Black Land Podcast

During a tour stop in Newark, NJ, Dr. Vanessa Tyler has a conversation with participants of The State of the People POWER Tour- a movement that unites community leaders, activists, influencers and the public to help strengthen Black communities nationwide. The Tour is traveling to Black communities throughout the country spotlighting local leadership, and helping to shape a national Black agenda, leading up to Juneteenth ...

Dr. Vanessa Tyler speaks with Wanda Bertram, Communications Strategist for the Prison Policy Initiative, an independent research and advocacy organization that studies criminal justice reform and mass incarceration. Wanda shares data and insights that her organization offers to other advocacy groups and elected officials who are on the front lines fighting over-criminalization and gerrymandering.

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As part of the Black Information Network's 'Black Maternal Health' awareness campaign, Dr. Vanessa Tyler shares the story of Jose Perez & Christine Fields. In 2023, Jose's fiancée Christine died while giving birth to their son, Anuel, during emergency C-section surgery. Jose talks about the difficulties he experienced and witnessed while trying to advocate for Christine's care, including racism and alleged negligence. Th...

Dr. Vanessa Tyler has a conversation with Joshua Fekete who lives with his family in a foreign country.  Joshua shares his remarkable and terrifying story about surviving a heart attack, a deadly earthquake and financial hardship while living in Thailand. Joshua details his ordeal of having to pay unexpected medical bills while in a foreign country, with no help from his American insurance provider or the U.S. Embassy. The fam...

Dr. Vanessa Tyler talks with restaurateur partners  Nigel Douglas and Shauna Neely of Douglas Neely Hospitality Group (DNHG). Together they are owners of the first and only Black-owned caviar brand in the Tri-State area. They also manage several restaurants including Caviar in Edgewater, NJ. They discuss how caviar is one of the biggest trends happening in the culinary scene currently, and how DNHG are bringing caviar to the c...

Dr. Vanessa Tyler has an enlightening conversation with James Howard, inventor and executive director of the Black Inventors Hall Of Fame Museum and STEAM Center. The project will be a 110,000 sq ft. facility in New Jersey that includes tuition-free STEM classrooms, a theater and a hall dedicated to top Black inventors of the Golden Era. James discuss the importance of representation and the value of preserving untold stories of in...

Dr. Vanessa Tyler talks to author and educator Kimberly Jones about her book, 'Wealthy Blacks Before the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863'. The book helps dispel the myth that Black wealth did not exist in the days of slavery. Kimberly Jones shares information on wealthy business people of color in the 1800's and how they struggled and thrived during that period. The book also examines why many of these stories are relatively unkn...

During this Women's History Month, Dr. Vanessa Tyler has a conversation with entrepreneur, TV personality, chef and author Gocha Hawkins. Gocha opens up about overcoming her challenging past and what motivated her to create her own businesses. Through her Gocha Restarant Group she owns breakfast and brunch eateries focused on health concious dining, and a line of food merchandise.  She also has a cookbook, called 'Cooking...

Dr. Vanessa Tyler continues her conversation with the president of the ACLU and Associate Dean at New York Universtiy School of Law Deborah Archer. Deborah provides insight into how the ACLU and others are fighting against the apparent destruction of our democracy and the dismantling of our civil liberties and equality infrastructure. She discusses past successes through litigation and how they continue to use the law to combat exe...

Dr. Vanessa Tyler talks with the president of the ACLU and associate dean at New York Universtiy School of Law Deborah Archer. Deborah has written a book titled "Dividing Lines: How Transportation Infrastructure Reinforces Racial Inequality" that details the role race has played in the U.S. transportation infrastructure over the years. After the success of the Civil Rights movement, officials turned to less obvious means to keep Am...

Dr. Vanessa Tyler talks with Karen Taylor, founder and Executive Director of 'While We Are Still Here', an organization dedicated to preserving the history of Harlem, NY. The group has an initiative called the 'Signs Of The Times: Harlem Markers Project' where they are installing historic markers around the city to honor events, people and organizations vital to the city of Harlem. Future plans include developing a tourist app, whe...

Dr. Vanessa Tyler talks with 'The Principal Farmer' Patrick Muhammad, owner of Your Faith Farms in Georgia. Patrick is an advocate of Black land ownership and farm life, having run his 31 - acre farm since 2014. He is also the principal of Chattahoochee Hills Charter School where its mission is 'to inspire children to the highest levels of academic achievement through a curriculum that integrates the wonders of the natural world'. ...