia.com. Peep 1ME - http://millionexperiments.com
Thu, December 21, 2023
Ep 329 - One Million Experiments Part 19: Practicing New Worlds with Andrea Ritchie
On the penultimate episode of One Million Experiments, our hosts turn to collaborator and movement mentor Andrea J. RItchie. Andrea, who is the cofounder of Interrupting Criminalization, talks about how the emergent power of movement can sustain us as people and communities in the face of state violence. She also explores what she learned in the creation of her new book Practicing New Worlds: Abolition and Emergent Strategies. SHOW NOTES Practicing New Worlds by Andrea J. Ritchie - https://www.akpress.org/practicing-new-worlds.html Octavia Butler - https://www.octaviabutler.com/
Wed, December 13, 2023
BONUS - Malik Eternal (2023)
On the birthday of movement brother and beloved ancestor Malik Alim, who passed in 2021, we journey with his community in the practice of liberatory grief work that aims to uplift his life and legacy. Produced by Jeanette Harris-Courts
Thu, November 30, 2023
Ep 328 - One Million Experiments Part 18: Palestine Heirloom Seed Library with Vivien Sansour
The 1ME squad has the honor of talking with Vivien Sansour, the founder of the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library (PHSL), which seeks to preserve and promote heritage and threatened seed varieties, traditional Palestinian farming practices, and the cultural stories and identities associated with them. Recorded five weeks into the 2023 flashpoint of genocidal violence enacted upon Gazans and Palestinians across Israel/Palestine, Vivien reflects on how she is surviving from across the ocean, how she loves seeds more than ever before, and what is at stake for all of us in this test of our humanity. SHOW NOTES Join the 12/8 vigil on the Bard College campus - https://www.instagram.com/p/C0MIO7jMfJK/ Support Vivien and the Seed Library - https://viviensansour.com/
Wed, October 25, 2023
Ep 327- One Million Experiments Part 17 - Just Practice Collaborative w/ Shira Hassan & Deana Lewis
The 1ME crew welcomes the homies from Just Practice Collaborative, a training and mentoring group focused on sustaining a community of practitioners that provide community-based accountability and support structures for all parties involved with incidents and patterns of sexual, domestic, relationship, and intimate community violence. Collaborative members Shira Hassan and Deana Lewis talk through the intentionality of their design, what Transformative Justice should and shouldn’t be used for, and the importance of relationship to political experimentation. SHOW NOTES Critical Resistance - https://criticalresistance.org/ INCITE - https://incite-national.org/ Fumbling Towards Repair - https://www.akpress.org/fumbling-towards-repair.html Creative Interventions Toolkit - https://www.creative-interventions.org/toolkit/ Rachel Caidor - https://just-practice.org/rachel-caidor Saving Our Own Lives by Shira Hassan - https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1938-saving-our-own-lives Combahee River Collective - https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/combahee-river-collective-statement-1977/ Are the Cops in our Heads and Hearts By Paula X. Rojas - https://sfonline.barnard.edu/paula-rojas-are-the-cops-in-our-heads-and-hearts/ Pods and Pod Mapping Worksheet by BAY AREA TRANSFORMATIVE JUSTICE COLLECTIVE - https://batjc.wordpress.com/resources/pods-and-pod-mapping-worksheet/ NAVIGATING CONFLICT IN MOVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS by AORTA - https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e9ddc272ee6fa03a5f1ccbe/t/606249bda86e8a2d9f9902bc/1617054141617/CONFLICT+IN+MOVEMENT+ORGANIZATIONS_handout.pdf Healing Justice Lineages by Cara Page & Erica Woodland - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/710523/healing-justice-lineages-by-cara-page/ Let This Radicalize You by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba - https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1922-let-this-radicalize-you Practicing New Worlds by Andrea Ritchie - https://www.akpress.org/practicing-new-worlds.html
Thu, September 28, 2023
Ep 326 - One Million Experiments Part 16: API Chaya Natural Helpers
On this episode, the 1ME crew talks with some of the folks behind the Natural Helpers program at API Chaya, a Seattle-based org that empowers survivors of gender-based violence to gain safety, connection, and wellness. They build power by educating and mobilizing South Asian, Asian, Pacific Islander, and all immigrant communities to end exploitation, creating a world where all people can heal and thrive. Their Natural Helpers program supports community members in learning about human trafficking, domestic and sexual violence, the societal forces that create conditions for violence, as well as in skill building around how to respond to harm, injustice, and support survivors. We learn about the familial roots of the organization's work, how the sustained work of Natural Helpers has made healing possible, and the ways that grief work is integral to revolution. SHOW NOTES Support API Chaya - https://www.apichaya.org/ Connect with 1ME - millionexperiments.com
Thu, September 21, 2023
GUARANTEED Episode 7 - What's Possible?
On our finale episode, Eve takes her learnings from talking with program participants over the last five episodes and brings a final set of questions to the folks who have run two of the guaranteed income pilots discussed–Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, who oversees the Cook County Promise Pilot: and Richard Wallace, who as Executive Director of EAT Chicago has run the Black Future Fund pilot. Then she sits down with the GUARANTEED production crew to talk through our final takeaways, as we think about what new pathways are more possible when some cash is guaranteed.
Thu, September 07, 2023
GUARANTEED Episode 6 - Raul
Raul is a mathematician, movie nerd, deeply analytical thinker, and dad who is a participant in the guaranteed income pilot run by the municipality of Evanston, which is the suburb just north of Chicago. SHOW NOTES Learn more about Respair Production & Media - http://respairmedia.com Connect with the Economic Security Project - http://economicsecproj.org/
Thu, September 07, 2023
GUARANTEED Episode 5 - Topaz
Topaz is a health care worker, BDSM and kink educator, and Chicagoan who is a participant in the Cook County guaranteed income pilot, which recently was made permanent by the county. SHOW NOTES Learn more about Respair Production & Media - http://respairmedia.com Connect with the Economic Security Project - http://economicsecproj.org/ GUARANTEED is a podcast about what happens when regular people receive direct cash assistance, known as guaranteed income. it’s a show about the choices people make, the dreams they pursue, and the impossible things that become a little more possible when their money is guaranteed. GUARANTEED is created by Respair Production & Media and Eve L. Ewing, with support from the Economic Security Project.
Wed, September 06, 2023
GUARANTEED Episode 4 - John
John is a minister, grandfather, military veteran, and former Freedom Rider who lives on the West Side of Chicago. He's a participant in the guaranteed income pilot run by the City of Chicago. SHOW NOTES Learn more about Respair Production & Media - http://respairmedia.com Connect with the Economic Security Project - http://economicsecproj.org/ GUARANTEED is a podcast about what happens when regular people receive direct cash assistance, known as guaranteed income. it’s a show about the choices people make, the dreams they pursue, and the impossible things that become a little more possible when their money is guaranteed. GUARANTEED is created by Respair Production & Media and Eve L. Ewing, with support from the Economic Security Project.
Thu, August 31, 2023
Ep 325 - One Million Experiments Part 15: Philadelphia Community Bail Fund with Candace McKinley
On part five of our second season, the 1ME crew celebrates the work of bail and bond funds across the country by talking with Candace McKinley of the Philly Community Bail Fund. We learn about the growing pains of building a bail fund, the shifts in theory of change that have been necessary, and what the recent retaliatory raid of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund means for bond funds across the country. SHOW NOTES Philadelphia Community Bail Fund - https://www.phillybailout.org/ Black Mama's Bail Out - nationalbailout.org Critical Resistance's "Reformist reforms vs. abolitionist steps to end IMPRISONMENT" - https://criticalresistance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CR_abolitioniststeps_antiexpansion_2021_eng.pdf Bail Fund Network directory - https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/en/nbfn-directory Beyond Criminal Courts - https://beyondcourts.org/en IC's "So is this Actually an Abolitionist Proposal or Strategy?" - https://www.interruptingcriminalization.com/binder Amistad Law Project - https://amistadlaw.org/ Connect with 1ME - millionexperiments.com
Wed, August 30, 2023
GUARANTEED Episode 3 - Stephanie
Stephanie is a dance teacher, parent, and lifelong resident of the Southeast Side of Chicago. She is a participant in a guaranteed income pilot from LIFT, which includes one-on-one coaching programs that empower parents to set and achieve goals that put families on the path toward economic mobility, as well as the pilot run by the City of Chicago. SHOW NOTES Learn more about Respair Production & Media - http://respairmedia.com Connect with the Economic Security Project - http://economicsecproj.org/ GUARANTEED is a podcast about what happens when regular people receive direct cash assistance, known as guaranteed income. it’s a show about the choices people make, the dreams they pursue, and the impossible things that become a little more possible when their money is guaranteed. GUARANTEED is created by Respair Production & Media and Eve L. Ewing, with support from the Economic Security Project.
Wed, July 26, 2023
Episode 6 - The Center of the Gardens
We follow where Hazel's legacy lives in Chicago’s EJ struggles today, and commit to the mission of actualizing the legacy Hazel envisioned. Show Notes Support the work of People for Community Recovery - https://www.peopleforcommunityrecovery.org/join-our-fight/donate Learn about Respair Production & Media - https://www.respairmedia.com/ Music Credits Contact by Anitek Intelligent Galaxy by The Insider Smooth Lovin by Kevin Macleod Plainsong by dust motes Be Quiet by Jahzzar Ashes by AANI - produced by Adlai, mixing/mastering by Nicky Young
Wed, July 26, 2023
Episode 4 - Mothering the Movement
We hear Hazel become a mother of the newly coalesced global Environmental Justice movement and take EJ to the highest halls of power, while still connecting the dots in her home community. Show Notes Support the work of People for Community Recovery - https://www.peopleforcommunityrecovery.org/join-our-fight/donate Learn about Respair Production & Media - https://www.respairmedia.com/ Music Credits Hipster’s Meditation by IShaamin Contact by Anitek Money by Jahzzar Cooling by Audiobinger Be Quiet by Jahzzar Ashes by AANI - produced by Adlai, mixing/mastering by Nicky Young
Wed, July 26, 2023
Episode 3 - From the Center of the Donut
We learn about and from Hazel's early fights scrapping with the power of the state, and the new possibilities for healing that she created. Show Notes Support the work of People for Community Recovery - https://www.peopleforcommunityrecovery.org/join-our-fight/donate Learn about Respair Production & Media - https://www.respairmedia.com/ Music Credits Contact by Anitek Cinematic Sentimental Lullaby Sketch - Celesta only version by Gregor Quendel Morning by KV Be Quiet by Jahzzar Ashes by AANI - produced by Adlai, mixing/mastering by Nicky Young
Wed, July 26, 2023
Episode 2 - "They Should've Never Built This"
We go to the roots of the land where Altgeld Gardens sits and where Hazel's legacy lives, digging through the layers of indigenous, Black liberation, and personal lineages that make up the area. Show Notes Support the work of People for Community Recovery - https://www.peopleforcommunityrecovery.org/join-our-fight/donate Learn about Respair Production & Media - https://www.respairmedia.com/ Music Credits Contact by Anitek Talky Beat by Twin Musicom Cinematic Sentimental Lullaby Sketch - Celesta only version by Gregor Quendel Smooth Lovin by Kevin Macleod Too Cool by Kevin Macleod Green by Yoitrax Be Quiet by Jahzzar Ashes by AANI - produced by Adlai, mixing/mastering by Nicky Young
Wed, July 26, 2023
Episode 1 - Help This Garden Grow
Help This Garden Grow is a new podcast docuseries telling the story of Hazel Johnson, a visionary of the Environmental Justice movement and a resident of the Altgeld Gardens community on the far South Side of Chicago. We begin our story–the story of Hazel Johnson, of Altgeld Gardens, of Environmental Justice, and of how we each fit into the fight to change our lives and our world. Show Notes Support the work of People for Community Recovery - https://www.peopleforcommunityrecovery.org/join-our-fight/donate Learn about Respair Production & Media - https://www.respairmedia.com/ Music Credits Contact by Anitek Sunrise Drive by South London HiFi Intelligent Galaxy by The Insider Roy by JBlanked Spilled Beans by Gurty Beats Life Is by Cosimo Fogg Merry Bay by Ghostrifter Official Catch My Breath by Ambient Boy Be Quiet by Jahzzar Ashes by AANI - produced by Adlai, mixing/mastering by Nicky Young
Tue, July 25, 2023
Episode 5 - Inheriting the Shoebox
As her health begins to wane, Hazel passes the baton to her daughter Cheryl who guides PCR through the treacherous waters of attacks, blackballing, and disrespect. Show Notes Support the work of People for Community Recovery - https://www.peopleforcommunityrecovery.org/join-our-fight/donate Learn about Respair Production & Media - https://www.respairmedia.com/ Music Credits Contact by Anitek Mounsell Forts by Roger Plexico Cinematic Sentimental Lullaby Sketch - Celesta only version by Gregor Quendel Funk by Podington Bear Cooling by Audiobinger Be Quiet by Jahzzar Ashes by AANI - produced by Adlai, mixing/mastering by Nicky Young
Thu, July 13, 2023
GUARANTEED Episode 1 - Guaranteed Income 101
We're proud to share the first episode of GUARANTEED, a new podcast we made with our pal Eve Ewing! On the first episode of GUARANTEED, we start at the beginning–what does guaranteed income mean, what does it not mean, and how does it make freedom and dignified life more possible? Our host Eve learns from three of the world's foremost experts on guaranteed income: economist Damon Jones breaks down the socioeconomic impacts of guaranteed income, philosopher Juliana Bidadanure explains how guaranteeing cash can guarantee greater personal and collective freedom, and former mayor Michael Tubbs shares his experience administering one of the nation's most successful guaranteed income pilots in his hometown of Stockton, CA. Plus, learn a bit more about the Chicagoans we'll be talking to on the rest of the series. GUARANTEED is presented by Respair Production & Media and Eve L. Ewing, with support from the Economic Security Project. SHOW NOTES Get in tune with the Chicago Future Fund - https://www.eatchicago.org/chicago-future-fund-1 Come to the launch party of GUARANTEED on 7/14/23! - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-guaranteed-tickets-658516489547 Learn more about Respair Production & Media - http://respairmedia.com Connect with the Economic Security Project - http://economicsecproj.org/
Thu, July 13, 2023
GUARANTEED Episode 2 - Sherrif
Sherrif is a Chicagoan, father, community builder, and participant in the Chicago Future Fund, a guaranteed income pilot program for formerly incarcerated individuals run by community organization EAT (Equity and Transformation). Also, a small note for our non-Chicago listeners: 26th and California is the intersection where the Cook County Jail is located. SHOW NOTES Get in tune with the Chicago Future Fund - https://www.eatchicago.org/chicago-future-fund-1 Come to the launch party of GUARANTEED on 7/14/23! - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-guaranteed-tickets-658516489547 Learn more about Respair Production & Media - http://respairmedia.com Connect with the Economic Security Project - http://economicsecproj.org/
Thu, July 06, 2023
Help This Garden Grow, coming 7/27/23!
We're SO hyped to share the trailer for Help This Garden Grow, the second Respair project dropping this summer. It's dropping 7/27, and we're celebrating with a BIG release party at the Winter Garden in the Harold Washington Library. It's free and open to the public, come through! Here's the RSVP link: Help This Garden Grow is a new podcast docuseries telling the story of Hazel Johnson, a visionary of the Environmental Justice movement and a resident of the Altgeld Gardens community on the far South Side of Chicago. Hazel is the founder of People for Community Recovery, a 40 year-old organization that fights to address the toxic industrial pollution that has been killing the members of her community. Over the course of the multigenerational multipart documentary, we talk with organizers, policy-makers, historians, and community members about how PCR emerged and led, the legacy of Ms. Johnson's work, and how this marginalized Chicago pocket built the lineage of today's vibrant, impactful, and necessary modern environmental justice movement. Help This Garden Grow is presented by Respair Production & Media, Elevate, and People for Community Recovery.
Thu, June 29, 2023
Ep 324 - One Million Experiments Part 14: Queenie's Crew with Zara Raven
On this episode the 1ME crew talks tots and transformation with Zara Raven of Queenie's Crew! Queenie’s Crew engages children in learning about building communities of care without prisons or policing. Every month, members receive an email with an activity that kids can complete to learn more about abolition: they share activities like coloring pages, word searches, word scrambles, mazes, and reflection exercises. Using readings and art projects, the collective supports children in imagining a collective future where we are all free. Coordinator Zara Raven talks about how young people understand abolition, the catharsis and growth the collective has created for parents and caregivers, and much more. Plus, a squad of youth participants read See You Soon, the picture book on which the experiment is based. SHOW NOTES See You Soon read by Queenie's Crew - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAfg9sT1fYw&t=73s The Zine - https://millionexperiments.com/zines/queenies-crew Learn more about Queenie's Crew - https://queeniescrew.com/ Buy See You Soon by Mariame Kaba, illustrated by Bianca Diaz - https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1891-see-you-soon The Revolution Starts at Home ed. by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Ching-In Chen, & Jai Dulani - https://www.akpress.org/revolutionstartsathome.html Queenie's Crew Reading List - https://queeniescrew.com/resources Micah Bazant - https://www.micahbazant.com/ It's All in the Family: Intersections of Gender, Race, and Nation by Patricia Hill Collins - https://www.jstor.org/stable/3810699 IN OUR OWN HANDS: tools for talking abolition & transformative justice with little ones by Rania El Mugammar - https://www.raniawrites.com/inourhands.html Building Your Abolitionist Toolbox - https://abolitionist.tools/ Keeley Schenwar Memorial Essay Prize - https://truthout.org/articles/keeley-schenwar-memorial-essay-prize/ Erin Miles Cloud - https://www.movementforfamilypower.org/indexa
Tue, June 27, 2023
GUARANTEED with Eve Ewing, dropping 7/13/23!
We wanted to give y'all a peek at the first project from our new org Respair Production & Media! GUARANTEED is a podcast about what happens when regular people receive direct cash assistance, known as guaranteed income. it’s a show about the choices people make, the dreams they pursue, and the impossible things that become a little more possible when their money is guaranteed. GUARANTEED is created by Respair Production & Media and Eve L. Ewing, with support from the Economic Security Project. Subscribe to GUARANTEED on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/guaranteed-with-eve-l-ewing/id1692613772 Subscribe to GUARANTEED on Spotify -https://open.spotify.com/episode/3pG4XgMsH6jfqlnzYzkL3W Check out Respair - http://respairmedia.com
Thu, June 22, 2023
Ep 323 - Announcing Respair Production & Media!
We've got some news! Dame and Kiss are announcing the launch of Respair Production & Media, a new movement media ecosystem hub that supports the media needed to reshape Chicago and beyond toward liberation. Respair builds new media projects in partnership with social movement participants and visionaries, enabling their work to reach new audiences, and creates space for the ideological frameworks and material needs of those reimagining our world to be heard, shared, and supported. In this first season of Respair, we have three new projects, announced for the first time in this episode, that we are hyped to roll out throughout the summer. Get in tune and divest from despair with us! Follow Respair on IG - https://instagram.com/respairmedia Check out the website - http://respairmedia.com
Thu, June 08, 2023
Ep 322 - Bernardine Dohrn, from FBI Most Wanted list to Beating Heart of Chicago Movement
The guys have the great honor and joy of talking with the legendary Bernardine Dohrn on this episode of AirGo. Recorded on the land that she, her husband Bill Ayers, and five other families have communally stewarded for the last 40-plus years, Bernardine reflects on what she's learned about time, grief, transformation, liberation struggles, and love over a lifetime of battling imperialist white supremacy at an intensity few have ever experienced. We're so grateful for her time and love. SHOW NOTES If you're curious about Bernardine's story, we recommend the amazing podcast Mother Country Radicals, which tells the story of her involvement in radical movement and decades living underground through the eyes of her son Zayd. Listen here - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mother-country-radicals/id1625882016
Thu, May 25, 2023
Ep 321 - One Million Experiments Part 13: Ujimaa Medics with Martine Caverl
The 1ME squad talks with Martine Caverl of Ujimaa Medics, a Chicago-based crew of organizers, community members, and health professionals who offer training in Urban Emergency First Response, primarily to people who live in or love people who live in communities where shootings often occur. Martine breaks down how historical flashpoints like 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the murder of Mike Brown built the framework for the organization, the importance of invitation as a tool for building meaningful work, and much more. SHOW NOTES Support UMedics - https://www.umedics.org/donate/ Zapatista movement - https://nacla.org/news/2022/12/21/spark-hope-ongoing-lessons-zapatista-revolution-25-years Dr Luther Castillo Harry - https://latinarepublic.com/2022/02/15/a-look-into-honduras-new-secretary-of-science-and-technology-dr-luther-castillo-harry/ Damien Turner - https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/us/03cnchospitals.html We Charge Genocide - http://wechargegenocide.org/ Beyond Do No Harm - https://www.interruptingcriminalization.com/beyond-do-no-harm Subscribe to One Million Experiments - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-million-experiments/id1589966282 Subscribe to AirGo - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, May 18, 2023
Cottage Groove #24 - DJ Duane Powell Guest Mix
This Cottage Groove guest DJ mix comes to us from DJ/Tastemaker/Music Historian Duane Powell. Duane is the founder of SOUNDROTATION, and a lecturer on the heroes and hidden figures of soul music. Get in tune with DJ Duane Powell - allmylinks.com/djduanepowell Tracklist 01. Never Ending Song (Cherise) / Lil Louis 02. Don't Make Me Wait Too Long (Sophisticado Mix) / Gary Cummings ft. Carla Prather 03. Melodic Message / Glenn Underground ft. Swaylo 04. Keeping My Composure (BPM Messing Around Remix) / Sheree Hicks 05. The More The Groove / Stacy Kidd 06. Ninataka (I Want) / Anthony Nicholson ft. Koku Gonza 07. Packing For Chicago (Terry Hunter Remix) / Zo! ft. Muhsinah 08. Clap For Sierra / George G-Spot Jackson 09. Gotta Save Yourself (Miggedy Vocal Mix) / Sir Soundbender 10. Afro Journey Beats / Ron Trent
Thu, April 20, 2023
Ep 320 - One Million Experiments Part 12: Feed Black Futures with Ali Anderson
The 1ME crew gets their hands dirty this month with Ali Anderson of Cali-based experiment Feed Black Futures. Created in 2020 as a crowdfunding campaign to feed 20 families for two weeks at the start of the pandemic soon became an organization that feeds Black mamas/caregivers impacted by the carceral system in counties across California by partnering with Black and Brown-owned farms and food suppliers across California. FBF is committed to creating a world where Black people have access to high-quality fresh produce and the means and skills to produce it. Founder Ali breaks down what happened when she ended up with way more money than she expected, the bonds her work has forged, and the regenerative joy people get from keeping their hands in the soil. SHOW NOTES Support Feed Black Futures - https://feedblackfutures.org Soul Fire Farm Immersions - https://www.soulfirefarm.org/programs/bipoc-trainings/immersions/ Reparations Map for Black-Indigenous Farmers - https://www.soulfirefarm.org/get-involved/reparations/ Arissa Hall - https://www.arissahall.com/ Delaine Powerful - https://homecomingcollective.com/who-we-are Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis by Dean Spade - https://www.versobooks.com/products/2722-mutual-aid Barnard Center for Women Intro to Mutual Aid - https://bcrw.barnard.edu/videos/introduction-to-mutual-aid/ Generative Somatics - https://generativesomatics.org/ Liberated Life with Rev. Angel Kyodo Williams - https://www.liblife.net/ Subscribe to One Million Experiments - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-million-experiments/id1589966282 Subscribe to AirGo - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, April 06, 2023
BONUS - You Didn't See Nothin'
AirGo is hyped to share the first episode of a great new podcast from one of the members of our movement media community here in Chicago. The Invisible Institute just dropped You Didn't See Nothin'–part investigation and part memoir, the show follows Yohance Lacour as he revisits the story that introduced him to the world of investigative journalism, and examines how its ripple effects have shaped his life over the past quarter-century. Make sure you subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts, and keep an eye out for new AirGo episodes dropping soon! Subscribe - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/you-didnt-see-nothin/id1662015767
Thu, March 23, 2023
Ep 319 - One Million Experiments Part 11: Harriet's Wildest Dreams with Makia Green
AirGo, Interrupting Criminalization, and Project NIA kick off season two of One Million Experiments, our collaborative podcast showcasing and exploring how we define and create safety in a world without police and prisons. We start off in the DMV with Makia Green of Harriet's Wildest Dreams, a black-led abolitionist community defense hub centering all Black lives most at risk for state-sanctioned violence in the Greater Washington DC area. Makia breaks down the different pillars of their work, the ways their work is shaped by historical Black revolutionaries, and the unique challenges of organizing for liberation in the center of the U.S. empire. SHOW NOTES Learn more about Harriet's Wildest Dreams - https://www.harrietsdreams.org/ Harriet Tubman - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Tubman Ida B Wells - https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/ida-b-wells-barnett Ella Baker - https://ellabakercenter.org/who-was-ella-baker/ DC Safety squad - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WpC8yxRXU4RAWM5S2WHEjniIOjhuE0b07aKRf9bDqGA/edit Erica Totten - https://erikatotten.com/ Mary Hooks - https://www.netrootsnation.org/profile/mary-hooks/ The Body is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor - https://www.sonyareneetaylor.com/the-body-is-not-an-apology BOLD - https://boldorganizing.org/ Emotional Emancipation circles - https://communityhealingnet.org/emotional-emancipation-circle/ Generative Somatics - https://generativesomatics.org/ Subscribe to One Million Experiments - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-million-experiments/id1589966282 Subscribe to AirGo - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, February 23, 2023
Ep 318 - Rossana Rodriguez, 33rd Ward Alderperson and Force for Collective Justice, Returns
As AirGo continues its election coverage on our own terms, the guys are honored to welcome Rossana Rodriguez back to the show. As the Alderwoman of the 33rd Ward, Rossana has been a tireless advocate for policies that bring resources of care to her community and beyond. She is the lead figure behind the Treatment Not Trauma ordinance, and has stood shoulder to shoulder with organizers at many key moments over the past years. She talks about the progress of her campaign, the absurdities of Chicago's municipal structure, her entrypoints into liberation work on her home island of Puerto Rico, and much more.
Thu, February 09, 2023
Ep 317 - Brandon Johnson, Mayor of Chicago, Returns
As Chicago's municipal election approaches at the end of February, Dame and Kiss chop it up with mayoral candidate and liberation movement member Brandon Johnson. A longtime organizer and public servant, Brandon has been running a campaign championing many of the policies and campaigns that our movements have been pushing for, and has coalesced the support of grassroots organizations and progressive organized labor behind him as he elbows through the crowd of mayoral candidates. We talk with him about his understanding of what Chicago needs, his relationship to the movements that have elevated him, and much more. SHOW NOTES Find your voting locations and info - https://chicagoelections.gov/en/your-voter-information.html Learn about the candidates with the Girl, I Guess voter guide - https://www.stephanieskora.com/voter-guide Plan your ballot with BallotReady - https://www.ballotready.org/ Listen to our first conversation with Brandon from back in 2018 - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2018/4/11/episode-132-brandon-johnson Subscribe to AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, January 26, 2023
Ep 316 - Alec Karakatsanis, Crusader Against Copaganda
The guys are joined by Alec Karakatsanis, a lawyer by training who creates impactful, detailed, and thoughtful critiques of the ways that carceral sentiments and ideologies pervade corporate newsrooms. His twitter threads breaking down the work of the NY Times, among others, have helped popularize the language of "copaganda," and challenged reporters to understand and account for the ways their work feeds incarceration and structural violence. He breaks down the importance of these connections, the pathways to repair that he engages journalists in, and much more. SHOW NOTES Follow Alec on Twitter - https://twitter.com/equalityalec Listen to AirGo's convos about journalism in our Middle Suite - https://soundcloud.com/airgoradio/sets/the-middle-suite Subscribe to AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, January 12, 2023
Ep 315 - Lisa Lee
AirGo kicks off the year with the brilliant and wonderful Lisa Lee, a communal creative spacemaker who has fought for a public square for decades. Lisa is the Executive Director of the National Public Housing Museum, and is also an Associate Professor in Art History and Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, teaching faculty with the Prison Neighborhood Art Project, and a member of the Chicago Torture Justice Memorials. She talks with the guys about her journey to Chicago with a brief foray into the world of the 1%, what a public square is so pivotal for social movements, and how housing lives at the nexus of all battles against structural violence. SHOW NOTES Learn about the National Public Housing Museum - https://www.nphm.org/ International Sites of Conscience - https://www.sitesofconscience.org/ Listen to AirGo's convos with spacemakers in the Spacemaker Suite - https://soundcloud.com/airgoradio/sets/spacemakers-suite Subscribe to AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, December 15, 2022
Ep 314 - South Side creators Bashir, Diallo, & Sultan
AirGo ends the year with the illustrious creators of South Side! Dame and Kiss talk with Bashir Salahuddin, Sultan Salahuddin, and Diallo Riddle, who have birthed a truly hilarious and visionary TV comedy that shows the rich fabric that is the south side of Chicago. The three co-creators talk about legibility and illegibility of Chicago-specific jokes, how the show focuses on the funny, and how their neighbors and loved ones have both contributed to and responded to the show. SHOW NOTES Check out Season 3 of South Side on HBO Max - https://www.hbomax.com/series/urn:hbo:series:GYEaaAgS0AV9_ZwEAAAAC Hear AirGo talking with comedians in the LOL Suite - https://soundcloud.com/airgoradio/sets/the-lol-suite Subscribe to AirGo - http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, December 01, 2022
Ep 313 - Jared Ball Returns
What if we told you that we had a thoughtful, insightful, informed conversation about the relationship between American Black folks and American Jews, in the midst of the Kanye Kyrie Kerfuffle? Would you believe it? This episode is the proof that it is possible and in fact pivotally important. The guys are joined by repeat guest and friend of the show Dr. Jared Ball. Dr. Ball is a Professor of Communication and Africana Studies at Morgan State University in Baltimore and author of The Myth and Propaganda of Black Buying Power. He is also host of the podcast “iMiXWHATiLiKE!”, co-founder of Black Power Media which can be found at http://BlackPowerMedia.org, and his decades of journalism, media, writing, and political work can be found at http://imixwhatilike.org. SHOW NOTES Glenn Ford - https://blackagendareport.com/glen-fords-irreplaceable-journalism Black Power Media - https://www.blackpowermedia.org/ Sam Cornish - https://www.nyhistory.org/web/africanfreeschool/bios/samuel-cornish.html John Russwurm - https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/russwurm-john-1799-1851/ Freedom’s Journal - https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/freedom-s-journal-1827-1829/ Negro World - https://www.unia-aclgovernment.com/history/the-negro-world/ Black Panther Newspaper - https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/black-panther/index.htm Jamilah Lemieux - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2021/1/21/episode-271-the-notebook-suite-vol-4-jamilah-lemieux dream hampton - https://www.dreamhampton.com/ I Got the Light of Freedom by Charles Payne - https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520251762/ive-got-the-light-of-freedom This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed: How Guns Made the Civil Rights Movement Possible by Charles Cobb - https://www.dukeupress.edu/this-nonviolent-stuffll-get-you-killed Hammer and Hoe by Robin DG Kelley - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2020/7/19/episode-255-the-abolition-suite-vol-4-robin-dg-kelley Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement by Barbara Ransby - https://uncpress.org/book/9780807856161/ella-baker-and-the-black-freedom-movement/ David Gilbert - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gilbert_(activist) Edgar Bronfman Jr. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Bronfman_Jr. Annie Levin on the history of zionism - https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/isr-iso/2002/no24/levin.html Subscribe to AirGo - http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, November 17, 2022
Ep 312 - Treatment Not Trauma Pt. 2 with Asha Ransby-Sporn & Cheryl Miller
AirGo is joined by Treatment Not Trauma organizers Asha Ransby-Sporn of DefundCPD and Cheryl Miller from STOP to break down the blowout win of the Treatment Not Trauma referendum on Election Day 2022. They talk about what they learned across months of conversations with thousands of residents in the 6th, 20th, and 33rd wards, and break down how the fight for mental health is a frontier in the battle against privatization and divestment. Support the work of the Defund CPD - https://twitter.com/defundcpdchi?lang=en Support the work of STOP - https://www.stopchicago.org/ Subscribe to AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, November 03, 2022
Ep 311 - Treatment Not Trauma Pt. 1 with Delaine Powerful
With a trip to the ballot box just around the corner on November 8, AirGo hops on the line to discuss an impactful referendum that several Chicago wards will have the chance to vote on next week. As a result of organizing from the Treatment Not Trauma coalition, Chicagoans in the 6th, 20th, and 33rd wards will be asked whether Chicago should reopen the mental health clinics that were shuttered over a decade ago, and whether funds from CPD should be used to fund a non-police mental health crisis response program. We break down the referendum and its importance with Delaine Powerful, who has been central to the campaign in the 20th ward. SHOW NOTES Find your polling location - https://chicagoelections.gov/en/your-voter-information.html Volunteer with the campaign - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFQV6pQyVaMkxYozDVuMX1Zy8ffcQP8Ka6duvhvkuoWKBCEw/viewform Subscribe to AirGo - http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, October 06, 2022
Ep 310 - One Million Experiments Part 10: Chicago Torture Justice Center
On the final episode of Season 1, the 1ME crew talks with two of the leaders of the remarkable Chicago Torture Justice Center, an experiment born from the first police torture reparations victory in the history of the United States. Survivors and their families fought for decades for access to the trauma-informed resources and politicized healing support that the Center now offers. CTJC Community Organizer Mark Clements and Co-Executive Director Aislinn Pulley discuss the birth of the center, expanding definitions of repair and reparation, and what healing looks like for survivors of torture by the Chicago Police Department. SHOW NOTES Support the Survivor Repair Fund - https://www.chicagotorturejustice.org/repairfund Listen to CTJC Event Series from May 2021 - https://soundcloud.com/airgoradio/sets/chicago-torture-justice-center Learn more about CTJC - https://www.chicagotorturejustice.org/ We Charge Genocide - http://wechargegenocide.org/ Damo Day - http://www.usprisonculture.com/blog/2015/05/20/we-do-this-for-damo/ Rekia Boyd - https://exhibits.stanford.edu/saytheirnames/feature/rekia-boyd Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. - https://twitter.com/chairmanfredjr1?lang=en People’s Law Office - https://peopleslawoffice.com/ Jane Elliot - https://janeelliott.com/ Prentis Hemphill - https://prentishemphill.com/ Generative Somatics - https://generativesomatics.org/about-us/ Subscribe to 1ME - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-million-experiments/id1589966282
Thu, September 29, 2022
Ep 309 - Ravyn Lenae Listening Party
From time to time, a Chicago artist drops a new project that the AirGo crew is vibing with–when that happens, we get them on the line for a special listening party episode! Using a few of the project's tracks as jumping off points for the conversation, we dive deep into process, creativity, and growth. This listening party reconnects us with AirGo fam and emerging superstar Ravyn Lenae. Ravyn, who first appeared on the show back in October of 2015 on Episode 14, just dropped her debut full-length Hypnos. We break down the types of growth that led to the sounds of the project, how she's learned to trust her voice, and the ways she is interested in contributing to community beyond her music. SHOW NOTES Listen to Hypnos - https://ravynlenae.lnk.to/Hypnos Follow Ravyn - https://www.instagram.com/ravynlenae/ Hear all of AirGo's listening party episodes - https://soundcloud.com/airgoradio/sets/airgo-listening-parties @ravynlenaesounds
Thu, September 22, 2022
Through the Portal Episode 5 - Climate Justice with Leah Penniman
Through the Portal is a podcast from the Social Justice Portal Project, a national collaborative think tank hosted by the Social Justice Initiative at the University of Illinois Chicago. Each month, grassroots activists and radical scholars will give voice to community struggles, national strategies and sustainable alternatives for the future. The guest speakers, who are also Portal Project participants, explore what it means to walk through the portal of the current moment by centering racial and social justice issues. On the final episode of the series, Dame and Teresa are joined by the brilliant Leah Penniman. A leading voice in the fight for food and land sovereignty for Black farmers and community, Leah is the Co-Director and Farm Manager of Soul Fire Farm, an Afro-Indigenous centered community farm in upstate New York. She talks about the deeply rooted connections between our food systems and incarceration, how Afro-Indigenous planting practices protect and rejuvenate the land, and how the organization has grown from dropping off carrots to hungry neighbors to leading the fight to reimagine our food systems (while still dropping off carrots to neighbors). SHOW NOTES Tiffany LaShae - https://www.soulfirefarm.org/food-sovereignty-education/3d/tiffany-lashae/ Soul Fire farm - https://www.soulfirefarm.org Farming While Black - https://www.soulfirefarm.org/media/farming-while-black/ Baba Curtis Muhammad - https://snccdigital.org/people/curtis-hayes/ Freedom Food Alliance - https://freedomfoodalliance.wordpress.com/ Rev Garrison Frazier - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrison_Frazier Greenwood food blockade - https://www.southernfoodways.org/the-greenwood-food-blockade/ Dr Gail Myers - https://www.drgailmyers.com/ Rhythms of the Land - https://www.rhythmsoftheland.com/ Booker T Whatley - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/you-can-thank-black-horticulturist-booker-t-whatley-your-csa-180977771/ Kombit (Haitian Work Parties) - http://www.haitiobserver.com/blog/the-agricultural-system-of-kombit-in-haiti.html Phytoremediation - https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-04/documents/a_citizens_guide_to_phytoremediation.pdf Hazel Johnson - https://www.peopleforcommunityrecovery.org/ Karen Washington - https://www.karenthefarmer.com/about All We Can Save - https://www.allwecansave.earth/ Working the Roots - https://bookshop.org/books/working-the-roots-over-400-years-of-traditional-african-american-healing/9780692857878 Freedom Farmers - https://uncpress.org/book/9781469643700/freedom-farmers/ Black Nature - https://ugapress.org/book/9780820334318/black-nature/ Highlander Center - https://highlandercenter.org/ Reparations map - https://www.soulfirefarm.org/get-involved/reparations/ Learn more about the Portal Project - sjiportalproject.com/ Subscribe to AirGo - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, September 08, 2022
Ep 308 - One Million Experiments Part 9: WA Roundtable
1ME heads to the Pacific Northwest on this episode to learn from a roundtable of experiments in Washington. With Kiss out on vacation, Eva joins Dame in conversation with JM Wong, a writer and activist in Seattle; Cassandra Butler of Free Them All WA, a collective committed to the abolition of the criminal punishment system in WA that began as a subset of Covid 19 Mutual Aid; and Zhou Shuxuan of the Massage Parlor Outreach Project, a grassroots formation of Asian/Asian American community members organizing to provide support for migrant Asian massage parlor workers, sex workers, and care workers. The squad talks about the ways that criminalization intersects with Asian migrant experiences, food and communication as the building blocks of organization, how they adapted their approaches in the era of pandemic, and much more. SHOW NOTES Learn more about MPOP - https://www.mpopsea.org/ Support Free Them All WA - https://www.facebook.com/FreeThemAllWa/ Get in tune with APICAG - https://www.facebook.com/people/APICAGAsian-Pacific-Islander-Cultural-Awareness-Group/100069203014149/ Subscribe to 1ME - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-million-experiments/id1589966282 Subscribe to AirGo - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 Dig into One Million Experiments - https://millionexperiments.com/
Thu, September 01, 2022
Ep 307 - ThoughtPoet
This episode's guest is community stalwart, photographer, and spacemaker ThoughtPoet. A longtime participant in creative and social movement spaces in Chicago, Thought has emerged as a curator and creative organizer in his own right over the last few years. His photography has shown the vulnerability and humanity of artists and organizers, and the conversations his exhibitions facilitate have been important for liberatory movement. We talk about this growth into a spacemaker role, the ups and downs of participating in these communities, and tenderness as a challenge and asset. SHOW NOTES Follow ThoughtPoet - https://www.instagram.com/thoughtpoet77/ Bring AirGo to your campus or organization - https://airgoradio.com/booking
Thu, August 25, 2022
Through the Portal Episode 4 - Grassroots Organizing with Kennedy Bartley
Through the Portal is a podcast from the Social Justice Portal Project, a national collaborative think tank hosted by the Social Justice Initiative at the University of Illinois Chicago. Each month, grassroots activists and radical scholars will give voice to community struggles, national strategies and sustainable alternatives for the future. The guest speakers, who are also Portal Project participants, explore what it means to walk through the portal of the current moment by centering racial and social justice issues. This episode's guest, Kennedy Bartley, is a Chicago-based organizer and thinker who until recently served as the Legislative Director of United Working Families Chicago and has been a central force behind the Defund CPD campaign. Kennedy breaks down the radical potential of contesting the electoral space, the value of participatory democracy, and how contested coalition with elected officials can be a pathway to tangible, liberatory change. SHOW NOTES UWF Chicago - https://www.unitedworkingfamilies.org/ Defund CPD - https://linktr.ee/defundcpd Learn more about the Portal Project: http://sjiportalproject.com/
Thu, August 11, 2022
Ep 306 - Dixon Romeo
The guys have the opportunity to chop it up with organizing stalwart and long-time comrade Dixon Romeo. Dixon is the Campaigns Director for United Working Families, and is one of the cofounders of Not Me We, a group building community power in South Shore. He breaks down his tactics and methodologies for supporting his neighbors in the fight for housing protections, how the Obama Presidential Center is already impacting South Shore, and how a leaderful movement is the only path forward. SHOW NOTES United Working Families - https://www.unitedworkingfamilies.org/ Not Me We - https://instagram.com/notmewe_ Follow Dixon - https://www.instagram.com/dixonromeo/
Thu, August 04, 2022
Cottage Groove #23 - Ariel Zetina Guest Mix
This month's Cottage Groove guest DJ mix comes to us from Ariel Zetina. Ariel is a Chicago based artist, focusing in music production and deejaying. Though her music can be considered techno, she takes inspiration from Chicago house, Belizean genres punta and brukdown, and the queer club scene worldwide. She's a resident DJ at the legendary Smartbar here in Chicago. You can hear more of her music here: https://linktr.ee/arielzetina. Hear all of the Cottage Groove Mixes: http://soundcloud.com/airgoradio/sets/cottage-groove-mixes TRACKLIST DJ Gigola, Kev Koko, Perra Inmuda - No Es Amor CVNT TR4XXX - Can't Hide From House Jesse Saunders ft. Banig - Rock It (Col Lawton Dub) Annika Wolfe - Vibrate (No Vox) Tinashe - X (ft. Jeremih) O'ner - Magnetic Feel D. Tiffany, Roza Terenzi - Liquorice Skritch Ariel Zetina x ???????- ?????? (forthcoming) Laenz - Leopard Gate Maurice & Da Posse - I Got A Big Dick Michael Andrews - Goldfish DEBIT - 5th Night Maara - Take the Wheel Miss Sweetie dj genderfluid - let's get funky RAVETRX & Mani Festo - Feels Good Inside Bitter Babe & Nick Leon - Delirio Mister Wallace - HATERAID (Ariel Zetina Remix) Wilhemina x Jasmine Infiniti - Im Baby PlayPlay - Maneuvers (Drvmmy Remix) Ikävä Pii - East Wing Oslo House aya - and eats itself and eats itself and eats itself Club Politix - Morning Recording Viikatory - Assigned to Main Mix Asquith - Forget the Past Sophie B. Hawkins - As I Lay Me Down
Thu, July 28, 2022
(Español) Ep 305 - One Million Experiments Parte 8: Taller Salud con Zinnia Alejandro
¡El equipo de 1ME está muy feliz de recibir a Zinnia Alejandro de Taller Salud en el podcast! Zinnia es la directora del programa Acuerdo de Paz a Taller Salud, una organización feminista de base comunitaria dedicada a mejorar el acceso de las mujeres a la salud, reducir la violencia en entornos comunitarios y fomentar el desarrollo económico a través de la educación y el activismo. Fundada en 1979, Taller Salud es una organización independiente, no gubernamental, sin fines de lucro. Para nuestro primer episodio bilingüe, estamos publicando dos versiones, una en inglés y otra en español. Puede encontrar ambas versiones en el feed de su podcast, así como las transcripciones disponibles en los sitios web de AirGo y One Million Experiments. Gracias a nuestro coanfitriona Melissa Duprey, y tambien a Franceli Chapman-Varela para narración en traducción. SHOW NOTES: Lee la transcripción aquí - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rdiZLmrED-52ivnsCwiHSxqyoRp0VSIP/view?usp=sharing Aprende mas - https://www.tallersalud.com/ Escucha a One Million Experiments en ingles - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-million-experiments/id1589966282
Thu, July 28, 2022
(English) Ep 305 - One Million Experiments Part 8: Taller Salud with Zinnia Alejandro
The 1ME team is so hyped to welcome Zinnia Alejandro from Taller Salud onto the pod! Zinnia is the director of the Acuerdo de Paz (peace accord) program at Taller Salud, which is a community based feminist organization dedicated to improving women’s access to health care, to reducing violence within the community and to encourage economic growth through education and activism. Founded in 1979, the organization is based in Loíza, Puerto Rico. For our first bilingual episode, we are releasing two versions–one in English and one in Spanish. You can find both versions on your podcast feed, as well as transcripts available on the AirGo and One Million Experiments websites. SHOW NOTES Read the transcript here - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xZ8kx62HGbMEvS68ONLgrXpRrIrZU9QP/view?usp=sharing Learn more about Taller Salud - https://www.tallersalud.com/
Thu, July 21, 2022
Through The Portal Episode 3 - Global Justice with Harsha Walia
Through the Portal is a podcast from the Social Justice Portal Project, a national collaborative think tank hosted by the Social Justice Initiative at the University of Illinois Chicago. Each month, grassroots activists and radical scholars will give voice to community struggles, national strategies and sustainable alternatives for the future. The guest speakers, who are also Portal Project participants, explore what it means to walk through the portal of the current moment by centering racial and social justice issues. On Episode 3, Damon and Teresa talk with Harsha Walia. Harsha is the award-winning author of Undoing Border Imperialism (2013) and, most recently, Border and Rule (2021). Trained in the law, she is a community organizer and campaigner in migrant justice, anti-capitalist, feminist, and anti-imperialist movements, including No One Is Illegal and Women’s Memorial March Committee. She breaks down how borders are central to carceral systems, the lessons to be learned from indigenous boundary protection, and what is more possible when we emerge through the portal into a borderless world. SHOW NOTES Learn more about Harsha's work - https://twitter.com/HarshaWalia Learn more about the Portal Project: https://sjiportalproject.com/
Thu, July 14, 2022
BONUS - Chicago Transformation Collab w/ Insha Rahman, Sam Sinyangwe, Sharone Mitchell & Lacy Wright
On this bonus episode, we hear a conversation recorded live at the Chicago Transformation Collab on June 26th, 2022. The Collab brought together a select community of leaders to get aligned in the current moment, have transformative conversations, and build stronger collaborative visions in the fight against fearmongering, carceral policies, and attempts to rollback modest reforms. This conversation, entitled "What We're Up Against," discusses the tension between the messages we want to share, and the messages people are ready to hear. In a conversation that centers the importance of this moment for narrative alignment in Chicago, panelists will discuss tactics that have succeeded or faltered in the past and what lessons we can glean from such outcomes. Participants include: Insha Rahman, Vice President of Advocacy and Partnerships, Vera Institute of Justice Sam Sinynagwe, Founder, Mapping Police Violence & Police Scorecard Sharone Mitchell, Public Defender, Cook County Lacy Wright, Executive Director, Hillman Grad Foundation SHOW NOTES Learn about the Chicago Transformation Summit: http://chicagotransformation.org/summit/
Thu, June 30, 2022
BONUS - Talking Toward Repair @ Columbia University's Oral History Masters Program
The guys recently had the opportunity to be a part of Columbia University's Anti-Oppression and Decolonial Oral History workshop series. They hosted the final workshop in the series, entitled Talking Toward Repair, in which they break down how AirGo is attempting to create an anticolonial practice of dialogue, media-making, and archive-building. We wanted to share some pieces of the workshop as a teaching tool and resource for how to create humanizing, subject-to-subject dialogue in service of liberation! Bring AirGo to your campus or organization Hit up bookings@alliedmedia.org or go to http://airgoradio.com/booking. You can watch video of the workshop here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQHFokyNdjg
Thu, June 23, 2022
BONUS - Dame and Kiss on City Cast Chicago
Recently Dame and Kiss had the opportunity to hop on City Cast Chicago, a daily news podcast, fresh every weekday at 6 a.m. It’s a smart and delightful new way to connect with the city we share. With host Jacoby Cochran, the guys talk about the use of Chicago as a political scapegoat for politicians unwilling to offer common sense solutions to gun violence, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s 10 p.m. curfew for minors, the environmental justice fight to end “sacrifice zones,” and some more book-themed good news you definitely want to stick around for! Subscribe to City Cast Chicago - https://podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/city-cast-chicago/id1557798148 Learn more and subscribe to their morning newsletter at http://citycast.fm/chicago
Tue, June 21, 2022
BONUS - Mother Country Radicals
AirGo's excited to help spread the word about a new show from our movement family! Zayd Dohrn was born underground - his parents were radicals and counter-culture outlaws, on the run from the FBI. Now Zayd takes us back to the 1970s, when his parents and their young friends in the Weather Underground Organization declared war on the United States government. They brawled with riot cops on the streets of Chicago, bombed the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol, broke comrades out of prison, and teamed up with Black militant groups to rob banks, fight racism - and help build a revolution. The first episodes just came out, subscribe wherever you get your pods!
