© 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? | Integrating Churches, Activism for Peace And Justice

In April of 1960, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. famously described 11 am on Sunday as “the most segregated hour in America”, suggesting that while churches are open to all races, few have true integration. Does the problem still exist? DeMar Dowell is the founder of God’s Dream Inc., a ministry and DEI consultancy in Buffalo that works to bring Black and White people together on specific spiritual projects that he hopes will “build bridges of diversity .. and generate opportunities that change lives.” Then a wide-ranging talk with Jim Anderson, a long time civil rights and peace activist talking about social justice, anti- militarism, housing and the modern protest movement.

Latest Episodes
  • Today on What’s Next?, Jay Moran sits down with Dr. Lori Quigley, professor and coordinator of the Ph.D. in Leadership in Policy program at Niagara University. Quigley’s academic research and her work as an education consultant has put social justice about Native issues at the forefront. This month, she will be a visiting professor at St. Bonaventure University, where she will speak about the relationship between Indigenous peoples and the U.S. today. Here, she previews those talks.
  • What’s Next? welcomes CJ Banks, the Special Assistant to the President at Villa Maria College. Banks heads up community outreach and workforce development at the school, including through the recently announced Hip-Hop Creative Alliance. He’s also the founder and president of the KORP Foundation, which focuses on professional advancement and skills training. Originally from The Bronx and after some time spent in the music industry, Banks came to Buffalo 20 years ago. Since then, he’s kept busy in various entrepreneurial roles. He joins Jay Moran to discuss the latest of these, and future plans for workforce development in the community.
  • Today on What’s Next?, two guests from Jewish Family Services speak about their work in refugee resettlement, specifically the role of mental health in that process. Bijoux Bahati is the manager of the TST-R program, and Danielle Bernas is the director of the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Healing. Both have extensive experience working with immigrants and new arrivals as they navigate the challenges of resettlement, including mental health and cultural issues, and the places where those intersect. Bahati and Bernas sit down with Jay Moran to share their work, as well as give background on cultural brokers, the rich and growing diversity in Buffalo neighborhoods, and the challenges of identity.
  • What’s Next? welcome Dee Johnson and Deb Erwin, the co-founders of Witness CARES LLC, an outgrowth of the National Witness Project, which aims increase cancer screening among underserved African American women. The duo’s work has seen them navigate community issues of medical mistrust as well as transportation challenges, all in service of a flourishing program that covers the gaps in the health care industry. Johnson and Erwin join Jay Moran for a conversation about fixing health care disparities here in Buffalo and beyond, as well as future plans for screenings of other types of cancers in larger populations.
  • We revisit a stand-out conversation with Stephanie Peete, Wil Green, and Rob Leteste, who all appeared on a recent panel themed around Carol Anderson’s book White Rage presented by Say Yes Buffalo. The event was moderated by Green, the director of outreach and community engagement at the University at Buffalo’s graduate school. Peete is Say Yes Buffalo’s workforce development director, and Leteste is the business intelligence and workforce manager at Invest Buffalo Niagara. The latter appeared as panelists, along with professionals in law, mental health, and other fields. A portion of that panel discussion can be heard in the second half of the episode.
  • On today’s episode, we welcome three guests whose work in veteran services and outreach has culminated in a new study concentrated on Buffalo’s East Side. Bob James, team leader for WNY Vets, and former service members Edwin Gadson and Marlene Roll join Jay Moran to discuss the findings of the East Buffalo Veterans Study, a years-long campaign designed to highlight the needs of Buffalo veterans who may not know about the services available to them, or how to find them.
  • Today’s What’s Next? welcomes guests associated with National Federation for Just Communities of Western New York: Mara Koven-Gelman, the senior director of Buffalo Jewish Community Relations Council; Rev. Dr. Todd Leach, the senior pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church; Tim Sember, Trocaire College’s vice president of mission and advancement; and Rene Petties-Jones, the president of NFJC of WNY, Inc. They’ll discuss their experiences with a grassroots organization called ROOTS, a self-described “network of local Palestinians and Israelis” who hold a series of dialogues and speaking engagements aimed at challenging the assumptions the communities hold about each other and build trust. The members speak with host Jay Moran about their work with ROOTS and share insights from these dialogues.
  • On a special episode of What’s Next?, hosts Thomas O’Neil-White and Jay Moran sit down with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, acclaimed author, professor, historian, and the founder and director of the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University. Dr. Kendi recently adapted Zora Neale Hurston’s tale of the Atlantic slave trade, Barracoon, into a children’s book, and he speaks about the necessity of bringing that story to young readers. He also offers his take on the continued spread of white supremacy and what Buffalo can keep in mind as the city continues its healing journey.
  • Today on What’s Next?, host Thomas O’Neil-White has two conversations about ongoing issues in the city of Buffalo. First, he sits down with Kelly Dumas of Healing Hub of NY, Inc. and Amanda Paul of Say Yes Buffalo for a discussion about a new program that empowers mental-health clinicians of color. Then, a conversation about anti-lead poisoning efforts with Janayia Capers, an organizer for housing justice at PUSH Buffalo, and Breana Hargrave, a program coordinator at LEAD716. Plus, more from our recent tour of the African American Center for Cultural Development in Olean.
  • What’s Next? returns to Olean for a conversation with Della Moore, the founder and executive director of the African American Center for Cultural Development. She first came to Olean 52 years ago and has since become a fixture of the community. Her center is full of artifacts from the local black history of the Southern Tier, including items from her own personal collection. Moore joins host Jay Moran and producer Patrick Hosken for a tour of the center and a discussion about its mission and history, and what she’s learned from a half-century in Olean.