© 2024 Western New York Public Broadcasting Association

140 Lower Terrace
Buffalo, NY 14202

Mailing Address:
Horizons Plaza P.O. Box 1263
Buffalo, NY 14240-1263

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | Phone 716-845-7000
WBFO Newsroom | Phone: 716-845-7040
Your NPR Station
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Buffalo, What's Next?: Friday Producers’ Picks

Our weekly "Producers' Picks " program features highlights of earlier interviews. In our feature interview, Jay Moran and Thomas O’Neil White speak with Fatima Morell, Buffalo Public Schools Associate Superintendent of culturally and linguistically responsive initiatives. Dave Debo is with Antoine Johnson, director of the Fatherhood program at the Buffalo Prenatal Perinatal Network. Thomas also interviews Melodie Baker, National Policy Director at Just Equations, a group that advocates for more equality in math and STEM. And Brigid Jaipaul-Valenza speaks with Buffalo-based author Desiree Williams (and her son Cortland) on her book "Beautiful Brown Babies."

Latest Episodes
  • We revisit a stand out conversation with Holly Kirkpatrick speaking with Buffalo's Poet Laureate Aitina Fareed-Cooke. And we have a special interview with Jay Moran sitting with Morgan Williams-Bryant CEO of Leadership Buffalo and founder and CEO of MWB Ignites. Morgan speaks with us about her Champion Made Empowerment Summit taking place Saturday June 29.
  • Eat Off Art is a collaboration of Artists, Educators, and Entrepreneurs working to build a more empathetic community. Their mission is to inspire others through their crafts, passions, and endeavors to believe that there is a way to be successful, sustainable, and profitable as artists. On today’s show, we speak with the founders of Eat Off Art Alexa and Edreys Wajed. The dynamic married couple discusses with Jay Moran how Eat Off Art is striving to change the narrative for artists and build them up to become successful entrepreneurs, while pushing their message of building a more empathetic community.
  • The Niagara Pride is a nonprofit organization serving LGBTQ+ individuals and families in Niagara County and Western New York. Their mission is to promote the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community throughout Niagara County of New York State and create safe and welcoming events and meetings for LGBTQ+ individuals, families, and allies. Today, we speak with the President of Niagara Pride Ronald Piaseczny, and the program chair Sherry Fossett. The two sit with Jay Moran to discuss the events that they have been doing in celebrating PRIDE month in Niagara County and the impact it has on local communities. From the WNY Pride 5K Run to Rainbow Pride taking place on June 29 and other events but more importantly, the three discuss the impact the organization has on the youth.
  • Today, Jay Moran and Dallas Taylor return to Olean to take a tour with the founder of the African American Center for Cultural Development, Della Moore. Then Jay Moran sits with Marquis Burton, the poet known "Ten Thousand." The two discuss about his career, the dynamics of the East Side and Juneteenth in Buffalo.
  • Today, the What’s Next? team takes us on a tour at the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center with the Director of Community Engagement Saladin Allah. Allah is the third-great grandson of underground railroad Freedom Seeker Josiah Henson whom Harriet Beecher Stowe used as the primary narrative for her famous 19th Century novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” He takes Thomas O’Neil-White and Jay Moran around the center and provides insight into the center and more.
  • Today, special host Bentley from WBFO’s Group Chat sits with professor of theater and Africana studies at Buffalo State University Naila Ansari to discuss the highly anticipated Netflix documentary “Black Barbie: A Documentary”. We also, revisit WBFO reporter Holly Kirkpatrick’s piece on a local exhibit that displayed black dolls during Black History Month.
  • Today, we speak with the founder and creator of Our Mommie Village Shyana Broughton. Broughton, a doula speaks with Thomas O’Neil-White about the importance of doulas during and after pregnancy and how her organization is living up to the mantra “It takes a village”. Then Thomas speaks with LaGarrett King, a professor at the University of Buffalo to discuss all things Juneteenth, from the significance of the holiday to how we can continue to honor the holiday.
  • We revisit two stand out conversations. First Jay Moran with Laurie Matson (Associate Vice President of Southern Tier Services) and Jessica Schanne (Associate Vice President of Facilities and Emergency Management) for Evergreen Health System. Then Thomas O'Neil-White conversation with author and sickle cell disease activist Juanita McClain and Dr. Steven Ambrusko.
  • Today, we speak with community advocate Alex Burgos and the CEO, President, and chairman of Upstate New York Black and Latino Pride Teja Jenkins-Jones. June is National PRIDE month, and the two speak with Thomas O’Neil-White about the historical significance of the month, the recent Vogue outdoor night whose theme was “Gag City” and what progress looks like in the LGBTQ+ community. Then Jay Moran sits with a member of the local slam poet team Pure Ink Poetry Dallas Taylor. Dallas will travel with the team to Florida for the Southern Fried Poetry Slam. We may hear a poem of two from Dallas as well.
  • Today, we speak with returning guests Deja Middlebrook and LaShawn Davis from Walking Through Solutions, LLC. Deja and LaShawn update us on what Walking Through Solutions has been up since their last appearance on the show. The two have a four-week couples boot camp that they go into great detail about with Jay Moran and how it helps couples solve issues within their relationship and build a stronger foundation.