Thu, June 16, 2022
Through The Portal Episode 2 - Economic Democracy with Esteban Kelly
Through the Portal is a podcast from the Social Justice Portal Project, a national collaborative think tank hosted by the Social Justice Initiative at the University of Illinois Chicago. Each month, grassroots activists and radical scholars will give voice to community struggles, national strategies and sustainable alternatives for the future. The guest speakers, who are also Portal Project participants, explore what it means to walk through the portal of the current moment by centering racial and social justice issues. On Episode 2, Dame and cohost Teresa Cordova of UIC talk Economic Democracy with Esteban Kelly. Esteban is Executive Director for the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives and is a worker-owner and co-founder of AORTA (Anti-Oppression Resource & Training Alliance), a worker co-op that builds capacity for social justice projects through intersectional training and consulting. He breaks down how building a worker coop might be easier than you think, the ways that we have to reclaim concepts of structure and organization from the capitalist class, and what he imagines the great labor awakening of today turning into. SHOW NOTES Learn more about Esteban's work - http://Aorta.coop Clark Arrington - https://www.heroes.coop/post/clark-arrington Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance - https://philadelphia.coop/ The Working World - https://www.theworkingworld.org/us/ The US Federation of Worker Cooperatives - https://www.usworker.coop/home/ Democracy at Work Institute - https://institute.coop/ The CIA reads French theory: on the intellectual labor of dismantling the cultural left - https://thephilosophicalsalon.com/the-cia-reads-french-theory-on-the-intellectual-labor-of-dismantling-the-cultural-left/ Cyborg Manifesto - https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/donna-haraway-a-cyborg-manifesto ROC USA - https://rocusa.org/ EB PREC - https://ebprec.org/ Kensington Corridor Trust - https://kensingtoncorridortrust.org/ Collective Courage by Jessica Gordon Nembhard - https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-06216-7.html The Revolution will not be Funded - https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-revolution-will-not-be-funded When to Talk & When to Fight: The Strategic Choice between Dialogue & Resistance - https://bookshop.org/books/when-to-talk-and-when-to-fight-the-strategic-choice-between-dialogue-and-resistance/9781629638362 Dragonfly Partners - https://www.dragonfly-partners.com/ Learn more about the Portal Project: https://sjiportalproject.com/
Thu, June 09, 2022
Cottage Groove #22 - DJ Kane One Guest Mix
Our Cottage Groove DJ mix series returns this month with another one of Chicago's best providing a new set of sounds. On this installment, we've got AirGo alum and fam Kane One sharing some sounds. Kane, aka Miguel Aguilar, is a DJ, artist, educator, and grassroots organizer who was on the show way back in 2018 (you can catch that episode link below). Get in the groove! Kane One on AirGo: https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2018/11/5/episode-161-kane-one Follow Kane One: https://twitter.com/kane_one_ Hear all of the Cottage Groove Mixes: http://soundcloud.com/airgoradio/sets/cottage-groove-mixes TRACKLIST 1. My House - Rhythm Control 2. It's You - J Paul Getto, Joey Chicago 3. I'll House You - Jungle Brothers 4. Bring Down The Walls - Robert Owens 5. Nu Nu - Lidell Townsell 6. Welcome To My Groove - Mellow Man Ace 7. Cada Vez - Inaky Garcia, Jerry Davila, Mimi Barber 8. Sacude - Tony Touch 9. All I Need - Shiba San, Tim Baresko 10. House Sensation - CZR, J Paul Getto 11. Bad Enough - CZR 12. Love Can't Turn Around - Farley 'Jackmaster' Funk & Darryl Pandy 13. Jack Your Body - Steve 'Silk' Hurley 14. Land Of Confusion - Armando 15. Break 4 Love - Raze 16. French Kiss - Lil Louis
Thu, June 02, 2022
Ep 304 - One Million Experiments Part 7: Chicago Abortion Fund with Alicia Hurtado
On this episode, the 1ME squad talks with Alicia Hurtado of the Chicago Abortion Fund, a movement stalwart that has been funding and supporting abortion access in Illinois and beyond for over 30 years. Alicia breaks down the relationship between abortions and criminalization, the steps we can all take right now to make abortion access possible in our communities, and the ways in which fighting the stigmatization of this necessary health care procedure can impact how we understand care as a whole. SHOW NOTES Support the work of the Chicago Abortion Fund - https://chicagoabortionfund.salsalabs.org/makeadonation/index.html Find help getting an abortion - https://www.chicagoabortionfund.org/how-we-can-help Chicago Abortion Fund Helpline - (312) 663-0338 #CareNotCops campaign - https://www.uchicagounited.org/carenotcops Dissenters - https://wearedissenters.org/ Toolkit on how to talk about abortion - http://bit.ly/sayabortion Resource of fake clinics, known as "pregnancy crisis centers" - http://exposefakeclinics.com Repro Legal Help Line - https://www.reprolegalhelpline.org/ Subscribe to One Million Experiments - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-million-experiments/id1589966282 Explore all of the Experiments - http://millionexperiments.com/ Submit your Experiment - millionexperiments.com/Submit-a-Project Subscribe to AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, May 26, 2022
Ep 303 - The Celebration Suite Vol. 4: The Partner Episode with Jennifer and Rosie
As AirGo hits 300 episodes, we're celebrating the milestone and show as a whole with the Celebration Suite. Over these four weeks, you're going to hear Dame and Kiss be interviewed by some of our closest comrades and compatriots about the show, who they are behind the podcast curtain, and much more. Come celebrate with us! We wrap up the Celebration Suite by welcoming our life partners Jennifer and Rosie into the booth as guest hosts. They share some mailbag questions from our listeners, ask about some of their AirGo curiosities, and dream a little about what podcasts they would each want to make. SHOW NOTES Sign up for Rosie's Chicago Abortion Fund raffle for a chance to win her screenprint: https://bit.ly/vulvaflytrap As a reminder–you can bring us to your campus, institution, or community organization for workshops and performances! Find out more here: https://airgoradio.com/booking Leave a rating and review of AirGo: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, May 19, 2022
Through The Portal Episode 1 - Abolition with Dean Spade
Through the Portal is a podcast from the Social Justice Portal Project, a national collaborative think tank hosted by the Social Justice Initiative at the University of Illinois Chicago. Each month, grassroots activists and radical scholars will give voice to community struggles, national strategies and sustainable alternatives for the future. The guest speakers, who are also Portal Project participants, explore what it means to walk through the portal of the current moment by centering racial and social justice issues. On this first episode, cohosts Damon Williams of AirGo and Teresa Córdova of UIC's Great Cities Institute talk about Abolition with organizer, law professor, and writer Dean Spade. Dean breaks down how his work connects with larger movements for abolition, the ways that the legal system disrupts social movements toward liberation, and how to wrestle with grief collectively in this painful time. SHOW NOTES Learn more about the Portal Project: https://sjiportalproject.com/ PREA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison_Rape_Elimination_Act_of_2003 Black and Pink: https://www.blackandpink.org/ Oakland Power Projects: https://oaklandpowerprojects.org/ Young Lords and Lincoln Hospital: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK_ALMA1NMk
Thu, May 12, 2022
Ep 302 - The Celebration Suite Vol. 3: Producer Davon Clark interviews Dame and Kiss
As AirGo hits 300 episodes, we're celebrating the milestone and show as a whole with the Celebration Suite. Over these four weeks, you're going to hear Dame and Kiss be interviewed by some of our closest comrades and compatriots about the show, who they are behind the podcast curtain, and much more. Come celebrate with us! On this episode, AirGo's Multimedia Producer Davon Clark steps to the mic to interview Dame and Kiss. The AirGo trio digs into Davon's contribution, how he's seen the show evolve, what he's learned about each of the hosts over the years, and much more. SHOW NOTES As a reminder–you can bring us to your campus, institution, or community organization for workshops and performances! Find out more here: https://airgoradio.com/booking Leave a rating and review of AirGo: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 Leave us a question for our mailbag episode! Email the text or voice memo to contact@airgoradio.com
Thu, May 05, 2022
Ep 301 - The Celebration Suite Vol. 2: The Party
As AirGo hits 300 episodes, we're celebrating the milestone and show as a whole with the Celebration Suite. Over the next four weeks, you're going to hear Dame and Kiss be interviewed by some of our closest comrades and compatriots about the show, who they are behind the podcast curtain, and much more. Come celebrate with us! On this episode, we're surrounded by some of the most brilliant thinkers and question-askers who we're in community with–Tonika Lewis Johnson, Tiff Walden of the Triibe, Bill Ayers, Dometi Pongo, and Leor Galil of the Chicago Reader. This all-star team of community media-makers flip the script and ask Dame and Kiss about their friendship, lasting memories of the show, and much more. SHOW NOTES As a reminder–you can bring us to your campus, institution, or community organization for workshops and performances! Find out more here: https://airgoradio.com/booking Leave a rating and review of AirGo: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 Leave us a question for our mailbag episode! Email the text or voice memo to contact@airgoradio.com
Thu, April 28, 2022
Ep 300 - The Celebration Suite Vol. 1: Eve Interviews Dame and Kiss
As AirGo hits 300 episodes, we're celebrating the milestone and show as a whole with the Celebration Suite. Over the next four weeks, you're going to hear Dame and Kiss be interviewed by some of our closest comrades and compatriots about the show, who they are behind the podcast curtain, and much more. Come celebrate with us! We kick off the Celebration Suite with our good friend Eve L. Ewing, who is kind enough to take over the interviewer seat for this convo. She gets us to break down the origin story of the show, the evolution of our friendship, the dream guest list, and a whole bunch of other gems. SHOW NOTES As a reminder–you can bring us to your campus, institution, or community organization for workshops and performances! Find out more here: https://airgoradio.com/booking Leave a rating and review of AirGo: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 Leave us a question for our mailbag episode! Email the text or voice memo to contact@airgoradio.com
Thu, April 21, 2022
One Million Experiments Part 6: Detroit Safety Team with Curtis Renee and John Sloan III
The squad heads to our movement sister city for this episode of One Million Experiments with the Detroit Safety Team, led by Curtis Renee and John Sloan III. The organization, which was birthed out of creating anticarceral safety processes for the Detroit-based Allied Media Conference, builds a network of community-trained safety practitioners across the city, providing a pathway toward communities that are self reliant—where it is understood that we have the capacity to rely on ourselves and our community to stay safe and handle harm productively. We talk about the evolving definition of safety, learning from communal evaluation, how the pandemic disrupted movement work, and much more. SHOW NOTES Support the work of Detroit Safety Team - https://www.redefinesafety.org/donate Learn more about Detroit Safety Team - https://www.redefinesafety.org/our-vision Jimmy and Grace Lee Boggs - http://boggscenter.org/ Ron Scott - https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2015/11/30/ron-scott-detroit-activist-dies-68/76555556/ Allied Media Conference - https://amc.alliedmedia.org/ Subscribe to One Million Experiments - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-million-experiments/id1589966282 Explore all of the Experiments - http://millionexperiments.com/ Submit your Experiment - millionexperiments.com/Submit-a-Project Subscribe to AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, April 14, 2022
Cottage Groove #21 - DJ Lady D Guest Mix
Our Cottage Groove DJ mix series returns this month with another one of Chicago's best providing a new set of sounds. We're blessed to share a guest mix from DJ Lady D, a queen of the Chicago House music scene who has been holding it down for years. Playing internationally as well as in Chicago’s major nightclubs for the better part of two decades, DJ Lady D is a featured mixer every fourth Friday of the month for Vocalo.org's DJ series (91.1 FM-Chicago). Follow on IG: http://instagram.com/djladyd Learn more: http://Djladydchicago.com Hear all of the Cottage Groove Mixes: soundcloud.com/airgoradio/sets/cottage-groove-mixes TRACKLIST Gorillaz – Strobelite feat Peven Everett (Kaytranada Remix) Nephertiti A.D. – Space & Time (Metaphonic Mix) Cajmere – Let Me Be (92 Mix) Mortimer Snerd III – The 90s Were Special LeRon Carson – 88th & Luella Artone, Jay J - Back In Da Dayz (Dutchican Soul Remix) Kid Enigma – Easily Triggered (Geology Mix) Mihalis Safris – Journeys Osunlade – I Knee’d Chez Damier – Berlin Nights In Paris JT Donaldson, Liv.E – Stay Inside ( Sandy Rivera Remix) GrooveJet – If This Ain’t Love (Riva Starr Skylight Hard Dub) Ralphi Rosario, Craig J. Snider, Eric Kupper, DJ Lady D, Frankie Knuckles – FK Always (Extended Mix)
Thu, April 07, 2022
Ep 299 - Maira Khwaja, Part 2
AirGo is joined on this episode by the incomparable Maira Khwaja. Maira is a writer and organizer of Public Strategy for the Invisible Institute, a journalism organization on the South Side of Chicago. She's a determined and joyful community organizer, building collective power with a variety of community projects and initiatives including food distribution across the city, the fight for housing protections in the wake of the Obama Center, and many more. Maira is also one of the most loving and caring humans in our circles, and it was a pleasure to celebrate and learn from her. The convo went so deep that we had to break it up into two episodes for you to enjoy. Part 1 came out last week, we recommend checking it out before hopping into this episode! SHOW NOTES Explore Envisioning Justice RE:ACTION - https://envisioningjustice.org/AG/ Support the Chicago Torture Survivor Relief fund - https://www.classy.org/campaign/survivor-relief-fund-in-the-time-of-covid-19/c278576 Somewhere in Wiscansin episode - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091?i=1000496157613 Harith Augustus exhibit - https://forensic-architecture.org/programme/exhibitions/chicago-architecture-biennial-2019 Chicago Police Torture Archive - https://chicagopolicetorturearchive.com/ The Mauritanian - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tmxxzZXLEM John Burge Survivors - https://chicagotorture.org/reparations/history/ Deadly Exchange campaign - https://deadlyexchange.org/ Remaking the Exceptional: Tea, Torture, & Reparations | Chicago to Guantánamo - https://resources.depaul.edu/art-museum/exhibitions/Pages/remaking-the-exceptional.aspx KOCO - https://kocoonline.org/ Not Me We - https://instagram.com/notmewe_ STOP Chicago - https://www.stopchicago.org/ Jacqui Germain - https://www.jacquigermain.com/
Thu, March 31, 2022
Ep 298 - Maira Khwaja, Part 1
AirGo is joined on this episode by the incomparable Maira Khwaja. Maira is a writer and organizer of Public Strategy for the Invisible Institute, a journalism organization on the South Side of Chicago. She's a determined and joyful community organizer, building collective power with a variety of community projects and initiatives including food distribution across the city, the fight for housing protections in the wake of the Obama Center, and many more. Maira is also one of the most loving and caring humans in our circles, and it was a pleasure to celebrate and learn from her. The convo went so deep that we had to break it up into two episodes for you to enjoy. Here's Part 1, with Part 2 to follow next week! SHOW NOTES Explore Envisioning Justice RE:ACTION - https://envisioningjustice.org/AG/ Support the Chicago Torture Survivor Relief fund - https://www.classy.org/campaign/survivor-relief-fund-in-the-time-of-covid-19/c278576 R3 Coalition - https://www.facebook.com/R3Coalition/ Andy Clarno - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-188-andy-clarno/id1016530091?i=1000438261203 UChicago Crime Lab - https://urbanlabs.uchicago.edu/labs/crime Trina Reynolds-Tyler on AirGo - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091?i=1000436477593 Jamie Kalven on AirGo - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091?i=1000434150947 Beneath the Surface, a project that investigates gender-based violence at the hands of the police - http://www.btsurface.com/ Citizens Police Data Project - https://cpdp.co/ Marketbox - https://marketboxchi.org/ Saul Alinsky - https://studsterkel.wfmt.com/programs/saul-alinsky-american-community-organizer-political-activist-and-writer-discusses-his-book Almighty Black P Stone Nation by Natalie Y Moore - https://www.chicagoreviewpress.com/almighty-black-p-stone-nation--the-products-9781569768464.php Natalie Y Moore on AirGo - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091?i=1000502721915 Dissenters - https://wearedissenters.org/ Asha Ransby Sporn on AirGo - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091?i=1000458120525
Thu, March 24, 2022
Ep 297 - One Million Experiments Part 5: REP with Signe Victoria Harriday
One Million Experiments turns to the Twin Cities to connect with Signe Harriday of Relationships Evolving Possibilies, or REP. REP is a network of dedicated abolitionists showing up to support others in moments of crisis or urgency, with care and respect for the full dignity and autonomy of the people in crisis. They help community build pods of communal reliance, and facilitate a hotline to address the needs of community members in times of crisis. We talk with Signe about how relationships are the building blocks of liberation work, how having a different number to call shifts individual and communal consciousness, and how Black liberation and indigenous sovereignty are at the center of the multi-century struggle of which we are all a part. SHOW NOTES Support the Work of REP: https://repformn.org/support-this-work/ Sharon Bridgforth: https://www.sharonbridgforth.com/ Bay Area Transformative Justice Collective: https://batjc.wordpress.com/ Mental Health First Oakland: https://www.antipoliceterrorproject.org/mh-first-oakland Beyond Survival: https://www.akpress.org/beyond-survival.html The Fields at Rootsprings: https://rootspringsmn.org/ Follow REP: https://www.instagram.com/repformn In the Twin Cities and need help in crisis? Call or text the hotline Fri/Sat between 7pm and 12am: 952.737.3730 Subscribe to One Million Experiments - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-million-experiments/id1589966282 Explore all of the Experiments - http://millionexperiments.com/ Submit your Experiment - millionexperiments.com/Submit-a-Project Subscribe to AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, March 17, 2022
Cottage Groove #20 - Kiss aka DJ Empathy
As our Cottage Groove DJ Mix series hits its 20th episode, AirGo cohost Kiss aka DJ Empathy hops back into action with a new mix. Kiss shares what's been in his heavy rotation–mostly some rappers who say a lot of words–and even gets a little hopeful by the end. Listen to all of the Cottage Groove mixes: https://soundcloud.com/airgoradio/sets/cottage-groove-mixes TRACK LIST Nobles - The Alchemist x Earl Sweatshirt Tell Me Bout the Stars - @SemiraTruth All I Need - Wiki x Earl Sweatshirt Johnny P's Caddy - Benny the Butcher x J. Cole Skip to My Lou - Qari (@longlivecarl) x Twista (twistaofficial) Rice & Gravy - Smino x @MonteBooker $payforhaiti - @Kaytranada x @mach-hommy Soldier - @SabaPIVOT x @joseph-chilliams Time Moves Slow - @badbadnotgood x Sam Herring SELF LUH - Mach-Hommy
Thu, March 03, 2022
Ep 296 - Dr. Jared Ball
On this episode, the guys have the pleasure of kicking it with the brilliant Jared Ball. Ball is a Professor of Communication Studies at Morgan State University in Baltimore and is founder/curator of http://imixwhatilike.org, a multimedia hub of emancipatory journalism and revolutionary beat reporting. He is also author of The Myth and Propaganda of Black Buying Power, a text that has been deeply formative to Damon's thinking and ideological framework. We get into the weeds of the book, how Ball has evolved as a movement worker and media maker, the value and necessity of emancipatory journalism, and much more. The Myth and Propaganda of Black Buying Power - https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2F978-3-030-42355-1.pdf Dhoruba bin Wahad - https://www.dhorubabinwahad.com/ Line Goes Up - the Problem w NFTs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ_xWvX1n9g Emancipatory Journalism, coined by Hemant Shaw - https://imixwhatilike.org/2011/02/01/imwil-emancipatory-journalism-and-media/ Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, February 17, 2022
Ep 295 - One Million Experiments Part 4: MASK with Tamar Manasseh
Welcome to One Million Experiments, a brand new podcast exploring how we define and create safety, wellness, and protection in a world without police and prisons. Through longform interviews with movement workers across the world who have created community-based safety projects, 1ME expands our ideas about what keeps us safe, and celebrates the work already happening to build solutions that are grounded in transformation instead of punishment. On Episode 4, the guys have the honor and privilege to talk with Tamar Manasseh. Tamar is the founder of MASK (Mothers and Men Against Senseless Killings), an experiment that began in 2015 as a way to put eyes on the streets, interrupt violence and crime, and teach children to grow up as friends rather than enemies. From her lawn chair at 75th and Stewart in Chicago, Tamar and her village have transformed the responses to violence and harm in their neighborhood, generated educational and communal programs toward liberation, and illuminated a path forward that renders punishment obsolete. She talks about how the work has evolved, the role of news media in perpetuating state violence, how her positionality as a Jew and a rabbi has molded her vantage point, and much more. SHOW NOTES Support the work of MASK - https://www.ontheblock.org/support Follow them on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/maskontheblock/ Subscribe to One Million Experiments - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-million-experiments/id1589966282 Explore all of the Experiments - millionexperiments.com/ Submit your Experiment - millionexperiments.com/Submit-a-Project Subscribe to AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, February 10, 2022
Ep 294 - Lisa Beasley
On this episode, the guys are joined by the hilarious Lisa Beasley. Lisa is a comedian, producer, spacemaker, and artist who has, most recently, blown up for her acerbic and spot-on impressions of our infamous mayor Lori Lightfoot. Lisa breaks down how she has grown as a creator, the heartbreaking origins of her fantastic Lori impression, and the ways in which this pointed political satire is a salve for both her and the Chicago movement community as a whole. SHOW NOTES Follow Lisa - https://www.instagram.com/lisabevolving/ JY Plantz - https://instagram.com/jyplantz Black Magic Potions - https://www.instagram.com/blackmagicpotions/ Wakandacon - https://wakandaconforever.com/ Anjanette Young - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/02/opinion/anjanette-young-police-justice.html Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, February 03, 2022
Ep 293 - Tasha Listening Party
From time to time, a Chicago artist drops a new project that the AirGo crew is vibing with–when that happens, we get them on the line for a special listening party episode! Using a few of the project's tracks as jumping off points for the conversation, we dive deep into process, creativity, and growth. We had the privilege and joy of catching up with AirGo fam Tasha, who just dropped the wonderful album Tell Me What You Miss the Most. She digs into the stories behind the songs, creating refuge through music, drawing boundaries for relationships with audiences, the legacy of her collaborator on the project, and much more. Listen to Tell Me What You Miss the Most - http://fatherdaughter.co/tasha Follow Tasha - https://www.instagram.com/wowtashawow/ Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, January 20, 2022
Cottage Groove #19 - Rae Chardonnay Guest Mix
AirGo is sharing the Aux and spreading the love to some of Chicago's best DJs on Cottage Groove! Each month, a different guest DJ will share an original mix featuring a combo of artists from the city and sounds from across the globe, right here on AirGo. Rae Chardonnay Taylor is a DJ, Arts Administrator and events producer based in Chicago dedicated to encouraging a life of open-minded learning and expression. She began DJing in 2010 and has since held residencies at prominent venues in Chicago including the late Double Door, The Promontory and Soho House. She has opened for acts such as Janelle Monae, Jamila Woods, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Madison McFerrin, Megan Thee Stallion, OSHUN, Tiffany Gouche, CeCe Peniston, J Rocc, Just Blaze, Little Dragon, Big Freedia, G Herbo and many others. As an arts manager, she's been involved in programming at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Stony Island Arts Bank, School of the Art Institute and various arts organizations. She is the Founder of Black Eutopia, a series of segmented programming intended to cultivate space for marginalized communities. She is also a co-founder of the award winning Party Noire. She was recently noted as one of Chicago’s Top 5 DJ’s by NPR, and Chicago’s Best DJ by the Chicago Reader. Learn more: http://www.raechardonnay.com/ Follow: https://www.instagram.com/raechardonnay/ Hear all of the Cottage Groove Mixes: soundcloud.com/airgoradio/sets/cottage-groove-mixes TRACKLIST as the night moves - tall black guy stuck - durran bernarr ft. ari lennox lately - yazmin lacey have a good time - adam ness ft jamila woods & mia gladstone ma foom bey - redsoul edit Music Man (DJ Spinna Remix) [feat. Grey Reverend] [DJ Spinna Remix] - Nickodemus Get Uugly (feat. Georgia Anne Muldrow) - DUCKWRTH Meet Up (feat. Maleek Berry) - Estelle Tight Leash (Instrumental) - Black Noi$e Bahia Dreamin’ - Karriem Riggins Howigotover (feat. Klevah) - B. Cool-Aid Moody! (feat. Saba) - Jean Deaux Want 2 Love U - Budgie
Thu, December 23, 2021
Cottage Groove #18 - DJ Ca$h Era Guest Mix
AirGo is sharing the Aux and spreading the love to some of Chicago's best DJs on Cottage Groove! Each month, a different guest DJ will share an original mix featuring a combo of artists from the city and sounds from across the globe, right here on AirGo. This mix is from DJ Ca$h Era. A lover of community, connection, and all things Chicago, DJ Ca$h Era continues to shake the room as a multifaceted, internationally recognized performer. She is the official DJ for the Coulee Sisters and current preferred and resident DJ for Chicago’s hottest venues like Hydrate, Scarlet Bar, The Promontory, Soho House, and more. DJ Ca$h Era has worked with notable brands including Jordan, Nike, BET, Adidas, Beats by Dre, AT&T, and Jugrnaut. She has held stages at notorious music festivals including Lollapalooza, My House Music Festival, Pitchfork, Burning Man Music Festival and more. She has also opened for well-known artists including G Herbo, Taylor Bennett, Jamila Woods, Ghostface Killah, and more. Ca$h Era is producer at 720AM WGN Radio and a highly sought-after DJ in Chicago and beyond. Learn more: https://www.djcashera.com Follow on IG: www.instagram.com/djcashera/ Hear all of the Cottage Groove Mixes: soundcloud.com/airgoradio/sets/cottage-groove-mixes TRACK LIST SHOTGUN - Matt Muse Feat. Femdot All Falls Down - Kanye West Get Em High - Kanye West All About The Benjis - Puff Daddy, Lil Kim, & Notorious B.I.G. Girls In The Hood - Meg Thee Stallion Hood Nigga - Gorilla Zoe LL Cool J - Squeak Pivot & MFN Melo Tombstone - Rod Wave Girls Want Girls - Drake Mmm Mmm - Kali Orange Soda - Baby Keem Moody - Jean Deaux & Saba 4 Thangs - Freddie Gibbs Bad Boys - Pivot Gang feat. Smino Bad Boyz - Shyne What Up Gangsta - 50 Cent Oh Boy - Cam'ron & Juelz Santana Maze - Juice WRLD Rapstar - Polo G Beat Box 2 - SpotemGottem No More Parties - Coi Leray Feat. Durk Gifted - Cordea
Thu, December 16, 2021
Ep 292 - One Million Experiments Part 3: The Friendly Fridge with Selma Raven and Sara Allen
Welcome to One Million Experiments, a brand new podcast exploring how we define and create safety, wellness, and protection in a world without police and prisons. Through longform interviews with movement workers across the world who have created community-based safety projects, 1ME expands our ideas about what keeps us safe, and celebrates the work already happening to build solutions that are grounded in transformation instead of punishment. On this episode, we talk with Selma Raven and Sara Allen of the Friendly Fridge BX, a community food distribution point and mutual aid experiment at 242nd Street and Broadway in the Bronx. The duo talks about how the experiment has been transformative for all, the steep learning curve that the two of them had as the fridge got up and running, and how the act of experimentation taught them to act boldly and without permission. Support the Friendly Fridge - https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-friendly-fridge-bx Follow them on IG - https://www.instagram.com/thefriendlyfridgebx/?hl=en Find a Community Fridge near you! - https://freedge.org/locations/ Subscribe to One Million Experiments - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-…ts/id1589966282 Explore all of the Experiments - millionexperiments.com/ Submit your Experiment - millionexperiments.com/Submit-a-Project Subscribe to AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, December 09, 2021
Ep 291 - femdot Listening Party
From time to time, a Chicago artist drops a new project that the AirGo crew is vibing with–when that happens, we get them on the line for a special listening party episode! Using a few of the project's tracks as jumping off points for the conversation, we dive deep into process, creativity, and growth. On this listening party episode, we're joined by AirGo fam femdot, who just released the stellar EP Not For Sale. We talk through the hypothesis of the project, creating cohesiveness across several years of music, the tension between money and self-worth, and much more! SHOW NOTES Listen to Not For Sale - https://femdot.ffm.to/notforsale Support Delacreme Scholars - http://delacremescholars.org/ Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, November 18, 2021
Ep 290 - One Million Experiments Part 2: The Black Trans Travel Fund with Devin Lowe
Welcome to One Million Experiments, a brand new podcast exploring how we define and create safety, wellness, and protection in a world without police and prisons. Through longform interviews with movement workers across the world who have created community-based safety projects, 1ME expands our ideas about what keeps us safe, and celebrates the work already happening to build solutions that are grounded in transformation instead of punishment. On this episode, Dame and Daniel talk with Black Trans Travel Fund Founder & Executive Director Devin Lowe. Devin breaks down how the experiment emerged out of the needs of his loved ones, the surprising and gratifying ways that the work has expanded, and the relationship of freedom of personal movement to collective liberatory social movement. SHOW NOTES Support the work of BTTF - https://www.blacktranstravelfund.com/donate Miss Boogie - https://www.instagram.com/dearmsboogie/?hl=en Noname Book Club - https://nonamebooks.com/ TDoR - Trans Day of Remembrance - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender_Day_of_Remembrance The Emergency Release Fund - https://www.emergencyrelease.org/ Legal Aid Society - https://legalaidnyc.org/ STAR Manifesto - https://peaceandsocialism.tumblr.com/post/634720140594937856/star-manifesto Afrofuturist Abolitionists of the Americas - https://twitter.com/AbolitionF_ists Subscribe to One Million Experiments - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-million-experiments/id1589966282 Explore all of the Experiments - https://millionexperiments.com/ Submit your Experiment - https://millionexperiments.com/Submit-a-Project Subscribe to AirGo - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, November 11, 2021
Cottage Groove #17 - DJ LOKari Guest Mix
AirGo is sharing the Aux and spreading the love to some of Chicago's best DJs on Cottage Groove! Each month, a different guest DJ will share an original mix featuring a combo of artists from the city and sounds from across the globe, right here on AirGo. This mix is from DJ LOkari, aka Elgin Bokari Smith. Elgin is a Chicago based DJ, Activist, Visual and Performing Artist from St. Louis, Missouri. He has shared stages with the likes of Bone Thugs and Harmony, Ruby Ibarra, The Terra Godz, Saba, Da Brat, Clark Airlines, Mega Ran, Bop Alloy, No Name Gypsy, DJ Esco, Young Chop, Lil Crazed, Rebel Diaz, Twista, and Chingy… just to name a few. Elgin also gives back to his community as a Teaching Artist, Program Director of Free Write Arts & Literacy, and President of the activist and artist collective, Elephant Rebellion. Elgin also is the co creator of Pocket Con the comic book convention that celebrates characters of color. Learn more about Elgin: https://www.elginbokari.com/ Follow Elgin on IG: https://www.instagram.com/djlokari/ Hear all of the Cottage Groove Mixes: https://soundcloud.com/airgoradio/sets/cottage-groove-mixes TRACK LIST 1. Ariel - Chai Tulani Feat Calid B 2. Say - Daryn Alexus 3. Whine For Me - Superboy Da Viper 4. 2 STEP (Clean) [feat. Masego & Rhymefest] - DJ Jazzy Jeff 5. Hang Loose (feat. Chuck D, Sam Veren & Lucas G) - Ric Wilson 6. Brother Feat Add 2 - Sam Trump 7. Chance The Rapper & Knox Fortune - All Night (Kaytranada Extended Joint) 8. Walkin On The Moon (Feat. Kanye West) - The Dream 9. I Want You (Kaytranada Edition) -Common 10. We Broke - Cole DeGenova 11. WCKFA [Sample] - Erthe St. James 12. OCTAVIA - Jamila Woods 13. So and So - Saba 14. Houdini - Ace Da Vinci 15. I hate humans (feat. Mic Terror) - MEL 16. CLOUDZ - Mother Nature, BoatHouse & Sir Michael Rocks 17. Uchiha Seji [prod. GODS HAND] - Säge, The 64th Wonder 18. Pokemon TRILL VERSIONI {カリウ} TGBI SPROUT TOWER, HM02, FLYI Prod. By ChakraVartin The Creator - Khalil Halim/Okugawa Jr 19. Mr. Socko - Joseph Chilliams 20. Slice Em Up - Kabashi 21. Floatin - Gem Tree 22. Free the Watoto (feat. Julian Harris) - Calid B 23. Y.G.M.F.U. (feat. Adam Ness) - Ridley Victoria 24. The Libation - Boukhepra. 25. Luggage (Remix) [feat. Sam Trump] - Sidewalk Chalk 26. Self Care Ft. Sayon Yoeun, Kahala Elizabeth - L O Kari 27. You_re Enough - Mykele Deville 28. Have a Good Time (feat. Jamila Woods) - Adam Ness 29. Reality Check (ft. Eryn Allen Kane & Akenya) - No Name 30. HEAVEN ALL AROUND ME - Saba
Thu, November 04, 2021
Ep 289 - Climate Changemakers Ep 2.6 - Diana Hernández
Climate Changemakers is back for Season 2! And this year, hosts Damon and Kiss are reaching beyond Illinois and talking with environmental justice movement workers from across the land about what ideas guide their work, which strategies have been effective, and what advice they have for Elevate as the organization works to put people and the planet first in the fight to build equity through climate action. On the final episode of Season 2, the guys head to the Bronx to talk with Diana Hernández. A professor at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, Diana digs into her process of moving from advocating solutions to building deeper understanding of the problem, how her childhood in the South Bronx built her understandings of health and community, the complexities of fighting for quality housing for all, and much more. Plus, a cameo from her six month-old daughter! SHOW NOTES Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation by Jonathan Kozol - www.goodreads.com/book/show/51537.Amazing_Grace Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago by Jonathan Kozol - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heat-wave-eric-klinenberg/1117244493
Thu, October 28, 2021
Ep 288 - Long Live Malik Alim
This episode is an audio remembrance and tribute to our comrade and brother Malik Alim, who transcended this plane August 20, 2021. Thanks to all of the family and community members who shared their messages and memories. Donate to the Malik Alim Legacy Fund - https://www.gofundme.com/f/malik-alim-family-legacy-fund
Wed, October 20, 2021
Ep 287 - One Million Experiments Part 1: The Hypothesis with Mariame Kaba
Welcome to One Million Experiments, a brand new podcast exploring how we define and create safety, wellness, and protection in a world without police and prisons. Through longform interviews with movement workers across the world who have created community-based safety projects, 1ME expands our ideas about what keeps us safe, and celebrates the work already happening to build solutions that are grounded in transformation instead of punishment. On this first episode, hosts Dame and Kiss introduce the project alongside Interrupting Criminalization's Eva Nagao. Then the guys take a deep dive into the project with 1ME co-creator Mariame Kaba, who talks about the project's evolution, the limits of framing the projects as "alternatives" to police and prisons, and how she hopes the project moves people into movement and action. SHOW NOTES The podcast is brought to you by AirGo (airgoradio) and Interrupting Criminalization (www.interruptingcriminalization.com). Subscribe to One Million Experiments wherever you get your podcasts! Explore the One Million Experiments Virtual Encyclopedia -http://millionexperiments.com/ Paola Rojas - https://sfonline.barnard.edu/navigating-neoliberalism-in-the-academy-nonprofits-and-beyond/paula-rojas-are-the-cops-in-our-heads-and-hearts/# Project NIA - http://project-nia.org/ adrienne maree brown - adriennemareebrown.net/ Shira Hassan - just-practice.org/about-shira Ruthie Wilson Gilmore - https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/17/magazine/prison-abolition-ruth-wilson-gilmore.html Mia Mingus - twitter.com/miamingus
Thu, October 14, 2021
Ep 286 - Climate Changemakers Ep 2.5 - Monica Lewis-Patrick
Climate Changemakers is back for Season 2! And this year, hosts Damon and Kiss are reaching beyond Illinois and talking with environmental justice movement workers from across the land about what ideas guide their work, which strategies have been effective, and what advice they have for Elevate as the organization works to put people and the planet first in the fight to build equity through climate action. On Episode 5, Dame and Kiss head east to talk Detroit with the inimitable Monica Lewis-Patrick. Known as the "Water Warrior," Monica is the cofounder of We The People Detroit, a community-based grassroots organization aiming to inform, educate, and empower Detroit residents on imperative issues surrounding civil rights, land, water, education, and the democratic process. She talks about the links between water access and austerity, the gender-based violence of water shutoffs, the regional coalition of water organizing across the Great Lakes, how her mother called her to action, and much more. SHOW NOTES Support We The People Detroit - www.wethepeopleofdetroit.com Gloria House - snccdigital.org/people/gloria-house/ Rev. Dr. JoAnne Watson - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JoAnn_Watson ALEC - www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed Charity Hicks - https://www.onthecommons.org/magazine/commoner/remembering-charity-hicks Prof. Gwen Winston - https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/one-song-playlist/monica-lewis-patrick-gwen-9ZWG3l-kheD/ We the Youth Detroit - www.wethepeopleofdetroit.com/youth-leaders The New “Water Barons”: Wall Street Mega-Banks are Buying up the World’s Water - https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-new-water-barons-wall-street-mega-banks-are-buying-up-the-worlds-water/5383274 Water Shutoffs During COVID-19 and Black Lives: Case Study Detroit -https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/env.2020.0064 Clean Water and Reproductive Justice - https://www.nationalpartnership.org/our-work/resources/repro/clean-water-and-reproductive-justice.pdf Water insecurity and psychosocial distress: case study of the Detroit water shutoffs - pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32930795/ Subscribe to, rate, and review Climate Changemakers on your podcast app: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/climate-changemakers/id1503392646 Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, October 07, 2021
Cottage Groove #16 - Sadie Woods Guest Mix
AirGo is sharing the Aux and spreading the love to some of Chicago's best DJs on Cottage Groove! Each month, a different guest DJ will share an original mix featuring a combo of artists from the city and sounds from across the globe, right here on AirGo. This mix is from Sadie Woods. Sadie is an award winning post-disciplinary artist, independent curator, and deejay. Her work focuses primarily on social movements, liberatory practices, cultural memory, and producing collaborations within communities of difference. She also deejays under the moniker Afrodjia, focusing on diasporic music and culture of the Americas and the Global South. Follow her: instagram.com/woodsadie/ SONGS IN THE MIX: Chezere - I'm Not Blind Ugochi Nwaogwugwu, Kai Alexander- Don't Mind Them Bella BAHHS - Black Power Avery R. Young - Right On For the Darkness Roy Kinsey - Crook County Pugs Atomz ft. Wes Restless - Fire Burnin' Frank Waln - My People Come From the Land ESHOVO - Forecast Illuminati Congo ft. Rocker T - Drug War Isa Starr - Middle Finger Pinqy Ring - Revolución Damon Locks- The Symbol for Change
Thu, September 02, 2021
Black Freedom Convos Vol. 5 - Black Disability Activism with Moya Bailey
AirGo is partnering with friend of the show and self-appointed honorary cohost Eve Ewing to present Black Freedom Conversations, a suite featuring Eve in conversation with Black scholars toward collective Black liberation and learning. Each episode corresponds to lectures given by the featured scholar, which are available for free at www.blackfreedomlectures.org/. The fifth and final episode features Eve in conversation with Moya Bailey, an African American feminist scholar, writer, and activist, notable for coining the term misogynoir, which describes a specific form of discrimination experienced by black women. Bailey is an associate professor at Northwestern University. SHOW NOTES Watch the lecture - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ01Dx081fA&t=668s Follow the guest - twitter.com/moyazb Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Wed, August 25, 2021
Cottage Groove #15 - Their Memory is a Blessing (SqueakPIVOT and Malik Alim tribute)
As you may have seen, over the last week our community here in Chicago experienced heartbreaking loss. As we move through the grief, AirGo wanted to share a few sounds and songs that have been grounding and connective during this time. May the memories of SqueakPIVOT, Malik Alim, and so many others lost in this time be a blessing. Donate to support the burial and children of Squeak: gofund.me/f6aac8d8 Music in this mix: Kaddish - Alex Jacobowitz A.P.I.D.T.A - Jay Electronica PDLIF - Bon Iver Don't Forget About Me - Noname Risk - MfnMelo x SqueakPIVOT feat. Rexx life Raj I'll Be Seeing You - Billie Holiday HEAVEN ALL AROUND ME - Saba Shadow Man - Noname x Phoelix x Saba x Smino
