Join me for my conversation with AG Keith Ellison. We hear his thoughts on what can be done the break the wheel of use of force by police against our communities. With this powerful and intimate trial diary, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison asks the key question: How do we break the wheel of police violence and finally make it stop? The murder of George Floyd sparked global outrage. At the center of the conflict and the controversy, Keith Ellison grappled with the means of bringing justice for Floyd and his family. Now, in this riveting account of the Derek Chauvin trial, Ellison takes the reader down the path his prosecutors took, offering different breakthroughs and revelations for a defining, generational moment of racial reckoning and social justice understanding.   Each chapter of BREAK THE WHEEL goes spoke to spoke along the wheel of the system as Ellison examines the roles of prosecutors, defendants, heads of police unions, judges, activists, legislators, politicians, and media figures, each in his attempt to end this chain of violence and replace it with empathy and shared insight.   Ellison’s analysis of George Floyd’s life and the rich trial context he provides demonstrates that, while it may seem like an unattainable goal, lasting change and justice can be achieved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest is author and award-winning journalist Patti Hartigan. Her recent book August Wilson A Life is receiving praise from literary circles, theatre circles, and academic circles alike. I am joined in conversation with Patti next on Destination Freedom Black Radio Days - The Eclectic. August Wilson (né Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of 10 plays, collectively called The Pittsburgh Cycle (or The Century Cycle), which chronicle the experiences and heritage of the African-American community in the 20th century. Plays in the series include Fences (1987) and The Piano Lesson (1990), both of which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, as well as Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (1984) and Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1988). In 2006, Wilson was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. His works delve into the African-American experience as well as examine the human condition. Other themes range from the systemic and historical exploitation of African Americans, race relations, identity, migration, and racial discrimination. Viola Davis said that Wilson's writing "captures our humor, our vulnerabilities, our tragedies, our trauma. And he humanizes us. And he allows us to talk." Since Wilson's death, two of his plays have been adapted into films: Fences (2016) and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020). Denzel Washington has shepherded the films and has vowed to continue Wilson's legacy by adapting the rest of his plays into films for a wider audience. Washington said, "The greatest part of what's left of my career is making sure that August is taken care of" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Destination Freedom Black Radio Days Year in Review 2023. Interviews with David Byrne, Lynn Nottage, and others, plus audio dramas. Enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest is artist Allison Semmes. One of Allison's latest achievements is that she is part of the Barry Manilow/Bruce Sussman musical Harmony. She portrays the artist and activist icon Josephine Baker. Allison Semmes is a multi-genre singer/songwriter and Broadway actress. She studied vocal performance as a coloratura soprano at the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana, then musical theater at New York University where she received her Master's in Music. Broadway & National Tour credits include Motown the Musical (Diana Ross U/S), Book of Mormon (Swing, Nabulungi U/S) & Motown the Musical (Diana Ross), and The Color Purple (Squeak). Other Theatre credits include Little Shop of Horrors (Kennedy Center), A Wonderful World (Miami New Drama), Shout Sister Shout (Seattle Rep), OoBlaDee: Bebop Musical. She has recorded and written with Stevie Wonder (2020), performed with Erykah Badu & BK Philharmonic in Ted Hearne's "You're Causing Quite the Disturbance" at BAM, and Kurt Elling's "The Big Blind", a noir jazz musical with Dee Dee Bridgewater at Jazz at the Lincoln Center Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for our conversation with artist Sheryl McCallum. McCallum is a graduate of Denver South High School who found lasting success on Broadway playing several roles in Disney’s The Lion King. Connection is also a recurring theme in how McCallum and David Nehls came to make “Miss Rhythm,” which is based on the 1996 book “Miss Rhythm: The Autobiography of Ruth Brown, Rhythm and Blues Legend” by Brown and Andrew Yule. McCallum and Nehls first met in New York in the 1990s, reconnected in Denver a few years ago doing musical theater, and seized the opportunity that the COVID pandemic afforded them (in that “lemons, meet lemonade” way) to create the show. Since returning from New York City to take care of her mother, Denver native McCallum has been making inroads in the area’s theater scene. In New York, she was in the Broadway cast of “The Lion King” as well as a performer in City Center’s Encores! concert series. In her first Denver show, McCallum played a town elder in the Curious Theatre Company’s production of “Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet,” part of MacArthur Fellow Terrell Alvin McCraney’s trilogy, The Brother/Sister Plays. Since then, McCallum’s appeared in shows at Curious, Cherry Creek Theatre, the Aurora Fox, the Arvada Center, and Miners Alley. It was at that Golden theater — during artistic director Len Matheo’s much-needed Quarantine Cabaret — that McCallum and Nehls test-drove a tribute about the woman who became known as the Queen of R&B. Ruth Brown, After a string of hit songs — “(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean” and “5-10-15 Hours” among them — the Atlantic record label where she switched from ballads to R&B was referred to winkingly as “The House That Ruth Built.