Tue, August 24, 2021
BONUS - Defund | Abolish | Reconstruct with Ruthie Wilson Gilmore
We're hyped to bring you this bonus episode, featuring audio from the July 17th event Defund | Abolish | Reconstruct, featuring Ruthie Wilson Gilmore. Presented by the League of Revolutionaries for a New America, Ruth Wilson Gilmore is interviewed by hosts Geri Silva from LA and our very own Damon A. Williams from Chicago. SHOW NOTES Learn about LRNA: https://lrna.org/defund-abolish-reconstruct-ruthie-wilson-gilmore/ Watch video of the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lDcQYZSOSA Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, August 19, 2021
Ep 285 - Climate Changemakers Ep 2.4 - Neil Whitegull
Climate Changemakers is back for Season 2! And this year, hosts Damon and Kiss are reaching beyond Illinois and talking with environmental justice movement workers from across the land about what ideas guide their work, which strategies have been effective, and what advice they have for Elevate as the organization works to put people and the planet first in the fight to build equity through climate action. On this episode, the guys are joined by Neil Whitegull. Neil is the Executive Director of the Ho-Chunk Housing and Community Development Agency, a nonprofit organization on Ho-Chunk sovereign land in Wisconsin. He breaks down the history of trust responsibilities between the federal government and indigenous people, the contradictions and opportunities of federal funding, Ho-Chunk stories that go back three ice ages, the film Ice Age, and much more. SHOW NOTES Learn more about the HHCDA: hhcda.com/ Subscribe to, rate, and review Climate Changemakers on your podcast app: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clim…rs/id1503392646 Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Wed, August 18, 2021
Black Freedom Convos Vol. 3 - Black Marxism, Internationalism, & Anti-Fascism w/ Barbara Ransby
AirGo is partnering with friend of the show and self-appointed honorary cohost Eve Ewing to present Black Freedom Conversations, a suite featuring Eve in conversation with Black scholars toward collective Black liberation and learning. Each episode corresponds to lectures given by the featured scholar, which are available for free at https://www.blackfreedomlectures.org/. Episode three features Eve in conversation with Barbara Ransby. Ransby is the John D. MacArthur Chair, and Distinguished Professor, in the Departments of African American Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, and History at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She also directs the campus-wide Social Justice Initiative, a project that promotes connections between academics and community organizers doing work on social justice. She was deeply involved in the anti-Apartheid/ Free South Africa movement in the 1980s and later co-founded a number of organizations including: The Ella-Baker Nelson Mandela Center, Ella’s Daughters, and African American Women in Defense of Ourselves. She is a founding member of the national organization Scholars for Social Justice and works closely with The Movement for Black Lives and the multi-racial coalition, The Rising Majority. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago, and the grassroots Chicago-based, Equity and Transformation, (E.A.T.) a group that supports formerly incarcerated persons and those working in the informal economy. SHOW NOTES Watch the lecture - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm_guOnUi90 Follow the guest - twitter.com/barbararansby Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Tue, August 17, 2021
Sawyer Seminar Vol. 6 - Land, Labor, and Climate Justice
AirGo is partnering with UIC's Social Justice Initiative to present The Sawyer Seminar, a series of conversations hosted by UIC scholars entitled Radical Care, Real Alternatives. On this sixth and final episode, we dive deep into the dynamics, structures, and transformative possibilities of the fight for Environmental and Climate Justice. The conversation is hosted by Teresa Córdova, who is the Director of the Great Cities Institute and a Professor of Urban Planning and Policy at UIC. She is joined by José Bravo, the Executive Director of Just Transition Alliance, and José Acosta-Cordova, the Environmental Planning and Research Organizer at LVEJO. The trio breaks down how the work has shifted over the last thirty years, some of the false solutions to climate change that are being proposed, and the value of multigenerational organizing in the Environmental Justice movement. It's a great convo to wrap up the suite–enjoy! Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 Transcription by Ayinde Jean-Baptiste
Thu, August 12, 2021
Black Freedom Convos Vol. 2 - Black & Palestinian Solidarities w/ Khury Petersen-Smith
AirGo is partnering with friend of the show and self-appointed honorary cohost Eve Ewing to present Black Freedom Conversations, a suite featuring Eve in conversation with Black scholars toward collective Black liberation and learning. Each episode corresponds to lectures given by the featured scholar, which are available for free at https://www.blackfreedomlectures.org/. Episode two features Eve in conversation with Khury Peterson-Smith, who is the Michael Ratner Middle East Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C. He researches the US Empire, borders, and migration. He coauthored the 2015 "Black Solidarity with Palestine" statement, which was signed by more than 1,100 black activists, artists, and scholars. SHOW NOTES Follow the guest - twitter.com/kpyes Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, August 05, 2021
Black Freedom Convos w/ Eve L. Ewing Vol. 1 - Black Trans Liberation with C. Riley Snorton
AirGo is partnering with friend of the show and self-appointed honorary cohost Eve Ewing to present Black Freedom Conversations, a suite featuring Eve in conversation with Black scholars toward collective Black liberation and learning. Each episode corresponds to lectures given by the featured scholar, which are available for free at http://www.blackfreedomlectures.org/. Episode one features Eve in conversation with C. Riley Snorton, who is the author of Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity. SHOW NOTES Watch the lecture - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlp9ZeJeJsU&feature=youtu.be Follow the guest - https://twitter.com/crileysnorton Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, July 29, 2021
Where We're Going, We Need Each Other Vol. 5: An Evening w/ avery r. young & Kristiana Rae Colón
AirGo is proud to share a suite of conversations led by the Chicago Torture Justice Center entitled "Where We’re Going, We Need Each Other," a 2021 celebration of the 6-year anniversary of the Reparations Ordinance for survivors of police torture, and the 4-year anniversary of the opening of the Chicago Torture Justice Center. On this fifth and final episode, Damon is in conversation with Kristiana Rae Colón, with a live performance on the street by interdisciplinary artist avery r. young. Special thanks to Kristiana for joining us as a special surprise guest and to avery for sticking with us throughout technical challenges! SHOW NOTES Learn more about CTJC - http://chicagotorturejustice.org Support the work of CTJC - www.classy.org/give/337684/#!/donation/checkout Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Wed, July 28, 2021
Black Freedom Convos Vol. 4 - Black Sacred Life with Ashon Crawley
AirGo is partnering with friend of the show and self-appointed honorary cohost Eve Ewing to present Black Freedom Conversations, a suite featuring Eve in conversation with Black scholars toward collective Black liberation and learning. Each episode corresponds to lectures given by the featured scholar, which are available for free at https://www.blackfreedomlectures.org/. Episode four features Eve in conversation with Ashon Crawley, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and African American Studies at the University of Virginia. He is author of Blackpentecostal Breath: The Aesthetics of Possibility (Fordham University Press) and The Lonely Letters (Duke University Press). His work is about alternatives to normative function and form, the practice of otherwise possibility. SHOW NOTES Watch the lecture - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF5n2F2rwlU Follow the guest - twitter.com/ashoncrawley Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, July 22, 2021
Where We're Going, We Need Each Other Vol. 4: Politicized Healing
AirGo is proud to share a suite of conversations led by the Chicago Torture Justice Center entitled "Where We’re Going, We Need Each Other," a 2021 celebration of the 6-year anniversary of the Reparations Ordinance for survivors of police torture, and the 4-year anniversary of the opening of the Chicago Torture Justice Center. On this episode, teachers, healing practitioners, and organizers Mark-Anthony Clayton-Johnson and Prentis Hemphill joined CTJC co-directors Aislinn Pulley and Cindy Eigler in a conversation rooted in Politicized Healing, organizing, and staying close to what we care about. SHOW NOTES Learn more about CTJC - chicagotorturejustice.org Support the work of CTJC - www.classy.org/give/337684/#!/donation/checkout Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, July 15, 2021
Where We're Going, We Need Each Other Vol. 3: Memorial Maker Sessions
AirGo is proud to share a suite of conversations led by the Chicago Torture Justice Center entitled "Where We’re Going, We Need Each Other," a 2021 celebration of the 6-year anniversary of the Reparations Ordinance for survivors of police torture, and the 4-year anniversary of the opening of the Chicago Torture Justice Center. With reflections from CTJM members Anthony Holmes, Dorothy Burge, and Alice Kim on how art and culture played a central role in envisioning reparations, this event examined how far we've come, what it took to get here, and the importance of the memorial. It also gave attendees time with artists, writers, and educators in breakout rooms, where they focused on making and creating in a world where there is so much un-making and destruction. Workshops include: Writing Workshop with educator Bill Ayers & CTJM member Alice Kim Make a quilt patch for incarcerated survivors with artist and CTJM member Dorothy Burge Make a protest poster with artist Aaron Hughes Learn about teaching the Reparations Won Curriculum via history and art with CPS educators Jen Johnson & Dave Stieber SHOW NOTES Learn more about CTJC - http://chicagotorturejustice.org Support the work of CTJC - www.classy.org/give/337684/#!/donation/checkout Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Tue, July 13, 2021
Sawyer Seminar Vol. 5 - How Finance Colonizes Urban Futures
AirGo is partnering with UIC's Social Justice Initiative to present The Sawyer Seminar, a series of conversations hosted by UIC scholars entitled Radical Care, Real Alternatives. This episode, hosted by UIC professors Rachel Weber and Philip Ashton, explores how the public goods and services on which we rely have been commodified, packaged, and sold to the highest bidder. From the Chicago Skyway to the Green Line subway to the parking spots across the city, the municipal government has auctioned off the public infrastructure in an attempt to plug short-term budget holes, with often disastrous consequences. Dive deep into the weeds and emerge with a new lens to challenge the privatization of our lived environment in Chicago and beyond. SHOW NOTES Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 Transcription by Ayinde Jean-Baptiste
Thu, July 08, 2021
Where We're Going, We Need Each Other Vol. 2: Mothers of the Movement
AirGo is proud to share a suite of conversations led by the Chicago Torture Justice Center entitled "Where We’re Going, We Need Each Other," a 2021 celebration of the 6-year anniversary of the Reparations Ordinance for survivors of police torture, and the 4-year anniversary of the opening of the Chicago Torture Justice Center. This second episode features audio from an event honoring the mothers of survivors who continue to fight with and for their loved ones. Participants include: Armanda Shackelford, mother of Gerald Reed, who was recently released after nearly 31 years incarcerated Regina Russell, mother of Tamon Russell Rosemary Cade, mother of Antonio Porter Carolyn Johnson, mother of Marcus Wiggins, the youngest known survivor of police torture Co-moderated by Mark Clements, Survivor and Organizer at the Chicago Torture Justice Center and Alice Kim, co-founder of Chicago Torture Justice Memorials and Director of Human Rights Practice at the Pozen Family Center for Human Rights. SHOW NOTES Learn more about CTJC - http://chicagotorturejustice.org Support the work of CTJC - www.classy.org/give/337684/#!/donation/checkout Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, July 01, 2021
Where We're Going, We Need Each Other Vol. 1: How We Got Here, Where We’re Going
AirGo is proud to share a suite of conversations led by the Chicago Torture Justice Center entitled "Where We’re Going, We Need Each Other," a 2021 celebration of the 6-year anniversary of the Reparations Ordinance for survivors of police torture, and the 4-year anniversary of the opening of the Chicago Torture Justice Center. This first episode, entitled "how we got here, where we're going," explored the impact of early reporting about police torture in Chicago and journalism's important role in the continuing movement for justice for survivors and families. Participants include: Gregory Banks, torture survivor Mark Clements, torture survivor John Conroy, journalist and playwright, My Kind of Town Joey Mogul, attorney and author of the Reparations Ordinance Maurice Possley, journalist Co-moderated by: Trina Reynolds-Tyler, Invisible Institute Damon Williams, CTJC, #LetUsBreathe Collective, AirGo SHOW NOTES Learn more about CTJC - chicagotorturejustice.org Support the work of CTJC - https://www.classy.org/give/337684/#!/donation/checkout Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Tue, June 29, 2021
Updates: Summer Break, Chicago Torture Justice Center, Black Freedom Conversations, and more!
Here's a lil status update on AirGo! We're taking our first summer break from regular original episodes, but will be releasing a couple of tremendous suites: first, a series of conversations entitled "Where We’re Going, We Need Each Other," celebrating of the 6-year anniversary of the Reparations Ordinance for survivors of police torture, and the 4-year anniversary of the opening of the Chicago Torture Justice Center. Then we're partnering with our old pal Eve Ewing for the Black Freedom Conversations, a suite of discussions that she hosted as part of the Black Freedom Lectures in May and June. Hope you have a restful and joyous summer, and keep an eye out for all kinds of new stuff coming from the AirGo crew. Thank you for such a successful year of growth, learning, and laughing together! Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, June 17, 2021
Ep 284 - Climate Changemakers Ep 2.2 - Nicole Nelson and Valerie Marion
Climate Changemakers is back for Season 2! And this year, hosts Damon and Kiss are reaching beyond Illinois and talking with environmental justice movement workers from across the land about what ideas guide their work, which strategies have been effective, and what advice they have for Elevate as the organization works to put people and the planet first in the fight to build equity through climate action. On this episode, Damon and Daniel have the honor of talking with two of the leading voices in the fight to save the lives and communities of Centreville, Illinois, a community that has been living in raw sewage for decades. Nicole Nelson is an attorney with Equity Legal Services, where she litigates on behalf of and works with Centreville residents, and Valerie Marion is a lifelong Centreville resident who is one of the founders of Centreville Citizens for Change, a community group that provides bottled water and other resources to their neighbors. The duo talks about how their town was structurally neglected, the physical and emotional toll of the struggle for justice, and what you can do to support. SHOW NOTES Donate to the Home Repair Community Fund - charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/…community-fund Learn more and dive deeper into the fight - http://floodedandforgotten.com/
Tue, June 15, 2021
Sawyer Seminar Vol. 4 - Immigration (im)Mobility w/ Amalia Pallares & Tania Unzueta
AirGo is partnering with UIC's Social Justice Initiative to present The Sawyer Seminar, a series of conversations hosted by UIC scholars entitled Radical Care, Real Alternatives. On this episode, we dig deep into the contemporary undocumented rights movement with UIC Professor Amalia Pallares and Mijente Political Director Tania Unzueta. The former mentor-mentee duo go through the timeline of Tania's involvement in the struggle, from her canceled appearance in front of Congress on September 11th, to the fight for DACA to be passed in the early 2010s, to her step into electoral politics over the last few years. Throughout the story, the love and appreciation between the old friends shines through, and the stories Tania shares illustrate what the future of this fight can look like. SHOW NOTES Mijente - https://mijente.net/ Coming out of the Shadows - https://www.thesociologicalreview.com/coming-out-of-the-shadows-undocumented-youth-art-and-activism-in-the-usa/ Radio Arte - https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/radio-arte-national-museum-of-mexican-art/Content?oid=3905398 Immigrant youth justice league - https://mydocumentedlife.org/immigrant-youth-justice-league-coming-out-of-the-shadows/ Undocuqueer - https://creativeresistance.org/i-am-undocuqueer/ #Not1More - http://www.notonemoredeportation.com/ Secure Communities - https://www.ice.gov/secure-communities NOLA Congress of Day Laborers - https://www.nowcrj.org/ Marisa Franco of Mijente - https://twitter.com/marisa_franco?lang=en Chicago Community and Workers Rights - https://chicagoworkersrights.org/about/ Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 Transcription by Ayinde Jean-Baptiste
Thu, June 10, 2021
BONUS - Dame and Kiss on the Happy Half Hour from The Museum of Broadcast Communications
On this bonus episode we're sharing the audio from a virtual event that Dame and Kiss were invited to participate in, hosted by the Museum of Broadcast Communications. As part of their Happy Half Hour series, MBC Director Susy Schultz talked with the guys about the show, what they hope it is accomplishing, and the specific possibilities of radio. SHOW NOTES Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, June 03, 2021
BONUS - Land Sale Contracts w/ Tonika Lewis Johnson and Richard Rothstein
On this bonus burst of brilliance, we're excited to share this conversation between AirGo fam Tonika Lewis Johnson and renowned scholar and author Richard Rothstein about the racist history and legacy of land sale contracts in Chicago and beyond. Learn about this foundational element of structural inequity, and cop Richard's book The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America. Thanks to Tonika for allowing us to share this conversation on AirGo!
Thu, May 27, 2021
Ep 283 - Undocumented & Unafraid w/ Jennicet Gutierrez and Patrice Lawrence
On 5/13/21, AirGo hosted Undocumented & Unafraid, a conversation as part of Allied Media Projects' Bloom Speakers Series. The guys had the privilege and honor of learning from: Jennicet Gutierrez, an organizer with queer and trans undocumented rights organization Famila TQLM; and Patrice Lawrence, the Co-Director of UndocuBlack Network (UBN) is a multigenerational network of currently and formerly undocumented Black people. The squad talks about what they've learned in the struggle, what needs to be centered in the conversation around borders and immigration, what their freedom dreams look like, and much more. Big shouts out to Allied Media for having us! SHOW NOTES Deadly Exchange campaign - https://deadlyexchange.org/ Freedom Dreams by Robin Kelley - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/206173/freedom-dreams-by-robin-dg-kelley/ Undocublack Network - https://undocublack.org/ Familia: TQLM - https://familiatqlm.org/ Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, May 20, 2021
Ep 282 - Climate Changemakers Ep 2.1 - Marnese Jackson
Climate Changemakers is back for Season 2! And this year, hosts Damon and Kiss are reaching beyond Illinois and talking with environmental justice movement workers from across the land about what ideas guide their work, which strategies have been effective, and what advice they have for Elevate as the organization works to put people and the planet first in the fight to build equity through climate action. The season kicks off with Marnese Jackson, an advocate, organizer and mother from Pontiac, Michigan whose work lives at every scale from the personal to the global. She is a member of Michigan's State Climate Solutions Board, on the leadership team of the Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalition, and a facilitator of BIPOC leadership programs in the climate justice movement. She talks about getting white folks to be self-reflective, bringing together multiracial coalition, and much more! Subscribe to, rate, and review Climate Changemakers on your podcast app: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clim…rs/id1503392646 Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, May 13, 2021
Ep 281 - The Mentorship Suite Vol. 7: What We Learned with Jacinda Bullie
AirGo is excited to present The Mentorship Suite, a series of episodes exploring the joys, contradictions, and radical possibilities of this often fraught term. We wrap up the suite in style with co-curator Jacinda Bullie of Kuumba Lynx. Jacinda shares what jumped out to her from the past episodes, goes in-depth into how she's wrestling with accountability's complexity, breaks down how her family life informs her mentorship, and much more! SHOW NOTES Kesho's 4 Stages of Mentorship: Stages 1 - Entering Humbly 2 - Negotiating the dynamics and what is being asked and offered 3 - Showing that she was enabling growth - accountable to showing what had been learned from the last time 4 - Closing of the relationship Kesho's Steps for Healing: 1. Awareness 2. Acceptance 3. Restitution (symbolic and repair) 4. Policy change 5. Shift in cultural norms 6. Celebration 7. Memorialize the cast of characters Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Tue, May 11, 2021
Sawyer Seminar Vol. 3 - Structural Care w/ Jen Brier, Charles Long, Valencia Robinson, Kenyon Farrow
AirGo is partnering with UIC's Social Justice Initiative to present The Sawyer Seminar, a series of conversations hosted by UIC scholars entitled Radical Care, Real Alternatives. On this third episode we're treated to a conversation about structural care, hosted by UIC Professor Jennifer Brier and featuring longtime HIV/AIDS movement workers Charles Ryan Long, Valencia Robinson, and Kenyon Farrow. The squad talks about how they've learned to redefine care, what their work can teach us about how to respond to pandemics, and much more. SHOW NOTES Howard Brown Health - https://howardbrown.org/ Eyes on the Prize - https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/eyesontheprize/ How the West Was Lost - https://variety.com/1995/film/reviews/how-the-west-was-lost-1200440212/ Tongues Untied - https://www.criterion.com/films/31182-tongues-untied Credible Messengers - https://cmjcenter.org/ Violence Interrupters - https://www.violenceinterrupters.org/ Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 Transcription by Ayinde Jean-Baptiste
Thu, April 29, 2021
Ep 280 - The Mentorship Suite Vol. 6: Add-2
AirGo is excited to present The Mentorship Suite, a series of episodes exploring the joys, contradictions, and radical possibilities of this often fraught term. On this episode, we catch back up with an old friend–the excellent emcee and sturdy human Add-2. He's the founder and beating heart of Haven Studios, a recording space and meeting ground on the South Side. He talks about stepping away from the mic and into his purpose, the joys and pains of being a mentor, and the course he's attempting to chart for the young people about whom he cares so deeply. SHOW NOTES Haven Studios - http://www.havenstudios.org/ Listen to Add-2's first appearance on AirGo back in 2015 - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2015/9/10/episode-10-add-2 Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, April 22, 2021
Ep 279 - The Mentorship Suite Vol. 5: Kesho Scott, Part II
AirGo is excited to present The Mentorship Suite, a series of episodes exploring the joys, contradictions, and radical possibilities of this often fraught term. On this episode, we share Part II of our conversation with Kesho Scott, a former Black Panther, longtime professor of Sociology and American Studies at Grinnell College, and mentor to both Dame and Kiss. The trio talks about their memories of the times that Kesho created some levitation, the deep love and appreciation they have for each other, and the calling and commitment to mentorship that sustains. SHOW NOTES Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4069.Man_s_Search_for_Meaning Message to the Grass Roots speech by Malcolm X - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY39tp3LEKI SDS - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Students_for_a_Democratic_Society Survived and Punished - https://survivedandpunished.org/ Assata’s Daughters - https://www.assatasdaughters.org/ Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, April 15, 2021
Ep 278 - The Mentorship Suite Vol. 4: Kesho Scott, Part I
AirGo is excited to present The Mentorship Suite, a series of episodes exploring the joys, contradictions, and radical possibilities of this often fraught term. On this episode, we have the honor and privilege to talk with the person who most directly shaped our commitment to movement, humanity, and liberation: the inimitable Kesho Scott. A former Black Panther and longtime professor of Sociology and American Studies at Grinnell College, Kesho breaks down the stages of mentorship, the foundations of a humanizing mentorship relationship, her own experience being mentored by Grace Lee Boggs and Jimmy Boggs, and so much more. The conversation was too good to cut, so we're dropping the first half this week and will have the second half next week. Levitate with us! SHOW NOTES Grace Lee Boggs - https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520272590/the-next-american-revolution Jimmy Boggs - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/748147.Revolution_And_Evolution_In_The_Twentieth_Century Angela Davis - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2021/1/14/episode-270-angela-davis Stokely Carmichael - https://snccdigital.org/people/stokely-carmichael/ Walter Rodney - https://www.versobooks.com/books/2785-how-europe-underdeveloped-africa Audre Lorde - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/audre-lorde Exterminate All the Brutes - https://www.hbo.com/exterminate-all-the-brutes Republic of New Afrika - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_New_Afrika League of Revolutionary Black Workers - https://www.revolutionaryblackworkers.org/ Gloria Anzaldúa - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/gloria-e-anzaldua Huey Newton - https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/huey-p-newton-born/ Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Tue, April 13, 2021
Sawyer Seminar Vol. 2 - Survival Economies w/ Rich Wallace and Nik Theodore
AirGo is partnering with UIC's Social Justice Initiative to present The Sawyer Seminar, a series of conversations hosted by UIC scholars entitled Radical Care, Real Alternatives. On this second episode, we hear from Nik Theodore, a professor at UIC and Director of the UIC Center for Urban Economic Development, and AirGo fam Rich Wallace, who is the Director of EAT (Equity and Transformation) Chicago. In conversation with Prof. Stacey Sutton, they break down the concept and implications of the informal economy, and dive deep into the stories they cultivated as part of their new report entitled Survival Economies(https://www.eatchicago.org/survival-economy-report). SHOW NOTES Survival Economies Report - https://www.eatchicago.org/survival-economy-report EAT Chicago - https://www.eatchicago.org National Domestic Workers Alliance - https://www.domesticworkers.org/ National Day Laborer Organizing Network - https://ndlon.org/ UIC’s Great Cities Institute - https://greatcities.uic.edu/ UIC Scholars for Social Justice - sji.uic.edu/ Transcription by Ayinde Jean-Baptiste
Mon, April 12, 2021
Climate Changemakers is Returning for Season 2! Plus Season 1 Reflections
We're very excited to announce that Climate Changemakers is returning for Season 2! A partnership between AirGo and Elevate, an organization that seeks to create a just and equitable world in which everyone has clean and affordable heat, power, and water in their homes and communities, Climate Changemakers features conversations with Environmental Justice workers from across the U.S. who are leading the fight against climate change and environmental racism. To get the podcast juices flowing, we've compiled our Season 1 guests' responses to the question "What should Elevate and its peers be doing differently to move the work forward?," and are sharing their reflections with you today. Stay tuned for a new episode every month and make sure to subscribe to, rate, and review Climate Changemakers!
Thu, April 08, 2021
Ep 277 - The Mentorship Suite Vol. 3: Shanna Benjamin
AirGo is excited to present The Mentorship Suite, a series of episodes exploring the joys, contradictions, and radical possibilities of this often fraught term. On this episode, we travel into the AirGo origin story to talk with the professor who brought us together–the brilliant Shanna Benjamin. An incredibly significant mentor for both Dame and Kiss, Shanna is the author of the recently published Half in Shadow: The Life and Legacy of Nellie Y. McKay. She talks about being mentored by Nellie McKay, how she approaches her work in and out of the classroom, and her memories of young Damon and young Daniel. SHOW NOTES Norton Anthology of African American Literature - https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393911558 Half In Shadow: The Life and Legacy of Nellie Y McKay - https://uncpress.org/book/9781469662534/half-in-shadow/ Henry Louis Gates - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Louis_Gates_Jr. Barbara Ransby - https://hist.uic.edu/profiles/ransby-barbara/ Wanda Coleman - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/wanda-coleman Ken Warren - https://english.uchicago.edu/people/kenneth-warren The Black Interior by Elizabeth Alexander - https://www.graywolfpress.org/books/black-interior The Sovereignty of Quiet by Kevin Everod Quashie - https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/the-sovereignty-of-quiet/9780813553108 Combahee River Collective - https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/combahee-river-collective-statement-1977/ Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 📸 by James Brown
Thu, April 01, 2021
Ep 276 - The Mentorship Suite Vol. 2: Tanji Harper
AirGo is excited to present The Mentorship Suite, a series of episodes exploring the joys, contradictions, and radical possibilities of this often fraught term. On this episode, we talk with Tanji Harper, the Artistic Director of youth dance ensemble and organization The Happiness Club. Tanji breaks down how ego disrupts care for young folks, the ways that she's learned to support the people she's trying to serve, the exhaustion of this work and world, and the temporality of mentorship. SHOW NOTES Support the Happiness Club: http://www.thehappinessclub.com/donate.html Book Blu Rhythm Collective: https://www.facebook.com/Blurhythmchicago/ Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 📷 by Tom Gavin for Vocalo
Thu, March 25, 2021
Ep 275 - The Mentorship Suite Vol. 1: Jacinda Bullie
AirGo is excited to present The Mentorship Suite, a series of episodes exploring the joys, contradictions, and radical possibilities of this often fraught term. We kick it off with the suite's co-curator Jacinda Bullie, who is the co-founder of youth arts and healing organization Kuumba Lynx. Jacinda breaks down why she bristles at the term "mentor," what she's learned from the folks who have helped her grow, how she approaches her contribution to the youth at KL, and much more. SHOW NOTES Kuumba Lynx - https://www.kuumbalynx.com/ Healthy Hood Chi - http://www.healthyhoodchi.com/ Inipi Sweat Ceremony - http://aktalakota.stjo.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8671 Assata: An Autobiography - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/100322.Assata A Taste of Power by Elaine Brown - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/913316.A_Taste_of_Power Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Tue, March 09, 2021
Sawyer Seminar Vol. 1 - The Portal Project w/ Barbara Ransby and Stacey Sutton
Read the transcript of this episode here: https://drive.google.com/file/u/2/d/1afPC0oxn3Q98vqnGMECaD8Mj8feZ7-Jl/view?usp=sharing AirGo is partnering with UIC's Social Justice Initiative to present The Sawyer Seminar, a series of conversations hosted by UIC scholars entitled Radical Care, Real Alternatives. On the first episode, we're sharing a talk between Prof. Stacey Sutton and Prof. Barbara Ransby about the Social Justice Portal Project, a collaborative think tank that crosses disciplinary boundaries to address the urgent questions of social justice faced by our communities. SHOW NOTES Social Justice Portal Project - https://sji.uic.edu/ Arundhati Roy - https://www.ft.com/content/10d8f5e8-74eb-11ea-95fe-fcd274e920ca Naomi Klein - https://naomiklein.org/ Ruthie Wilson Gilmore - https://www.gc.cuny.edu/Faculty/Core-Bios/Ruth-Wilson-Gilmore Cooperation Jackson - https://cooperationjackson.org/ Chi Fresh Kitchen - https://www.chifreshkitchen.com/ Rich Wallace - https://www.eatchicago.org/ Thomas Piketty - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Piketty Pauli Murray - https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/04/17/the-many-lives-of-pauli-murray Angela Davis - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2021/1/14/episode-270-angela-davis Robin DG Kelley - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2020/7/19/episode-255-the-abolition-suite-vol-4-robin-dg-kelley Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2020/4/29/episode-238-bypspotlight-on-the-line-with-keeanga-yamahtta-taylor UIC Scholars for Social Justice - https://sji.uic.edu/ Transcription by Ayinde Jean-Baptiste
Wed, March 03, 2021
BONUS - #StopGeneralIron Hunger Strikers in conversation with CDSA & AfroSOC
This bonus episode features audio from a virtual event on 2/24/21, hosted by Chicago DSA and the DSA AfroSOC caucus in conversation with members of the #StopGeneralIron hunger strike. For the past 27 days, Southeast Side residents have been on a hunger strike to demand the City of Chicago deny the final permit for an environmentally destructive recycling plant owned by General Iron. The hunger strikers are denouncing environmentally racist policies that continue to allow polluting industry to accumulate in Chicago's communities of color. The city has lacked transparency, participation and fairness in its permitting process for the proposed relocation of General Iron. The hunger strikers say they are willing to risk their well-being during a global pandemic to put an end to racist zoning policies that have continued for decades. The proposed site for the massive industrial metal shredder would be next to residential areas, schools, parks, and the Calumet River. Existing pollution threats continue to burden the Southeast Side and residents have continued to express serious concerns about the rushed permitting process that has shut out community feedback. Thanks to the hosts and panelists for letting us share their stories and perspectives on AirGo! SHOW NOTES Come to a socially distant rally at Mayor Lightfoot's house (3325 w Wrightwood Ave) on 3/4/2021 at 5pm! Support the hunger strike by donating to their GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-hunger-strikers-for-environmental-justice Follow the campaign on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CHIhungerstrike
Tue, February 16, 2021
BONUS - Launch of the Chicago Torture Justice Archive
On this bonus episode, we're sharing the audio from the launch event of the Chicago Police Torture Archive. The Archive is the first human rights archive documenting the violence and terror levied against more than 100 Black men under notorious Commander Jon Burge and his “Midnight Crew” from the 1970s-1990s. Over the course of the event, which was hosted by AirGo's own Damon Williams, we hear from many torture survivors about their experience and the significance of the Archive. The event was presented in partnership between The Chicago Torture Justice Center, the Invisible Institute, Chicago Torture Justice Memorials, and the Human Rights Lab. Explore the Archive here: https://chicagopolicetorturearchive.com/ Follow the work of The Chicago Torture Justice Center: https://www.chicagotorturejustice.org/ Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Fri, February 12, 2021
Ep 274 - The Notebook Suite Vol. 7: What We Learned with Nate Marshall
AirGo is excited to present The Notebook Suite, a series of conversations with writers about liberation, craft, and radical imagination co-curated by poet Nate Marshall. In this final episode of the suite, Nate comes back on the show to debrief the six amazing conversations we had with Natalie Y. Moore, Elizabeth Mendez Berry, Jamilah Lemieux, Hanif Abdurraqib, and adrienne maree brown. We break down some themes that emerged across the suite, including: the power and danger of curiosity, the unique violence of male response to critique from women and femmes, the celebration of nuance, and much more. SHOW NOTES Buy Finna by Nate Marshall - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/610570/finna-by-nate-marshall/ Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, February 04, 2021
Ep 273 - The Notebook Suite Vol. 6: adrienne maree brown
AirGo is excited to present The Notebook Suite, a series of conversations with writers about liberation, craft, and radical imagination co-curated by poet Nate Marshall. This episode features return guest adrienne maree brown, a writer, movement worker, facilitator, and thinker who has deeply shifted the philosophies and tactics of contemporary liberation work. adrienne is the writer-in-residence at the Emergent Strategy Ideation Institute, and author of "We Will Not Cancel Us and Other Dreams of Transformative Justice," "Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good," "Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds," and is the co-editor of "Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction from Social Justice Movements and How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office." She is the cohost of the How to Survive the End of the World and Octavia’s Parables podcasts. We talk about her emergence as a writer, the public accountability and revision process that was necessary for her newest book, the challenges of public visibility, and much more. SHOW NOTES Emergent Strategy Ideation institute - https://alliedmedia.org/speaker-projects/emergent-strategy-ideation-institute We Will Not Cancel Us - https://www.akpress.org/we-will-not-cancel-us.html Unthinkable thoughts blog post - http://adriennemareebrown.net/2020/07/17/unthinkable-thoughts-call-out-culture-in-the-age-of-covid-19/ Autumn Brown - https://iambrown.org/bio/ Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 📸 by anjali pinto
Thu, January 28, 2021
Ep 272 - The Notebook Suite Vol. 5: Hanif Abdurraqib
AirGo is excited to present The Notebook Suite, a series of conversations with writers about liberation, craft, and radical imagination co-curated by poet Nate Marshall. On this volume of the suite, the guys welcome back AirGo alum Hanif Abdurraqib. Hanif is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio who is the author of five books, including the forthcoming "A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance." He breaks down his car music listening route, the borderless insistence of his curiosity, the power of speaking loudly and clearly in his hometown, and much more. SHOW NOTES Lost Notes - https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/lost-notes Object of Sound - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/object-of-sound/id1548596327 68to05 - https://www.68to05.com/ Ross Gay - https://www.rossgay.net/about Aretha Franklin's Amazing Grace concert film - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkKOIQwTiKE Danez Smith - http://www.danezsmithpoet.com/bio-encore Franny Choi - https://www.frannychoi.com/ Sam Sax - https://www.samsax.com/ Cam Awkward Rich - https://www.cawkwardrich.com/ Bobby Crawford - http://bostonpoetryslam.com/find-a-poet/poets/bobby-crawford Love and Basketball - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur83i6_BjbE Vievee Francis - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/vievee-francis Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 📸 by Megan Leigh Barnard
Thu, January 21, 2021
Ep 271 - The Notebook Suite Vol. 4: Jamilah Lemieux
The guys get to chop it up with the ebullient and brilliant Jamilah Lemieux. Jamilah is a writer, editor, and social critic who has been a leading voice in the popularization of Black feminism over the last decade, shifting the conversation through her blogging; contributions to Essence, Mic, The Guardian, Colorlines, The Washington Post, The Columbia Journalism Review, The Nation and The New York Times; appearances on CNN, ABC, CBS, BET, Buzzfeed, MTV2, and MSNBC, Desus and Mero, The Breakfast Club, and more; and her ever-present and active Twitter. She talks about returning to the page, the sharpness of the critique that Black women face, the heartbreak of being attacked by Black men on the internet, dinner at Farrakhan's house, and much more. SHOW NOTES Follow Jamilah: https://twitter.com/JamilahLemieux for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf - https://bookshop.org/books/for-colored-girls-who-have-considered-suicide-when-the-rainbow-is-enuf/9780684843261 Surviving R Kelly - https://www.netflix.com/title/81069393 Wesley Lowery - https://twitter.com/WesleyLowery Toni Cade Bambara - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toni_Cade_Bambara Demetria Lucas - http://www.demetrialucas.com/ Luvvie Ajayi - https://luvvie.org/ Rembert Browne - https://twitter.com/rembert Eve Ewing - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2017/8/10/episode-102-eve-ewing-returns A Little Juju - https://www.itsjujubae.com/ Black Male Privilege checklist - https://projecthumanities.asu.edu/content/black-male-privilege-checklist Our Kind of People - https://bookshop.org/books/our-kind-of-people-inside-america-s-black-upper-class/9780060984380 The Spook who sat by the door - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BynXfREPG8 Afro American Patrolmen’s League - https://interactive.wttw.com/dusable-to-obama/afro-american-patrolmens-league Toni Morrison - https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/06/books/toni-morrison-dead.html Zora Neale Hurston - https://www.zoranealehurston.com/ dream hampton - https://www.dreamhampton.com/ Miles Marshall Lewis - https://twitter.com/MMLunlimited Mom and Dad are Fighting - https://slate.com/podcasts/mom-and-dad-are-fighting Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Sat, January 16, 2021
BONUS - Angela Davis Debrief
On this bonus episode, listen to audio from an IG Live on 1/15, in which the guys break down the Behind the Scenes of their interview with the legendary Angela Davis. SHOW NOTES Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 Check out another wonderful podcast, The Lit Review, hosted by Chicago organizers Page May and Monica Trinidad - www.thelitreview.org/ Intro contains audio from "Crooklyn," produced by Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest and was featured in the 1994 film.
Thu, January 14, 2021
Ep 270 - Angela Davis
Yup, it's real–we can't believe it either. The guys have the extraordinary privilege and honor of talking with legendary Black revolutionary Angela Davis. She discusses her experience this summer during uprising, the remarkable popularization of abolition, the significance of addressing gender violence and inequality in the fight for liberation, and much much more. Wow! SHOW NOTES Grace Lee Boggs and Jimmy Boggs - http://boggscenter.org/ Audre Lorde - https://alp.org/about/audre Fumbling Towards Repair - https://www.akpress.org/fumbling-towards-repair.html Creative Interventions toolkit - https://www.creative-interventions.org/tools/toolkit/ George Jackson - http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/rodneyjackson.html Attica Brothers - https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2011/sep/15/remembering-attica-forty-years-later/ Without Guarantees by Stuart Hall - https://www.google.com/books/edition/Without_Guarantees/MYcFKbUl0zkC?hl=en&gbpv=0 Frank "Big Black" Smith - https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/03/us/frank-smith-71-is-dead-sought-justice-after-attica.html Critical Resistance - http://criticalresistance.org/ Mike Davis essay on PIC - http://archive.li/RF45D INCITE! - https://incite-national.org/ Southern Negro Youth Congress - https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/southern-negro-youth-congress-1937-1949/ Mariame Kaba - http://mariamekaba.com/ Barbara Ransby - https://barbararansby.com/about-2/ Robin Kelley - https://history.ucla.edu/faculty/robin-kelley Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 Check out another wonderful podcast, The Lit Review, hosted by Chicago organizers Page May and Monica Trinidad - http://www.thelitreview.org/ Intro contains audio from "Crooklyn," produced by Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest and was featured in the 1994 film. 📸 by kk ottesen
Tue, December 29, 2020
#GoBack - PrepAirGo in 2015
Each month this year, we're going to revisit an episode from the 260+ episodes in the AirGo Archives and bring that conversation back to the forefront. For the final #GoBack of the year, we're excited to share the first conversation we ever had on the air in Chicago, a week before the first official episode of AirGo. We tried to find our rhythm and played some songs we were bumping at the time. Check out this never-before-heard (except for live on the air) gem from the AirGo archives! SHOW NOTES Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, December 24, 2020
Ep 269 - The Notebook Suite Vol. 3: Elizabeth Mendez Berry
AirGo is excited to present The Notebook Suite, a series of conversations with writers about liberation, craft, and radical imagination co-curated by poet Nate Marshall. On this last episode of 2020, we get to learn from Elizabeth Mendez Berry. Elizabeth is an editor, writer, and funder who is currently the Vice President and Executive Editor of One World, an imprint of Random House in New York. She's also the cofounder of Critical Minded, an initiative supporting cultural critics of color, and the Unicorn Fund, which offers resources to artists and others who have been targeted for speaking out. We talk about the transformative potential of criticism, her experience as a music writer for VIBE, and much more. SHOW NOTES Jeff Chang - https://jeffchang.net/ Black Star Film Festival - https://www.blackstarfest.org/ Greg Tate - https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-critic-who-convinced-me-that-criticism-could-be-art Karen Good Marable - https://twitter.com/kgoodmarable Toni Morrison - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/21332/toni-morrison/ One World Lit - https://www.oneworldlit.com/ Haki Madhubuti - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/haki-madhubuti Richie Perez - https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/29/nyregion/richard-perez-is-dead-at-59-advocate-for-minority-rights.html Love Hurts by Elizabeth Mendez Berry - https://elizabethmendezberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/LOVE-HURTS-for-site-2.pdf Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 Photo by Rog and Bee Walker (instagram.com/papermonday)
Fri, December 18, 2020
BONUS - More Abolitionists Than Ever
Our movement has been fighting hard to #DefundPolice all year long! As we come to the end of 2020, the #DefundCPD Campaign hosted a celebration and discussion on December 16 at 6pm CT about the campaign so far, featuring #DefundCPD campaign organizers in conversation with abolitionist organizer Mariame Kaba, and special guests from other defund police campaigns from the Midwest to the South. Follow the campaign: https://www.facebook.com/defundcpd Sign the demand to #DefundCPD if you haven’t already: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-on-to-demand-defunding-of-the-chicago-police-department Watch the whole event here: https://www.facebook.com/defundcpd/videos/200794354995963
Thu, December 17, 2020
Ep 268 - The Notebook Suite Vol. 2: Natalie Y. Moore
AirGo is excited to present The Notebook Suite, a series of conversations with writers about liberation, craft, and radical imagination co-curated by poet Nate Marshall. On this episode, we have the pleasure of talking with Chicago legend, WBEZ journalist, and writer Natalie Y. Moore. The author of popular and necessary books The South Side, Almighty Black P Stone Nation, and Deconstructing Tyrone, Natalie talks about how she maneuvers complex responses to her work, how telling the story of segregation helped her report on the pandemic, and much more. Shoutout to our friends over at Scene On Radio, aPeabody-nominated podcast from the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. Subscribe now: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scene-on-radio/id1036276968 SHOW NOTES The South Side: A Portrait of Chicago and American Segregation - https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250118332 The Almighty Black P Stone Nation: The Rise, Fall, and Resurgence of an American Gang - https://www.chicagoreviewpress.com/almighty-black-p-stone-nation--the-products-9781569768464.php Natalie Hopkinson - https://www.nataliehopkinson.com/ Chana Garcia - https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/3/21/18483831/remembering-my-friend-chana-and-why-black-women-must-stand-up-for-their-health Metropolitan Planning Council - https://www.metroplanning.org/index.html Our Equitable Future: A Roadmap for the Chicago Region - https://www.metroplanning.org/uploads/cms/documents/cost-of-segregation-roadmap.pdf Become an AirGo Amplifier - airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, December 10, 2020
Ep 267 - The Notebook Suite Vol. 1: Nate Marshall
AirGo is excited to present The Notebook Suite, a series of conversations with writers about liberation, craft, and radical imagination. We kick the series off by chopping it up with brilliant poet and suite co-curator Nate Marshall. Author of poetry collections Finna and Wild Hundreds, Nate is a longtime friend of the show and professor at Colorado College. He shares what he's wrestling with in his writing right now, as well as some questions for us to ask the folks we're going to be talking with throughout the suite. SHOW NOTES Coffee and Books with Marc Lamont Hill - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coffee-and-books/id1522592619 The Difficult Miracle of Black Poetry in America by June Jordan - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/68628/the-difficult-miracle-of-black-poetry-in-america Phyllis Wheatley - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/phillis-wheatley The American Scholar by Ralph Waldo Emerson - http://digitalemerson.wsulibs.wsu.edu/exhibits/show/text/the-american-scholar Jamila Woods - http://www.jamila-woods.com/ Sarah Kay - https://kaysarahsera.com/ Nina Simone on Freedom - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySYRI4wXUpo Imagine the Angels of Bread by Martin Espada - http://www.martinespada.net/uploads/6/9/9/8/69989673/imagine_the_angels_of_bread.pdf Buy Finna today! https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/610570/finna-by-nate-marshall/ Become an AirGo Amplifier - https://airgoradio.com/donate Rate and review AirGo - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, December 03, 2020
Ep 266 - theMIND Listening Party
You're invited to an AirGo Listening Party with old friend, vocalist, and stellar human theMIND! A Philly native and longtime Chicagoan, he just dropped a gorgeous and soul-enriching new project entitled Don't Let It Go To Your Head. In the first edition of our new Listening Party series, we go through a few tracks on the album together and talk about his creative process, what he's wrestled with in his artistry and personal growth, and much more. Listen to the album: https://cinqreleas.es/yourhead SHOW NOTES Busy/Sirens by Saba x theMIND - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhE-fQU6P9U Revolution and Evolution in the 20th Century by James and Grace Lee Boggs - https://www.google.com/books/edition/Revolution_and_Evolution/M6WSDwAAQBAJ Rate and review AirGo on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 Support AirGo with a monthly or one-time donation - https://airgoradio.com/donate 📸 by ANF Chicago
Wed, November 25, 2020
Climate Changemakers Vol. 8 - Olga Bautista
Climate Changemakers is a podcast series showcasing and celebrating leaders in equity work and climate action across Illinois, presented in celebration of the 20th anniversary of nonprofit organization Elevate Energy. On this eighth and final episode of Climate Changemakers, Dame and Daniel are joined by Olga Bautista of the Chicago Southeast Side Coalition to Ban Petcoke. In response to decades of pollution and environmental destruction by industry in her home neighborhood on the Southeast side of the city, Olga banded together with other community members to fight for environmental protections from and cleanup of Petcoke, a toxic byproduct of oil refinement that was poisoning the air she and her family were breathing. The coalition successfully fought the Koch brothers, who were forced to dispose of the petcoke in a less destructive manner. She talks about the devastation of industrial pollution, learning to collect the necessary data herself, the unique challenges of having a set at the redevelopment table during a pandemic, and much more. SHOW NOTES Exit Zero - www.goodreads.com/book/show/24898568-exit-zero COPD - www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-condit…es/syc-20353679 NRDC - www.nrdc.org/ Nancy Loeb - www.law.northwestern.edu/faculty/prof…s/NancyLoeb/ Invest South/West - www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/invest_sw/home.html Great Cities Institute - greatcities.uic.edu Poor People's Campaign - www.poorpeoplescampaign.org
Sun, November 22, 2020
BONUS - Spill the Tea: a #DefundCPD Discussion
In the midst of a pandemic, Mayor Lightfoot is threatening to punish aldermen and the communities they represent if they do not vote for her racist and regressive budget. There is a lot to unpack, from Lori increasing the share of funding for the police department to her telling the Black Caucus that voting against her budget means they shouldn’t expect investment from the city for their wards, and so much more… and that ain't right! Listen to the audio from a Facebook Live conversation on Saturday, November 21st at 12pm between Kennedy from @uwfillinois, Damon from @letusbreathe773, Ald. Rossana Rodriguez, CTU's Stacy Davis Gates, Amika "Big Tree" Tendaji, and organizers from Good Kids Mad City spill the tea on Lori’s fake progressive, anti-Black budget. Stay tuned this week as we share more info on the folks who will be joining the conversation and ways to demand alderpeople vote no and #BootTheBudget! Sign up to phonebank or textbank to help #DefundCPD at bit.ly/2020Chibudget. #SpillTheTea #BootTheBudget #TakeBackTheBudget #DefundCPD
Fri, November 20, 2020
BONUS - Ending Money Bond Collage
On this bonus episode, we're partnering with our good friends over at the Chicago Community Bond Fund to share a collage of audio from a series of virtual townhalls hosted by the Coalition to End Money Bond. Recorded this fall, the conversations explored the different imperatives for ending money bail, and connected elected representatives with lawyers, organizers, and advocates who are leading the fight. SHOW NOTES Plug into the fight at http://endmoneybond.org Send a letter to you legislator in support of the Pretrial Fairness Act: bit.ly/pretrialfairnessletter Watch all three townhalls at the Coalition's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/endmoneybond/videos/ Chicago Community Bond Fund: https://chicagobond.org/
Thu, November 19, 2020
#GoBack - Standing Rock in 2016
Each month this year, we're going to revisit an episode from the 260+ episodes in the AirGo Archives and bring that conversation back to the forefront. This month, we're revisiting one of the most impactful moments in modern social movement history–the encampment at Standing Rock in 2016. Kiss and a cohort of other Chicago folks brought supplies from Freedom Square in November, and had the privilege to spend a few days there. Upon their return, Kiss sat down with Kristiana Colon, who had been with him on the trip, to talk about the experience. The episode also features selections from the podcast Voices of Standing Rock, reproduced with the creator's permission. SHOW NOTES: Listen to all of Voices of Standing Rock: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/voices-of-standing-rock/id1173368814 Get connected to Oceti Sakowin, a group that formed during the encampment and has led the fight for indigenous sovereignty and environmental justice: https://www.facebook.com/OcetiSakowinCamp
Thu, November 12, 2020
Cottage Groove #14 - LoveTape
A little love from AirGo resident DJ Kiss aka DJ Empathy, who brings you this amorous mix full of serenades, laments, soul sharing, and bops. Fun fact: this mix is named for the "love tapes" that his dad used to make for his mom when they were dating. Fall in love with this soundtrack! Music in this mix: Donnie Outthaway - Smino Ea'alah - Spillage Village x JID x Earthgang Sandstorm - Mereba x JID Black Treasure - Zara McFarlane Superficial - CJ Run x Yourbeautifulruin Ooh Nah Nah - SiR x Masego Long Nights - 6lack Darlin' - Tobi Lou Manifesto Remix - Melo Makes Music x Kota the Friend Jane - Southpaw Swade Love - Kendrick Lamar x Zacari Shea Butter Baby - Ari Lennox x J. Cole Mushroom Chocolate - QUIN x 6lack Wild Irish Roses - Smino Borderline (An Ode to Self-Care) -Solange x Q-Tip Got 'Til It's Gone - Janet Jackson x Q-Tip x Joni Mitchell
Thu, November 05, 2020
Ep 265 - Unelectable Vol. 3: Abolition Democracy
Unelectable is an live podcast event series that engages electoral politics through the filter of radical imagination. Come chop it up with us, imagine new worlds, and help us build our Unelectable platform! AirGo and Black Youth Project are using the 2020 election cycle to have tangible conversations about impactful issues dismissed as being too big or unrealistic by mainstream political media. We want to expose the tensions that come from engaging electoral work as a liberatory pathway, reconciling complex contradictions within our movements and communities. The third and final event in the series, taking place just a few days before the 2020 election, focuses on the liberatory potential of Abolition Democracy, and how the seeds of this future are being sowed today. The conversation is cohosted by brilliant organizer Asha Ransby-Sporn, and features State Senator Robert Peters, community builder Jay Travis (formerly of KOCO), and EAT Chicago founder Rich Wallace. SHOW NOTES DefundCPD campaign - https://www.instagram.com/defundcpd/ Abolition Democracy by Angela Davis - https://www.akpress.org/abolitiondemocracy.html Ruth Wilson Gilmore - https://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/core-bios/ruth-wilson-gilmore W.E.B. Du Bois - https://hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu/web-dubois Breathe Act - https://breatheact.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/The-BREATHE-Act-V.16_.pdf Tanya Watkins of SOUL - https://www.soulinchicago.org/
Sun, November 01, 2020
BONUS - Breakin' Down the Budget with #DefundCPD
On October 21st, Lori Lightfoot addressed Chicago and let us know where her priorities lie. She ignored 87% of Chicagoans that took the budget survey and instead advocated for increased police spending and ensured she allocated plenty of $ for her 13 press aides. After the CPD Budget Hearing on 10/29, join #DefundCPD organizers Kennedy (@uwfillinois) and Damon Williams (@damon_af) to break down all of Lori's budget tricks, learn about budget processes, and talk through how we collectively move forward during this budget cycle. NOTE: This is audio of an IG Live from 10/30/20 between Damon and Kennedy Bartley, the Legislative Director of United Working Families. Learn more about Kennedy here: https://www.unitedworkingfamilies.org/news/2019/8/25/meet-kennedy Join the #DefundCPD campaign: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-on-to-demand-defunding-of-the-chicago-police-department?source=direct_link&
Sat, October 31, 2020
#GoBack - Ravyn Lenae in 2015
Each month this year, we're going to revisit an episode from the 260+ episodes in the AirGo Archives and bring that conversation back to the forefront. This week, we're heading back to 2015 to talk with one of the best singers of we've ever heard. When 16 year-old Ravyn Lenae came up to the WHPK studio, she had recently released her first EP Moon Shoes, and it was becoming clear that she had an absurdly bright future that was becoming closer and closer. Since then, she's released multiple acclaimed projects, relocated to LA, signed to Atlantic Records, and toured the world. And she's still really nice to us, which we appreciate. SHOW NOTES Listen to her EP Crush here: https://www.ravynlenae.com/ Make a tax-deductible donation today and become an AirGo Amplifier: airgoradio.com/donate
Fri, October 30, 2020
Climate Changemakers Vol. 7 - Tonika Lewis Johnson
Climate Changemakers is a podcast series showcasing and celebrating leaders in equity work and climate action across Illinois, presented in celebration of the 20th anniversary of nonprofit organization Elevate Energy. On this penultimate episode of Climate Changemakers, Damon and Daniel talk with artist, community builder, and Chicago gem Tonika Lewis Johnson. A lifelong Englewood resident, she helped co-found the Resident Association of Greater Englewood (R.A.G.E), whose mission is to “mobilize people and resources to force positive change in Englewood through solution-based approaches." She is also a lead co-founder of the Englewood Arts Collective, established in 2017 to help artistically “reframe the narrative” of Englewood. Her Folded Map Project, which brings together "map twins" from opposite sides of the city, has been widely acclaimed as both an artistic project and a flashpoint in the fight against structural racism. She talks about the ways that the project has evolved, what she's learned from it about our collective relationships to land, what she imagines in the demolished spaces across her neighborhood, and much more. SHOW NOTES Cooked Survival by Zip Code - www.pbs.org/independentlens/vid…rvival-by-zip-code/ Open Lands Tree Stewardship project - www.openlands.org/trees/ Go Green on Racine - gogreenonracine.com/ Folded Map Action Kit - www.foldedmapproject.com/submit
Thu, October 29, 2020
Ep 264 - The Education Suite Vol. 7: What We Learned with Eve Ewing
AirGo is excited to present The Education Suite, a collection of episodes focusing on the liberatory histories and futures of education. This suite is co-curated by AirGo fam and general genius Eve Ewing, a professor and poet whose work is at the forefront of public conversation around the ways our education system has harmed Black and Brown young people, and the ways that our school buildings connect to larger systems of inequity across the country. For the final episode of this suite, we check back in with Eve to discuss what we've learned. She brings some questions for the guys to make sure they were listening, shares some useful tips for your apocalypse knapsack, and fills us all with the warmth and introspection she is always sharing. SHOW NOTES Audre Lorde - https://alp.org/about/audre Parable of the Sower-inspired Go Bag - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hhrd4PO6Dr_N64AIe5BFzgz7jC782PnpF2r0QnV_CCk/edit?usp=sharing Pierre Bourdieu - https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=d_lp40IAAAAJ&hl=en WEB Dubois - https://hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu/web-dubois Paulo Freire - https://www.freire.org/paulo-freire/ Jimmy & Grace Lee Boggs - https://www.boggsschool.org/grace-and-jimmy Ella Baker - https://ellabakercenter.org/who-was-ella-baker/ Bob Moses - https://snccdigital.org/people/bob-moses/ Chezare Warren - https://www.chezarewarren.com/ Elizabeth Todd-Breland - https://hist.uic.edu/profiles/todd-breland-elizabeth/
Mon, October 26, 2020
BONUS - Somewhere in Wiscansin with Maira Khwaja & Trina Reynolds-Tyler
Recently, the guys very carefully and joyously headed to an isolated house in Wisconsin for a planning and decompression weekend with movement stalwarts and wonderful spirits Trina Reynolds-Tyler and Maira Khwaja. We turned the mics on toward the end of the weekend to talk about the last time the four of us hung out, what we learned, and some of what we're wrestling with. Find out more about Trina and Maira's work at http://www.tmproductions.org/
Thu, October 22, 2020
Ep 263 - The Education Suite Vol. 6: Janie Pochel of Chi-Nations Youth Council
AirGo is excited to present The Education Suite, a collection of episodes focusing on the liberatory histories and futures of education. This suite is co-curated by AirGo fam and general genius Eve Ewing, a professor and poet whose work is at the forefront of public conversation around the ways our education system has harmed Black and Brown young people, and the ways that our school buildings connect to larger systems of inequity across the country. This episode features Janie Pochel, the cofounder and guiding force behind Chi-Nations Youth Council. The Council is a community organization that create a supportive open environment for Native youth to raise awareness of cultural identity and promote a healthy lifestyle through arts, activism, and education. She breaks down the lessons learned through land and place-based education, the necessity of Black and Indigenous solidarity, how modern schooling has been a genocidal tool, and how she cares for the youth she serves. SHOW NOTES Support the work of Chi-Nations Youth Council - https://chinationsyouth.weebly.com/donate.html Good Kids Mad City - https://www.gkmcenglewood.com/donate Janie's interview in South Side Weekly - https://southsideweekly.com/chicago-native-american-organizer-intersection-black-lives-matter-decolonization/ Subscribe, rate, and review AirGo on Apple Podcasts -https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 📷 by Adam Sings in the Timber - https://singsinthetimber.com/
Wed, October 21, 2020
BONUS - They Finessin’ Us: An Abolitionist Budget Conversation
On the eve of Lori Lightfoot’s budget speech, Bella BAHHS (@bellabahhs) and Damon Williams (@damon_af) address the inherent violence within our political systems and discuss how defunding the police is a step toward getting our people and communities what they need. #DefundCPD #DefendBlackLives This audio is from an IG Live between Damon and Bella Bahhs. Follow her at http://instagram.com/bellabahhs. Plug into the campaign today! https://linktr.ee/defundcpd
Thu, October 15, 2020
Ep 262 - The Education Suite Vol. 5: SA Smythe
AirGo is excited to present The Education Suite, a collection of episodes focusing on the liberatory histories and futures of education. This suite is co-curated by AirGo fam and general genius Eve Ewing, a professor and poet whose work is at the forefront of public conversation around the ways our education system has harmed Black and Brown young people, and the ways that our school buildings connect to larger systems of inequity across the country. This episode's guest is poet, translator, and transdisciplinary scholar SA Smythe. SA is a professor at UCLA, and is one of the organizers of the Cops Off Campus Campaign, which aims to remove police and policing from all University of California campuses by September 2021. They join the show to talk about the campaign, the challenges and unique potential of forging a truly public university, how the campaign connects to their study of Blackness in the Mediterranean, reaching toward diasporic power rather than national citizenship, and MUCH, MUCH more. Recorded 9/29/20 SHOW NOTES: Support the Cops Off Campus campaign - https://www.instagram.com/uc_ftp/ Nick Mitchell - https://cres.ucsc.edu/faculty/regular-faculty.php?uid=nmitchel Sarah Haley - https://afam.ucla.edu/faculty/sarah-haley/ Shana Redmond - https://schoolofmusic.ucla.edu/people/shana-redmond/ Ruthie Wilson Gilmore - https://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/core-bios/ruth-wilson-gilmore Dylan Rodriguez - https://twitter.com/dylanrodriguez?lang=en Sisters Uncut - http://www.sistersuncut.org/ Paul Gilroy - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/institute-of-advanced-studies/professor-paul-gilroy Gwendolyn Brooks - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/gwendolyn-brooks June Jordan - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/june-jordan Ashon Crawley - https://religiousstudies.as.virginia.edu/faculty/profile/atc8g Frantz Fanon - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frantz_Fanon
Thu, October 08, 2020
Ep 261 - The Education Suite Vol. 4: L'Heureux Dumi Lewis-McCoy
AirGo is excited to present The Education Suite, a collection of episodes focusing on the liberatory histories and futures of education. This suite is co-curated by AirGo fam and general genius Eve Ewing, a professor and poet whose work is at the forefront of public conversation around the ways our education system has harmed Black and Brown young people, and the ways that our school buildings connect to larger systems of inequity across the country. On this episode, we get to know Prof. L'Heureux Dumi Lewis-McCoy. He's a professor at NYU, where his work focuses on the racial entanglements, contradictions, and challenges for students of color in suburban schools. He breaks down the myths we hold about the suburbs, the unique violences of catholic schools, where the potential for fugitivity in the cul-de-sacs might be, and who we should be listening to about what young people need. SHOW NOTES Catholic Schools and the Common Good: https://books.google.com/books/about/Catholic_Schools_and_the_Common_Good.html?id=zHzW6NVwS0sC Free Write Arts & Literacy: http://freewriteartsliteracy.org/ Jacob Faber on Redlining: https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2020/august/new-deal-housing-programs-dramatically-increased-segregation--ne.html Yonkers PowerLab: https://www.thepowerlabny.com/ Show Me a Hero: https://www.hbo.com/show-me-a-hero Chezare Warren: https://www.chezarewarren.com/ Project NIA: http://project-nia.org/ Bianca Baldridge: https://www.biancabaldridge.com/ Bettina Love: https://bettinalove.com/ Robin DG Kelley: https://soundcloud.com/airgoradio/ep-255-the-abolition-suite-vol-4-robin-dg-kelley Daniel Black: http://danieloblack.com/about-daniel/ Make a tax-deductible donation today and become an AirGo Amplifier: https://airgoradio.com/donate
Fri, September 25, 2020
#GoBack - Stretch and Bobbito in 2015
Each month this year, we're going to revisit an episode from the 260+ episodes in the AirGo Archives and bring that conversation back to the forefront. This month, we're revisiting our convo with Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia, the legendary duo behind the underground radio show that first brought many of hip hop's biggest stars onto the airwave. Dame and Kiss had the chance to sit down with Stretch and Bob back in 2015, when AirGo was still a baby and the brilliant documentary Stretch and Bobbito: Radio that Changed Lives first came to Chicago. It was a bit of a funhouse mirror as the four of them talked hip hop, independent radio-making, classic 90s rap tales, and finding one's place in the culture. Since 2015, the duo has hosted several podcasts (including What's Good for NPR), released a wonderful album together, and continued to rock with each other tough through thick and thin. SHOW NOTES: Stretch and Bobbito: Radio that Changed Lives - https://stretchandbobbito.com/ Rock Rubber 45s - https://rockrubber45s.com/ No Requests - https://www.uprisingmusicnyc.com/stretch-and-bobbito
Thu, September 24, 2020
Climate Changemakers Vol. 6 - Ramon Etc. of The Love Fridge Chicago
Climate Changemakers is back, baby! Dame and Kiss return for another three conversations with some of Illinois' most impactful environmental justice and sustainability movement workers, showcasing their work and sharing what lessons they've learned. This episode is with Ramon Etc. aka Radius, the founder of the Love Fridge Chicago, a mutual aid network that sets up community-run, free-food fridges across the city of Chicago. He talks about how the network emerged, his relationship with food, and how we can build a more embodied and sustainable relationship to our food system. SHOW NOTES: Check out Ramon's music - SEEN (Etc Records/ARR sound) https://radiusetc.bandcamp.com/album/seen Sense x Radius (Etc Records) https://senseradius.bandcamp.com/album/the-live-archive-2-era-of-the-tec Partner Organizations - eric aka manny is on the team and runs flatlands press https://www.instagram.com/flatlands_press/ lisa armstrong is a head/og designer https://www.instagram.com/lisastrongarms/ charlotte cohen is main web related designer/etc https://www.instagram.com/charlottecohen/ Feed The Crib/Del dia chicago https://www.instagram.com/feedthecrib/ https://www.instagram.com/deldiachicago/ Grocery Run Club https://www.instagram.com/groceryrunclub/ grow greater englewood https://www.instagram.com/growgreaterenglewood/ bronzville kenwood mutual aid https://www.instagram.com/bk_mutualaid/ stephanie dunn/starfarm https://www.instagram.com/stephaniedunn8318/ Gotham Greens https://www.instagram.com/gothamgreens/ Urban Growers Collective https://www.instagram.com/urbangrowerscollective/ Thankful For Chicago https://www.instagram.com/thankfulforchicago/ Chef Chanell https://www.instagram.com/chefchanell/ Back to school boxes https://www.instagram.com/backtoschoolboxes/ Bobcat eats https://www.instagram.com/bobcateatsfoodwasteprogram/ kitchfix https://www.instagram.com/kitchfix/ Moms Chicago https://www.instagram.com/momschicago/
Thu, September 17, 2020
Ep 260 - Education Suite Vol. 3: Dr. Dave Stovall
AirGo is excited to present The Education Suite, a collection of episodes focusing on the liberatory histories and futures of education. This suite is co-curated by AirGo fam and general genius Eve Ewing, a professor and poet whose work is at the forefront of public conversation around the ways our education system has harmed Black and Brown young people, and the ways that our school buildings connect to larger systems of inequity across the country. On this episode, we chop it up with AirGo fam Dr. Dave Stovall, a professor at UIC who works with community organizations and schools to address issues of equity, justice and abolishing the school/prison nexus. He breaks down the distinction between education and schooling, histories of education spaces and their destruction, fugitivity, and much more. SHOW NOTES: The People’s Grab n Go - https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-peoples-grab-n-go-oral-history Bettina Love of the Abolitionist Teaching Network - https://abolitionistteachingnetwork.org/ The Lost Education of Horace Tate by Vanessa Siddle Walker - https://thenewpress.com/books/lost-education-of-horace-tate Paulo Freire - https://www.freire.org/paulo-freire/ Lavalas Movement - https://nacla.org/article/fanmi-lavalas-political-project Prof. Christopher Span - https://education.illinois.edu/faculty/christopher-span Gloria Ladson-Billings - https://naeducation.org/our-members/gloria-ladson-billings/ Dionne Danns - https://education.indiana.edu/about/directory/profiles/danns-dionne.html Black Teacher Project - https://www.blackteacherproject.org/ Rethinking Schools - https://rethinkingschools.org/ Raise Your Hand IL - https://www.ilraiseyourhand.org/
Wed, September 16, 2020
Cottage Groove #13 - Ghetto Sage Apprecation Mix
Sometimes you just gotta celebrate the 🐐. On this edition of our Cottage Groove series, Kiss aka DJ Empathy brings together a whole bunch of deep cuts and collabs between the brilliant Saba, Noname, and Smino. The trio, who by forming the group Ghetto Sage recently joined the hip hop lineage of starting supergroups that don't follow through with albums, are three of the best artists of their generation and deserve all the 💐. Get into it! Songs in this mix: Häagen Dazs - Ghetto Sage Spin Move - Dreamville x Bas x Saba x Smino Future Plans Pt. III - Saba x Noname Food for Thought - Ikon x Saba x Noname x Malcolm London Amphetamine - Smino x Noname Shadow Man - Noname x Phoelix x Saba x Smino Sacrifices - Dreamville x Earthgang x Saba x Smino x J Cole Smellin Like a Re-Up - Smino Living Single LEAK - Chance the Rapper x Smino Counterfeit - Noname x Chelsea Reject x Phoelix x Saba Church / Liquor Store - Saba x Noname Riot - Saba x Trapo How You Feel - C-Sick x Noname x Saba Kolors - Smino x Monte Booker The Truth - Mick Jenkins x Noname (Prod. Saba) Black Alabaster - XVRHLDY x Saba x Noname Realer than Most - Mick Jenkins x Dally Auston x Saba x Noname Secondhand Smoke - Saba x Noname Dead Friends - Kirk Knight x Noname x Thundercat Ace - Noname x Smino x Saba
Thu, September 10, 2020
Ep 259 - The Education Suite Vol. 2: Uplift Sessions
AirGo is excited to present The Education Suite, a collection of episodes focusing on the liberatory histories and futures of education. This suite is co-curated by AirGo fam and general genius Eve Ewing, a professor and poet whose work is at the forefront of public conversation around the ways our education system has harmed Black and Brown young people, and the ways that our school buildings connect to larger systems of inequity across the country. On this episode, we go into the classroom at Uplift High School, a social justice CPS school in Uptown that Dame and Kiss taught a 10-week block at in the spring of 2019. Hear from the students of Uplift about what freedom means, what they want to learn about, how they know when to lead and when to follow, and much more. SHOW NOTES HUGE thanks to Justin Barnes for his work editing the audio from our sessions at Uplift! Thanks to Zain Bullie for hosting us in his class. Check out our On the Line episode with him: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-237-on-the-line-with-zain-bullie/id1016530091 Support amazing organization Kuumba Lynx: https://www.kuumbalynx.com/ Subscribe, rate, and review AirGo on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 Donate to AirGo: airgoradio.com/donate
Fri, September 04, 2020
Ep 258 - The Education Suite Vol. 1: Eve Ewing
AirGo is excited to launch The Education Suite, a collection of episodes focusing on the liberatory histories and futures of education. This suite is co-curated by AirGo fam and general genius Eve Ewing, a professor and poet whose work is at the forefront of public conversation around the ways our education system has harmed Black and Brown young people, and the ways that our school buildings connect to larger systems of inequity across the country. On this first volume, Eve joins Dame and Kiss to pose some questions they should ask the guests over the next few weeks, and to share her reflections on the fork in the road our country has reached in regard to education and so much else. SHOW NOTES Follow Eve on Twitter: https://twitter.com/eveewing Buy her book Ghosts in the Schoolyard: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/G/bo27506579.html Subscribe, rate, and review AirGo on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 Donate to AirGo: https://airgoradio.com/donate
Wed, September 02, 2020
BONUS - CCBF presents Welcome to The Movement Teach-in
The Chicago Community Bond Fund (CCBF) pays bond for people charged with crimes in Cook County, Illinois. Through a revolving fund, CCBF supports individuals whose communities cannot afford to pay the bonds themselves and who have been impacted by structural violence. They have been remarkable contributors to Chicago's abolitionist movement since their inception, creating programming and policy that works to render the fund obsolete. They recently hosted a teach-in called Welcome to the Movement, which they were kind enough to share with us for re-release. Learn more and support: https://chicagobond.org/
Thu, August 27, 2020
#GoBack - Fatimah Asghar in 2016
Each month this year, we're going to revisit an episode from the 200+ episodes in the AirGo Archives and bring that conversation back to the forefront. This month, we're returning to our conversation with poet, artist, and filmmaker Fatimah Asghar from March 2016. Fati has since moved deeper into the film world, cocreating hit web series Brown Girls, and published the brilliant poetry collection If They Should Come for Us. Follow Fati on Twitter: https://twitter.com/asgharthegrouch NOTE: Rate and review AirGo on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, August 13, 2020
BONUS - Racism is a Public Health Crisis
NOTE: This bonus episode is audio from a virtual event on 7/29, presented by the Black Abolitionist Network, Chicago Teachers Union, National Nurses United, Physicians for a National Health Program Illinois, Haymarket Books, and SEIU 73. COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on the intersection of racism and healthcare in this country. Chronic racist inequity has produced terrifying outcomes in terms of the disproportionate effect the virus is having on African-Americans and Latinx people. The protest movement that erupted after the murder of George Floyd sharpened a national conversation about racism in this country. Many have demanded that institutions which hurt people be defunded, and that this money be redirected towards healing communities. Join a conversation of labor and community activists who will be discussing work they and their organizations are doing as it relates to this topic. STACY DAVIS GATES is the Vice President of the CTU and the Executive Vice President of the IFT. This past fall, she helped to lead a 15-day strike and to negotiate an historic contract that provides for smaller class sizes, ensures a nurse and social worker in every Chicago public school, secures sanctuary protections for immigrant families, and supports students and families experiencing homelessness. DENISE MERCHERSON is a Medical Social Worker at John H. Stroger Hospital, and is an active member of SEIU Local 73. She has worked as a licensed, clinical social worker since 2017, and before that, worked in employment and labor law. LINDA RAE MURRAY, MD, MPH has been a voice for social justice and health as a basic human right for over 50 years. In the Cook County Health System she previously served as Chief Medical Officer for primary care, and is speaking as a member of Physicians for a National Health Program. DAMON WILLIAMS is a movement builder, organizer, educator and media maker. Damon is the co-founder of The #LetUsBreathe Collective and AirGo Media, and is speaking as a member of the Black Abolitionist Network. ELAINE MISTER will be moderating the event. She is a nurse case manager at UCMC, and was a leader in organizing her fellow nurses to become members of NNU.
Thu, August 06, 2020
BONUS - The Hoodoisie: Power, Politics, & Pandemic
This is the audio from the 8/5/20 episode of the Hoodoisie, a radical talk show hosted by Ricardo Gamboa. Dame and Kiss were featured guests, alongside: Laura Ramirez, El Foro Del Pueblo - https://edlibrising.com/2017/04/02/our-power-is-in-our-people-dr-laura-ramirez/ Hils Franco, Educator/Organizer - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2018/5/9/episode-136-hilda-franco Janie Pochel, Chi-Nations Youth Council - https://chinationsyouth.weebly.com/advisor.html Amika "Tree" Tendaji, Black Lives Matter Chicago - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2017/2/15/episode-78-amika-tendaji Co-hosted by Ricardo Gamboa and Charles Alexander Preston in collaboration with South Side Weekly Follow the Hoodoisie: https://www.facebook.com/thehoodoisie/ NOTE: Rate and review AirGo on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091
Thu, July 30, 2020
Ep 257 - Unelectable Vol. 2: Feminism Live @AMC2020!
AirGo hosts the second volume of Unelectable, our live podcast series with Black Youth Project exploring electoral politics and radical imagination, as part of Allied Media Conference 2020! The live virtual event's focus is Feminism, and features Unelectable cohost Asha Ransby-Sporn, environmental justice organizer Siwatu-Salama Ra, and Detroit movement legend Tawana Petty. Check out the illustration of the event by Emily Simons on our IG, and learn more about Emily's work here: https://www.pittsburghposterproject.org/emily-simons SHOW NOTES: http://Freesiwatu.org https://www.honeycombthepoet.org Check out video of many of the conference's amazing sessions and learn more about this remarkable gathering: https://amc.alliedmedia.org/ Recorded 7/26/20
Tue, July 28, 2020
#GoBack - Freedom Square in 2016
Each month this year, we're going to revisit an episode from the 200+ episodes in the AirGo Archives and bring that conversation back to the forefront. This month, we're celebrating the 4-year anniversary of Freedom Square, a 41-day encampment led by the #LetUsBreathe Collective across from the Homan Square CPD blacksite. Recorded during the second or third week of the encampment, Kiss talks with organizers and young people about the beauty, challenge, and radical potential that became so visible and present in August 2016. This past weekend, more than 500 people returned to the lot on Homan and Fillmore to remember this occupation, recreate some of its magic, and demand the defunding of the Chicago Police Department. photo by Sarah-Ji Rhee: http://www.loveandstrugglephotos.com/ Learn more about this past week's action: https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/07/25/freedom-square-activists-imagine-public-safety-without-police-near-homan-square-black-site/ Join the #DefundCPD campaign: http://bit.ly/DemandDefundCPD Recorded July 2016 at Freedom Square in Chicago
Thu, July 23, 2020
Ep 256 - The Abolition Suite Vol. 5: 14 Principles of Abolition Movement Work
We bookend this set of episodes in the Abolition suite by giving some updates on upcoming opportunities to be involved, detailing some Chicago-based wins that emerged over the last couple days to help us all balance the weight of this moment, and sharing the 14 principles that Chicago-based abolition movement workers have developed to guide the work, as recorded at a #DefundCPD training on 51st St. in Chicago. UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES TO PLUG IN! 7/24 - Freedom Square Anniversary Rally to #DefundCPD: bit.ly/DemandDefundCPD 7/26 - Unelectable Live @ AMC2020! https://amc2020.sched.com/event/239801344c34675d0be5749cab48fb6b 7/28 - #DefundCPD Virtual Training: bit.ly/virtualdefundcpd Share the whole Abolition Suite with a friend!: https://soundcloud.com/airgoradio/sets/the-abolition-suite Rate, comment, and review AirGo on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 Donate to AirGo: http://airgoradio.com/donate Music from this week's show: Song 33 - Noname Off That - Jay Z
Tue, July 21, 2020
Introducing Under the Tree, a new podcast hosted by Bill Ayers
We want to introduce y'all to “Under the Tree,” a new podcast hosted by the legendary Bill Ayers that focuses on freedom—a complex, layered, dynamic, and often contradictory idea—and takes you on a journey each week to fundamentally reimagine how we can bring freedom and liberation to life in relation to schools and schooling, equality and justice, and learning to live together in peace. Make sure you subscribe to Under the Tree on your preferred podcast app!
Sun, July 19, 2020
Ep 255 - The Abolition Suite Vol. 4: Robin D.G. Kelley
The Abolition Suite is a series of AirGo episodes exploring the concepts and practices of policing and prison abolition with the thought leaders who have been pushing an abolitionist future forward for decades. The Abolitionist Suite is presented in support of the #DefundCPD campaign and the Black Abolitionist Network. This episode's guest is scholar, author, and historian Robin D.G. Kelley. A true digger and chronicler of Black liberation history, he explores the roots and routes of abolition, defines the concept of racial capitalism, and even takes off his historian hat briefly to imagine a liberatory future. NOTE: Don't forget to rate, comment, and review AirGo on Apple Podcasts! Show Notes: Angela Davis Lectures on Liberation: https://archive.org/details/AngelaDavis-LecturesOnLiberation Slavery and Social Death by Orlando Patterson: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674986909 Black Marxism by Cedric Robinson: https://uncpress.org/book/9780807848296/black-marxism/ Black Reconstruction by Du Bois: https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/black-reconstruction-america/ Organization for Black Struggle in STL: https://www.obs-stl.org/ Jamala Rogers: http://jamalarogers.com/about/ Black Radical Congress Agenda: https://www.obs-stl.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Black-Radical-Congress-FREEDOM-AGENDA.pdf M4BL Policy Statement: https://m4bl.org/policy-platforms/ Critical Resistance: http://criticalresistance.org/ CLR James: https://www.marxists.org/archive/james-clr/biograph.htm How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney: https://www.versobooks.com/books/2785-how-europe-underdeveloped-africa How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America by Manning Marable: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/736-how-capitalism-underdeveloped-black-america Groundings with my Brothers by Walter Rodney: https://www.versobooks.com/books/2787-the-groundings-with-my-brothers Jah Kingdom by Monique A. Bedasse: https://uncpress.org/book/9781469633596/jah-kingdom/ Gina Dent: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gina_Dent Combahee River Collective: https://combaheerivercollective.weebly.com/the-combahee-river-collective-statement.html Recorded 7/13/20 Music from this week's show: Song 33 - Noname
Thu, July 16, 2020
Climate Changemakers Vol. 5 - Lissette Castañeda
Climate Changemakers is a 5-part podcast series, showcasing and celebrating leaders in equity work and climate action across Illinois, presented in celebration of the 20th anniversary of nonprofit organization Elevate Energy. On this final episode of Climate Changemakers, Damon and Daniel are joined by Lissette Castañeda. A lifelong Logan Square resident, Lissette is the Interim Executive Director of LUCHA, an organization working to advance housing as a human right by empowering communities– particularly the Latino and Spanish-speaking populations–through advocacy, affordable housing development, and community building. She talks about the ways in which her work is connected to the Puerto Rican diaspora, how COVID is impacting the fight for housing as a human right, and much more. Learn about LUCHA's Passive House: https://lucha.org/build-passive-house-institute-us/ Learn about Elevate Energy and their 20th anniversary: www.elevateenergy.org/
Thu, July 09, 2020
Ep 254 - The Abolition Suite Vol. 3: Andrea Ritchie
The Abolition Suite is a series of AirGo episodes exploring the concepts and practices of policing and prison abolition with the thought leaders who have been pushing an abolitionist future forward for decades. The Abolitionist Suite is presented in support of the #DefundCPD campaign and the Black Abolitionist Network. Volume 3 features writer, organizer, and movement worker Andrea Ritchie. Andrea is the author of Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color, and has devoted the last 25 years naming and advocating for women of color, especially LGBTQ women of color, who have been victims of police violence. Ritchie co-authored the report SayHerName: Police Violence against Black Women and Women of Color with Kimberle Crenshaw and the African American Policy Forum. She and the guys talk about the portals opening in this moment, the ways that gender-based violence is an intrinsic tactic of policing, and much more. SHOW NOTES: CORRECTION: In this episode, we state that Congressman Elijah Cummings is still alive and well. The congressman passed away in 2019. Sign on to the #DefundCPD campaign: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-on-to-demand-defunding-of-the-chicago-police-department July 17 Black and Indigenous Solidarity Rally: https://www.facebook.com/events/s/black-indigenous-solidarity-ra/580611602644351/ Arrested Justice by Beth Ritchie: https://nyupress.org/9780814776223/arrested-justice/ INCITE!, a network of radical feminists of color organizing to end state violence and violence in our homes and communities. https://incite-national.org/ Blackness, Animality, and the Unsovereign by Che Gossett: https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/2228-che-gossett-blackness-animality-and-the-unsovereign Dancing the Carceral Creep by Mimi Kim: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/804227k6 Ruthie Wilson Gilmore: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/17/magazine/prison-abolition-ruth-wilson-gilmore.html Breonna Taylor and Gentrification: https://www.salon.com/2020/07/06/breonna-taylor-lawsuit-claims-no-knock-warrant-was-part-of-louisville-gentrification-plan/ Octavia Butler: https://octaviabutler.org/ Nalo Hopkinson: http://nalohopkinson.com/index.html Interrupting Criminalization: https://www.interruptingcriminalization.com/ Vision 4 Black Lives 2020: https://m4bl.org/policy-platforms/ In Our Names Network: https://www.inournamesnetwork.com/ Invisible No More: http://invisiblenomorebook.com/ Recorded 7/6/20 Music from this week's show: Song 33 - Noname I'll Do My Best - The Ritchie Family
Mon, July 06, 2020
BONUS - Community Violence, Abolition, and Calls for Accountability with Bella Bahhs
On this bonus episode, Damon chops it up with AirGo alum and community visionary Bella Bahhs on her IG Live about intracommunity violence, and how abolition can best respond to and transform this harm. Bella BAHHS (Black Ancestors Here Healing Society) is a 2017 Soros Justice Fellow and Architect of Community Construction at The Decarceration Collective, an anti-carceral law firm and consultancy.
Fri, July 03, 2020
Ep 253 - The Abolition Suite Vol. 2: Mariame Kaba
The Abolition Suite is a series of AirGo episodes exploring the concepts and practices of policing and prison abolition with the thought leaders who have been pushing an abolitionist future forward for decades. The Abolitionist Suite is presented in support of the #DefundCPD campaign and the Black Abolitionist Network. Volume 2 of the series is with abolitionist organizer, community builder, and mentor Mariame Kaba. A 3-time AirGo Alum, Mariame talks through what we all need to remember in this time of uprising, how we can unweave the police from our hearts and minds, and much more. SHOW NOTES: Read Mariame's recent NY Times Op-Ed "Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police": https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/opinion/sunday/floyd-abolish-defund-police.html Explore her workbook Fumbling Towards Repair: https://www.akpress.org/fumbling-towards-repair.html Other abolitionist projects mentioned by Mariame: Bay Area Transformative Justice Collective: https://batjc.wordpress.com/ Anti Police-Terror Police Project: https://www.antipoliceterrorproject.org/ CAT 911: https://cat-911.org/ The Northwest Network: https://www.nwnetwork.org/ Paola Rojas: https://sfonline.barnard.edu/navigating-neoliberalism-in-the-academy-nonprofits-and-beyond/paula-rojas-are-the-cops-in-our-heads-and-hearts/ Prison by Any Other Name: https://thenewpress.com/books/prison-by-any-other-name Liat Ben-Moshe: https://www.liatbenmoshe.com/ Eddie Ellis: https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/451/the-run-on-sentence DefundCPD Campaign: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-on-to-demand-defunding-of-the-chicago-police-department Recorded 7/1/2020
Wed, July 01, 2020
Cottage Groove #12: B O T H / A N D
A dialectic shows up in many settings. Turns out djing is no exception. AirGo resident DJ crossfades back and forth between the left and right, kicking and calming, lightning and rainbow. Enjoy the Both/And. photo by Barry Butler (https://twitter.com/barrybutler9/) Music in this mix: Eterna Sunshine (The Pledge) - Jay Electronica Outro - Saba x Benjamin Earl Turner Raw - Smino Buenos Aires - Nathy Peluso Big Poppa - Notorious BIG Between the sheets - Isley Brothers Juke Juke - Chance the Rapper Rebelión - Joe Arroyo Rebelión - J. Balvin untitled 07 - Kendrick Lamar Kale - Koseph Chilliams x Noname Song 33 - Noname Oprah - Rapsody x Leikeli47 Lip Gloss - Lil Mama Fight Like Ida B & Marsha P - Ric Wilson Heaven All Around Me - Saba
Tue, June 30, 2020
#GoBack - bLAck pARty in 2017
Each month this year, we're going to revisit an episode from the 200+ episodes in the AirGo Archives and bring that conversation back to the forefront. This month, we're revisiting our convo with vocalist, musician, and songwriter bLAck pARty (aka Malik Flint) from February 2017. Recorded on the guys' first trip to LA together, they chopped it up heavy with the Childish Gambino and Kari Faux collaborator. Since the recording, Malik has released the excellent project Endless Summer (https://open.spotify.com/album/1i1hnI5ABCJE0CbbLsuIL1). Follow bLAck pARty on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/black.party/ Recorded 2/2017 in Los Angeles, CA Music from this episode: Summerlove - bLAck pARty Bloom - bLAck pARty
Fri, June 26, 2020
Ep 252 - The Abolition Suite Vol. 1: #DefundCPD with Asha Ransby-Sporn
AirGo introduces The Abolition Suite, a month of episodes focusing on police and prison abolition, with this episode featuring AirGo fave Asha Ransby-Sporn. Asha and the guys talk about the upcoming Defund CPD Mass Resistance Trainings over Fourth of July weekend (https://actionnetwork.org/events/defund-cpd-mass-resistance-trainings), and go through the 11 demands of the Black Abolitionist Network and the DefundCPD campaign. NOTE: The 7/4 and 7/5 trainings are for Black people only. White and non-Black POC folks can sign up for the 7/3 training. Sign up HERE: https://actionnetwork.org/events/defund-cpd-mass-resistance-trainings Can't make the training? Sign on to demand the defunding of CPD HERE: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-on-to-demand-defunding-of-the-chicago-police-department This series of trainings is hosted by the Black Abolitionist Network as apart of the campaign to Defund CPD. Feel free to contact BAN at blackabolitionistnetwork@gmail.com with any accessibility needs or other concerns. Recorded 6/25 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Song 33 - Noname I Can See It - Darksunn
Fri, June 19, 2020
Ep 251 - #BYPSpotlight with Danez Smith
Black Youth Project has joined forces with AirGo for a year-long #BYPSpotlight series, featuring our favorite Black academics and activists. This special Juneteenth #BYPSpotlight episode is with poet Danez Smith. Danez is a Minneapolis native who has been intimately involved in the uprising that began in response to the murder of George Floyd by MPD officer Derek Chauvin. They are also the author of three award-winning collections of poetry, and the cohost of VS, a Poetry Foundation podcast produced by AirGo cohost Kiss. They talk about their experience over the last three weeks in the streets, how they contributed to demanding change from the Poetry Foundation, and much more. DONATE to The Hallie Q Brown Community Center: http://www.hallieqbrown.org/site/ Support on-the-ground organizing by donating to Danez's venmo @danez-smith Music from this week's episode: Kiss – Prince
Thu, June 18, 2020
Climate Changemakers Vol. 4 with Pat Abrams
Climate Changemakers is a 5-part podcast series, showcasing and celebrating leaders in equity work and climate action across Illinois, presented in celebration of the 20th anniversary of nonprofit organization Elevate Energy. This month's Climate Changemaker is Patricia Abrams. Pat is the Executive Director of the Renaissance Collaborative, a social impact organization that has provided affordable housing, workforce development, employment, and educational services and solutions to over 1,000 individuals annually in Bronzeville and its adjacent communities for the past 27 years. She talks about how environmental sustainability became an important piece of her work, the transformation of the historic Wabash YMCA that houses the organization's office and housing, and how we can move forward in a more human direction. Learn more about the organization: www.trcwabash.org/about-us.html Learn about Elevate Energy and their 20th anniversary: www.elevateenergy.org/
Thu, June 11, 2020
Ep 250 - Revolution & Evolution with Jennifer Pagán
What a good time for a 250th episode! Dame and Kiss are joined by organizer and educator Jennifer Pagán, who was attacked and arrested alongside Damon last week, to break down this moment, the beautiful transformation we're witnessing, how we got here, and what the fight looks like moving forward. Redistribute your wealth to the orgs and causes on the the Chicago Liberation Resource List: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YwWvuScaYjqrKLdl_4AkvSKhQE0OCWHvJ-dRyZbQ_wE/edit?usp=sharing Donate to the #LetUsBreathe Collective on Cashapp: $letusbreathe or paypal: letusbreathe2015@gmail.com photo by Evonee Castillo: https://www.instagram.com/evcvstillo/ Music from this week's show: Feel - Kendrick Lamar
Mon, June 08, 2020
BONUS - Making Meaning of this Moment w/ Angela Davis, Jamila Woods, M4BL, & more!
On this bonus episode of AirGo, we're excited to partner with the Rising Majority and the Movement for Black Lives to share the audio from Making Meaning of This Moment, an online conversation that took place this past Saturday 6/6/20. Let their wisdom direct your righteous anger to move the fight forward! Participants Angela Davis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Davis Jamila Woods: https://twitter.com/jamilawoods Timmy Châu of Dissenters: https://wearedissenters.org/ Ntanya Lee of Leftroots: https://leftroots.net/ Kayla Reed of Action STL: https://actionstl.org/ Karissa Lewis from the M4BL: https://m4bl.org/ Greisa Martinez of United We Dream: https://unitedwedream.org/ The Rising Majority: https://therisingmajority.com/ Recorded 6/6/20 Music from this episode: Beautiful Death - Ab-Soul Blk Girl Soldier - Jamila Woods
Thu, June 04, 2020
Ep 249 - Thoughtpoet shares what happened to him on 5/31/20
On 5/31/20, a series of Black organizers and protestors were assaulted and arrested by the Chicago Police Department at a protest on 53rd street in Hyde Park. As community members mobilized to get them out, we didn't know that our comrade Chris Thoughtpoet Brown was one of the people arrested, and didn't lift up his name in the calls to release our people. A day later, Chris went live on his IG, explained what happened, and shared his perspective on the moment. He's given us permission to use that audio for an episode of AirGo. Donate to Chris on Cashapp: $thoughtpoet Follow him on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thoughtpoet77/ Redistribute your generational wealth to one of these resources in Chicago: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vREqtRHDjCg-NoJdq2a8o0R-O0DJdQjcYS5bSHap7Z66mJ1rf1ugybHAygLkMj0tn8qTzBjAlyO3LLE/pubhtml
Tue, June 02, 2020
Ep 248 - Reflection after Police Abuse: Call for Abolition and Communal Accountability
A Note from Damon: On 5/31/20, I was assaulted by the Chicago Police Department. I was slammed on my head on 53rd street, my face pressed to the pavement and officers pressed their knee on my neck similarly to what killed George Floyd. I’m banged and bruised up, but Jennifer and I are home and okay. I love my people and am grateful for all the support. Follow AirGo for more resources and opportunities to contribute to the fight: http://instagram.com/airgoradio Redistribute your generational wealth to one of these resources in Chicago: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YwWvuScaYjqrKLdl_4AkvSKhQE0OCWHvJ-dRyZbQ_wE/edit?usp=sharing Recorded 6/1/20 in Chicago
Fri, May 29, 2020
Ep 247 - On the Line with Tempestt Hazel
From the isolation of our homes, AirGo is presenting a series called On the Line, which focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and the people putting their bodies on the line to help us all survive and heal. Since early April, we've been hopping on the line with front line workers in different spheres to talk about what their work looks like right now, and what we can do to help as we isolate our physical bodies at home. This episode's guest is Tempestt Hazel. Tempestt is the Arts Portfolio Program Officer at the Field Foundation, and the founder of art curatorial platform 60 Inches from Center. She talks about the shifts that COVID is demanding from philanthropy, how the sector is responding, how she's slowing down to take care of her people, and much more. Plus, she makes Daniel cry at the end, so stick around for that. NOTE: Tempestt mentions a few great orgs here in Chicago that you might want to learn more about through their past AirGo episodes. Check them out: LaSaia Wade of the Brave Space Alliance - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2017/5/18/episode-90-lasaia-wade Page May of Assata's Daughters - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2016/9/14/episode-59-page-may-returns Hoda Katebi of Blue Tin Production - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2019/2/7/episode-174-hoda-katebi Sadia Nawab of IMAN (Inner-City Muslim Action Network) - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2017/7/20/episode-99-sadia-nawab Anton Seals Jr. of Grow Greater Englewood - https://airgoradio.com/airgo/2020/5/21/episode-245 Music from this week's show: Park - Isaiah Rashad
Thu, May 28, 2020
#GoBack - Daniel Kay Hertz in 2016
Each month this year, we're going to revisit an episode from the 200+ episodes in the AirGo Archives and bring that conversation back to the forefront. This month, we're revisiting our convo with author, urban planner, and policy maker Daniel Kay Hertz from 2016. Since we recorded this episode in Daniel's old apartment, DKH has become the Policy Director for the Chicago Department of Housing(!). He's also still a cutie-pie. Follow DKH on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanielKayHertz Rate and review AirGo on Apple Podcasts: geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/air…016530091?mt=2
Sat, May 23, 2020
Ep 246 - On the Line with Zohran Kwame Mamdani
From the isolation of our homes, AirGo is presenting a series called On the Line, which focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and the people putting their bodies on the line to help us all survive and heal. Since early April, we've been hopping on the line with front line workers in different spheres to talk about what their work looks like right now, and what we can do to help as we isolate our physical bodies at home. This episode heads to the East Coast to chop it up with Zohran Kwame Mamdani. Zohran is currently running for a NY State Assembly seat representing Astoria, Queens. He's been endorsed by DSA, and a wide swath of other progressive and to the root coalitions. He's also one of Kiss' oldest friends. Zohran talks about how he's shifted his campaign into a mutual aid project, the lessons he learned as a foreclosure prevention counselor, the shortcomings of representative politics, and his high school vice presidential campaign. Support Zohran's campaign!: https://www.zohranforassembly.com/ Recorded 5/21/20 in Chicago Music from this week's episode: Park - Isaiah Rashad
Thu, May 21, 2020
Ep 245 - Climate Changemakers Vol. 3 with Anton Seals, Jr.
Climate Changemakers is a 5-part podcast series, showcasing and celebrating leaders in equity work and climate action across Illinois, presented in celebration of the 20th anniversary of nonprofit organization Elevate Energy. This month's Climate Changemaker is Anton Seals, Jr. Anton is the Lead Steward of Grow Greater Englewood, a social enterprise focusing on building a equitable and resilient local food system that fosters protections of vacant land in divested communities and focuses on connecting those residents with community wealth building opportunities. In this wide-ranging conversation, Anton talks about the connections and unique challenges of reshaping Black Chicagoans' relationship to food, as well as how the structures and pathologies of power limit this transformative work. Learn more about Grow Greater Englewood: growgreater.org Learn about Elevate Energy and their 20th anniversary: www.elevateenergy.org/
Wed, May 20, 2020
Ep 244 - On the Line with death doula Emmy Colon
From the isolation of our homes, AirGo is presenting a series called On the Line, which focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and the people putting their bodies on the line to help us all survive and heal. Since early April, we've been hopping on the line with front line workers in different spheres to talk about what their work looks like right now, and what we can do to help as we isolate our physical bodies at home. This week's guest is Emmy Colon. Emmy is a certified death doula–don't worry, she explains what that means, just in case you've never heard of it before. She describes what her work entails, how the rituals and industries around death are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, how grief as a collective process extends far beyond losing someone you love, and some thought processes that can help all of us understand how we may be grieving in this time. Learn more about her work: https://www.formidablecg.com/ Connect with Emmy: https://www.instagram.com/la_zurda_chi/?hl=en Recorded 5/19/20 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Park - Isaiah Rashad
Fri, May 15, 2020
Ep 243 - On the Line with Zama of DCH1 Amazonians United
From the isolation of our homes, AirGo is presenting a series called On the Line, which focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and the people putting their bodies on the line to help us all survive and heal. Over the next few weeks, we'll be hopping on the line with workers in the health care, educational, governmental, organizing, and prison abolition spheres to talk about what their work looks like right now, and what we can do to help as we isolate our physical bodies at home. This episode's guest is Zama, one of the founders and lead organizers of DCH1 Amazonians United. He and his comrades have been bringing together workers and fighting for better conditions in the Amazon Fulfillment Center on 28th and Western here in Chicago. He talks about how the work evolved, connecting with other Amazon worker groups around the world, and how they've been forced to push the fight forward during the COVID-19 pandemic. Follow DCH1 Amazonians United: https://www.facebook.com/DCH1United/ Recorded 5/13/20 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Park - Isaiah Rashad
Tue, May 12, 2020
Ep 242 - On the Line with Asiaha Butler of RAGE Englewood
From the isolation of our homes, AirGo is presenting a series called On the Line, which focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and the people putting their bodies on the line to help us all survive and heal. Over the next few weeks, we'll be hopping on the line with workers in the health care, educational, governmental, organizing, and prison abolition spheres to talk about what their work looks like right now, and what we can do to help as we isolate our physical bodies at home. This episode's guest is Asiaha Butler, the cofounder of the Resident Association of Greater Englewood, aka RAGE. Asiaha talks about the pandemic-related shift in the communal development of the mind RAGE does, how she's built a food distribution system for the seniors in Englewood, and how she creates communal development while fighting against displacement. Big thanks to AirGo Alum Tonika Lewis Johnson for the connection! Support the work of RAGE Englewood: https://ragenglewood.org/ Recorded 5/9/20 in Chicago Music from this week's episode: Park - Isaiah Rashad
Sat, May 09, 2020
Ep 241 - On the Line with Pura of the Little Village Solidarity Network
From the isolation of our homes, AirGo is presenting a series called On the Line, which focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and the people putting their bodies on the line to help us all survive and heal. Over the next few weeks, we'll be hopping on the line with workers in the health care, educational, governmental, organizing, and prison abolition spheres to talk about what their work looks like right now, and what we can do to help as we isolate our physical bodies at home. This episode's guest is Pura of the Little Village Solidarity Network/Red de Solidaridad de La Villita. Pura and her comrades have led the fight to raise awareness and demand the shutdown of a series of immigrant youth detention facilities run by influential Chicago nonprofit Heartland Alliance, in which COVID-19 has been running rampant. Pura details the information they've gathered about the carceral conditions inside, how the dozens of documented COVID-19 cases have changed life inside these baby jails, the direct action tactics and strategies that LVSN takes, and how we can contribute to this urgent fight. Learn more and support LVSN: https://www.facebook.com/LaVillitaSolidaridad/ Recorded 5/7/2020 in Chicago Music from this week's episode: Park - Isaiah Rashad
Mon, May 04, 2020
Ep 240 - On the Line: We Need to Talk About the Whites
As the pandemic's stay-at-home orders have come under fire from conservatives and industrialists, a whole buncha whites have been descending on state capitol buildings, weapons in hand, to demand that these necessary communal rules be lifted. While waiting for a late guest, Dame and Kiss dove into a deep, loose, and pretty damn thorough exploration of what the hell is going on with white people, why, and what might help address this centuries-long crisis of consciousness. Recorded 4/20/20 in Chicago Music from this week's show: No Vaseline - Ice Cube photo courtesy of Rosie Fitz. Find her yts highlight at http://instagram.com/sensitiveplanttt
Fri, May 01, 2020
Ep 239 - On the Line with Antonio Gutierrez
From the isolation of our homes, AirGo is presenting a series called On the Line, which focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and the people putting their bodies on the line to help us all survive and heal. Over the next few weeks, we'll be hopping on the line with workers in the health care, educational, governmental, organizing, and prison abolition spheres to talk about what their work looks like right now, and what we can do to help as we isolate our physical bodies at home. This episode's guest is Antonio Gutierrez, an architect, organizer with Organized Communities Against Deportations, and a co-founder of the Autonomous Tenants Union. They delve into how ATU supports tenants as they fight against the violences of eviction and displacement, how this current crisis has both created enormous strife and brought many new renters into the conversation, the connections between the violence of eviction and that of deportation, and what a culture of de-commodified housing could look like. Sign ATU's petition demanding a rent freeze in Chicago now!: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/rent-freeze-in-chicago-now Get information about how you and your neighbors can exercise your rights as tenants: https://autonomoustenantsunion.org/covid19 Recorded 4/28/20 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Park - Isaiah Rashad
Thu, April 30, 2020
#GoBack - KAINA in 2017
Each month this year, we're going to revisit an episode from the 200+ episodes in the AirGo Archives and bring that conversation back to the forefront. This month, we're revisiting our conversation with KAINA, a vocalist, songwriter, and community staple here in Chicago, from back in 2017. Since then, she has put out a dynamite full-length album called Next to the Sun and has toured with the likes of Sleater Kinney, of all people. She was slated to play this year's Pitchfork before the pandemic descended, and has been continuing to make great songs, work hard, and love her city. Listen to Next to the Sun: http://smarturl.it/NextToTheSun Recorded 4/27/2017 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's episode: The Circuit - Juju Exchange Honey - KAINA Petals - KAINA Perspective - KAINA
Wed, April 29, 2020
Ep 238 - #BYPSpotlight: On the Line with Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
Black Youth Project has joined forces with AirGo for a year-long #BYPSpotlight series, featuring our favorite Black academics and activists. This month’s #BYPSpotlight episode is with New Yorker columnist, professor, and organizer Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, who hops on the line with us in the midst of this shelter-in-place period. We discuss the relationship between her writing and her organizing work in Chicago, understanding the ways that racism is at the core of COVID-19's destruction, the implications of pegging human needs to profit motives, and much more. Read Keeanga's excellent piece The Black Plague in the most recent New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-black-plague Recorded 4/24/20 remotely Music from this week's show: Park - Isaiah Rashad
Fri, April 24, 2020
Ep 237 - On the Line with Zain Bullie
From the isolation of our homes, AirGo is presenting a series called On the Line, which focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and the people putting their bodies on the line to help us all survive and heal. Over the next few weeks, we'll be hopping on the line with workers in the health care, educational, governmental, organizing, and prison abolition spheres to talk about what their work looks like right now, and what we can do to help as we isolate our physical bodies at home. This episode's guest is Zain Bullie, a high school teacher and mentor at Uplift High School, a social justice CPS school in Uptown. Bullie breaks down what the transition to online learning has been like, how he and his fellow teachers have adapted to be there for both their students and their students' families, some of the humanizing potential of this crisis, and more. Check out Kuumba Lynx: https://www.kuumbalynx.com/ Learn about Uplift Community HS here: https://uplifths.cps.edu/ NOTE: AirGo has created the COVID Stimulus Redistribution Plan! Find some direct methods to redistribute your $1200 to those who are being denied the means needed to survive this crisis. See the resource list at http://airgoradio.com/covid Recorded 4/20/20 in Chicago Music from this week's episode: Park - Isaiah Rashad
Thu, April 23, 2020
Ep 236 - Climate Changemakers Vol. 2 with Juliana Pino
Climate Changemakers is a 5-part podcast series, showcasing and celebrating leaders in equity work and climate action across Illinois, presented by Elevate Energy. This episode's guest is Juliana Pino, the policy director at the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) in Chicago. At LVEJO, Juliana analyzes, researches, and advocates for environmental justice, climate justice, and economic justice in local, state, and federal environmental policy. Recorded back in Early March, Juliana discusses the challenges that COVID exacerbates in Little Village and other environmentally unjust communities. NOTE: This was recorded before the recent demolition of the HILCO smokestack in Little Village. Juliana discusses the site of the demolition, but the devastating demolition had not yet happened. To learn more about the demolition and it's effects, check out this recent episode of the Hoodoisie, featuring Juliana: https://www.facebook.com/thehoodoisie/videos/1122529154767343/ Learn about Elevate Energy and their 20th anniversary: www.elevateenergy.org/ Check out LVEJO: www.lvejo.org
Tue, April 21, 2020
Ep 235 - On the Line with Alice Kim & Timmy Châu
From the isolation of our homes, AirGo is presenting a series called On the Line, which focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and the people putting their bodies on the line to help us all survive and heal. Over the next few weeks, we'll be hopping on the line with workers in the health care, educational, governmental, organizing, and prison abolition spheres to talk about what their work looks like right now, and what we can do to help as we isolate our physical bodies at home. On this episode, the guys talk with Alice Kim and Timmy Châu of the Prison Neighborhood Arts Project. They share info on what's happening inside Stateville Prison, where they both teach, connect dots between this crisis moment and the prison industrial complex's decades-long destruction of parole and other types of prison release programs, and explore the particular dangers and opportunities of this moment in relation to organizing and militarism. Help get people out of Illinois prisons: https://www.freethepeoplecoalition.org/ Learn more about PNAP, including their Mutual Aid effort for people behind bars: https://p-nap.org/ Recorded 4/17/20 in Chicago Music in this show: Park - Isaiah Rashad
Sat, April 18, 2020
Ep 234 - Invisible Institute x SSW Radio: On the Line in Cook County Jail
From the isolation of our homes, AirGo is presenting a series called On the Line, which focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and the people putting their bodies on the line to help us all survive and heal. Over the next few weeks, we'll be hopping on the line with workers in the health care, educational, governmental, organizing, and prison abolition spheres to talk about what their work looks like right now, and what we can do to help as we isolate our physical bodies at home. This episode features a series of conversations recorded with people currently detained at Cook County Jail, who describe the conditions they're experiencing. The interviews are conducted by the Invisible Institute's Maira Khwaja and produced by South Side Weekly Radio's Erisa Apantaku. The piece first ran on SSW Radio–thanks to both of them for allowing us to share their work! Join the Bond Fund's Call-in Campaign: https://chicagobond.org/2020/04/09/call-the-city-of-chicago-to-demand-they-drop-their-opposition-to-release/ Collage by J Michael Eugenio/South Side Weekly.
Thu, April 16, 2020
BONUS - Young people on Harold Washington's legacy
In collaboration with the Chicago Public Library, AirGo has produced this bonus episode exploring the legacy of Harold Washington. Dame and Kiss sit down with four young people here in the city to discuss the impact Chicago's first Black mayor has had on their lives, whether they know it or not. Thanks to Sylvia Ewing, who curated the piece as part of a scheduled birthday celebration at the Library that has been postponed due to COVID-19, and to the four young people–Denzel Burke, Faith Epting, Amir Leonard, and Nisa Anna Perez–for sitting down with AirGo and sharing their thoughts. Check out the Harold Washington Collection on the CPL website: https://cdm16818.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/rhwc/search/searchterm/Harold%20Washington%20Archives%20%26%20Collections/field/collec/mode/exact/conn/and Photo by Antonio Dickey
Wed, April 15, 2020
Ep 233 - On the Line with Ald. Rossana Rodriguez
From the isolation of our homes, AirGo is presenting a series called On the Line, which focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and the people putting their bodies on the line to help us all survive and heal. Over the next few weeks, we'll be hopping on the line with workers in the health care, educational, governmental, organizing, and prison abolition spheres to talk about what their work looks like right now, and what we can do to help as we isolate our physical bodies at home. This episode's guest is Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez of Chicago's 33rd Ward. Rossana talks about how her office is supporting mutual aid work without coopting it, what City Council looks like right now (not much), and what hard lines the mayor and governor need to be taking to keep people safe. Read the Right to Recovery legislation demands: https://actionnetwork.org/campaigns/right-to-recovery Learn about everything that the 33rd Ward office is doing: https://33rdward.org/covid-19-resources/ Recorded 4/12/20 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Park - Isaiah Rashad
Tue, April 14, 2020
Ep 232 - On the Line with Dennis Kosuth
From the isolation of our homes, AirGo is presenting a series called On the Line, which focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and the people putting their bodies on the line to help us all survive and heal. Over the next few weeks, we'll be hopping on the line with workers in the health care, educational, governmental, organizing, and prison abolition spheres to talk about what their work looks like right now, and what we can do to help as we isolate our physical bodies at home. This episode's guest is Dennis Kosuth. Dennis is a nurse in Chicago Public Schools, at Provident Hospital in Washington Park, and now inside of Cook County Jail. He gets on the line to talk about last week's shutdown of the ER at Provident Hospital, what he observed and experienced taking care of the people being held in Cook County Jail, what this moment means for CPS students, and how he stays struggling for a world less rooted in greed and profit. Sign the Petition to keep the Provident ER open: https://www.change.org/p/elected-officials-don-t-reduce-care-on-the-south-side-of-chicago-during-a-pandemic-reopen-provident-s-er?source_location=topic_page Recorded 4/12/20 in Chicago Music from this week's episode: Park - Isaiah Rashad
Sat, April 11, 2020
Ep 231 - On the Line with Sharlyn Grace
From the isolation of our homes, AirGo is presenting a series called On the Line, which focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and the people putting their bodies on the line to help us all survive and heal. Over the next few weeks, we'll be hopping on the line with workers in the health care, educational, governmental, organizing, and prison abolition spheres to talk about what their work looks like right now, and what we can do to help as we isolate our physical bodies at home. This episode's guest is Sharlyn Grace, who is a cofounder and the Executive Director of the Chicago Community Bond Fund. She talks about the front lines work CCBF is doing to protect and free the 4500+ people currently held in Cook County Jail, where the COVID infection rate is 40 times that of the rest of Chicago, and shares how y'all can contribute to their current call-in campaign. Participate in the call-in here: https://chicagobond.org/call-in/ Recorded 4/6/20 in Chicago Music from this week's show: On the Line - Isaiah Rashad
Fri, April 10, 2020
Ep 230 - On the Line: Dame and Kiss Mailbag
The guys are doing okay. From the isolation of our homes, AirGo is presenting a series called On the Line, which focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and the people putting their bodies on the line to help us all survive and heal. Over the next few weeks, we'll be hopping on the line with workers in the health care, educational, governmental, organizing, and prison abolition spheres to talk about what their work looks like right now, and what we can do to help as we isolate our physical bodies at home.. On this first episode, Damon and Kiss check in about how their quarantines have been and answer some listener questions. Recorded 4/6/20 in Chicago
Thu, April 09, 2020
#GoBack - Saba in 2015
Each month this year, we're going to revisit an episode from the 200+ episodes in the AirGo Archives and bring that conversation back to the forefront. This month, we're revisiting our conversation with the magnificent recording artist Saba from 2015. Since then, Sab has ascended to a global spotlight–he killed a feature on Dreamville's collaborative Revenge of the Dreamers III, has released two critically-acclaimed projects Bucket List Project and CARE FOR ME, and now lives in LA with his brother Joseph Chilliams and his partner(who you may have heard on last week's episode). At the time of recording, Sab had recently released Comfort Zone, a beautiful project that solidified his spot as one of Chicago's hottest rising stars, and was about to play a show at Township, a small venue in Logan Square–the venue sold out so quickly that they ended up moving the show the day before. We talk about his craft, the solidification of Pivot Gang, and much more. Recorded 11/18/2015 on WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Fighter - @sabapivot x @kainamusic
Thu, April 02, 2020
Ep 229 - Qurissy
Back before the world turned upside down, Dame and Kiss kicked it in LA with the wonderful Qurissy, a Chicago native and member of the community here who recently moved to Los Angeles. Qurissy is a portrait photographer, designer, art director, and visual creator whose photography has shone a lens on so many members of the arts world in the city that we showcase and celebrate. She's the Art Director at Gumbo Media, a multimedia company that curates content, experiences, and services to expand the narrative of Black life. We talk about her transition to LA, cohabitating with her boo (who's an AirGo alum), developing one's eye, and much more. Plus, some damn good jokes from the guys and a little constructive feedback time, since Qurissy is a regular listener of the show. Get in the pre-pandemic time machine! Follow Qurissy: http://instagram.com/qurissy Recorded 2/3/2020 in Los Angeles Music from this week's show: Uptown - Podington Bear Rebelion - Joe Arroyo
Sat, March 28, 2020
Cottage Groove #11 - On the Couch
Sitting on your couch? So is our resident AirGo DJ. Daniel aka DJ Empathy returns with a new #coronamix for you couch potatoes out there. Sit back and enjoy. Songs on this mix: Everybody Wants to Rule the World - @themind Moon River - Frank Ocean CYANIDE - Daniel Caesar Time Alone - Jacob Collier x Daniel Caesar Break In - @themind Yo Love - Vince Staples x Mereba x 6lack Antidote - Orion Sun Mixed 3/28/20
Thu, March 26, 2020
Ep 228 - Climate Changemakers Vol. 1 with Suzy Schlosberg
Climate Changemakers is a 5-part podcast series, showcasing and celebrating leaders in equity work and climate action across Illinois, presented by Elevate Energy. This episode's guest is Suzy Schlosberg, the Co-Director of the Chicago Youth Alliance for Climate Action. A senior at Whitney Young High School, Suzy is also on the steering committee for the Ready for 100 Chicago Collective and is a student intern at the Sierra Club office. Learn about Elevate Energy and their 20th anniversary: www.elevateenergy.org/ Check out the Chicago Youth Alliance for Climate Action: https://www.cyaca.org/ Recorded 2/23/20 in Chicago
Thu, March 19, 2020
Ep 227 - Sending Love in the Time of COVID
Well, that escalated quickly. In the first week of Chicago’s social distancing and self-isolation due to COVID-19, AirGo takes a moment to wish you and yours some love, and share some laughs from a recent recording session. We’ll be back next week with full AirGo episodes. Keep your hands washed and your hearts full! Recorded 3/18/20 in Chicago
Thu, March 12, 2020
Ep 226 - Unelectable Vol. 1 with Stacy Davis Gates and Ald. Jeanette Taylor
Unelectable is an live podcast event series that engages electoral politics through the filter of radical imagination. AirGo and Black Youth Project are using the 2020 election cycle to have tangible conversations about impactful issues dismissed as being too big or unrealistic by mainstream political media. Vol. 1 happened on Feb. 26 at the Silver Room in Hyde Park, and featured Ald. Jeanette Taylor and Chicago Teachers Union VP Stacy Davis Gates. It was a great conversation about what protecting the public looks like, what elected officials need from movement workers, and how we learn about politics in the classroom. Check out Black Youth Project: http://blackyouthproject.com/ Recorded 2/26/20 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Burn - Lava La Rue
Thu, March 05, 2020
Ep 225 - Benjamin Earl Turner, Pt. 2
Time stands still sometimes for Benjamin Earl Turner. The emcee, writer, craftsman, and intellectual has a theory and praxis for his writing and music-making that creates some of the most remarkable raps in the world, in which he can challenge himself and his listeners to see themselves, their shortcomings, and the complexity of their spirits. Dame and Kiss went to his home studio in Burbank, CA for a sitdown that turned to an all-nighter, which we are releasing in two parts. On part 2, Benjamin tells a mythical story, talks through how he's thinking about masculinity and growth, and a remarkably comprehensive beef with the 20th century. Music on this week's episode is all from @benjaminearlturner's album Bad Nature, which you should stream now!: soundcloud.com/benjaminearlturner/sets/bad-nature Follow Benjamin on twitter: twitter.com/benjaminearltea Recorded 1/30/2020 in Burbank, CA
Fri, February 28, 2020
Ep 224 - Benjamin Earl Turner, Pt. 1
Time stands still sometimes for Benjamin Earl Turner. The emcee, writer, craftsman, and intellectual has a theory and praxis for his writing and music-making that creates some of the most remarkable raps in the world, in which he can challenge himself and his listeners to see themselves, their shortcomings, and the complexity of their spirits. Dame and Kiss went to his home studio in Burbank, CA for a sitdown that turned to an all-nighter, which we are releasing in two parts. On part 1, we talk about finding his craft, his bond with Damon, and the magical summer of 2012 that he spent creating and growing in Chicago. Part 2 drops next week! Music on this week's episode is all from @benjaminearlturner's album Bad Nature, which you should stream now!: https://soundcloud.com/benjaminearlturner/sets/bad-nature Follow Benjamin on twitter: https://twitter.com/benjaminearltea Recorded 1/30/2020 in Burbank, CA
Thu, February 20, 2020
Ep 223 - #BYPSpotlight with Jawanza Malone
As part of our #BYPSpotlight series, Dame and Kiss talk with Jawanza Malone. Jawanza is the Executive Director of the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, or KOCO, a nearly 50 year-old community stalwart fighting for the communities of the Kenwood Oakland neighborhood. Jawanza talks about his journey as a father, living in Fred Hampton's legacy, the fight for a Community Benefits Agreement in connection to the new Obama Presidential Center, and more. Learn more about KOCO: https://kocoonline.org/about-us/ Support the CBA fight: http://www.obamacba.org/ Join the fight to lift the rent control ban: https://www.ltbcoalition.org/ Recorded 1/18/20 in Chicago
Thu, February 13, 2020
Ep 222 - Debbie Southorn
Debbie Southorn knows how to throw down. Debbie is the cofounder of the city's Black and Pink chapter, was a central figure in the #NoCopAcademy campaign, and is a founding member of We Are Dissenters, a new group activating students toward anti-militarism and anti-war organizing on college campuses. She also works at the American Friends Service Committee, a century-old Quaker social justice organization. We talk about her path into the work, DINOSAURS, dealing with serious burnout, the impacts of militarism, and more. Follow Debbie: http://twitter.com/madlittledebbie Check out We Are Dissenters: http://wearedissenters.org NOTE: Leave AirGo a rating and review! It helps new folks find the show, and gives us the validation we deeply crave. Recorded 1/27/20 in Chicago Music from this week's show: I Can See It - Darksunn
Tue, February 11, 2020
Bonus - We Are Dissenters @ Eaton DC
While in DC to host an event for the Rising Majority that featured the brilliant Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley, Damon swung by Eaton DC, a new global hotel merging hospitality with progressive social change, to talk with a few student organizers from Howard University who are involved with the new national anti-militarism student organization We Are Dissenters. Check out Eaton DC: https://www.eatonworkshop.com/hotel/dc Peep We Are Dissenters: http://wearedissenters.org
Thu, February 06, 2020
#GoBack - Dometi Pongo in 2018
Each month this year, we're going to revisit an episode from the 200+ episodes in the AirGo Archives and bring that conversation back to the forefront. This month, we're revisiting our convo with Dometi Pongo from 2018. Since his appearance on the show, Dometi has moved to New York, where he is a host and news correspondent for MTV. He is the host of the True Life documentary series, and a contributor to all of MTV's coverage. We talked about his then-current role at WGN, bringing Black Americans to Ghana, and much more. Follow Dometi: twitter.com/dometi_ Rate and review AirGo on Apple Podcasts: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091?mt=2 Recorded 5/3/2018 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago
Thu, January 30, 2020
Ep 221 - Dominique James
Dominique James is a word-based multimedia artist, educator, and teaching artist at Young Chicago Authors. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Howard University, and has completed research fellowships at the University of California-Riverside and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. After graduation, she was a TRIALS Fellow at Harvard Law School and a University of Chicago HBCU Bridge Scholar. She is also the matchmaker behind a pretty special relationship, a relationship that has some pretty big news to share on this episode… Follow Dominique here: http://twitter.com/niqjames Recorded 1/21/20 in Chicago Music from this week's episode: Chill Mode - Audiobinger
Fri, January 24, 2020
Ep 220 - #BYPSpotlight with Jasson Perez
As part of our #BYPSpotlight series, Dame and Kiss talk with movement stalwart Jasson Perez. Jasson is one of the founding members of BYP-100, a labor organizing veteran, and a pivotal member of the Afrosocialist caucus within Chicago's Democratic Socialists of America chapter. He breaks down the lessons learned from organizing across movements, his alternative life as a rapper of legendary Chicago rap group BBU, and how the spiritual life of the recovery community have taught him how to build more loving and effective revolutionary movements. Check out the whole #BYPSpotlight at http://blackyouthproject.com Recorded 1/21/20 in Chicago: Kurt De La Rocha - BBU Music from this week's show:
Thu, January 16, 2020
Ep 219 - Lynsey Ann Moxie
Lynsey Ann Moxie brought her energy with her. She's a vocalist, performer, Chicago schoolteacher, and interdisciplinary artist from the South Suburbs of Chicago. She grew up in the Cantata choir as a 1st soprano, before finding her jazz roots at Spelman College, and then ultimately ending up back home in Chicago. She breaks down the wisdom she's found through craft, therapy, and the classrom, as well as a whole bunch of other quotable gems. Come along on this fun ride with the guys to kick off another year of AirGo! NOTE: Come through our Art and Activism series #TodayatApple series this month!: http://apple.co/artandactivism Recorded 1/14/20 in Chicago Music on this week's episode: Seasons - Lynsey Ann Moxie Bad MF - Pharoahe Monch
Thu, January 09, 2020
#GoBack - Jamila Woods in 2016
To kick off the new year, we're digging into the archives to launch our #GoBack series. Each month this year, we're going to revisit an episode from the 200+ episodes of the show and bringing that conversation back to the forefront. First up is our conversation with Jamila Woods from 2016, when she was just on the brink of the glow up that has been the last few years for the brilliant poet and musician. Come to our Art and Activism series at the Apple Store Michigan Ave! https://www.apple.com/today/collection/art-activism-airgo/michiganavenue/ Music from this week's show: Very BLK - @jamilawoods Black Girl Soldier - Jamila Woods The Joy - Milo and Otis
Fri, December 20, 2019
Ep 218 - Check-in #6: 2010s beef, Kiss's Birthday, and some radical imaginings
With the year and decade coming to a close, Dame and Kiss check in one last time in 2019–on Kiss's birthday, no less! They start beef with the 2010's, talk about the new exciting projects and partnerships launching in the New Year (a month of programs at the Apple Store, a talk show from the future, an Environmental Justice limited podcast series, a live event series about electoral politics and radical imagination called Unelectable), share some thank yous, and envision the 2030 of their imaginations. Plus, a call from a very special grandma guest... Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 Buy an AirGo tee: http://airgoradio.com/store Recorded 10/17/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO
Thu, December 12, 2019
Ep 217 - Lewis Raven Wallace
Lewis Raven Wallace is a trans journalist, movement worker, and the author of The View From Somewhere, a new book and podcast dispelling myths in journalism and issuing a call to action for journalists to account for their own biases, challenge power, and reshape journalism into a tool for liberation. While on book tour, Lewis stops by to talk about the book, their Chicago organizing days, how the field can be held more accountable, and how to commit acts of journalism with a new lens. Buy the book and listen to the podcast here: https://www.lewispants.com/the-view-from-somewhere Recorded 11/15/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Something Elated - Broke for Free
Thu, December 05, 2019
Ep 216 - Jenna Anast
Jenna Anast will change up your whole energy. Jenna is an actor, filmmaker, comedian, singer, and community builder. She's the Head of Community for Open TV, and is a member of the #LetUsBreathe Collective. We talk about growing up as an adopted Black kid, reconnecting with her birth mom, being a part of the amazing film Sorry to Bother You, and much more. Learn more: https://www.journeyswithjenna.com/ Recorded 11/12/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Space Bump Alpha - MagicMusic
Thu, November 28, 2019
Ep 215 - #BYPSpotlight with Asha Ransby-Sporn
Black Youth Project has joined forces with AirGo for a year-long #BYPSpotlight series, featuring our favorite Black academics and activists. This month’s #BYPSpotlight episode features Asha Ransby-Sporn, an organizer, movement worker, and National Organizing Co-Chair for Black Youth Project-100. She also was one of the central organizers who pushed Columbia University to divest from private prisons over the past few years. We talk community organizing basics, what are some ways to bring people into the work, how we can begin to rethink our relationship to land, designing her hypothetical commune, and her relationship with her mom Barbara Ransby (who was the first #BYPSpotlight guest). Show Notes: BYP-100 - https://byp100.org/ Columbia Prison Divestment -https://www.columbiaspectator.com/the-eye/2018/04/24/asha-rosa-ransby-sporn-on-how-to-make-columbia-divest-from-private-prisons/ She Safe, We Safe: https://www.shesafewesafe.org/ NOTE: Please subscribe, rate, and review AirGo on your podcast app! Help Amplify this conversation with a tax-deductible donation to AirGo: http://airgoradio.com/donate Recorded 11/22/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: The Ludovico Technique - Tab Anitek
Thu, November 21, 2019
Ep 214 - Tiff Beatty
Tiff Beatty invites you into the circle. Tiff is the founder of Art is Bonfire, a seasonal open mic and cypher around a fire pit at Promontory Point in Hyde Park, and is the Programming Director of Chicago Humanities Festival, an event series bringing authors, thinkers, artists, and celebrities together in conversation around a central theme. The convo bounces between Tiff’s childhood in Washington State, her path to Chicago, building sacred space around the fire, transforming the humanities, and more. Recorded 11/13/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: ArtiChoke - Tab Anitek
Thu, November 14, 2019
Ep 213 - Third Coast International Audio Festival
Third Coast International Audio Festival is a nonprofit arts organization that celebrates the art and craft of narrative audio storytelling. Every year, radio-makers from around the world converge in Chicago for a conference that explores the medium, the radio industry, and the creative bounds yet to be explored. AirGo talked with a crew of Chicago producers about their experiences making radio in the city, relationship to the medium, and the stories they're trying to figure out how to tell. Recorded 9/26-9/28/2019 in Chicago
Thu, November 07, 2019
Ep 212 - Frank Bergh
Frank Bergh is as embodied as it gets. He's the founder of Beyond the Grid, a company that builds renewable energy microgrids in countries across the global south. He's also one of the founders of Emmaus House, a Catholic Worker community in North Lawndale, that has been instrumental in the work of the #LetUsBreathe Collective, and is the founder of Chicago's chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice, a national network of groups and individuals working to undermine white supremacy and to work toward racial justice. We talk about how his relationship to God and religion show up, how he found himself living in Lawndale, some lessons from working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and much more. Recorded 10/29/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Summer Dreams - Ryan Little
Thu, October 31, 2019
Ep 211 - Monica Cosby
Monica Cosby is an organizer, activist, and mother who was incarcerated for 20 years in the state of Illinois. She now works for the Westside Justice Center, is the lead organizer of Moms United Against Violence and Incarceration, and is a wonderful and valuable spirit in the Chicago movement community. She talks about growing up in Uptown, the lessons about liberation and abolition she learned while inside, the transition after coming home, and a very special moment that makes Damon cry. Recorded 10/23/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Well and Good - Podington Bear
Thu, October 24, 2019
Ep 210 - #BYPSpotlight with Janae Bonsu
Black Youth Project has joined forces with AirGo for a year-long #BYPSpotlight series, featuring our favorite Black academics and activists. This month’s #BYPSpotlight episode is with Janae Bonsu, an organizer and scholar whose work centers the intersection of structural and gender-based violence. She recently stepped away from her position as National Co-Director, National Public Policy Chair, and Chicago Chapter Co-Chair of BYP 100, a member-based organization of 18 to 35 year old Black activists whose mission is to achieve economic, social, political, and educational freedom and justice for all Black people through nonviolent direct action organizing, education, and advocacy. She talks about learning stillness and finding peace, imagining new interventions when gender violence needs to be addressed, her cheese game, and much more. Check out the whole #BYPSpotlight here: http://blackyouthproject.com/byp-x-airgo/ Music from this week's episode: Mirror, Mirror - Diamond Ortiz
Tue, October 22, 2019
Cottage Groove #10
Kiss dusts off the turntables and brings y'all a new addition to his Cottage Groove DJ Mix series, with all kinds of goodness for you to vibe to. Music in this mix: Still Rude - @lulubeyene Jon Cena - Sho Madjozi Amnesia - Bas feat. Ari Lennox & KIDDOMINANT Passionfruit - Drake Education - Freddie Gibbs x Madlib feat. Yasiin Bey M'Baku Shit - Benjamin Earl Turner XO Tour Lif3 - Brasstracks DHL - Frank Ocean
Thu, October 17, 2019
Ep 209 - Black Social Culture Map
The studio gets a lil' crowded this week, as a squad of collaborators behind the Chicago Black Social Culture Map, an interactive digital map documenting Chicago's Black social culture from the Great Migration through the end of the 20th century from blues to house. This project has evolved from the dance floor, to the internet, and now to event spaces across the city for conversations about how Black people in Chicago have created vibrancy, innovation, and joy in rooms across the city. You can check out the map here: https://www.honeypotperformance.org/chgpblksocialculturemap Recorded 10/8/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: House Music Anthem - Frankie Knuckles Your Love - Jamie Principle
Thu, October 10, 2019
Ep 208 - AirGo Live with Akenya and Page May
On the third AirGo Live episode, Damon and Daniel get everyone talking about how we can communicate in conflict with love. Plus a performance and conversation with musician and composer Akenya, and organizer and Assata’s Daughters founder Page May. And a special small furry guest joins us as well! Recorded 9/26/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Apache - Incredible Bongo Band Tribe - Bas
Thu, October 03, 2019
Ep 207 - Elijah McKinnon
When Elijah McKinnon says the word manifest, they mean what they say. The multi-hyphenate creator is the new Executive Director of OpenTV, a web-based production and distribution channel for Queer TV, and is the cofounder of Reunion Chicago, an incubator and events space for Queer people of color. They run People Who Care, a consultancy that works exclusively with nonprofits and grassroots initiatives, including: AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Northwestern University, The Andy Warhol Foundation, Grindr for Equality, Raúl Anguiano Art Museum, Center for Disease Control and many more. They’re also a hoot. Recorded 9/24/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: I Really Hope - Roger Plexico
Thu, September 26, 2019
Ep 206 - #BYPSpotlight with Danielle Roper
Black Youth Project has joined forces with AirGo for a year-long #BYPSpotlight series, featuring our favorite Black academics and activists. This month’s #BYPSpotlight episode is featuring Danielle Roper, a professor and scholar at the University of Chicago. She talks about performances of Blackness across Latin America, navigating academia as a Black woman, the grassroots LGBTQ+ work she has been involved with in Jamaica, and much more. Plus, the introduction of a brand new game! Like TranswaveJa on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/transwaveja/ Support queer organization Wechange: https://wechangeja.org/ NOTE: AirGo Live is tonight! RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/airgo-live-with-akenya-and-page-may-tickets-71750286037 Recorded 9/18/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Money - Jahzzar
Sun, September 22, 2019
Come to AirGo Live w/ Akenya & Page May on Thursday 9/26!
Just a lil' reminder to RSVP for and come to our AirGo Live show this Thursday 9/26 at the Cards Against Humanity Theater (1917 n Elston Ave) with the brilliant organizer Page May and virtuosic musician and composer Akenya! RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/airgo-live-with-akenya-and-page-may-tickets-71750286037
Thu, September 19, 2019
Ep 205 - Bill Ayers
Bill Ayers has had a ton of different chapters in the tome of his life, and they’ve all led him to be a damn good person. He is a life-long movement worker, education theorist, author, and former leader of radical group The Weather Underground. He talks about his understanding of our contemporary political moment, how we processed becoming an international symbol of terrorism during the 2008 presidential race, how he makes peace with the dialectics and contradictions we’re all swimming in, and much more. This is definitely one for the archive, and one to dig into. Recorded 9/13/19 in Chicago Music on this week's show: The Dogon Lights - Aneybara
Thu, September 12, 2019
Ep 204 - Johari Noelle
Johari Noelle is wise beyond all of our years. The singer and songwriter was such a gracious and thoughtful guest on the show, talking through her music-making process, upbringing, how she stays present, the complex beauty of being a TWIN(!), and much more. You can listen to her newest project Things You Can’t Say Out Loud now, and catch her on September 25th at Virgin Hotel Chicago. Music from this week's show: Show Me - @joharinoellemusic
Thu, September 05, 2019
Ep 203 - Lawrence "Binkey" Tolefree
Binkey’s back! The Chicago host, MC, beatboxer, comic, and community stalwart spent the last four years living abroad in Thailand, before returning home a couple weeks ago. He tells some incredible stories about his travels, connecting with his birth parents, being a “good” person in airquotes, and much more. Plus, Daniel says the word Kemet, which is well worth the price of admission. Recorded 9/4/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Photo by RJ Eldridge
Thu, August 29, 2019
Ep 202 - Vivien Sansour
Vivien Sansour is in love. The open-hearted, brilliant artist, documentarian, and founder of the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library brings an open heart and critical mind to the studio for a wonderful conversation about trust, making space to feel alive, climbing the terraces of Palestine, snowy owls, and why she's jealous of trees. Plus, a very nice compliment to end the show that made Damon and Daniel cry. This one is a must listen! Recorded 8/20/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: One Last Try - Chicken Jones
Thu, August 22, 2019
Ep 201 - #BYPSpotlight with Barbara Ransby
Black Youth Project has joined forces with AirGo for a year-long #BYPSpotlight series, featuring our favorite Black academics and activists. First up is Barbara Ransby, whose footprint on the Chicago and global social movement landscape is inimitable. A Professor of History, Gender and Women's Studies, and African American Studies at UIC, Barbara has grounded both organizing and scholarship for liberation in the lineages and lessons of Black women. She wrote the highly acclaimed biography Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision, as well as two other books, and is the driving force behind the R3 Coalition, which has pushed forward some of the most meaningful coalition-building Chicago has seen in recent years. Recorded 7/14 in Chicago Music in this week's show: We Came Down - Superpoze
Thu, August 15, 2019
Episode 200 - Securing the Mailbag
For our 200th episode(!), Damon and Daniel reflect on the show, and their growth as mediamakers, organizers, and humans. Plus, past guests share their questions for the guys. It's a celebration! Here's to many more episodes moving forward. Recorded 8/13/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Self - Noname
Thu, August 08, 2019
Ep 199 - AirGo Live! #BYPSpotlight with Tribble and Tasha
AirGo is back for our second episode in front of a live audience! This time, we're excited to launch our #BYPSpotlight, a collaboration with Black Youth Project, a website and resource hub examining the attitudes, resources, and culture of the young, urban black millennial. Over the next year, AirGo and BYP will be co-curating a set of episodes featuring young Black Chicagoans bettering their communities through research and direct engagement. On this live show, the audience talks about their dreams coming true with Damon and Kiss, and then we’re joined by guest cohost Tribble and the wonderful musician Tasha, who pops by in the midst of preparing for a stellar set at Pitchfork the following weekend. Thanks to Citlalin Gallery, BYP, Windmill Ginger Brew, and our great crew of Associate Producers for making the show possible! Recorded 7/17/19 at Citlalin Gallery in Chicago
Thu, August 01, 2019
Ep 198 - Tiffany Walden
Tiffany Walden is the cofounder of The Triibe, a digital media platform showcasing innovative content to reshape the narrative of Black Chicago. Born out of a bedroom sublet in 2017, The Triibe mixes journalism, documentary film, and curation to showcase, celebrate, and explore the stories and strands of Black Chicago. A seasoned reporter, she "strives to humanize Black people, Black places and Black things in a way that would make Lorraine Hansberry smile." In a very frank and honest conversation, Tiffany discusses the challenges of building a business while creating, the importance of her partnership with cofounder Morgan Elise Johnson, the history of media literacy and distrust in Black communities, and much more. Recorded 7/23/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Acme Coke - Roger Plexico
Thu, July 25, 2019
Ep 197 - Sam Bailey
Sam Bailey is directing into the right direction. The Brown Girls co-creator, director, and actor is getting pretty damn close to finding her footing after the whirlwind that was the release of the hit web series and a subsequent move to LA, and has been guiding the ship for TV shows, music videos, and two features that are currently in development. She talks about the three acts since the whirlwind, bringing her people with her, and learning how to get what she needs. Plus, some excellent Alec Baldwin and Michael B. Jordan slander/love to start the show. Recorded 7/16/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: tmlton - Igil
Wed, July 17, 2019
#GoBack - Ric Wilson in 2015
As part of AirGo's coverage of Pitchfork Music Festival, which is taking place July 19-21 at Union Park in Chicago, we're releasing two #GoBack episodes with AirGo Alums who are playing at the fest. Ric Wilson was the third guest ever on AirGo, back in August 2015. He had just released a boombapy rap project called Penny Raps, and was still really plugged into local organizing work with We Charge Genocide. He's now preparing to release his first full-length album, has modeled in multiple national campaigns, and had a feature cameo as himself in an episode of Netflix series Easy. Also, listen to Ric's return episode from August 2017: https://soundcloud.com/airgoradio/ep-104-ric-wilson-returns
Tue, July 16, 2019
#GoBack - Tasha in 2016
As part of AirGo's coverage of Pitchfork Music Festival, which is taking place July 19-21 at Union Park in Chicago, we're releasing two #GoBack episodes with AirGo Alums who are playing at the fest. When we first talked with Tasha in November of 2016, she had just released her first musical project and was a staff member of BYP-100. She's now a nationally touring act, and her album Alone At Last remains in AirGo rotation. You can catch Tasha at AirGo Live this Wednesday 7/17 at Citlalin Gallery. RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/airgo-live-with-tasha-and-eve-l-ewing-tickets-63575320495
Thu, July 11, 2019
Ep 196 - Resita Cox
Resita Cox has spirit, and she wants to share it. In her two and a half years in Chicago, the poet and story-shaper has built relationships and collaborations that have resulted in some of the most compassionate and engaging new spaces in the city, from the People Say open mic at Trap House Chicago to the documentary about development and revitalization in East Garfield Park that she's currently directing as an IVOH fellow. She holds on as Damon and Daniel bounce around between media and the civil rights movement, damage-based versus desire-based journalism, the majesty of an Anton, and some of AirGo's best jokes ever. Plus, an extraordinary story at the end that's well worth sticking around for. Recorded 7/3/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Beat Cook It Up - J Blanked
Thu, July 04, 2019
Ep 195 - Stacey Sutton
Stacey Sutton spends her time figuring out why our systems of capital work the way they do, their effects, and what some better, more human ways of creating industry and cities could be. She is a professor of Urban Planning at the University of Illinois-Chicago, a long-time organizer, and, according to Damon, the best-dressed person in Chicago’s social movement community–what a claim to fame, huh? She helps us understand what we mean when we talk about co-ops, what worker co-operatives around the country and world look like, and how we can cooperatively reshape our economic systems today and in our future. Recorded 7/2/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Contemplate Jat - Katrah Quey
Thu, June 27, 2019
Ep 194 - Toaster
Toaster is a comforter. At first glance, that sentence sounds like a madlib that makes no sense. But once you spend anytime with the poet, teaching artist, and cofounder of Big Kid Slam, you’ll know exactly what we mean. This gem of a human talks about Richard Pryor being spoken word, learning and unlearning what it means to be there for the women in his life, the origins of his name, and so much more. Plus, a round-robin game of “Name Your Privileges!” Subscribe to AirGo and leave a review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/airgo/id1016530091 Buy an AirGo Tee now!: https://airgoradio.com/store Recorded 6/18/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Be Quiet - Jahzarr
Fri, June 21, 2019
Ep 193 - Tonika Lewis Johnson
Tonika Lewis Johnson is a photographer, organizer, space-maker, and city thinker. She’s the creator of the Folded Map Project, a brilliant, humanizing arts project and advocacy tool that connects neighbors at mirror-image addresses of Chicago’s grid system. She’s also the cofounder of the Resident Association of Greater Englewood (R.A.G.E.), and a fierce advocate for her block, neighborhood, and city. She comes through to talk about how photography can change eyes and opinions, the ways that housing segregation defines Chicago, the ways in which Chicagoans challenge that segregation, and much more. Recorded 6/18/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: pretty girls in ugly cars - @onenightonly
Thu, June 13, 2019
Ep 192 - Schenay Mosley
Schenay Mosley is singer, songwriter, and pianist whose most recent, excellent project Lotus is available now. The Dayton, Ohio native has been in Chicago for years now, and just got off a wildly successful tour with Smino. She talks disaster plans, Myspaces, finding herself through adversity, and more! Recorded 6/11/19 in Chicago Music from this week's episode: Intro - @schenaysmusic Loversgold - @schenaysmusic
Thu, June 06, 2019
Ep 191 - Davon Clark
Davon Clark is a photographer, poet, graphic designer, and cutie pie. A Philly native, he is approaching a year in Chicago, and has spent the time setting the foundation for a vibrant creative career and life. He performs at poetry readings across the city, hosts a monthly open mic at Build Coffee, is a graphic designer for the Chicago Reader, and holds AIrGo down as the Associate Producer handling our social media. Did we mention he's a cutie pie? Recorded 6/5/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Lil Wayne x The Office - James Kendrick Buy your AirGo tee!: https://airgoradio.com/store
Thu, May 30, 2019
Ep 190 - AirGo Live! with J. Bambii & greenSLLIME
Enjoy AirGo's first live show in the city of Chicago, featuring J. Bambii & greenSLLIME! Recorded 5/16/19 at the Cards Against Humanity Theater. Watch the video of the show here: https://youtu.be/BkgJqC_eIww Thanks to Cards Against Humanity, WHPK, Windmill Ginger Brew, Rosie Fitz, Ellen Mayer, and Jennifer Pagan for making the show possible!
Thu, May 23, 2019
Ep 189 - Ashley Battle
Ashley Battle knows her craft, and is figuring out what do with it. She's a filmmaker, director, DP, and music producer who has worked extensively on both the commercial and indie sides of the Chicago film and TV industry, and has directed or DPed a few projects alongside Damon and Daniel including the web series Signal Flow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFHLM5g0rxs). She talks about figuring out where to direct her craft, working toward both inner peace and a '67 Chevelle, the different roles on a film set, and much more. If you're interested in working in the film industry, this is a must-listen! Recorded 5/15/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: I am the Black Gold of the Sun - The Rotary Connection
Thu, May 16, 2019
Ep 188 - Andy Clarno
Andy Clarno is an associate professor of Sociology and African American Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago, who has developed a research collective model in collaborations with local radical organizers. He has recently been heavily involved in the Erase The Gang Database campaign (http://erasethedatabase.com), and is the author of Neoliberal Apartheid, a book focusing on the overlaps of oppression and resistance in South Africa and Palestine. In short, he's about the work. Get learned on this one! Recorded 5/8/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: boardwalk x fujitsu - @joeshort
Thu, May 09, 2019
Ep 187 - adrienne maree brown
adrienne maree brown is brilliant. She is a Detroit-based organizer, doula, facilitator, community builder, and writer of seminal books Emergent Strategy and Pleasure Activism. While in town for a talk at the Chicago Humanities Festival, adrienne swings by AirGo to talk with the guys about her birth work, learning from Grace Lee Boggs, fluidity, and much more. Plus, Damon and Daniel geek out about how dope she is. Recorded 5/4/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Juice - Lizzo
Thu, May 02, 2019
Ep 186 - SqueakPIVOT
Squeak is on the boards! The DJ, producer, and West Side native swings by with a very special guest (his daughter Xuri) to talk about the rise of Pivot, getting comfortable with himself, learning through experience, and much more. Plus stay tuned at the end for a special cameo in the commercial! Recorded 5/1/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Bigger - Broadway Muse x SqueakPIVOT Snow - @femdotmusic x @SqueakPIVOT
Thu, April 25, 2019
Ep 185 - Trina Reynolds-Tyler
Trina Reynolds-Tyler is an organizer, community builder, restorative justice facilitator, and graduate student at UChicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. She also works at the Invisible Institute, a journalism production studio founded by Jamie Kalven (who was on the show a couple weeks back). She talks about the University’s relationship to her childhood and neighborhood, learning from experience, wrestling with defining success, and much more. Recorded 4/24/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Toe Jam - Diamond Ortiz
Thu, April 18, 2019
Ep 184 - Rich Wallace
Richard Wallace is breaking down our economy. And not just explaining it–like trying to break it down into pieces and rebuild it more equitably. He’s the founder of Equity and Transformation (EAT), an organization that works with individuals operating in the informal economy to uplift the faces, voices, and power of the vast disenfranchised and excluded Black workforce in Chicago. He’s also a member of the now-defunct but incredibly influential Chicago rap group BBU, and a contributing member to the Hoodoisie. Music from this week's show: Jumpers - BBU
Thu, April 11, 2019
Ep 183 - Cathy Cohen
Cathy Cohen brings the pieces together beautifully. She is a professor at UChicago, a long-time organizer, a founding board member and former co-chair of the board of the Audre Lorde Project in NY, on the board of Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press as well as the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS) at CUNY, and the founder of Black Youth Project, a website devoted to Black youth from which BYP-100 emerged. She is also truly the big homie. We learned so much in this one – come learn with us. Music from this week's show: Spilled Beans - Gurty Beats
Thu, April 04, 2019
Ep 182 - Jamie Kalven
Jamie Kalven fights for his neighbors. He’s a journalist, human rights worker, and founder of the Invisible Institute, a journalism production studio based on 62nd and Dorchester. He comes into the studio ready to swing through the years with Damon and Daniel, and shares his thoughts on guerilla journalism, his years working out of an apartment at Parkway Gardens, transparency and data, and much more. Definitely a deep dive! Music from this week's show: I Need to Know - Kanye West
Thu, March 28, 2019
Ep 181 - Southpaw Swade
Southpaw Swade is a mensch, to get Yiddish about it. The Florida-born, Chicago-based rapper and producer shares podcast space with a grace not often seen, and is truly a joy to talk to. He recently put out his Three Piece EP, which is available everywhere. Get tuned in, and make sure to stay tuned at the end for some bonus Hebrew Israelite conversation! Music from this week's show: FLTM - @southpawswade Headland & Delowe - @southpawswade
Thu, March 21, 2019
Ep 180 - Essence Mcdowell
Essence McDowell is a communications strategist, organizer and co-author of Lifting As They Climbed: Mapping a History of Black Women on Chicago’s South Side. Working in collaboration with AirGo alum Mariame Kaba, Lifting As They Climbed maps dozens of locations across Chicago's South Side and connects them to the Black women who have shaped the histories of Chicago. She talks about the project, understanding her role in relation to the archive, and much more! Learn more about the book: https://liftingastheyclimbed.zibbet.com/
Thu, March 14, 2019
Ep 179 - Odinaka Ezeokoli
Odinaka Ezeokoli is a comic, actor, and writer who came into the AirGo studio ready to talk, dig deep, and laugh. He starred in an episode of Easy, the Netflix series by Joe Swanberg that takes place in Chicago; was a central cast member of Brown Girls, the hit web series by Sam Bailey and AirGo alum Fatimah Asghar; and performed in Nothing to Lose But Our Chains, the hit Second City show written by and starring AirGo alum Felonious Munk. Damon and Daniel’s faces hurt from laughing by the end of the episode–true story. Recorded 2/19/19 in Chicago Music from this week's episode: Philly Crew - Doug Maxwell
Thu, March 07, 2019
Ep 178 - Charlene Carruthers
Charlene Carruthers is with the shits. She has served as the founding National Director of BYP-100, an activist member-led organization of Black 18-35 year olds dedicated to creating justice and freedom for all Black people, for the last five years, and is the author of Unapologetic: A Black, Queer and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements. She talks about stepping out of her role at BYP-100, stepping into the next chapter, and much more. Recorded 2/13/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Mirror, Mirror - Diamond Ortiz
Thu, February 28, 2019
Ep 177 - Krista Franklin
Krista Franklin just might be a whole-ass genius. She's definitely brilliant. The Ohio-born spirit is a poet, visual artist, curator, educator, mentor, and semi-professional hermit who has supported and shaped so many of the people we've interviewed on the show. Her humility and commitment to herself and the people she loves shines through in her poetry, collage, and mentorship. Her transgenre book Under the Knife was released fall 2018.
Thu, February 21, 2019
Ep 176 - Mister Wallace
Mister Wallace is glowing up, out, and all around. They're the cool mom and founder of Futurehood, a collective spaceship full of emerging Chicago hip hop artists who are queer, which has reached a new level of visibility in recent months with a showcase performance and spectacle as part of last November's Red Bull Music Festival Chicago. Wallace also recently dropped a new project entitled Cool Mom, which is available everywhere. Recorded 2/12/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Hateraid - @wallacewallacewallace
Thu, February 14, 2019
Ep 175 - Alex Fruchter
Alex Fruchter is the man behind Chicago independent label Closed Sessions, the founder of hip hop blog Ruby Hornet, and a writer and DJ. His work has helped bring forward multiple waves of Chicago hip hop, from the Napster days into the streaming age and beyond. He talks about the industry, the role of a label, his own shift in perspective in the last year, and Morgan Park Academy, which is both his and Damon's alma mater. Soak up some Chicago hip hop history! Recorded 2/1/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Coming into Focus - BoatHouse
Thu, February 07, 2019
Ep 174 - Hoda Katebi
Wow. Hoda Katebi is a brilliant style designer, organizer, and writer who comes through for one of our favorite episodes ever. She's the founder of JooJoo Azad, a radical online fashion publication; the author of Tehran Streetstyle, a street fashion book of photos taken on the streets of her home country; and the founder of the newly launched Blue Tin Production, a fashion production co-op run by immigrant and refugee women here in Chicago. Recorded 1/29/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Persion Rap by Tehran Beats
Thu, January 31, 2019
Ep 173 - David Stovall
David Stovall is a professor at UIC whose work focuses on reshaping education and the school-to-prison nexus (which he explains, don't worry). He's also just a very good dude. We take a deep dive into classrooms, shaping our definitions of abolition, and much more. Recorded 2/29 in Chicago
Thu, January 24, 2019
Ep 172 - Camonghne Felix
Camonghne Felix is new to town, but she's already working to challenge power at the highest level in the city. The poet, political campaign maneuverer, and BRONX NATIVE is here working as Communications Director for the mayoral campaign of AirGo alum Amara Enyia. She pops in to talk first Chicago impressions, the legacies and conflicts of the Obamas, political futures, and much more. Recorded 1/23/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Drops of H2O - DJ Lang
Thu, January 17, 2019
Ep 171 - Vincent Martell
Vincent Martell is the founder of VAM Studio, an independent film and media production company consisting of primarily queer people of color that produces videos for musicians and record labels, foundations, and non-profits, nightlife and art identities. He is the director of Damaged Goods, a new web series celebrating a group of friends in Chicago's underground DIY scene. Recorded 1/15/19 in Chicago Music from this week's episode: cruise - @theloniousmartin
Tue, January 15, 2019
Ep 170 - In the Loop, Out the Blue #4
For the last few months, AirGo partnered with the Real Chi newsroom at Free Spirit Media, a youth media nonprofit here in Chicago. On the final episode of their first season, the Real Chi squad talks bond reform and e-carceration with folks from the Chicago Community Bond Fund, plus a lot of other great deep dives into the news and North Lawndale community. Get on board!
Thu, January 10, 2019
Ep 169 - Swopes
Swopes is a photographer, graphic designer, influential instagrammer, and somewhat reformed socialite. Her trademark Chicago skyline pieces, which layer natural forces on aerial shots of the city, are immediately recognizable, and she has worked with dozens of national and global brands as a marketing consultant, graphic designer, and influencer. She talks about her craft, her determination toward positivity, what accountability in the mix can look like, and more. Recorded 1/2/19 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Bye Bye Baby - @noname
Mon, January 07, 2019
Ep 168 - #SurvivingLoudly: Damon and Daniel talk harm and accountability
Spurred by the Surviving R. Kelly docuseries, many women in the creative community here in Chicago have brought forth memories and allegations of sexual assault, rape, and sexual violence by men in the scene. Damon and Daniel talk about the moment, what we've learned, how they've processed and understand their respective responsibilities, and some potential next steps. Recorded 1/7/19 in Chicago
Thu, December 20, 2018
Ep 167 - Ryan Keesling
Ryan Keesling is the first guest to ask, in the interview, why we decided to have him on the show. The answer, at least on our end, is self-evident. For the last 18 years, he has worked as the founder and director of Free Write Arts and Literacy, an organization that works with young people in and outside the walls of Chicago's Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. He is also a tremendous DJ, holding down drum and bass nights at venues across the city. We talk about what happens inside that building, his own journey from central Indiana, the capital C Club, and more! Recorded 12/18/18 in Chicago
Thu, December 13, 2018
Ep 166 - Benji Hart
Benji Hart is ready and willing to get reflective. They have a wonderful conversation with Damon and Daniel about emergent understandings of liberation, growing toward loving their blackness, voguing and its history, and much more. They’re a freelance artist, educator, workshop leader, and retreat facilitator based here in Chicago.
Thu, December 06, 2018
Ep 165 - Tempestt Hazel
It’s a big deal for Tempestt Hazel to get behind the mic, but she does it with grace and openness on this episode of AirGo. The curator, writer, artist, and founder of 60 Inches From Center talks about healthy and unhealthy collaborations, Keith Sweat, and, most importantly, the ARCHIVES! Archives are our joint! AIred 12/6/18 in Chicago
Thu, November 29, 2018
Ep 164 - Tasha Returns
Tasha is the sweetest. When we first had her on the show a couple years back, she had just come back to Chicago from college, and was working as an organizer with BYP. Two years later, she has a burgeoning, expanding musical career, which she’s doing on her own terms. She talks space, music-making, Instagram comments, and much more. Music from this week's show: Kind of Love - @wowtashawow
Tue, November 27, 2018
Ep 163 - In the Loop, Out the Blue #3
In the Loop, Out the Blue is a collaborative podcast between AirGo and Free Spirit Media's Real Chi Newsroom. On the third episode, we take a deep dive into cannabis decriminalization, talk November's headlines, get updated on the new events happening in the city, and more.
Fri, November 16, 2018
Ep 162 - Phenom
Phenom isn’t new to this. The rapper, educator, and mentor has been sharing bars across Chicago for decades, and has some stories to tell. He is the founder of Emcee Skool, an initiative that “provides self-motivated artists with the proper tools and training to deliver highly impactful projects that can be used as peace making and humanity building strategies worldwide.” He goes deep into his journey, from battle raps to Iraq and back, taking Damon and Kiss along for the ride. Recorded 11/7/18 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Angelina - Makaih Beats That Dough (feat. @add2themc) - @pbrelitemind
Thu, November 08, 2018
Ep 161 - Kane One
When artists get really good, we tend to say their in a league all their own. Kane One, aka Miguel Aguilar, is in a league of dissidents, artists, organizers, and visualizers, and doesn't have any interest in slimming the squad. The Chicago-born artist paints on walls and canvases, under viaducts and in boardrooms, and sees color and form like no one else. He talks about securing the bag, '90's Chicago warehouse parties, teaching boys consent, and more. Recorded 10/31/18 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Road Rage - @nottyp
Fri, November 02, 2018
Ep 160 - Aislinn Pulley
Aislinn Pulley is the cofounder of Black Lives Matter Chicago, and a godamn badass. A child of the movement, she has been a steady figure in Chicago's organizing community as a leader, facilitator, and community builder. She talks the evolution of BLM, her father's relationship to Grenada, and much more. We definitely need a part two with Aislinn! Recorded live 11/1/18 at WHPK in Chicago Music from this week's show: Here We Go - Mac Miller Love Affair - Larry Lovestein and the Velvet Revival
Fri, October 26, 2018
Ep 159 - In the Loop, Out the Blue #2
Check out In the Loop, Out the Blue Episode 2, presented by AirGo and Chicago youth media nonprofit Free Spirit Media! AirGo's been working with their Real Chi Newsroom to develop a podcast that takes listeners deeper into the stories they've been reporting on, and gives a sense of the people behind the beats that the newsroom covers. On this episode, we talk John Burge's death, this month's headlines, and more. Get in the loop!
Thu, October 18, 2018
Episode 158 - Check-in #4
The guys take some time to check in about getting older, environment affecting growth, jobs, softness and masculinity, and much more. Recorded live 10/18/18 in Chicago
Thu, October 11, 2018
Ep 157 - Roy Kinsey
Roy Kinsey’s beginning to shine, and he knows what knocked the luster off. The rapper talks about his decision to quit drinking a year ago, the clarity it created, the opportunities that have emerged because of it, his work as a librarian at a Chicago Public Library branch out west, his queerness, and more! Make sure to listen to his full-length Blackie, as well as his new EP #MoreRoy! Recorded 10/2/18 in Chicago Music from this week's show: OMAR - @roykinsey Royparations - @roykinsey
Thu, October 04, 2018
Ep 156 - Elton
Elton’s exploring, and he’s got the tools for some new discoveries. The emcee swings by AirGo to talk his roots as a preacher’s kid, being on the brink, working with AirGo favorites Luke Titus, Brian Sanborn, and Phoelix, and much more. His most recent project Elevated is excellent, and available now. Recorded 9/25/18 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Hey You - @Eltonplusminus Demonz - @eltonplusminus
Thu, September 27, 2018
Ep 155 - SoloSam
SoloSam is a Chicago emcee and a thoughtful, generous soul. He recently dropped Itis, a 7-track introduction to his well-written, boisterous sound, and has been performing on all the stages a Chicago rapper performs on right before they're ready to jump to the next level. The smart money's on Solo making that jump. He also, incidentally, works as a cold-cutter in a glassblowing studio, which we barely mention. Recorded 9/25/18 in Chicago, IL Music from this week's show: FAST - @solosam Runnin' Around (intro) - @solosam
Thu, September 20, 2018
Ep 154 - Iris Temple
Iris Temple is a dynamic duo with some of the most dynamic sounds in the city of Chicago. The two Kansas City natives went to high school together, and have been making music in the city for the last few years. They've collaborated with Xavier Omar and others, and they just tore down North Coast with a great performance. Recorded 8/29/18 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Ashes - @iristemple Tear You Down - @iristemple x @xvromar
Thu, September 13, 2018
Ep 153 - Amara Enyia
This week's guest is in the thick of a run for the mayoral seat in our unfair city. Amara Enyia is a policy-maker, innovator, entrepreneur, and candidate for the Mayor of Chicago whose vision and platform is grounded in a way rarely seen in our political climate. She is candid and thoughtful with the guys as they break down co-ops, political machines, Jay Electronica, and more. Recorded 9/11/18 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Good Times - Audiobinger
Thu, September 06, 2018
Ep 152 - Tatiana Hazel
Tatiana Hazel is ready to pop. The singer, songwriter, and Logan Square native is bringing vibrant, newly imagined pop music, with an intention of expending the "Latin music" lane to incorporate a wider range of experience and perspective. The former Youtube star just played her first headlining show with a full band at The Hideout, and dropped an album called Toxic. We talk youtubing, pop, family, and expand the realm of RnB beef. Recorded 8/31/18 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Por Ti - @Tatianahazel Dimelo - @Tatianahazel
Thu, August 30, 2018
Ep 151 - Qari
Qari has bars and a smile on his face. He is, according to Kiss, "one of the city's best rappers," and his pretty constant flow is good raps over good beats shows no signs of slowing. A member of the now-defunct squad Hurt Everybody, Qari flows with an ease and dexterity that isn't common, even in the extraordinarily talented Chicago hip hop community. He talks his love of words, surviving, and trusting his choices in this honest, open conversation. Recorded live 8/30 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Baghdadi - @longlivecarl x @mulattobeats x @senmorimoto Pants from Japan - @longlivecarl x @kahrion
Thu, August 23, 2018
Ep 150 - Vic Lloyd
Vic Lloyd is truly the big homie. The Fat Tiger Workshop owner and Operations Manager has been at the center of Chicago's creative community for over a decade. He was the Creative Director and GM of LDRS, the iconic streetwear company and store, and has designed apparel for Nike, Adidas, Reebok, and New Era. He's one of the city's sought-after DJs, and has spun at festivals across the country. His brand Big Homie Sensei is available at FTW and online. Recorded live 8/23/18 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: D'Evils - Jay Z Window Seat - Erykah Badu x Rick Ross
Fri, August 17, 2018
Ep 149 - Morgan Malone
Morgan Malone is an organizer, idea cultivator, and solutions engineer. Based in Englewood, she's a Commissioner with the Cook County Commission on Social Innovation, and is a Program Manager with Teamwork Englewood's Englewood Quality of Life Plan. She swings by to talk about reimagining on a block-by-block basis and much more. Recorded live 8/16/18 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Son Shine - @fessgrandiose
Thu, August 09, 2018
Ep 148 - Healing Village
With Daniel out of town, Damon sits down with some of the organizers of the Healing Village, a pop-up encampment in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood. The Healing Village is an accessible mental health space that is "artful, imaginative, expansive, and free from stigma." Led by community organizations STOP, BLMChi, and the #LetUsBreathe Collective, the Healing Village has brought a wide range of free classes, therapy sessions, meditation workshops, and skills trainings to a previously abandoned lot. In the face of an eviction notice from Alderman Willie Cochran, who is currently under several indictments and last week referred to himself as a self-proclaimed "gangster," the village has been facing eviction. Learn about the next steps, the work of the village, and more. Recorded live 8/9/2018 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Puddles (feat. @Sabapivot) - @the-omys
Fri, August 03, 2018
Ep 147 - Kwynn Riley
As she puts it, Kwynn Riley isn't healed, but she's better. She is a poet, organizer, and blogger who hosts and runs the new In the Yard Open Mic series at Breathing Room, #LetUsBreathe's movement-building and healing hub on the South Side, which has brought folks out from all corners of the city. She has a second book on the way, and a play going up at Black Ensemble Theater. She stops by to talk about growing through the stillborn birth of her son this past winter, learning from family, and much more. Recorded live 8/2/18 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Take It All In, Check It All Out - Bill Withers
Fri, July 27, 2018
Ep 146 - little bear
little bear is having a hell of a whirlwind week here in Chicago. Between Pitchfork pop-ins, studio sessions, press, a backyard release party for their new EP Needs on Thursday, and playing in the house band at the third annual Chicago Poetry Block Party, the Bronx-based electrabrasspop artist is on the run, and enjoying every minute. Their new EP features AirGo alums the Burns Twins and Sol Patches, and the Chicago connections run deep (their brother just happens to be AirGo cohost Kiss). With Damon out of town, the two brothers talk music, next steps, shared childhood, and more. Recorded live 7/26/18 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Private Parts - @littlebearsoundslike Needs - @littlebearsoundslike Home - @littlebearsoundslike
Thu, July 19, 2018
Ep 145 - Loona Dae
This week's guest is Loona Dae, a vocalist, songwriter, and producer originally from St. Louis who has been a mainstay here in Chicago for a few years now. She recently dropped a fantastic new track produced by AirGo alum Eddie Burns called "Summertime (U Remind Me)," and has a new project called Moon Flower coming soon. In the meantime, peep her Phases EP from last year! Recorded live 7/1/18 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Summertime (prod. Eddie Burns) - @loonadae
Thu, July 12, 2018
Ep 144 - Shawnee Dez
Shawnee Dez is a vocalist, songwriter, and joyous spirit. Living in the world of soul music, Shawnee's sound connects to a lineage, but can't be mistaken for anyone but her. She swings by AirGo to get nostalgic, wax rhapsodic, light us all up, and more. Recorded live 7/12/18 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: A Blues in Tyne - Alexis Lombre Wasted Time - @shawneedez x Matt Hines
Thu, June 28, 2018
Ep 143 - Kaleb Autman
None of us know the future–no matter how muscular our radical imagination. But we do know that as long as Kaleb Autman is in it, there will be at least one person bringing love, honesty, and courageous, quiet righteousness to our fights for liberation. The 16 year-old organizer, photographer and writer delves deep into his thoughts on student protest, building a life, Future Kaleb, and more. Recorded 6/22/18 in Chicago Music from this week's episode: The Kiss - Roulet
Thu, June 21, 2018
Ep 142 - Mani Jurdan
Mani Jurdan is finding balance. He's a rapper from out west, mentor at a youth program in Austin, and a happily-affiliated member of Chicago creative collective Huey Gang. He drops by to talk loss, mentorship, his music, and more. Recorded live 6/21/18 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Venus, Mars (feat. @starkofhuey, John Renaissance) - @manijurdan Differentiation - @manijurdan
Thu, June 14, 2018
Ep 141 - Nikko Washington
Nikko Washington's contours and contrasts are something to behold. He's a painter, clothing designer, and Hyde Park native, whose work has covered the albums of many of Chicago's finest, including Kami, Noname, Joey Purp, Vic Mensa, Towkio and many more. He has a new exhibition, entitled Saturn, going up this friday at the Adidas Originals store in Wicker Park. Recorded live 6/14/18 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Collect (Your Thoughts) - @harmonicsapien
Thu, June 07, 2018
Ep 140 - Hip-Hop Theater Fest
At the intersection of art, culture, social justice, and community building, Kuumba Lynx produces The Chicago Hip Hop Theater Fest (CHHTF). The fest features nine different performing artists/companies presenting 12 different shows over five days. CHHTF is curated by Kuumba Lynx Co-Founders Jaquanda Villegas and Jacinda Bullie in an effort to reclaim public space, and cultivate a community building & performance space that reflects the communities we represent. The fest utilizes critical Hip Hop Theater to engage in a dialogue that aims to rewrite our narratives, reimagine the world more just, and connect people across communities. AirGo sits down with several of the presenters and participants to talk about their creative works, perspectives on the fest, and more! Hear each individual episode here: https://soundcloud.com/airgoradio/sets/airgo-x-chicago-hip-hop-theater-fest Recorded 5/26/18 in Chicago Music from this week's episode: Bust a Move - Young MC
Thu, May 31, 2018
Ep 139 - Brendan Shiller
Brendan Shiller is fighting. He is one of the founders of the West Side Justice Center, and is a co-partner in the law firm Shiller Preyar LLC, serving the needs and legal battles of the divested from and disenfranchised across the city. He is the lead attorney for the #NoCopAcademy Campaign, which was rumbling through City Hall last week in opposition to the $95 million proposed project to be built in West Garfield Park. Recorded live 6/31/18 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's episode: disappear - @oatmello Ignorin - Omar Apollo
Thu, May 24, 2018
Ep 138 - Matt Muse
Matt Muse is a rapper, producer and YCA teaching artist who's working hard. Constantly performing on stages across the city and on the road, his work ethic and confident baritone has opened doors as he continues to push his craft and career. His new project, Nappy Talk, is coming ASAP–he had a listening party this past week at YCA. Recorded live 5/24/18 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music on this week's show: Six Flags - Roger Plexico
Thu, May 17, 2018
Ep 137 - In the Loop, Out the Blue
This week's episode is the product of a partnership between your friendly neighborhood producers here at AirGo and Real Chi Youth, the newsroom at Free Spirit Media, a nonprofit organization based in North Lawndale. We worked with this wonderful squad of reporters between 20 and 25 years old to build a new, humanizing, deep dive into the stories they were covering, bringing subject-to-subject dialogue into a traditional news space. The result is In the Loop, Out the Blue, a new podcast. Enjoy the first episode!
Fri, May 11, 2018
Ep 136 - Hilda Franco
Hilda Franco, in this moment, is the culmination of every day, month, and year she has grown through up to this point–as are we all. She wants to make sure we don't forget that. The educator, scholar, facilitator, and culture worker focuses on the pervasiveness and impact of adultism in our schools, communities, policies, and culture-at-large. A former staff member at the Chicago Freedom School, Rudy Lozano Leadership Academy, and other educational spaces, she currently works as a coordinator and consultant for CPS's Student Voice Committee. Hilda is also a member of the Hoodoisie, the block-optic news discussion show founded by Ricardo Gamboa and often mentioned on AirGo. Recorded live 5/10/18 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Road Trip - Ryan Lit No Future - No Mo No Money
Fri, May 04, 2018
Ep 135 - Dometi Pongo
Dometi Pongo is a media-maker, journalist, host, and producer whose work is grounded in the stories, perspectives, and events of our city. Sound familiar? He's an anchor and reporter for WGN Radio, the host of the ChiPedia and Brainstorm with Dometi podcasts, and has created media work with Chicago's Urban League, Donda's House, WTTW, WYCC, and many other platforms. He's the cofounder of The Artists Lounge, one of the city's best open mics, and he also leads annual excursions to Ghana, aimed at establishing better understandings of Diaspora and cultural cohesion. Recorded live 5/3/18 at WHPK in Chicago Music from this week's show: Demon's Alley - Roger Plexico Pants from Japan - @longlivecarl NOTE: There's a little audio easter egg in here at 48:45. Enjoy!
Thu, April 26, 2018
Ep 134 - MfnMelo
AirGo gets cooking with Pivot emcee and gem of a human MfnMelo. The rapper's baritone echoes across some of the city's best tracks from the last year, including a gang of hits on his project Melodramatics, which dropped last October. He also hosts the hilarious and very informative Cooking with Mfn cooking show. Recorded live 4/28/18 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Rollin' - @Mfnmelo Buck - @josephchilliams x @mfnmelo White Cheddar - Mfnmelo
Thu, April 19, 2018
Ep 133 - Lulu Be
Lulu Be's bounce echoes continents. The rapper layers rhythms from across diaspora with hyper-referential and indubitably fun raps that reverberate self-confidence and self-determination. The first generation Ethiopian American Chicago native put out the make-you-move bop Lululand last fall. Recorded 4/3/18 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Rude Tings - @lulubomb Raindance - @lulubomb Fiya Missile - @lulubomb Official Girl - Cassie
Thu, April 12, 2018
Ep 132 - Brandon Johnson
You know that line that naysayers always say to activists? About how "real change happens from within the system?" Well, Brandon Johnson is about to find out. The longtime educator and centerpiece organizer with the Chicago Teachers Union recently won the Democratic primary for the Cook County Commissioner of the 1st District, and will be running unopposed in the general election. His new jurisdiction covers much of the West Side and western suburbs. Recorded live 4/12/18 at WHPK in Chicago Music from this week's show: Birds of Prey - Darksunn SMILE - @Sabapivot
Fri, April 06, 2018
Ep 131 - AmbI Lyrics
AmbI Lyrics has brought all the pieces together, and is ready to share. The St. Louisian DJ, producer, and certified Pivoter just dropped Study Hall, a wonderful project with some certified bops with a super dope squad of collaborators including Via Rosa, Joseph Chilliams, Nosidam, Lamont Anderson, Sean Deaux, theMIND, Smino, Saba, and Jean Deaux. She pops by a couple days before her upcoming After School Special show at SubT on April 8th, which you should definitely attend. Recorded live 4/5/18 at WHPK-FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Serious Thoughts - @ambil x @nosidam Hakuna Matada - @Ambil x @deathvialove x @josephchilliams Dream a Genie - @Ambil x @deathvialove x @sabapivot x @thatsjeandeaux
Thu, March 29, 2018
#GoBack - Chance the Rapper in 2013
AirGo digs deep in the vaults for #GoBack, a series of interviews Daniel did between 2011 and 2014 with some of hip hop's best. Originally aired on KDIC-FM, Damon and Daniel's college radio station, we dust off the conversations and bring them to you. On this episode, from all the way back in 2013, Chance the Rapper.
Thu, March 22, 2018
Ep 130 - Luke Titus
Singer, drummer, and songwriter Luke Titus is just trying to flow. As a percussionist, he has kept the pocket for brilliant Chicagoans like Noname, Akenya and Ravyn Lenae. He released his debut project, Aside of Love, last year, and will be opening for Ravyn on her upcoming Crush tour. Recorded 2/20/18 in Chicago Music from this week's show: U (feat. @ravynlenae) - @luke-titus Pink - @luke-titus Runnin - @luke-titus
Fri, March 16, 2018
Ep 129 - Maceo Haymes of the O'My's
Maceo Haymes swings, growls, and whines like no other voice in Chicago. He's the soul of Chicago soul band The O'My's, and has collaborated with damn near any Chicago rapper, singer, and musician you rock with. A stalwart of the Chicago music scene, Maceo swings by to talk sound, color, art, and more. Recorded 3/15/18 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: These Days (feat. @the-omys) - @ab-soul Mujer (feat. @nicosegal) - @the-omys
Thu, March 08, 2018
Ep 128 - Check-in #3
Daniel and Damon catch their breath and take some time to check in. The convo bounces around from parents, to love, to growth, to much more. You get a guest every week–we should be enough for ya. Recorded 3/5/18 in Chicago
Thu, March 01, 2018
Ep 127 - Burns Twins
The Burns Twins glint. The duo stands in the midst of much of the most engaging, shining, exciting art echoing through Chicago's music scene, bringing their trumpet, drums, and production to collaborations with an impressive cross-section of Chicago's next wave. They most recently put out the first in a series of EPs with Bedows and Elton Aura entitled Sun Shower, which is an absolute banger, and perform in the bands of many of Chicago's best. Recorded live 3/1/18 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Headphones (feat. Nemo) - @burnstwinsmusic x @bedows x @eltonaura No More - @burnstwinsmusic x @themindmusic Combo #5 - @burnstwinsmusic x @bedows x @eltonaura
Thu, February 15, 2018
Ep 126 - Shellyne Rodriguez
Shellyne Rodriguez is a badass visual artist, organizer, and Bronxite. She organizes with Take Back the Bronx, a collective of creators and citizens fighting gentrification, and has visual art featured all over the city. Her visuals remix and reimagine the material representations of community, loss, and false hope into collage and sculpture, connected yet levitating. She works with the Museum of Modern Art's Educational Programming, overseeing organizational and school partnerships across the five boroughs. Recorded 2/1/18 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York
Thu, February 08, 2018
Ep 125 - Our Liberation Summit
AirGo had the honor of cohosting the Our Liberation Summit, a convening at Sarah Lawrence College. We conducted 10 interviews with presenters, producers, and participants, seizing this shared moment to bring their voices and ideas beyond the confines of the campus. This episode contains a few of their stories–you can hear all of the episodes on our soundcloud. Thanks to Natalie Gross and Cody Ross Romero for their wonderful hospitality and vision! Recorded 2/3/18 at Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville NY Music from this week's show: Echo Blues Effect - Anonymous420 Lost Memories - Ryan Little
Thu, February 01, 2018
#GoBack: Kendrick Lamar in 2013
AirGo digs deep in the vaults for #GoBack, a series of interviews Daniel did between 2011 and 2014 with some of hip hop's best. Originally aired on KDIC-FM, Damon and Daniel's college radio station, we dust off the conversations and bring them to you. First up, Kendrick Lamar in 2013.
Thu, January 25, 2018
Ep 124 - Bria Royal
Bria Royal is a mythmaker. The artist, media journalist, organizer, and spacemaker creates worlds through comics, animation, and paintings that reimagine the relationships between liberation, the natural world, gender, mental health, technology, and more. She works for the youth media and journalism nonprofit Free Spirit Media, and is a member of Chicago-based organizations The People's Response Team and For the People Artists Collective. Recorded live 1/25/18 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: West Coast - Ryan Little What You Won't Do - Bobby Caldwell
Thu, January 18, 2018
Ep 123 - Ashley Ray
Ashley Ray is open. The comedian, writer, and cultural critic shares the stories, questions, insecurities, and challenges many of us struggle to ask about relationships, monogamy, and sexuality, and spins them hilariously toward a liberatory perspective. In addition to doing standup all over Chicago, she writes about television for the Onion, and has a day job where she spins your public data into profit. Recorded 1/16/18 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Rise and Shine - Audiobinger
Thu, January 11, 2018
Ep 122 - Tanji Harper
Tanji Harper's light shines real bright. An OG of Chicago's creative community, she is one of the most genuine, kind, and creative mentors and communal creators in the city. She is the Artistic Director of the Happiness Club, an all-ages youth dance crew that operates as a family and lights up stages all over the Chi. She's also the Founder of Blu Rhythm Collective, a squad remixing the theatrical space for the more equitable. Recorded live 1/11/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music on this week's show: Confirmation Blues - Robbero
Thu, January 04, 2018
Ep 121 - Dewayne Perkins
Dewayne Perkins is bubbly as hell. The actor, comic, and writer is Chicago born and bred, and has come up through the city's comedy farm system–he's an alum of the iO and of Second City, where he featured as part of their touring company. He recently was a cast member on MTV's Wildin' Out, and has a hilarious web series through OpenTV called Starving Artists. Recorded live 1/4/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Books of War - RZA x DOOM
Mon, January 01, 2018
Cottage Groove #7
AirGo isn't just all talk! Listen to the latest edition of the Cottage Groove DJ mix series, a brand new #ChicagoSoCold mix featuring a gang of new Chicago artists who are poised to explode in 2018. Listen to all of the mixes by AirGo's own DJ Empathy aka Daniel at https://soundcloud.com/airgoradio/sets/cottage-groove-mixes Songs in this mix: Flaws - @JubaJate x Dezrielle Juanye Drain You - @melomakesmusic x @ravynlenae Slide on Ya - @amirtripp x @Sabapivot x @trapomusic Your Kind of Love - Tobi Lou Rude Tings - @lulubomb Juke It - DJ Slugo x Fast Eddie Oui - @Jeremih Pink - @luketitus
Thu, December 28, 2017
Ep 120 - Korporate
This week's guest probably gotten you to stop scrolling before, which is no small feat. Korporate is the mastermind behind Chicago Be Like, a hilarious video series showcasing the absurdity of the city's lingo and culture, from juking in parking lots to hitting a stain at the bus stop. He's also a very dope rapper, and speaks in CPS classrooms across the city. Recorded 12/12/17 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Already - Kemba
Thu, December 21, 2017
Ep 119 - Femdot
Quite simply, Femdot raps his ass off. The up-and-coming rapper has gathered a whole bunch of buzz over the last couple years, performing on stages across the city, and has been featured on Fake Shore Drive and Pigeons & Planes. He's also rocking his way from one lab to another as a student at DePaul, where he studies Biological Sciences. Recorded live 12/21 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Spin - @bedows
Thu, December 14, 2017
Ep 118 - Glenance Green
Glenance Green shades in the nuances and contours through her work as a poet, playwright, filmmaker, scholar, and activist. She directs A G Thing, a creative performance agency, and is also the creator of Melanin Voices, a performance collective series of poetry and live literature purposed to showcase the local, unsung voices in literature and highlight the narratives illuminated from their writings. These largely scripted shows, inclusive of poetry, short stories, vignettes, fiction, and non-fiction work of various Chicago artists, are weaved together to create a beautiful narrative. She is producing Melanin Voices for Puerto Rico, a live show and benefit at the Breathing Room space on 51st and Bishop, this Friday evening. Recorded live 12/14/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Without You - Nascent
Fri, December 08, 2017
Ep 117 - Mother Nature
Mother Nature is up and running. The Chicago rap duo, consisting of emcees Klevah and T.R.U.T.H., has brought forth some banging recent releases, just rocked the Reggies stage, and just got back from a New York-area run of shows. The pair pops up to AirGo to talk movement, creating as artist-educators, and more. Recorded live 12/7/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: baaf - Chad Run It Up - @mothernaturebarz
Fri, December 01, 2017
Ep 116 - Cqqchifruit
You might be able to spot Cqqchifruit from a mile away. The DJ, visual creator, and space-creator wears an aesthetic that sparkles, shines, innovates, and reimagines concepts of gender, Caribbean diaspora, and nightlife. The cofounder of Pilsen party standout Trqpiteca, she DJs across the world. She is also a certified Reiki Master. Recorded live 11/30 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Live at the Hideout - Cqqchifruit DJ mix Last Night a DJ Saved My Life - Indeep
Fri, November 17, 2017
Ep 115 - Brandon Breaux
Brandon Breaux is a visual artist whose dynamic work across media has become immensely recognizable across the city and beyond. He is the visionary behind Chance the Rapper's album artwork, and has recently created painting, sculpture, web, video, print, and interactive media projects. He also appeared as a gallery contributor at AirGo's very first We 'Go Chicago Showcase and Celebration, way back in 2015. Is this appearance the basis of all of his success? Perhaps... Recorded live 11/16/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Wanted Alive - @nottyp
Thu, November 09, 2017
Ep 114 - Coriama Couture
Coriama Couture goes there, without any fuckery. She is a writer, style envisioner, activist, and host/creator of Sex KiKi, a regular gathering and podcast in different areas of the city at which open, moderated, and meaningful conversation around sex and sexuality flourishes. She's also getting ready to launch a new talk show, which she discusses with Damon and Daniel, who may be out of their depth on this one. Recorded live 11/9/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: 10pound - @blakeskowron
Thu, November 02, 2017
Ep 113 - Jacinda & Jaquanda of Kuumba Lynx
Jacinda Bullie and Jaquanda Villegas are the co-founders of Kuumba Lynx, a hip hop arts collective and community based in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. The squad leads all kinds of to-the-root liberation-based collective creation, including: the annual Hip Hop Theater Festival, Half-Pint Poetics, a perennial contending team at Louder than a Bomb, and much more. From the classroom, to the stage, to the streets, Kuumba Lynx is a family of fire fighting for liberation through creation. Recorded live 11/2/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Unfuckwithable - Dr. Wylie
Thu, October 19, 2017
Ep 112 - Rich Jones (Where the Players Dwell)
Rich Jones knows everyone, and they smile when you mention his name. He's a Chicago music scene veteran, rapper, and curator of the ongoing concert series All Smiles at the Tonic Room. Straddling the line with indie pop, he brings bounce to his music and the spaces he builds. He is performing Thursday evening as part of a Puerto Rico benefit show at Chop Shop, alongside AirGo alum Ravyn Lenae, the O'My's, and Boathouse. Recorded live 10/19/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Out West - @RichJonesmusic Chicagoland - @RichJonesmusic
Fri, October 13, 2017
Ep 111 - Ashley Tribble
It's a Chicago radical podcast meeting of the minds as Ashley Tribble comes on AirGo. Tribbz is the host and producer of P Power Radio, a podcast that shares stories of millennial women and the history that has shaped the world they are working to change. Ashley currently holds a residency at AMFM, the Pilsen studio and gallery founded by AirGo alum Ciera McKissick, and does standup across the city. Recorded live 10/12/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Be Quiet - Jahzzar Provider - Frank Ocean
Thu, October 05, 2017
Ep 110 - Juliana Pino
Juliana Pino sees how it all connects. She's the Policy Director at the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO), bringing the organization's activism, organizing, and advocacy in the La Villita community and beyond to policy struggles at the city, state, and federal level. She brings the connections between the outside and inside, the macro and micro, the personal and the global to the AirGo airwaves. Recorded live at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Rebelion - Joe Arroyo
Thu, September 28, 2017
Ep 109 - Maya Schenwar
Maya Schenwar is a journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Truthout, an independent social justice news website that takes on the pretense of objectivity and reimagines the ways we can tell the stories of our struggle. She's the author of Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn’t Work and How We Can Do Better, and co-editor of Who Do You Serve, Who Do you Protect? Police Violence and Resistance in the United States. Maya has written for publications across the country, mostly focusing on the violences perpetrated by our carceral system. This is a fun one–we promise. Recorded live Thursday 9/28/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Soul High - Ryan Little
Thu, September 21, 2017
Ep 108 - Joseph Chilliams
This week, we talk with the perfect rapper. Joseph Chilliams' debut project, Henry Church, just dropped, and the rapper/icon gets DEEP into it with Damon and Daniel about the project and much more. Plus a special birthday shoutout to Dame! Recorded 9/18/2017 in Chicago, IL Music from this week's show: Happy Birthday (KikupJ Remix) - Stevie Wonder Shake My Ass (feat. Jamila Woods) - @JosephChilliams
Thu, September 14, 2017
Ep 107 - Matt McLoughlin
Matt McLoughlin has done it before. The Philly native is an activist and accomplice in the best sense of the word–from the streets of Occupy, to the transformative lot of Freedom Square, to the courtrooms and offices of his current work with the Chicago Community Bond Fund, Matt's open-eyed commitment and love shines through. He comes on the show to talk about the campaign to end cash bond in Illinois, and more. Recorded live 9/14/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Warmth Forever - ABSRDST Tell Me - Dru Hill
Fri, September 08, 2017
Ep 106 - Check in #2
For the second time in AirGo history, a scheduling snafu leaves Damon and Daniel on the air with no guest. Good thing they like to talk to each other. They check in on how they're reimagining the show, wrestling with depression, laughing at the cosmic joke, and much more, plus some great music from Jamila Woods, Saba, Noname, Joseph Chilliams, Qari, Phoelix, and Elton Aura. Recorded live 9/7/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Luanda - pretochines Emerald Street (@Sabapivot Remix) - @Jamilawoods Kale (feat. @noname & @supabwe) - @joseph-chilliams Jagged Edge (feat. @longlivecarl & @phoelix) - @eltonaura
Fri, September 01, 2017
Ep 105 - Ciera Mckissick
This week's guest is Ciera Mckissick, the founder and voice behind arts and culture multiplatform space AMFM. A Milwaukee native, she brought her AMFM brand to the city and worked to build a home for it, an effort that led to her new performance space and gallery in Pilsen. Recorded live 8/31/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Rollercoaster - Roger Plexico
Thu, August 24, 2017
Ep 104 - Ric Wilson Returns
We #runitback one more time with Chicago's nouveau disco rap superstar, Geneva-visiting activist, and community goofball Ric Wilson. Since his (late) appearance on Episode 3, the musical world has opened up for Ric–he's sold out Schuba's, performed at a bunch of festivals, and opened for Chuck D, DRAM, and The Roots. Together, we delve into the mystery wrapped in an enigma with a side of dance that is Ric. NOTE: this is the last episode of #AirGoRunItBack, a five-week series featuring return conversations with folks who have been on the show through the first 100 episodes. Share your favorite episode on social media with hashtag #airgorunitback! Recorded live 8/27/17 at WHPK in Chicago Music from this week's show: clockman - @coreygrindberg Splash (feat. @littlebearnyc) - @ricwilsonisme
Thu, August 17, 2017
Ep 103 - Malcolm London Returns
This week we run it back with the guest who started it all. AirGo first guest Malcolm London returns to the show to talk growth, masculinity, raggedy growth, and much more. NOTE: this is the third episode of #AirGoRunItBack, a five-week series featuring return conversations with folks who have been on the show through the first 100 episodes. Share your favorite episode on social media with hashtag #airgorunitback! Recorded July 2017 in Chicago
Thu, August 10, 2017
Ep 102 - Eve Ewing Returns
The Champ is here! Eve Ewing returns to the airwaves as part of our #AirGoRunItBack series. Since she was on all the way back in 2015, she got her doctorate from Harvard, became a tenure-track professor at UChicago, launched a bajillion community-based creative projects here in the city, and gained MANY twitter followers. She goes the distance on the longest episode of AirGo we've ever done–we could've talked forever. NOTE: this is the second episode of #AirGoRunItBack, a five-week series featuring return conversations with folks who have been on the show through the first 100 episodes. Share your favorite episode on social media with hashtag #airgorunitback! Recorded 8/1/17 in Chicago Music in this week's show: Gullivers Travel Park - Roger Plexico
Fri, August 04, 2017
Ep 101 - Ricardo Gamboa Returns
As part of AirGo's #RunItBack Series, Ricardo Gamboa comes back to the show to catch up and bring some more gems to the airwaves. Since previously appearing, Ricky has returned full-time back to the city and launched numerous projects, including web series Brujos, bimonthly talk show and podcast The Hoodoisie, and community theatre project Meet Juan-ito Doe. The dimple chin remains unchanged. NOTE: this is the second episode of #AirGoRunItBack, a five-week series featuring return conversations with folks who have been on the show through the first 100 episodes. Share your favorite episode on social media with hashtag #airgorunitback! Recorded live 8/3/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Bonita Applebaum (Pharrell Remix) - A Tribe Called Quest
Thu, July 27, 2017
Ep 100 - Mariame Kaba Returns
As AirGo hits 100 episodes, we run it back with the parent of Chicago's radical renaissance Mariame Kaba. The wonderful organizer, educator, and community creator talks about her move back home to New York, angry old Socialists, a shift in battlefield since the election, and more. NOTE: this is the first episode of #AirGoRunItBack, a five-week series featuring return conversations with folks who have been on the show through the first 100 episodes. Share your favorite episode on social media with hashtag #airgorunitback! Recorded 6/18/17 at Allied Media Conference in Detroit Music in this week's episode: Unreleased Kanye Beat Tape Track No. 7 - Kanye West Mariame Kaba - @solpatches
Thu, July 20, 2017
Ep 99 - Sadia Nawab
Sadia Nawab creates across media as an arts educator, youth educator, artist, curator, DJ and organizer. She is the Youth & Arts Manager of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), an organization aiming "to serve as the model of the Muslim tradition of facilitating transformational change in urban communities, by inspiring others towards critical civic engagement exemplifying prophetic compassion in the work for social justice and human dignity beyond the barriers of religion, ethnicity, and nationality." She is currently launching the Beloved Community Ceramic Arts Studio in Chicago Lawn. Recorded live 7/20/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Flippin' On You - @kaytranada
Thu, July 13, 2017
Ep 98 - Elgin Bokari
Elgin Bokari is a multidisciplinary artist, creator, and Program Director for Free Write Jail Arts & Literacy, an organization that teaches writing and creative arts at the Cook County Juvenile Detention facility. A St. Louis native, he DJs, produces, raps, and makes visual art. He is a member of the Elephant Rebellion creative collective. Recorded live 7/13/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Give Me Your Love - @lokari Love Lost - @lokari
Thu, July 06, 2017
Ep 97 - Emma Mckee
The Stitch Gawd is here. Emma Mckee is a cross-stitch artist whose work has blessed the sleeves and jackets of pretty much every rapper and singer you know and love from the city of Chicago. She breaks down her craft, talks getting kicked out of Canada, her love for Pivot Gang, North Korea vs. Mormons, and more. She has a mixtape featuring many of the hottest acts in the city coming soon. Recorded 7/5/17 at Postloudness in Chicago, IL Music from this week's show: Bang Bang - Kardinal Offishall
Thu, June 29, 2017
Ep 96 - Jorge Mikell
Jorge Mikell is a true veteran of the Chicago Renaissance. He just released Soliloquy, his debut full-length album, which is available literally everywhere. He is also deep in the Chicago urban agriculture game, facilitating all types of programs through his role at the Experimental Station to connect Chicagoans with affordable, delicious, fresh food. Recorded live 6/29/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Downtown Dance (Intermission) - @jorgemikell art (prod. by @SevSeever) - @jorgemikell Good Words to Live By - @jorgemikell
Mon, June 26, 2017
Ep 95 - Terrence Thompson
Terrence Thompson is a filmmaker and Chicago native who's been documenting, shaping, and retelling stories throughout the city. His most recent film, "Drive Slow," just premiered through the Chicago Track program, an initiative of Free Spirit Media and DCASE. It also stars one of your favorite podcast cohosts (it's Damon). Recorded live 6/22/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: It's Just Different - THEMpeople
Thu, June 08, 2017
Ep 94 - Rachel Leider
Rachel Leider understands momentum. She's a central organizer for the Chicago chapter of IfNotNow, a national community of young American Jews committed to erasing American Jewish support for the Israeli occupation. She stops by the show to talk movement-building, Jewishness, and more. Recorded live 6/8/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Bird On A Wire (Instrumental) - Harry Fraud
Fri, June 02, 2017
Ep 93 - Ayinde Cartman
This week, we're doing something a little different–an AirGo doubleheader featuring two one-on-one interviews. Daniel's back in New York for the week talking with an old friend, while Damon holds down the on-air slot. Enjoy all of the conversation! Back in Chicago, Damon sits down with Ayinde Cartman. Ayinde is a poet, organizer, and caretaker, who actually was featured with a live performance all the way back on AIrGo Episode 11. They chop it up one-on-one, live on WHPK. Recorded live 6/1/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Locked Up - Garaz
Fri, June 02, 2017
Ep 92 - Zohran Kwame Mamdani
NOTE: This week, we're doing something a little different–an AirGo doubleheader featuring two one-on-one interviews. Daniel's back in New York for the week talking with an old friend, while Damon holds down the on-air slot. Enjoy all of the conversation! Daniel sits down with Zohran Kwame Mamdani, a rapper and old friend back in New York. The son of acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair and postcolonial radical scholar Mahmood Mamdani, he is one of Daniel's oldest friends. The two talk family, Uganda, social media, and growth. Recorded 5/31/17 in New York City Music from this week's episode: Kanda (Chap Chap) - Yung Cardamom & Hab No Fruits at Night - @zohrankwame
Thu, May 25, 2017
Ep 91 - greenSLLIME
greenSLLIME may have been traveling around the world for the past couple years as Mick Jenkins' DJ, but his style stays lowkey, homemade, hilarious, and fly. In addition to spinning for Mick, he's the host of SLLIME's Broke Ass Low Budget Show, a brilliantly, bluntedly surrealist talk show that has featured Joseph Chilliams, Sharkula, Dally Auston, Qari, Smino, and AirGo alums Jean Deaux and theMIND. He also has more than his fair share of bars for you. Recorded live 5/25/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Roy - @JBlanked Accidental Racist - LL Cool J & Brad Paisley M.O.P. - Get the Fuck Outta Here
Thu, May 18, 2017
Ep 90 - LaSaia Wade
LaSaia Wade is the forceful, brilliant voice at the front of the movement for trans liberation in the city of Chicago. She's the director of Brave Space Alliance, a "grassroots funded initiative created by trans people of color, for trans people of color, to generate opportunities to engage in healing, community building and the creating of kinship." She's also a member of the Chicago's Trans Liberation Collective, and owns Mystical Bee Hive, a South Side-based beekeeping company. Recorded live 5/18/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Demskreets.Fects - @Knxwledge Living in Confusion - Phyllis Hyman
Fri, May 12, 2017
Ep 89 - AJ Christian
AJ Christian is coming for your television with an eye to the future. He is the founder of Open TV, a Chicago-based platform for intersectional television that has been the home for web series Brown Girls (written by AirGo alum Fati Asghar), Brujos (created by AirGo alumn Ricardo Gamboa), and many more programs reimagining the form and distribution of television in the digital age. He's a professor at Northwestern's School of Communication. Recorded live 5/11/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Destination - @anitek
Fri, April 28, 2017
Ep 88 - Kaina
Kaina's twitter bio says it best–she works hard and she loves her city. She's a wonderful singer who has stepped onto larger and larger stages over the past year with her musical collaborators The Burns Twins, including festival Mamby on the Beach this summer. They recently put out an EP together, entitled sweet asl. She's also one of the associates holding down Chicago footwear brand Bucketfeet's Wicker Park location. Recorded live 4/27/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: The Circuit - @thejujuexchange Honey - Kaina x @burnstwins
Fri, April 21, 2017
Ep 87 - Thaddeus Tukes
Thaddeus Tukes is a master on the vibes and community journalist in the making. Featured across Chicago's music scene, including on The Social Experiment's Surf, Thaddeus is a gigging jazz musician, producer, and rapper. He also is in a masters program studying new media innovation and entrepreneurship at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, where he was a central figure in the campus' music and social justice community as an undergrad. Recorded live 4/20/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Feel My Vibes - @ThaddeusTukes Bag's Groove - @ThaddeusTukes Pass the Vibes - @Nicosegal
Thu, April 13, 2017
Ep 86 - Rebel Diaz
Rebel Diaz is about the work. The brother-brother duo came up in Chicago as self-described "movement kids," and has since traveled the world bringing their music and radical framework to resistance moments and movements around the world. They've been organizers and community members in the Hunts Point neighborhood of The Bronx for the last 15 years. Recorded 4/5/17 in Chicago Music from this week's show: I Feel Alive - Rebel Diaz Radical Dilemma - Rebel Diaz
Thu, April 06, 2017
Ep 85 - Eddie Sanders
Eddie Sanders both holds down one of Chicago's most popping spots, and holds the degree to get you out of trouble if things get a little too wild. A veteran of the Chicago creative community, he is a lawyer for many of the artists in the scene, as well as one of the main folks at popular night spot East Room. He also spins records, has dope glasses, and runs distribution label Freshly Baked, and definitely has some stories to tell. We unfortunately lost about 2/3 of the episode due to recording mishaps, but we still have a bunch of goodness to share! Recorded live 4/6/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music on this week's show: Speaking Gently - @badbadnotgood Jukin' on Landmines - BBU
Thu, March 30, 2017
Ep 84 - Monte Booker
Monte Booker makes sounds you've never heard in a song before, but seem like you've heard them around you your whole life–the clicks and whirs of machinery, the hums and whistles of a flock of birds, the resonances inside our heads. An undeniably innovative talent, The Chicagoan producer has been making sonic tidal waves with rapper/crooner Smino, AirGo alum Ravyn Lenae, a bunch of other talented folks, and the groovy radio show Soulection. He takes a break from a studio session at Classick Studios and gets groovy. Recorded live 3/30/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music on this week's show: 2099 Flow - @montebooker Cereal - @montebooker Glass Flows feat. @ravynlenae (prod. @montebooker) - @SminoWorld
Thu, March 23, 2017
Ep 83 - Naledge
Naledge may be a student at Northwestern's School of Communications within the Media, Technology and Society Program, but he's a kid no more. One half of 2000's-era rap group Kidz in the Hall, who sold more than 100,000 records worldwide on both Duckdown Records and Rawkus Records, he is also the founder of the Brainiac Project, which provides safe spaces and professional training at a recording studio in Auburn Gresham. Recorded live 3/23/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: The Willies - @djdouble-0 Me and My Old School - Naledge Good to You (Instrumental prod. Kanye West) - Talib Kweli Wheelz Fall Off ('06 Til) - Kidz in the Hall
Thu, March 16, 2017
Ep 82 - #StrongYoungVoices DJ Mix
As an antidote to all of the endless yammering we bring you week-in and week-out, this week AirGo presents music by all of the musical artists who have come on AirGo through the first 82 episodes. The mix is done by AirGo's own DJ Empathy (aka Daniel). Peep the tracklist below! Music on this week's show: Divine Love - @wowtashawow Untitled 04 (summertime) - @jhonmyquale Suitcase - @bellabahhs Blk Girl Soldier - @JamilaWoods West Side in the Rain - @MalcolmLondon Pressure - @Thatsjeandeaux Whippin' - @RicWilsonisme Liberation - @DavidEllis00 Summer Camp - @theMINDmusic Walk Away - @DramaDuo Promesa - @Lesterreymusic Symmetry - @SabaPIVOT Silk Pillows - @Sminoworld & @Akenya Spice - @Ravynlenae Bloom - @BLAckxpARty Noir - @Defcee Green Light Party - @Add2theMC Ham Sammiches - @averyryoung Love, Peace, and Happiness - @SamTrump Creflo (Almighty) Dollar - @SirtheBaptist No Service - @LaVanGogh Mariame Kaba - @SolPatches
Fri, March 10, 2017
Ep 81 - Safia Elhillo
Safia Elhillo is a badass and poet of Sudanese origin who manages the space between her words with fearless grace. She's in town for Halal if You Hear Me, a special event for Louder Than A Bomb that shares its name with the anthology of which she is co-editor with AirGo alum Fati Asghar. If you have any questions about Ja Rule and Ashanti, she is your go-to person. Her first book, The January Children, is available now. Recorded live 3/9/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: If (Instrumental) - @Oddiseemusic
Thu, March 02, 2017
Ep 80 - Charles Preston
Charles Preston is an organizer and radical spacemaker. A central figure in CSU's fight for survival, which AirGo alum Dave Ellis broke down on Episode 73, Charles is also the creator of Church on the 9, a popup cypher and community-building event on 79th Street here in Chicago. He talks spacemaking, organizing, and mental/emotional health with the AirGo crew. Recorded live 3/2/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: God Bless The Native Americans - @rich-daily Walk On By (feat. @kendricklamar) - Thundercat
Thu, February 23, 2017
Ep 79 - Ellen Mayer
In the frantic recallibration of what is, what isn't, and what might be since January 20th, our definitions of journalism, the press, media, and the truth are all in flux as real threats solidify and old tensions reemerge. How do we humanize our journalism and root it in the information different communities want and need? Ellen Mayer is the Engagement Consultant at Hearken, an "audience-driven tech platform and editorial framework that enables journalists to partner with the public throughout the reporting process," and a smart-ass person with a bunch of ideas about how we can engage with each other to report the information we need. Recorded live at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Colors - @soundbyezra
Thu, February 16, 2017
Ep 78 - Amika Tendaji
Amika Tendaji is a mother, a longtime Chicago youth and community organizer, a co-founder of Ujimaa Medics (UMedics) a collective focused on health justice and self-determination for Black people and a lead organizer of BLMChicago. She is also a poet, photographer, artful dodger, orca lover, storyteller, base builder, amateur comedian and a flamethrower extraordinaire. Recorded live 2/16/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Confused - @deelilly Casket Pretty - @noname
Fri, February 10, 2017
Ep 77 - bLAck pARty
bLAck pARty, also known off the mic and boards as Malik Flint, is an old friend and raw music-maker whose most recent project, Mango, is available everywhere now. A Little Rock native, he moved out to LA a couple years ago when he began to work with Wolf & Rothstein, Childish Gambino's management company. We break down some big ideas, how he got to this moment, and even a few UFO sightings. Recorded 2/5/17 in Los Angeles, CA Music from this week's show: Summerlove - @blackxparty Theory - @NWard3000 Bloom - @blackxparty
Fri, February 03, 2017
Ep 76 - DJ Oreo
DJ Oreo is like the mayor of Chicago's cool kids, if the mayor was a backflipper who DJs around the world rather than a neoliberal despot intent on lining his buddies' pockets. The current DJ for beaded wonder Lil' Yachty, Oreo has been at the Chicago's hip hop and footworking scenes for years. He's the founder of Oreofest, an irregular and surreal pop-up hip hop festival in the city. Recorded live 2/3/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: I Can Feel It - DJ Rashad & DJ Spinn DJ Rashad (Never Letting Go) - Roman Flowers
Fri, January 27, 2017
Ep 75 - Xavier Ramey
Xavier Ramey walks through the different worlds of Chicago with a grace, humor, and devotion rarely experienced. A North Lawndale native, he currently works at UChicago teaching students how to build organizations, structures, and companies that work to address harm and inequality. A Louder Than A Bomb kid turned commodities trader turned mentor and activist, Xavier is a core member of the #LetUsBreathe Collective and is a photographer. He also makes more corny jokes than Daniel does–it's documented. Recorded live 1/26/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Sirens - @AdrianYounge
Thu, January 19, 2017
Ep 74 - Leor Galil
Leor Galil's work is some of the most thoughtful and writing about the city's creative renaissance. The music writer for the Chicago Reader, Leor grounds his features in the stories, neighborhoods, and sounds of the city with an open ear and a dedication to honest relationship with his subject. He also hosts the new Red Bull Music Academy radio show The Deepest Dish, which has already featured quite a few AirGo alumni. Recorded live 1/19/2017 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: HiiiPower - @kendricklamar Evening's Kiss - @willisearlbeal
Fri, January 13, 2017
Ep 73 - David Ellis
We've all heard "conscious" rappers preach their asses off in a song that nobody wants to hear–the onslaught of big words and holier-than-thou declarations can be exhausting. David Ellis' autotuned bars reverberate with a catchiness that help his thoughtful, loving ideas shine through clearly and without pretense. The other half of duo FYI (Fuck Yo Institution) with AirGo alum Ric Wilson, he's also an organizer and activist across the city, especially involved in the fight to save Chicago State University. Recorded live 1/12/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Kinda A Big Deal (feat. Kanye West) - The Clipse BLK Crack - @DavidEllis00 Budget or Else - @DavidEllis00 Liberation - @DavidEllis00
Fri, January 06, 2017
Ep 72 - Lester Rey
Lester Rey is a singer and musician whose unflinching and infectious creations remold and reimagine in the spirit of boogaloo, overlapping the edges and sounds from Puerto Rico, across Latin America, and his home city of Chicago. His most recent project, entitled PROMESA, is a fierce and loving reflection based off the passage of the PROMESA Act, passed this past summer, which placed governance of the island under the control of a Congressionally-appoint board and continues the colonial violence enacted by the U.S. on Puerto Rico. Catch Lester performing 1/14, presented by AMFM and The Dojo: https://www.facebook.com/events/1239081902847780/ Music from this week's show: Got Myself a Good Man - Pucho and his Latin Soul Brothers Promesa - @lesterreymusic Coqui - @lesterreymusic
Fri, December 16, 2016
Ep 71 - Rae Chardonnay
DJ, curator, creator, radio-maker, and teacher Rae Chardonnay is one of the best vibe-creators and party-builders in the city of Chicago. Voted the best DJ in Chicago by the Reader, she is one of the cofounders of the remarkable Party Noire, alongside AirGo alum Lauren Ash and Nick Alder. If you haven't been to this remarkable celebration of Black Joy, make sure you come through the Party Noire Black Metropolis New Year's Eve celebration. Recorded live 12/15/16 at WHPK in Chicago Music from this week's show: Here - @ericlaumusic Acid Rain (@chancetherapper x @kanyewest) - DJ Critical Hype and DJ Clyde Saggy Denim (feat. @wikset) - @destiny-frasqueri
Fri, December 09, 2016
Ep 70 - Damon & Daniel Check In
Because of a last-minute cancellation, Damon and Daniel take the opportunity to check in with each other and share some ideas and stories, from sphinxes to imagining new futures to Daniel's contentious dilemma about a moose antler. Recorded live 12/8/16 at WHPK 88.5FM Music from this week's show: I Need to Know - @kanyewest Cha Cha - @BigbabyDRAM Zombies (feat. @karifaux) - @childishgambino Stranger - Paul Simon, @donnietrumpet, @alldayrecess
Thu, December 01, 2016
Ep 69 - Sir The Baptist
Sir The Baptist is a preacher's son, rapper, and singer who is reimagining what it means to celebrate one's faith in public and in one's art. Born and raised in Bronzeville, he embraces challenging hypocrisy of the church as part of his religious practice, all while compelling folks to dance in celebration. He has recently performed at Afropunk, the Made in America festival, and the Tidal Showcase at the Barclays Center. Recorded live 12/1/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Open The Door - @FKJ-2 Raise Hell - @sirthebaptist What We Got - @sirthebaptist Creflo (Almighty Dollar) - @sirthebaptist
Thu, November 24, 2016
Ep 68 - Standing Rock w/ Kristiana Colón
This week's episode shares some of the voices, stories, and experiences of the Standing Rock occupation on indigenous land in North Dakota. First, Daniel and AirGo alum Kristiana Colón discuss their experience visiting last weekend. Then, we share three audio portraits by the podcast series "Voices of Standing Rock," produced by Bo Hakala and Bill Prouty. Hear "Voices of Standing Rock" here: https://www.facebook.com/voicesofstandingrock/ Follow Oceti Sakowin camp: https://www.facebook.com/OcetiSakowinCamp All music from this episode is by A Tribe Called Red, a group of First Nations DJs and producers. Learn more about the group: atribecalledred.com
Fri, November 18, 2016
Ep 67 - Jhon Myquale
You should listen to Jhon Myquale. The emcee found his way to Chicago a couple years back, and has quietly been putting in work with folks across the city. He's put out a string of dope tracks this year, and is poised to break through. He brings his thoughts and some bars to AirGo. Recorded live 11/17/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: wavs - @JhonMyquale Summer '04 - @JhonMyquale Flight - @JhonMyquale Hey (Instrumental) - MF Doom
Fri, November 11, 2016
Ep 66 - Drea Smith
On days like these, we need the proper vibes dealt more than ever. Drea Smith is a singer, songwriter, and member of the Medicine Woman collective with AirGo alumnae Via Rosa, Ravyn Lenae, and Jean Deaux. The elder statesperson of the crew, Drea has traveled the country as the singer for indie pop band He Say She Say and duo Pyyramids. She drops by AirGo to help figure out what the hell we do now. Recorded live 11/10/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Fuck Donald Trump - @YG and @Nipseyhussle Fake Like - @supportyourlocalvibedealer Division - @supportyourlocalvibedealer
Thu, November 03, 2016
Ep 65 - TASHA
Singer, poet, and activist TASHA shines. A Chicago native, she has recently released her fiercely warm Divine Love EP. She's also on the staff of Black Youth Project-100, serving as assistant to BYP National Director Charlene Carruthers. TASHA's brother is old-school AirGo alum Ethos, who was featured on the sixth episode of the show. Recorded live 11/3/16 Music from this week's show: Ocean Floor Kisses - @Galimatias We Got Power - @WowTashaWow
Thu, October 27, 2016
Ep 64 - #SaveWHPK
Help save WHPK here: https://www.facebook.com/SaveWHPK The University of Chicago administration has recently announced that personnel of WHPK 88.5FM will no longer have access to the station premises outside of the regular hours of the Reynolds Club, the on-campus building in which the station is housed. This change has cut out a third of our programming and ends a tradition of 24/7 broadcasting that the station has maintained since the 1980s. The decision to restrict access was made behind doors, with little consideration of DJ input. WHPK DJ, Sick Muse zine editor, and curator of The Promontory's The Corner series Sasha Teko hops in the studio, with WHPK stalwart Mario Smith on the phone, to talk about the campaign to save community involvement in the radio station. Recorded live 10/27/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Church Eye - @Sivey World in My Hands (feat. @Sminobrown and Legit) - @SabaPIVOT Icy - @SolPatches Freestyle Battle - @KanyeWest and @Common
Thu, October 20, 2016
Ep 63 - Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib
Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib loves his city like Chicagoans love Chicago. He writes Columbus, Ohio with care and love, as a poet, essayist, and journalist with MTV. His new book of poems, "The Crown Ain't Worth Much," is raw as hell, and available now. Recorded 10/15/16 in Chicago, IL Music from this week's show: Piece of What - @RJD2
Fri, October 14, 2016
Ep 62 - José Olivarez
José Olivarez talks about Chicago the way Kanye talks about Kanye. Originally from Calumet City, a southern burb of Chicago, he's a product of the Young Chicago Authors community and former staff member of the organization. He has since moved to New York, where he is the Program Director of youth poetry organization Urban Word NYC. He's the cohost of interview podcast The Poetry Gods, and isn't a huge Nas fan. Recorded live 10/13/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Let Nas Down - @JColeMusic Hate Me Now - Nas
Thu, October 06, 2016
Ep 61 - Daniel Kyri
Daniel Kyri is an actor and space-builder who is the cofounder of The Dojo, a radically inclusive performance, art, and community space in Pilsen. Built in principles of communal accountability and free expression, the Dojo has carved a beautiful, slapdash space for the city's turnup. In addition to his work at the Dojo, Daniel has acted on stages across the city, including The Second City and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Recorded live 10/6/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: A Little Soul - Pete Rock
Thu, September 22, 2016
Ep 60 - Monica Trinidad
Monica Trinidad's work as a visual artist and organizer has been pivotal in shaping the ways art and activism cocreate in this moment, movement, and city. The co-founder of For The People Artists Collective, she has illustrated how communal art-making is necessary for our fights and for our spirits. Recorded 9/16/16 Music from this week's show: Casanova- @lostclubmusic Complejo de Salvador Blanco - Cochina
Thu, September 15, 2016
Ep 59 - Page May Returns
Page May is one of the city's strongest voices in the fight for Black liberation. She is a cofounder of Assata's Daughters, and has been leading in different ways across the city, from the podium to the classroom to the streets. The day after the actions responding to Laquan McDonald's murder last November, she and Damon sat down on AirGo to process and heal together. She joins us again for a conversation about damn near everything. Recorded 9/14/16 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst - @kendricklamar World in My Hands (feat. @sminobrown & Legit) - @SabaPIVOT
Thu, September 08, 2016
Ep 58 - Nate Marshall Returns
Once upon a time, way back on Episode 4, Nate Marshall came to the WHPK studio and everything went wrong. Damon was out of town, Daniel forgot an Aux cable, and the room was sweltering. An hour later, Daniel screamed obscenities when he discovered that the episode hadn't even recorded, and their conversation was lost to the AirGo ages. A year later, the BreakBeat Poet, rapper, and educator swings by for the episode he has always deserved. Recorded 9/7/16 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Harold's (Instrumental) - @Madlib
Thu, September 01, 2016
Ep 57 - Melissa DuPrey
Melissa DuPrey is dope. You could say that about a lot of the people we've had on the show, but it's indubitably true with Melissa. She's an actress, comedian, and activist who is a native of the city's Humboldt Park neighborhood. She's also the General Manager of Free Street Theater, the amazing youth theater organization that has been a home for AirGo alumni Ricardo Gamboa and Sol Patches. Recorded 9/1/16 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Papers - @Sangobeats I Love Soul (feat. Avery R. Young) - @ricwilson
Thu, August 25, 2016
Ep 56 - Daniel Kay Hertz
Why are your house, block, and city the way that they are? Daniel Kay Hertz has some ideas, and he's excited to share them with you. Hertz is an urban planner and Chicagoan who breaks down and reshapes housing and transportation policy in ways that illuminate how this city works, and often doesn't work. Get your crash course with the sexiest AirGo episode of all time. Recorded 8/25/16 in Chicago, IL Music from this week's show: #1 - @Lefty_Loosey
Thu, August 11, 2016
Ep 55 - Chris Cannon
On this week's episode, we celebrate our Associate Producer Chris Cannon, who has been holding it down as a member of the AirGo staff all summer. As he prepares to go back to college, we share his thoughts on working with the show, as well as an audio piece that he co-produced this past semester about street harassment. Get @neonpajama's new book "Paper Wind": http://dustyintl.com/paper-wind-by-ben-niespodziany/ Music from this week's show: So Gone (feat. Missy Elliott) - Monica Midnight City - M83 End of the World - @lupefiasco
Thu, August 04, 2016
Ep 54 - Diamond Sharp
Diamond Sharp is a poet and essayist from Oak Park, whose words and presence celebrate the melancholy and the shadows we all carry in a way rarely seen in artist communities, organizing rooms, and simply in the world overall. A member of BYP-1oo and an editor for Rookie Mag, Diamond swings by AirGo Studio B (Daniel's house) for this week's episode while the station is getting fixed up. Recorded Wednesday 8/3/16 in Chicago Music from this week's show: mr. fox mr. fox - @squeakPIVOT Shadow Man (feat. @sabapivot, @sminoworld, 1992phoelix) - @noname
Thu, July 28, 2016
Ep 53 - Freedom Square
When the world acts, AirGo creates and transforms, so this week's episode is a little different. Rather than lifting up one particular Strong Young Voices, Episode 53 brings together shorter conversations with several folks around Freedom Square, the now week-long occupation led by the Let Us Breathe Collective across from the infamous CPD torture site Homan Square. Listen, stop by the ongoing 24/7 occupation at 1100 S Homan, and support by bringing one of the needs listed on the Let Us Breathe Facebook page every morning. Recorded 7/26-7/28 at Freedom Square in Chicago Music from this week's show: Family Business - @kanyewest Lonely Lonely - @jamilawoods Recess - @Ravynlenae Twenty Three - Lowkey
Thu, July 21, 2016
Ep 52 - Sonia Denis
Sonia Denis is a standup comic who has been tearing up stages across the city. A member of the cast for The Second City's Afrofuturism show, Sonia gracefully and gleefully dances the fine line between confessional and silliness. She hops on the show to talk standup, the city's comedy scene, and more. Recorded live 7/21/16 at WHPK 88.5FM
Fri, July 15, 2016
Ep 51 - Jasmine Sanders
Jasmine Sanders is a writer from the South Side of the city. Her work explores generations of family, and is remarkably and thoroughly grounded in the streets, stories, and histories of place in a way that the "internet writing" world often is unable to accomplish. She's been published in Rookie Mag and Buzzfeed, and has a twitter name more stellar than most. Recorded live 7/14/16 at WHPK 88.5FM Music from this week's show: Off Beat - @chuckinglish Holy - @jamilawoods
Thu, July 07, 2016
Ep 50 - Pidgeon Pagonis
Pidgeon Pagonis is an intersex activist and artist whose work, art, and joy, centers "their community’s human right to bodily autonomy and justice." From Chicago, Pidgeon facilitates workshops, discussions, and presentations around the world about the medical violence and stigmatization for intersex folks. They are a shining, unrelentingly positive face and voice in the city, encouraging and empowering artists and organizers alike to imagine new worlds. They also design and sell some of the coolest merch in the world, which you can cop at their online store. Recorded live 6/7/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: LV - YEVRS I Think It's Going to Rain Today - Nina Simone We Love Us - @RicWilsonisme
Thu, June 30, 2016
Ep 49 - We 'Go Live
A couple weeks ago, when we put on We 'Go Vol 2: A Chicago Showcase and Celebration, we were fortunate enough to have the good folks over at Postloudness come through and record the show in its entirety. On this week's episode we share the audio from the exciting, soul-restoring evening, including performances by AirGo alumni E'mon Lauren, Fati Asghar, Kevin Coval, @defcee, @LAVanGogh, @deathViaLove, and @jamilawoods. Recorded live 6/30/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Thanks to Postloudness for recording the live event and providing the audio.
Thu, June 23, 2016
Ep 48 - Avery R. Young
When Avery R. Young gets going, joy starts shining, and it's next to impossible to stop it–not that you would want to. A Cave Canem fellow, he is a fixture of Chicago's creative community, and has been reshaping language and community in new, remarkable ways on stages and in classrooms for years. Combining song, poetry, and interviews about race and politics, his most recent project "booker t. soltreyne" is an album and archival project that reflects on how old pedagogies and processes of racism still exist in the Obama Era. Recorded live 6/23/16 at WHPK88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Waiting - tnight/tmrw Cauleen's Joint - @averyryoung Icarus - April Fools feat. @averyryoung Ham Sammich(Is) - @Averyryoung
Thu, June 16, 2016
Ep 47 - Dorothy Holmes
Dorothy Holmes has found her way into the movement through the most terrible of circumstances–her son, Ronald "Ronnieman" Johnson was murdered by CPD officer George Hernandez on October 12th, 2014. Dorothy has emerged as an organizer and activist, coupling the fight for justice with a loving campaign to provide resources, support, and love to others who have had to face violence as she has. She joins AirGo to talk about her own path, Ronnieman, and more. Recorded live 6/16/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Fall From Grace - nicodxmvs Take It - Sirens
Thu, June 09, 2016
Ep 46 - Vanessa Sanchez
Come to We 'Go: A Chicago Showcase and Celebration, on Friday 6/17! Free and all ages. https://www.facebook.com/events/913429428756200/ Vanessa Sanchez is the Director of Yollocalli Arts Reach, a remarkable organization and branch of the National Museum of Mexican Art that works with youth, primarily in the city's Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods. In a city full of of nonprofit efforts that talk the talk, and ultimately take up space and resources without fostering dynamic spaces for young people to create, Yollocalli stands tall as a welcoming, unpretentious home for free art and new media programs, including street art, mural internships, experimental video, music, storytelling, radio and journalism. Vanessa is also one of the creators of Villapalooza, a fantastic annual festival, community celebration, and block party in Little Village. Recorded live 6/9/16 at WHPK in Chicago Music from this week's show: Only Time Will Tell - @kodyakhiphop Keep You In Mind - @guordan-banks
Thu, June 02, 2016
Ep 45 - Tweak
Tweak Harris is an MC and activist whose forceful bars and warm smile have been central to the movement across Chicago, especially in the victorious fight for a trauma center on the South Side of the city. Coming off an electrifying performance at the magnificent "Ain't No Mothership: An Expedition of She" event last month, Tweak comes by the studio to talk about her new music and more. Recorded live 6/2/16 on WHPK 88.5FM Music from this week's show: sinsisaw/thedeepestblue - ELWD Real Talk - Tweak God (The Rookies) - Tweak
Thu, May 26, 2016
Ep 44 - Sol Patches
Sol Patches is an actor, rapper, poet, organizer, and gender abolitionist from Chicago. Under the guidance of AirGo alum Ricardo Gamboa and Coya Paz at the Free Street Theater, Patches has tackled roles on stage and screen, including Louder Than a Bomb as a member of the Goodman Theater team and in Pronouns, a new film that has been accepted to the Tribeca Film Festival. They are also an activist and organizer, working with the Let Us Breathe Collective and other organizations across the city. Recorded live 6/26/16 at WHPK 88.5FM Music from this week's show: TWOsDay II - Two Fresh What White People Invented - @SolPatches
Thu, May 19, 2016
Ep 43 - Shani Crowe
Shani Crowe is an interdisciplinary artist from the South Side of Chicago. Her newest exhibition, Braids, is a series of portraits of Black women whose hair has been braided and styled into "a variety of original looks and wearable works of art." She joins Damon and Daniel to talk about the project, her lineage as a visual artist, and more. Recorded live 5/19/16 at WHPK88.5FM in Chicago Music on this week's show: Breakdance Lesson N.1 - @kaytranada Braid My Hair - Mario BLK Girl in the Auditorium - @JBambi All Falls Down - Kanye West
Thu, May 12, 2016
Ep 42 - Felonious Munk
Felonious Monk is a comedian and commentator who has built some of the city's most vibrant, subversive comedic rooms. His work with Dave Helem on the Blipster Life comedy series, produced in venues across the city, has brought comedy into the movement, and has created in-between spaces for one of America's most segregated art forms. He is a regular contributor to The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. Recorded live 5/12/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Say You Won't - @Brasstracks Heavn - @JamilaWoods Dance With My Father - Luther Vandross
Thu, May 05, 2016
Ep 41 - La VanGogh
L.A. VanGogh is a multitalented rapper, vocalist, producer, and musician whose fantastic new collaborative project with producer and DJ Ambi Lyrics is entitled safensound presents L.A. VanGogh. The project's sound, birthed from both artists' hands, ears, and minds, is grounded in this sonic moment more completely than most, and is in self reflection that dodges Drake-like corniness in favor of honest thoughts and declarations. Recorded live 5/5/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: I Wonder - @ambil Changed My Number - @youarenowSafensound (@LaVanGogh & @ambil) 9 ta 5 Bluez - @youarenowSafensound (@LaVanGogh & @ambil) Untitled 108 - @bruceleekix All Falls Down - @kanyewest
Thu, April 14, 2016
Ep 39 - Black Girl In Om
As a moment continues to transition to a movement, one of the most pivotal questions is how a generation of people fighting for liberation can maintain their spirits, bodies, souls, and presence while still actively doing some of the most difficult work one can do. Black Girl in Om is an organization that creates "spaces for women of color to breathe easy" through their online publication and pop-up wellness experiences across the country. Founder/Creative Director Lauren Ash and Art Director Zakkiyyah Najeebah join Damon and Daniel to wellness, art, and more. Photo by Erica Jones Record live 4/14/2016 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Blk Girl Soldier - @jamilawoods Oxygen (prod. @montebooker) - @sminoworld Everybody Loves the Sunshine - Roy Ayers Live At The Barbecuue - Main Source feat. @Nas
Thu, April 07, 2016
Ep 38 - Summer Fields
Summer Fields is a student at the University of Chicago, where she has seemingly been making cool stuff since she first showed up. She is the founder of The Quad, a podcast telling the stories and sharing the voices that are often unheard at UChicago. She also works as an intern at Hearken, "an audience-driven framework and platform enabling journalists to partner with the public throughout the reporting process." A former ABC News Politics Fellow, she's currently writing her thesis on race and public media. Plus she's as much of a Larry David fan as Damon and Daniel are. Recorded live 4/7/16 at WHPK 88.5 in Chicago Music from this week's show: Bus Ride - @kaytranada Freedom Interlude - @noname I Think It's Going to Rain Today - Nina Simone
Thu, March 31, 2016
Ep 37 - Highness
Highness is a band and collective whose unique sound, which they call omnisoul, lights up stages and eardrums across the city. With each show, their appeal and energy becomes even more undeniable. Daniel and Damon go offsite to interview the band at the rehearsal studio as they prep for the release show of their new The Highness Collective EP. Recorded 3/31/16 on WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music on this week's show: Israel (Sparring) Instrumental - @chancetherapper feat. @noname Straight Loneliness - @kaytranada Pearl - @highnessmusic Radio Play - @highnessmusic Because 789 - @highnessmusic
Thu, March 24, 2016
Ep 36 - Emon Lauren Black
Poets are expected to be in touch with their emotions. A stoic poet is viewed as holding back or guarded. As a result, some folks tend to manufacture the markings of emotion–a crack in their voice, a tear down their face, shoulders shaking with emotion. When real passion is performed, however, the result is far more impactful. Emon Lauren Black doesn't hold back, on stage or off, and is becoming a forceful and important voice in the city's poetry community. Recorded live Thursday 3/24/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Reactions - @louielastic Family Matters - @chancetherapper feat. @Jamilawoods Drive In - @stefanponce feat. @themindmusic Window Shopper - 50 Cent
Thu, March 17, 2016
Ep 35 - Kevin Coval
This week's guest has been mentioned on AirGo more than anyone else, for good reason. Kevin Coval is a poet, educator, and community builder who is the artistic director of Young Chicago Authors and the co-founder of Louder Than A Bomb, the world's largest youth poetry festival. He has worked to center the stories of strong young voices from Chicago and beyond for decades, and the legacy of art and community that trails him is unmatched in this moment and city. Recorded live 3/17/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Where They At - Molemen Shut 'Em Down (Pete Rock Remix) - Public Enemy Burnout (feat. @Erynallenkane) - @SabaPivot
Thu, March 10, 2016
Ep 34 - Fatimah Asghar
Fatimah Asghar is a poet, photographer, and writer whose forceful presence and fierce work from stages, on pages, and behind lenses have made her one of the city's strongest young poetic voices. She is a member of the Dark Noise Collective, a teaching artist at Young Chicago Authors, and is the creator of Let Me Love Me, a "a nude photo project for people of color to talk about [their] bodies and [their] journeys with self love." Her chapbook After dropped last November through YesYes Books. Recorded live 3/10/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Tha' Coop - @karavelo Patriot Act - Heems Always on Time (feat. Ja Rule) - Ashanti
Fri, March 04, 2016
Ep 33 - Akenya
Akenya is a singular talent in the Chicago music community. She commands the stage like a combination of James Brown, Billie Holiday, and a hungry MC conquering a cypher. She has collaborated both with Chicago hip hop stalwarts including Chance the Rapper, Noname Gyspy, Mick Jenkins, Eryn Allen Kane, Donnie Trumpet, and the O'My’s, as well as performed alongside contemporary luminaries like Esperanza Spalding, Fred Hersch, Vijay Iyer, Jason Moran, Luciana Souza, and Dave Holland. She is preparing to drop her first LP, titled Moon in the 4th, this year. Recorded live 3/3/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: It Might Work - Alicks Absentmindedness - @akenya Disappear - @akenya Back to Life - Soul II Soul Tangos del Cerro - Estrella Morente
Thu, February 25, 2016
Ep 32 - Chante Linwood
Chante Linwood fills rooms across the city like Chance the Rapper's Open Mike, Louder than a Bomb, and nightlife hotspots East Room and Mad River with good music, and perhaps equally importantly, a wonderful, hilarious spirit and smile. The DJ, filmmaker, and mother is one of the cofounders of We Are Cliché, a self-described "collective by women for women." Recorded live 2/25/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Scientist Friends - @steeltippeddove Supplier - @Karifaux Lullaby (feat. Softglas) - @chargaux Thanks to Ben Niespodziany for curating the instrumentals every week!
Thu, February 18, 2016
Ep 31 - City Bureau
Many of the organizations and groups mentioned on AirGo have developed in response to ways that existing institutions have failed to successfully serve the purpose they claim to serve, from the classroom to the corner to the studio. News media has also largely failed its purpose of honestly, fairly, and accurately telling the stories of Chicago. This week's guests, Andrea Hart and Darryl Holliday, are editors of City Bureau, an organization "aiming to restore civic media coverage of the South and West Sides of Chicago by training a new generation of young reporters in the practice of urban journalism." In this meeting of the media minds between City Bureau and AirGo live some ideas for how to continue extending the Chicago Renaissance onto the newsprint and airwaves that are tasked with telling the truth. Recorded live 2/18/16 at WHPK in Chicago Music from this week's show: Into the Trees - Kodyak Mercury Rising - @themindmusic BLK PR (feat. @ali-of-new-kingz, sydshawmusic, & Chapo)- @kingronthepoet
Thu, February 11, 2016
Ep 30 - Sam Trump
In the performance spaces and venues of Chicago's cultural renaissance, it becomes easy to tell who has the work ethic to keep growing, learning, performing, and moving forward. Couple that work ethic with undeniable talent and a warm soul, and you get Sam Trump. The soul singer and musician takes a break from creating very rare vibes across the city, and touring the country with band Sidewalk Chalk, to swing by AirGo. Recorded live 2/11/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show far away - @tomppabeats Love, Peace, and Happiness - @Samtrump Brother (feat. @add2music) - @Samtrump That Thing - @Samtrump People Make the World Go Round - The Stylistics Check Sam out at http://samtrumponline.com follow us @airgoradio, @airgodaniel, and @Damon_AF
Thu, February 04, 2016
Ep 29 - Mariame Kaba
After 28 episodes, we've started to hear some consistent threads and ideologies emerge. In a city with a broken education system and a massive amount of misinformation, these Strong Young Voices have to have learned these shared ideologies from somewhere. Mariame Kaba is one of the city's great mentors and community builders–she's the founder and director of Project NIA and co-founder of We Charge Genocide, and has worked to combat violence against women and girls for decades. Just a few weeks before she moves from Chicago, she joins AirGo for a conversation. Recorded live 2/4/2016 on WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Boathouse - em Nu no vox Follow Mariame on twitter @prisonculture
Fri, January 29, 2016
Ep 28 - Ricardo Gamboa
Ricardo Gamboa isn't here for hypocrisy. The Chicagoan artist, actor, director, and activist challenges the hypocrisies and half-truths of the city and nation's institutions through his work tirelessly, and his work has both exploraed and created space for others to explore diaspora in Mexican(-American) communities. His videos, productions, and performances have forcefully issued rallying calls and challenges with a fist behind his winking humor. Recorded live 1/28/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: french inhale - bds.u
Thu, January 21, 2016
Ep 27 - Jamila Woods
When did you first hear a voice that cut through madness and helped the listener heal and grow? Perhaps more so than any other person in the city of Chicago, Jamila Woods brings meaningful empowerment to the spaces and people with whom and which she connects. She's the Associate Artistic Director of Young Chicago Authors, an award-winning poet who is member of the illustrious Dark Noise Collective, and a magnificent vocalist and songwriter, who listeners may know as the voice of the Social Experiment's hit song "Sunday Candy." The wonderfully talented and supportive Woods is a Chicago native. Recorded live 1/21/16 at WHPK 88.5FM Music from this week's show: Questions feat. Jamila Woods - Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment Blk Girl Soldier - @jamilawoods The Joy (live @kdicrecordings) - M&O Lovin' You - Minnie Riperton
Fri, January 15, 2016
Ep 26 - Britteney Black Rose Kapri
Petty. Britteney Black Rose Kapri is a poet, educator, and the Pettiness Queen of Chicago. A recipient of the 2015 Rona Jaffe Foundation's Writer's Award, she pushes every space she's passes through across the city toward less bullshit and more honesty. She teaches in classrooms across the city, including Nancy B. Jefferson Alternative School in the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, and is a teaching artist at Young Chicago Authors. Recorded live 1/14/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: The Strain - @blockheadnyc GPS - @Sabapivot Family Business - @KanyeWest Gypsy Woman - Crystal Waters
Thu, January 07, 2016
Ep 25 - Veronica Morris Moore
In the world of organizing, it can feel like victories are few and far between. Strong Young Voices participating in the work can sometimes find it hard to face these immense challenges with no guarantee of success. This makes moments of success, where objectives are met, very complicated. Veronica Morris Moore has organized around various injustices in Chicago, but her voice became heard clearest in the fight for a Level 1 Adult Trauma Center on the Southside, which the University of Chicago recently agreed to build. We discuss this win, other challenges, joys, and more.In the world of organizing, it can feel like victories are few and far between. Strong Young Voices participating in the work can sometimes find it hard to face these immense challenges with no guarantee of success. This makes moments of success, where objectives are met, very complicated. Veronica Morris Moore has organized around various injustices in Chicago, but her voice became heard clearest in the fight for a Level 1 Adult Trauma Center on the Southside, which the University of Chicago recently agreed to build. We discuss this win, other challenges, joys, and more. Recorded live 1/7/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Lips - @tomppabeats She - @lauramvula 47 - @chelsea-reject feat. @kirkknight Fire and Desire - Rick James & Teena Marie Pony - Ginuwine
Fri, January 01, 2016
Ep 24 - Stretch And Bobbito
There's a small door on 115th Street and Broadway in New York City. For nearly a decade, hip hop's royalty passed through the door and climbed a fluorescent-lit stairway to WKCR, Columbia University's community radio station, and dapped up kings of the underground Bobbito Garcia and Stretch Armstrong. The two New York natives introduced the world to an unsigned Nas, Jay Z, Biggie Smalls, Wu-Tang Clan, Fugees, and so many more, while creating a meaningful, radical platform for the largest youth culture in the history of the world. On this very special New Year's episode, Stretch and Bob chop it up with Damon and Daniel in promotion of their transcendant new film Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives. The interview aired 12/31/15 on WHPK 88.5FM Music from this week's show: New Chapter - @MonteBooker Stretch and Bobbito Freestyle - Big L and Jay Z Stretch and Bobbito Freestyle - Black Thought, Common, Pharoahe Monch Time's Up - O.C.
Thu, December 24, 2015
Ep 23 - Damon Williams
Families tend to come together around the holidays. Comedian Damon Williams chats with Junior and Daniel on Christmas, breaking down the twists and turns of his comedy career, which includes stops on BET's Comic View, the Kings of Comedy tour, and stages across the country. Most importantly, he has a cachè of embarrassing Damon stories. Celebrate just another Thursday with AirGo. Recorded live 12/24/15 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music on this week's show: Audrey Hepburn - @Karavelo Home (Windy) - Kanye West feat. John Legend Live and Die in Chicago - @KingLMusic
Thu, December 17, 2015
Ep 22 - Defcee
Defcee has been raised in the renaissance. He is a rapper, educator, and mentor who has been a stalwart of the creative community in the city for years. He just released a tremendous new album called Damn Near Grown, his first in seven years–the project reflects both his own growth and the growth of the community. Cop Damn Near Grown on @Defcee's Bandcamp: defcee.bandcamp.com/album/damn-near-grown Recorded live 12/17/15 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Try it Out - DJ Burn One Noir - @Defcee All My Heroes Did Dope - @Defcee When Somebody Loves You Back - Teddy Pendergrass Homealone - @Montebooker Like Someone in Love - @tomppabeats
Fri, December 11, 2015
Ep 21 - theMIND
The Mind has lent his ear and voice to much of the best, most ambitious music to emerge from Chicago in the last few years. The vocalist is a core member of @THEMpeoplemusic, the collective of creators that Via Rosa discussed a few weeks back. Fresh off a world tour with Mick Jenkins, The Mind hops on AirGo for a conversation. Recorded live 12/10/15 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: @Karavelo - Floaties @MickJenkinsMusic - Shipwrecked (feat. @themindmusic) @StefanPonce & @Themindmusic - Lost in Translation Frankie Beverly and Maze - Before I Let Go
Thu, December 03, 2015
Ep 20 - Bryant Cross
Bryant Cross' thoughtful words dig in his personal intersection of "blackness & how it relates to being a man, an artist, a socialist, Christian, junkie, scholar, weed-smoker, American, chronic asthmatic, hip-hop, traumatized, army brat, writer, and bastard." Even Strong Young Voices contain multitudes. The Belgian-born, Southside-raised performance poet, writer, and activist seems to balance them well. Recorded live at WHPK 88.5FM on 12/3/15 Music from this week's show: SXMPLELIFE - American Beauty Erykah Badu - Hello (feat. Andre 3000)
Sat, November 28, 2015
Ep 19 - Page May
With Daniel back east for the holiday, Damon is joined by guest host Page May, who is one of the city's most influential and fierce organizers, to discuss the Laquan McDonald murder and the protests that have filled the streets of Chicago. Page, who is part of organizations BYP100, Assata's Daughters, and We Charge Genocide, talks with Damon about what has been seen, has been done, and where our city and culture stand right now from the front lines of the fight. Recorded live 11/26/15 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: LightningDog - @SabaPIVOT Alright - Kendrick Lamar Follow BYP100 for info about upcoming actions at http://twitter.com/byp_100
Fri, November 20, 2015
Ep 18 - Saba
Based on Saba's breakthrough project ComfortZone, one can't help but feel like the chords of his music underpin the drastic growth he's made professionally over the last 15 months. The mainstream rap publication system is starting to take notice, leading to some recent features, but Saba's power stems from the stage–his Comfortzone Live shows have gotten bigger and better, bringing young people across the city together for a joyous musical celebration. Not bad for a self-proclaimed shy kid. Recorded live Thursday 11/19/15 Music on this week's show: LightningDog - @SabaPivot SmthnThtIWnt - @SabaPivot Whip (Areyoudown) - @SabaPivot Marbles - @SabaPivot Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack Butter (feat. Jamila Woods) - @SabaPivot
Fri, November 13, 2015
Ep 17 - Via Rosa
Via Rosa makes all kinds of things–some of which sound great, some of which smell delicious. The Chicago-based singer and vegan chef brings the recipe to her elegance to AirGo and discusses how she came to Chicago, how she linked with @thempeoplemusic, and talks about her amazing path to becoming one of Chicago's Strong Young Voices. Recorded live 11/12/15 At WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music on this week's show: Lithium - Via Rosa Spin Cycle (feat. Mathien) - Via Rosa Magician (feat. @thatsjeandeaux) - Via Rosa The Choice is Yours - Black Sheep Come to We 'Go: A Chicago Showcase and Celebration on Sat. 11/14 at the Silver Room. Free, all ages! https://www.facebook.com/events/1509483092707298/
Fri, November 06, 2015
Ep 16 - Kush Thompson
We 'Go: A Chicago Showcase and Celebration is 11/4/15 at the Silver Room. Come through! https://www.facebook.com/events/1509483092707298/ Kush Thompson writes resistance. Her "bathwater influenced" poems stand tall with love, and her soul shines on canvasses and pages. The semi-autobiographical pink-haired protagonist of her paintings appears thoughtful and carefree. Recorded Live at WHPK 88.5FM on 11/5/15 Music from this week's show: Abigail - Smoko Ono Soul Food (feat. Raphael Saadiq) - Big K.R.I.T. Sunday Morning - Noname Gypsy I Say A Little Prayer for You - Aretha Franklin Open Apology - Noname Gypsy
Thu, October 22, 2015
Ep 15 - Bella Bahhs
NOTICE: We 'Go, AirGo's first live event, is at 7:30PM on Nov. 14 at The Silver Room in Hyde Park, Chicago. Catch the event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1509483092707298/ On her Facebook page, Bella Bahhs does not call herself a rapper–rather, she uses the phrase "rapping public relations specialist." She communicates in the streets and on the stages of Chicago, bringing bars and hooks that intentionally counteract the dominant narrative and push back. Much of her recent work has honored her family members and connected the multigenerational dots. HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE. http://patreon.com/airgo Recorded live at WHPK 88.5FM on 10/22/15 Music from this week's show: Untitled 06 - Dert Floyd OG - @BellaBahhs Royal Family - @BellaBahhs Time Out Chair - Genesis Khan
Fri, October 16, 2015
Ep 14 - Ravyn Lenae
Ravyn Lenae makes elegant music. The ChiArts High School student released Moon Shoes, an EP largely produced by 20 year-old Monte Booker, a couple months ago, and the eight-song project has been an AirGo favorite since it dropped. Her elegant writing fits Monte's production so well that Chicago heavyweight Saba said, "Ravyn and Monte together [are] damn near the best collab in music.” She swings by the WHPK studio to talk that collab, high school life, and more. Recorded live @WHPK 10/15/15 Music from this week's show: New - The ARE Moon Shoes - Ravyn Lenae Blossom Dearie - Ravyn Lenae Free Room - Ravyn Lenae Every Little Thing I Do - Soul For Real http://twitter.com/ravynlenae http://airgoradio.com http://twitter.com/airgoradio http://patreon.com/airgo HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Fri, October 09, 2015
Ep 13 - Kristiana Colón
This week's guest is the sister of one of AirGo's hosts–let's see if you can guess which one. She is also an accomplished and ferocious playwright, poet, and organizer whose newest play Octagon, a critical depiction of the slam poetry scene, recently premiered in London. Kristiana Colón has been using her Strong Young Voice for years in Chicago, reshaping the artistic and organizing communities for the fresher. Recorded live @WHPK 88.5FM on 10/8/15 Music from this week's show: Air Between Toes - Swimful Butterfly Water Me - FKA Twigs 40 Days 40 Nights - April Fools Too Little in Common to be Lovers - The Newcomers HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE. http://patreon.com/airgo Thanks to @neonpajamas for curating the show's instrumentals.
Thu, October 01, 2015
Ep 12 - Just Nesh
Comedian Just Nesh appears on stages across the city, bringing a laissez-faire comedic voice to some of the struggles of being a working comic, and a Black woman, in the City of Wind. In addition to her role hosting and performing all over Chicago, she's also the voice behind some of the funniest parody songs the AirGo crew has ever seen. In short, she's really funny. Recorded Live 10/1/15 at WHPK 88.5FM Music from this week's show: Breathe (Instrumental) - @Just-Blaze Tiny Soldiers - M&O L's - @GHerbomusic Dot Out (Katie Got Bandz Pop Out Parody) - Just Nesh Hotel California - The Eagles They Don't Care About Us - Michael Jackson
Thu, September 24, 2015
Ep 11 - Drew From Enstrumental
After an AirGo bye week, Damon and Daniel return to the air with Dwamina Drew, the mastermind behind Chicago's Enstrumental clothing company. You may have seen the brand's famous "Rap–Lies=Hip Hop" shirts and stickers around town–the tee is unquestionably fresh–and Drew's work declares important statements about identity with the concision of a poet and eye of a master craftsman. He jumps on the air to discuss the brand, his new film The Revenge of Emmett Till, and more. Recorded live at WHPK 9/24/15 Music from this week's show: King Rashad (Never Letting Go) - @RomanFlowrs Go Go Gadget Flow - @lupefiasco Bank Head - @kelelam Cuz I Love You - Lenny Williams http://enstru-mental.com http://twitter.com/airgoradio
Thu, September 10, 2015
Ep 10 - Add - 2
Add-2's debut album Prey For The Poor, released on 9th Wonder's Jamla Records, is settling into playlists and headphones across the city in the week since its release. The Chicago emcee couldn't be happier. Every social media post seems to be a grateful and relieved celebration, which he has certainly earned after years of consistent bars and beats on the vanguard of this era's Chicago renaissance. Aired live 9/10/2015 at WHPK 88.5FM Music from this week's show: Untitled 108 - @bruceleekix Young Black Boy - @add2themc feat. Jamila Woods Stop Play Rewind - @add2themc feat. Rapsody Use Me - Bill Withers Heartbeat (Instrumental) - Kanye West
Thu, September 03, 2015
Ep 9 - Jean Deaux
After a last-minute switch last week, we welcome singer and rapper @ThatsJeanDeaux to the program. Some of Chicago's Strongest Young Voices are also some of the city's sweetest and most somber. Jean's most recent project Soular System Vol. 1: Dark Matter[s] feels like weaving on Lake Shore Drive in a moment of reflection, grounded and free at the same time. Touted as one of Chicago's "Next Big Things" for a couple years now, Jean has stayed patient, releasing quality work of her own and lending her voice in collaboration with colleagues Mick Jenkins, Chance the Rapper, Noname Gypsy, Isaiah Rashad, Alex Wiley, and more. Hear "Soular System Vol. 1: Dark Matter[s]" at @ThatsJeanDeaux Recorded Live @WHPK 88.5FM Sept. 3, 2015 Music on this week's show: Chicago - Oddisee Glow - Jean Deaux Voodoo - Jean Deaux Pusher Man - Curtis Mayfield Who Am I - Jean Deaux Thanks to @neonpajamas for curating the show's instrumentals.
Thu, August 27, 2015
Ep 8 - Eve Ewing
How does a Strong Young Voice from the city of Chicago reshape the culture of spaces and institutions across the country? Eve Ewing is a teacher, writer, artist, research scholar, and BreakBeat Poet whose voice has taken her into middle school classrooms, through Ivy League lecture halls, onto stages, and to the alternative learning spaces across the country. Currently working on her doctorate from the Harvard School of Education, where she co-chairs the Harvard Educational Review, Eve returns to her old stomping grounds at University of Chicago, where she went for undergrad, and shares her story. Recorded 8/27/15 at WHPK 88.5FM Music on this week's show: Hot Sugar - Trapper Keeper (feat. Baghdaddy) Ravyn Lenae - Greetings Roy Ayers - Everybody Loves the Sunshine Thanks to Ben Niespodziany (@neonpajamas) for curating the episode's instrumentals Read and listen to Eve's piece "Requiem for Fifth Period and the Things That Went On Then" at Bird's Thumb: http://birdsthumb.org/february-2014/2014/1/10/requiem-for-fifth-period-and-the-things-that-went-on-then
Fri, August 21, 2015
Ep 7 - RJ Eldridge
The first non-native Chicagoan to be showcased on AirGo, Reginald Eldridge, Jr. is a writer, multidisciplinary artist, curator, educator, and artist who plays an integral and interesting role in Chicago's contemporary renaissance. Whether on the canvas, behind the lens, on stage, in front of a classroom, or with a pen in his hand, RJ doesn't shy away from challenging himself or his students, and has become one of the city's Strong Young Voices by exploring the spaces between ideas and media. Recorded 8/20/15 Music on this week's show: Them Changes - Thundercat Ace Da Vinci - God Bless Erykah Badu - Out of My Mind, Just in Time William DeVaughn - Be Thankful For What You Got http://airgoradio.com http://twitter.com/airgoradio http://facebook.com/airgoradio
Fri, August 14, 2015
Ep 6 - Ethos
Ethan "Ethos" Viets-VanLear is a poet, organizer, peace-circle keeper and prison abolitionist hailing from Rogers Park on the north side of Chicago. Whether he's performing on stage or marching through the streets, Ethos has established himself as one the boldest voices in the city. His organizing work has allowed him to travel the world at a young age, including a trip to Switzerland where h testified on police torture at the United Nations as a part of the delegation We Charge Genocide. Ethos is also the lead vocalist of the new band Thy Neighbors, who are set to release their debut EP. Aired 8/13/15 Music on this week's show: Through the Way - Blazo Pray 2 God - Goodbye Tomorrow I'd Rather Be With You - Bootsy Collins Black N Mild - Thy Neighbors Meat Grinder - Madvillain Thanks to: WHPK 88.5FM Ben Niespodziany (@neonpajamas)
Fri, August 07, 2015
Ep 5 - Jasmine Barber
What illuminates the people who bring light into the world? Jasmine Barber has found a light source that she shares as a writer, educator, friend, and pillar of the Chicago creative community, and she carries her torch with honesty and openness. A Young Chicago Authors teaching artist, Jasmine is working on her first children's book. Aired live 8/6/15 Music on this week's show: HC Saba - Temporary (feat. Tink) The Joy - M&O People Make the World Go Round - The Stylistics Thanks to Ben Niespodziany (@neonpajamas) for curating this week's instrumentals. http://twitter.com/airgoradio http://facebook.com/airgoradio http://airgoradio.com
Thu, July 30, 2015
Ep 4 - Nate Marshall
Nate Marshall is from the Hundreds. He stands in front of his house on the far south end of Chicago, completely at home in a stretch of the city often overlooked in the city's narrative. Marshall is bringing the city's triple-digit stories forward in his new poetry collection Wild Hundreds. In addition to his poetry, Nate is a Visiting Professor at Wabash College and a rapper, whose project Grown is due later this summer. NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, the live show didn't record. In it's place, you have a 10 minute mini-AirGo featuring some live poems and freestyles from this week's guest. Aired 7/30/15 Thanks to Ben Niespodziany (@neonpajamas) for curating the instrumentals on this week's show: Mastermind - Apollo Brown Eclectic Relaxation - The ARE Drippin' Swagu - Woody http://airgoradio.com http://twitter.com/airgoradio http://facebook.com/airgoradio
Fri, July 24, 2015
Ep 3 - Ric Wilson
Prison abolitionist and hip hop artist Ric Wilson is a Strong Young Voice working in the studios and streets of Chicago. He has also moved across national borders in his activism, heading to Switzerland as part of group We Charge Genocide last fall to testify about police torture in front of the United Nations and traveling to Cambodia to transform harm caused by state and interpersonal violence and create community healing. He's also one-half of rap duo FYI (Fuck Your Institution), and released his debut full-length project Penny Raps in April. Hear AirGo live Thursday at 12PM CST on WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago, or on the WHPK livestream. The show will be available as a podcast on Soundcloud and iTunes on Friday. Find out more about the show and corresponding We 'Go Mixtape Series at http://airgoradio.com, and stay linked on Twitter & Facebook @AirGoRadio. Help spread the words of these Strong Young Voices by becoming an Amplifier with a monthly donation through Patreon, the arts patronage site. Aired live 7/23/15 Music on this week's show: The Funk - Dr. No's Ethiopium If I Ruled The World - Nas & Lauryn Hill Into the Water - Jean Deaux feat. The Mind Baby, I'm Scared of You - Womack and Womack
Fri, July 17, 2015
Ep 2 - Raych Jackson
Raych Jackson is a teacher in every sense of the word. From the classroom to the stage, her nurturing buoyancy shines through, turning every person into a thoughtful student and every space into a home for joyful learning. An educator, poet, and member of Chance the Rapper's #STAFF, Raych engages every day in reshaping the stories and communities of Chicago. Find out more about the show and corresponding We 'Go Mixtape Series at airgoradio.com, and stay linked on Twitter & Facebook @AirGoRadio. Help spread the words of these Strong Young Voices by becoming an Amplifier with a monthly donation through Patreon, the arts patronage site. Aired live 7/16/15 on WHPK 88.5FM Best I Could - JCW Time Machine (feat. Michael Anthony, Via Rosa, & The Mind) - THEMpeople Sun - Jhon Myquale Hey Love - Delfonics
Fri, July 10, 2015
Ep 1 - Malcolm London
AirGo premieres this week with Malcolm London, one of the most vocal voices in Chicago's rich arts and activism community. Called the "Gil-Scott Heron of this generation" by Cornel West, Malcolm is an internationally recognized Chicago poet, activist & educator. He shares his thoughts, spits a great new poem, and shares a track off of his upcoming mixtape. Aired live 7/9/15 Thanks: Ben Niespodziany WHPK 88.5FM Jake Austen Songs: Floating - BIGfoot Beats Other Side of the Game - Erykah Badu Bee Good (Lion Song) - Gregory Porter http://airgoradio.com http://twitter.com/airgoradio http://facebook.com/airgoradio
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