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the summer of 1961, Rutha Mae Harris was home visiting her family after her first year at Florida A&M University. Protests had been erupting in Albany, her hometown, and Harris had to face a question that many young people involved in the struggle asked themselves – would she go back to school or stay and organize? She knew the need. Harris grew up with strong roots in the community. Her father, Rev. Isaiah Harris, was the founding minister of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church and had been providing literacy classes and encouraging members of his congregation to register to vote since the 1940s. He taught his children to always think that they were as good as anyone else and to never fear any man. Her mother was a schoolteacher and was supportive of the Movement, “She told me that as long as I came back to finish my schooling, it was alright with her.” And so Harris stayed, fueled by the opportunity to fight for her freedom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Producer/Director donnie l. betts first hand report on the trial of Elijah McClain. The officers now on trial — Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt — are charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent reckless homicide and assault, all felonies. They pleaded not guilty. Roedema, a former Marine who is currently suspended without pay, had been with the department for five years before McClain's death. Rosenblatt worked for the agency for two years and was fired in 2020 for making light of other officers' reenactment of the neck hold. The two officers have not talked publicly about McClain's death and it's unknown if they'll take the stand to testify. Their lawyers told jurors that the officers' actions followed police policies and weren't responsible for McClain's death. They've sought to shift any blame to the paramedics who injected the ketamine. Body cameras worn by the officers captured the confrontation and the footage is being used by both sides to bolster their arguments. That's what jurors will have to decide. Rosenblatt initially tried to put McClain in a neck hold but couldn't because of his position, so Woodyard did, authorities said. The maneuver, called a carotid control hold, restricts the flow of blood to a person's brain, rendering them temporarily unconscious. Neck restraints have been banned in many states following the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Live from the studios of KGNU in Boulder, Colorado, Destination Freedom Black Radio Days comes to you with The Difference by Peter Trinh. The Difference is a candid dive into racial dynamics and the chasm that grows between the perceived and global majority. Peering into the veiled, uncomfortable, underbelly of neo-supremacist ideology. Produced and directed by donnie l. betts. Stay tuned after the audio dramas for a conversation with playwright Peter Trinh. Featured in The Difference are Latifa Johnson, Peter Trinh, Brian Landis Folkins, Josh Levy and donnie l. betts. Plus a Q and A with college and high school students. Many had questions about culture and identity. Produced by No Credits Productions LLC and donnie l. betts. Listen again at wherever you get your podcasts #BroadwayPodcastNetwork #itunes, #radiopublic, #spotify #amazon, #stitcher or www.nocredits.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest is Lynn Nottage. Ms. Nottage has received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice: in 2009 for her play Ruined, and in 2017 for her play Sweat. She is the first and the only woman to have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama two times. Nottage is the recipient of a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship and was included in Time magazine's 2019 list of the 100 Most Influential People. On January 13, 2022 Lynn tweeted that she would have a comedy Clyde’s, and a musical MJ for which she wrote the book on Broadway at the same time. She also has an opera for the play Intimate Apparel. Her work is being produced by 24 different major theatres this season according to American Theatre Magazine. Her play "Clyde's" is the most produced play in 2023/24. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 19th is host donnie l. betts birthday. Born and raised in east Texas he reached out to others that were born on this day and are not from Texas and asked their thoughts on this day - retired Judge Vallera Johnson and marketing rep Danielle Brooks. Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining "June" and "nineteenth", it is celebrated on the anniversary of the order, issued by Major General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, proclaiming freedom for slaves in Texas. It is much more than just these two sentences. It means Freedom Day to many Black Americans. No more auction blocks. Working for free. However, Freedom is not free, there is a lot more work to be done in America and the world. Listen in to our conversation. donnie l. betts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join me producer donnie l. betts for my conversation with SHARON WASHINGTON (Co-Book Writer) "New York New York" Tony nominee. A proud Native New Yorker with her family living in Manhattan since 1835, Sharon is celebrating over 30 years as an actor. She is thrilled to continue her collaboration with this incredible creative team who she worked with on The Scottsboro Boys musical—this time as a writer. Sharon made her debut as a playwright with her solo play Feeding the Dragon. Off-Broadway it was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award, Lucille Lortel Award, and won an Audelco. Published by Oberon Books it was also recorded as an Audible Theater Original. She is currently writing a children’s picture book version for Scholastic Books. Sharon is a co-writer/executive producer on a project in development for Disney+. She is a proud member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and The Dramatists Guild. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Folks may be familiar with the fine clothes, big hats, and of course the fast horses. But did you know the first 10 winners of the Derby were Black? The first 3 time winner was Issac Murphy. Many consider Murphy the greatest American jockey of all time. By his own account, Murphy won 44% of his races. Racing historians can only verify 34.5% from the era, but it's likely that some of Murphy's races were not documented. Either way, Murphy set a standard that no other jockey has come close to matching. Consider that Eddie Arcaro, recognized as the greatest U.S. jockey of the 20th Century, had a winning percentage of only 22%. Murphy was the first jockey inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1956. Next up on Destination Freedom one of my favorite audio dramas from our series - THE GRAVE DIGGERS HANDICAP, The Story of Isaac Murphy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marla Gibbs (born Margaret Theresa Bradley; June 14, 1931) is an American actress, singer, comedian, activist, writer, and television producer whose career spans seven decades. Gibbs is known for her role as George Jefferson's maid, Florence Johnston, in the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons (1975–1985), for which she received five nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She is a legend, an icon, and a lovely human being. Angela Gibbs: Writer/ Director/Acting Coach. Currently featured in Not Dead Yet on ABC and Hulu. And she used to rock the screen in Hacks. Her most famous roles include Doris Jackson in Straight Outta Compton and Barbara Cochran in The People v. OJ Simpson. She has also appeared in hit American shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, S.W.A.T, Suits, and NCIS: Los Angeles. He portrayed Randall Pierce mother of the last season of This Is Us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I Am” was written by Kenya Fashaw and directed by donnie l. betts. Mimi and Jabari are in love however will Mimi's insane jealousy spoil the young lovers' quest for a beautiful life together? Mimi might need a little help from an unexpected source. Let’s find out in this episode of Destination Freedom Black Radio Days. "I Am" features as MIMI: Nadiya Jackson, JABARI/DADDY/MALIK: James Brunt, I AM: Latifa Johnson and MAMA: Larea Edwards. This episode is co-produced, edited, and mixed by Maurice Smith for DiatonicLabs.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a global race war the year is 2071. We find a world full of life chips, skin sealers and the beige nation. The world has tried to eliminate all the dark people. There are no traces of dark skinned people, or are there? Cages is an audio drama written by Kenya Fashaw and directed by donnie l. betts. This episode is co-produced, edited and mixed by Maurice Smith. The cast included Nadiya Jackson as Ebony, Larea Edwards as Black Woman, Kurt Soderstrom as Billy and Latifa Johnson as Life Chip and Amani. The theme song is performed by Larea Edwards and produced by Maurice Smith. Filled with an amazing soundscape. Come journey with us to the world of Cages. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m donnie l. betts. "Now I've been very lucky in my life to meet some of my artistic and scholarly heroes. People like August Wilson, Sonia Sanchez, Grace Lee Boggs, and Oscar Brown Junior. Next on the Eclectic, I sit in conversation with another one of my creative idols. He is the co-creator of the Immersive Theater experience Theater of the Mind as well as Here Lies Love and American Utopia. And he is the founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the Talking Heads.... I welcome the amazing David Byrne!" theateroftheminddenver.com/about David Byrne is the founder and in-house headline writer of Reasons to be Cheerful, and the founder of the Arbutus Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to re-imagining the world through projects that inspire and educate. Reasons to be Cheerful is the Arbutus Foundation’s first project. In conjunction with the premiere of the immersive production Theater of the Mind, co-created by creator of the Broadway hit American Utopia, David Byrne, and writer Mala Gaonkar, Byrne has created a series of seven lenticular artwork images in five editions and a short piece of new music to coincide with the production. The Eclectic is a companion podcast to Destination Freedom Black Radio Days that features interviews with difference makers, artists, authors, bold thinkers, and people we love who get stuff done. Produced and hosted by donnie l. betts of No Credits Productions, LLC. Follow @nocreditsproductions on Facebook and Instagram, and @donniebetts on Twitter. #Blackradiodays #socialjustice #destinationfreedomblackradiodays #donniebetts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are joined by Andrew J. Scoville, a NYC-based, Chicago-born theater director and creator of original work. He specializes in immersive layouts, technological landscapes, and hybrid-genre theater-making with an emphasis on integrating science ideas into theatrical experiences. Current projects: Money Heist: The Experience (at One Hanson Place in Brooklyn- association with Netflix, Fever and JJLA), Theater of the Mind by David Byrne and Mala Gaonkar currently at Off Center, which is a part of Denver Center for The Performing Arts. The production can be experienced at 3887 Steele Street in Denver, Colorado. This is the second of my interviews with the creative team of Theatre of The Mind. Theater of the Mind is the newest, and arguably most ambitious, production of DCPA Off-Center. It doesn’t just explore the human brain; it allows YOU to explore YOUR brain through story and science. I am honored to share with audience members 6 days a week as a member of the cast. The Eclectic is a companion podcast to Destination Freedom Black Radio Days that features interviews with difference makers, artists, authors, bold thinkers, and people we love who get stuff done. Produced and hosted by donnie l. betts of No Credits Productions, LLC. Follow @nocreditsproductions on Facebook and Instagram, and @donniebetts on Twitter. #Blackradiodays #socialjustice #destinationfreedomblackradiodays #donniebetts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of The Eclectic, I'm joined by Charlie Miller, the Executive Director & Curator of Off-Center and part of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Executive Team. Off-Center was originally conceived by Miller and former DCPA Theatre Company Artistic Producer Emily Tarquin, who is now artistic producer at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville. Off Center produces artistic work that is surprising, fun, challenging, and at times visually stunning. we discuss multi-media artist, David Byrne (American Utopia, Talking Heads, Reasons to Be Cheerful, A History of the World in Dingbats) and co-writer Mala Gaonkar, and their creation, Theater of the Mind. Theater of the Mind is the newest, and arguably most ambitious, production of DCPA's Off-Center. It doesn’t just explore the human brain; it allows YOU to explore YOUR brain through story and science. As a member of the cast, I experience this creation every day. The Eclectic is a companion podcast to Destination Freedom Black Radio Days that features interviews with difference makers, artists, authors, bold thinkers, and people we love who get stuff done. Produced and hosted by donnie l. betts of No Credits Productions, LLC. Follow @nocreditsproductions on Facebook and Instagram, and @donniebetts on Twitter. #Blackradiodays #socialjustice #destinationfreedomblackradiodays #donniebetts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a follow up to S3 Ep1, this episode features a concert by Lionel Young, Roy Hightower, and Otis Taylor recorded live directly following the audio drama The Tale of Stackalee. Lionel Young Mr. Young has won numerous awards including The Young Artist Award (Pittsburgh Symphony); The Concerto Contest (Carnegie-Mellon); The Passamenic Award (Branchwood String Quartet); and the award for the Best Blues Band in Westword’s Best of Denver. He’s also won a position with The Denver Chamber Orchestra and premiered a solo piece by William Hill. Lionel has had the honor of working with such show biz luminaries as: Count Basie, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Paige/Robert Plant, Doc Severenson, Linda Ronstadt, Living Color, Billy Taylor. Otis Taylor, Since 2009’s award-winning Pentatonic Wars and Love Songs, Taylor has released five more celebrated albums and his music has been included in Hollywood and foreign movie soundtracks and television shows including Shooter and Public Enemies. Personal highlights of Taylor’s career were when he was an answer in the New York Times crossword puzzle in 2009, and in 2016 Taylor was proud to be included in the inaugural exhibition of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Roy Hightower Well-regarded as a blues guitarist and soulful singer around Chicago, Roy Hightower has carved out an equally impressive niche as an actor in various Windy City musical productions. Among his starring roles: portraying Muddy Waters and Otis Redding. Even in death, the larger-than-life figure of Stagger Lee triumphs. It is unfathomable why the obscure murder of a levee hand in a red-light bar would attain such far-reaching notoriety, while songs about equally sordid killings—fact-based murder ballads such as “Ella Speed” and “Duncan and Brady”—are doomed to relative obscurity. Nonetheless, “Stagger Lee” spread with extraordinary speed, beginning shortly after the actual killing. It was soon being sung in various forms by workers on the levee, convicts on chain gangs throughout the South, saloon and street singers, and even school children. Soon, the musical, mythical iteration of “Stack Lee” supplanted the man himself, as black America cultivated and nurtured a heroic outlaw to admire. Follow @nocreditsproductions on Facebook and Instagram, and @donniebetts on Twitter. #Blackradiodays #socialjustice #destinationfreedomblackradiodays #donniebetts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a man, the lowlife pimp and murderer Lee Shelton has all but sunk into obscurity. However, as raised up by more than a century of popular culture, the righteous killer Stagger Lee has become an icon to generations, who see in the folk character defiance of authority, pride of self, and strength in the face of adversity. In this episode we hear Richard Dunham take on this larger-than-life figure. Stackalee or Stagger Lee is filled with the amazing blues soundscape from Lionel Young, Roy Hightower, and Otis Taylor. Be sure to check out EP 2 - a concert by Lionel Young, Roy Hightower, and Otis Taylor recorded live directly following the audio drama Stackalee. Follow @nocreditsproductions on Facebook and Instagram, and @donniebetts on Twitter. #Blackradiodays #socialjustice #destinationfreedomblackradiodays #donniebetts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices